The Surface Sungkes Back
His subordinate had barely slept in the past two days. Although he looked somewhat energetic, the dark circles under his eyes were
comparable to those of a raccoon’s.
Upon hearing Aiden’s words, he immediately stood straight and saluted his superior. “Yes, Commander!”
Aiden went to Evan’s ward after a brief visit to Elaine.
Evan was seriously injured and required long periods of sleep to help with his recovery. The sound of Aiden opening and closing the ward’s door awakened him from his slumber.
He opened his eyes and saw his brother tiptoed in. He asked groggily, “What’s up, Aiden?”
“Nothing. I’m just a little tired, so I come here for some shut–eye. I didn’t know I’d wake you up. How are you recovering?”
Evan let out a big yawn.
“I feel much better than yesterday. My physical fitness has always been good, so I’m recovering quickly.”
After he said that, Evan pointed to the guest bed nearby. “Aiden, you don’t look well. Quick, get some rest.”
He continued to ask after Aiden lay on the bed, “How is Grandma now?”
“Grandma is old and recovers slowly. Although she woke up a few times, she couldn’t speak well. She may feel better after resting for a few days.” “Everything’s good if she can make a full recovery. When I can stand on my two feet tomorrow, I’ll visit Grandma.” Evan was optimistic.
After exchanging a few words, the two brothers fell asleep.
Aiden didn’t know how long he had slept when he was jolted awake by a phone’s ringtone.
He thought Charlie was dialing him, but when he opened his eyes, he found Evan’s phone ringing instead.
While Evan answered the phone immediately, the sounds still woke Aiden up.
“Sorry, Aiden. I forgot to mute it.”
Members of the Peacekeeping Forces were required to have their cellphones on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the only exception was when they were on missions. Hence, he didn’t have the habit of muting his phone.
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He also forgot to mute his phone during the afternoon nap. Aiden became much more energetic after napping for almost two hours. He got up and said, “You answer the phone. I’ll check on Grandma.”
“Aiden, wait a minute. We may have good news.”
With that, Evan continued with his phone call. He asked the caller, “Is it about the stand–in?”
A man’s voice sounded from the receiver. “Yes, we’ve found two that meet the requirements. Shall they go to Acocester now?”
“Send me the information first. I’ll decide after reading it.”
Evan hung up the phone after saying that.
He looked at Aiden and began the discussion. “Aiden, if both selected stand–ins meet our requirements, how about letting them go directly to the city where ‘Wolf Killer‘ headquarters is located?”
Evan had thought through the situation. If everyone gathered at Acocester and left together for their destination, there was a high possibility of their plans to get exposed.
Aiden nodded. “After you’re sure that they can be effective stand–ins, you can arrange for them to go there.”
“Sure,” Evan agreed.
Aiden then left to visit Elaine.
Elaine happened to be awake, and she didn’t need a ventilator anymore. Her eyes also looked much brighter.
She smiled weakly when she saw Aiden.
Aiden immediately went to the hospital bed and took Elaine’s hand, which she was too weak to lift.
“Grandma. How are you feeling? Do you feel uncomfortable?”
With that, he pressed his ear against her oxygen mask and listened carefully for Elaine’s answer.
Elaine opened her mouth. Her faint voice could hardly ring through the oxygen mask and was almost inaudible.
“Grandma is fine. Are you guys all right?”
While it was difficult, Aiden could catch what Elaine said because he had excellent hearing.
“We’re all fine, Grandma. Don’t worry and rest well.”
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The True Lady Strikes Back
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But Elaine didn’t believe him.
“I’ve only seen Aiden and Ceci so far, while Evan and Christopher never show up. They must’ve been seriously injured,” Elaine thought. Aiden could see what Elaine was thinking with only a glance. He quickly told her about Evan and Christopher’s conditions.
Upon seeing Elaine slightly relaxed, he whispered good news in her ear. “Grandma. We have a blessing in disguise this time. Not only have we found a lot of info about the mastermind, but we also have news about Charlie.”
He continued in an undertone, “Please stay calm. The information about Charlie is top secret, and we can’t let others learn about this. Therefore, you can’t show or do anything that might cause anyone to be suspicious.”
Finally, he promised, “I’ll have you meet Charlie when the time is right.”
Elaine wanted to suppress her emotions when she heard these. But in the end, she couldn’t stop tears rolling down her cheeks even if she maintained an unchanged expression.
She thought, ‘Charlie’s the heaviest weight on my mind.
It has been 23 years. The thought of him has become an increased burden instead of getting lightened.
I don’t regret the decision to sacrifice my family for the country, but I regret my failure to save Charlie.
How can I not be excited when I hear Charlie is still alive?
If I’m not immobile in the hospital bed, I’ll want to see that
long–suffering child immediately.’
Elaine’s expression changed slightly as her thoughts came to this point. She tried to open her mouth and muttered several garbled words.
“Is… he… good?”
Aiden knew very well that Elaine wasn’t asking about Charlie’s well–being. What she wanted to know was his character.
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