Chapter 1750


    On the other side of the private airfield, Philip trailed behind the enigmatic man until they entered a


    nondescript room adorned with an array of masks. One, in particr, was familiar; it was often worn


    by the higher-ups, confirming Philip''s suspicions. This man was either a member of the elite or one


    of their operatives.


    If Maja had been there, she''d have recognized him as the man who, back in Cania, had tried to


    whisk her away under the guise of Ian. That attempt had been foiled by a timely call from Ian


    himself. Although her luggage was taken, she hadn''t mentioned the incident to Ian.


    Now, the room''s dim lighting made the man before him look even more like Ian. While there were


    only faint resemnces between Ian and Patric, this man was almost an exact replica.


    Philip watched as he approached a machine, inputting aplex code. A distorted voice emerged


    from the device.


    "Did you find them?"


    "Yes, I''ll bring them over tonight."


    "What about Summer?"


    "Summer''s legs are broken, utterly defeated. Useless to us, so I took care of her."


    The man spoke with chilling nonchnce, not bothering to shield Philip from the conversation.


    After a brief silence, the voice inquired, "And Patric? He and Cynthia are the prime subjects; they


    must be retrieved together."


    "Patric has vanished. No leads so far."


    "Then focus on bringing Philip back."


    "Understood."


    The man''s fingertips danced across the machine for a moment before it powered down, its self-


    destruct mechanism ready to detonate upon detecting an intruder''s touch, taking a life with it.


    He turned to Philip, a crooked smile formed on his lips.


    "You''re more valuable than Summer. Let''s go, board the ne to where we''re meant to be."


    Without questioning further, Philip followed.


    As for Phil, he''d always been one to tag along.


    After a lengthy flight, the familiarity of the city below furrowed Philip''s brow. He''d left many traces


    here under the alias Phelps. But now, returning as Philip, it was a first.


    One of the research facility''s top brass was in Greenfield.


    Who in Greenfield could it be?


    If it was someone from the upper echelons of Greenfield, things would get interesting. Windhelm


    had long dered its intent to destroy the facility. If this scandal broke out, it would cause quite the


    stir.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Uponnding, Philip was ushered into a car.


    The vehicle came to a halt outside a suburban mansion, and Philip''s heart skipped a beat. They had


    entered a secret Windhelm base. The area housed important figures, guarded around the clock by


    armed personnel ready to shoot on sight.


    A security check ensued; a nce over them, an inspection of the car''s undercarriage and trunk,


    and they were cleared.


    As the car resumed its journey, Philip overheard someone speaking to the man.


    "Ian hasn''t been here in ages."


    The car''s dim interior light entuated the tense silence.


    Philip''s lips formed a thin line. If he recalled correctly, the gatekeeper used to be under Holden''s


    tutge, which exined the swift clearance for Ian''s people.


    This man was brazenly impersonating Ian!


    "You''ve been making quite a name for yourselftely. The old men have all been singing your


    praises."


    The man''s lips curled into a smile that echoed Ian''s demeanor. "It''s what I ought to do."


    As the window rolled up, his smile vanished, and he leaned back in his seat.


    Philip snorted. "All this pretense. Aren''t you afraid they''ll contact Ian?"


    One slip-up during a conversation could unravel everything.


    "Since Ian left the military, he''s cut ties with this sidepletely, never reaching out to anyone


    here."


    "Ha, I recall he was quite fond of keeping in touch with Bernard."


    The man raised an eyebrow with a light chuckle.


    Upon understanding, Philip''s expression shifted, a hint of intrigue sparking within him.


    How interesting. After all, it was Bernard who had once allowed Ian to free Patric. And now, they


    wanted Patric back?


    Seeming to read his thoughts, the man exined.


    "Back then, Patric hadn''t remembered his true identity. He thought he was an independent


    personality when, in fact, he was just a part of Ian''s imnted memories. As long as he remained


    unaware, the subject was worthless. Keeping him near Ian might trigger his awakening. And it turns


    out, he did awaken, didn''t he?"


    Indeed, quite the cunning n.