Chapter 584: Price
Chapter 584: Chapter 584: Price
Orion Thorne didn’t know how Nina Jacobs knew of Chloe Ainsworth, so he asked, "Who exactly are you? Have you met Chloe before?"
"I saw her when I was passing through Riventon Base," Nina replied.
"When? Where?" he pressed immediately.
Nina pretended to recall the memory. "The last time I saw her was outside the base’s gates. She was getting into a vehicle with Justin Stone, but there were others in the car as well."
"And then what? Did they get into a conflict with anyone? Where did the people in that car go?" Orion asked, looking rather desperate.
"You really aren’t here looking for Justin." The corners of Nina’s lips curled into a faint smile. At the very least, she could tell that Orion had no idea where Zoey Rhodes and the others—who had been traveling with Chloe at the time—had gone. It seemed highly likely that the command center had already cleaned up the mess, taking Zoey and her group away while completely covering up the scene of the incident.
"What exactly do you want to know?" Orion demanded.
"Are you tracking Liam Grant because you suspect he has something to do with Chloe’s death? Are you working for the Ainsworth Family?" The moment Nina asked this, Orion’s demeanor shifted entirely.
She continued, "My friend and I received a lot of help from Miss Rowan back at Riventon Base. After we returned, we also heard about Justin’s disappearance. You don’t know anyone here in City D Base, so if you’re trying to uncover the truth, I might be able to lend a hand."
"Then how do you know about the Ainsworth Family?" Orion’s expression softened slightly. It was true—they didn’t know a single soul in City D Base.
"Miss Rowan once mentioned her family to me. She said that no matter where she went, her family would be able to find her. I was quite curious about it before, but now I’m starting to believe it."
Seeing that her words were having an effect, Nina glanced at the watch on her wrist and added, "Of course, you don’t have to tell me anything. After all, Miss Rowan and I weren’t exactly close. But if you do share what you know, and if there’s any way I can assist, I’m willing to help you find the truth. Sherry, I’m going to step out for a moment."
She stood up and shot a quick wink at Sherry Renner. Although Sherry didn’t completely understand what Nina was trying to do, she caught the gist of it. Was Nina asking her to play good cop, bad cop?
Once Nina left, Sherry cleared her throat, looking at Orion’s deeply conflicted face across the table. "Do you know why she wants to help you?"
"Why?" Orion asked. This was one of the very reasons he had been hesitating.
"That guy, Liam Grant, is a cheating bastard who loves ’em and leaves ’em. He two-timed her in the past, and Nina was the victim of that whole mess. If you ask me, she only wants to help you guys just to make his life miserable."
"So that’s how it is..." Orion muttered.
When Nina returned, she noticed that the doubt in the man’s eyes seemed to have dissipated. Just as she had expected, some things sounded weak coming from the person involved, but they gained an inexplicable layer of credibility when spoken by a third party.
"I have other matters to attend to. If Mr. Thorne hasn’t made up his mind yet..." Nina made a show of getting ready to leave.
"I’ve made up my mind. If you’re willing to help, we can pay you a sum of Crystal Cores once this is over."
"I’m listening."
"The truth is, my team and I are indeed working for the Ainsworth Family. The Ainsworth Clan possesses a secret art known as the Tracking Technique..." Orion began slowly. He didn’t notice the way Sherry’s expression shifted multiple times as he spoke. "...Back in Riventon Base, our people used this method to deduce that Chloe’s killer had headed in the direction of City D. However, the group the family initially sent lost contact after arriving at City D Base. Because of that, they concluded that whoever killed Chloe must be inside this very base."
"Two questions," Nina interjected. "First, how did you know Chloe was dead? Second, can the Tracking Technique only lock onto City D Base as a general location, rather than a specific target?"
She remembered Anselm Hughes from Keldorn saying that the Tracking Technique could track someone to the ends of the earth. Yet, these people had to investigate manually?
The man hesitated for a moment before answering, "When certain members of the Ainsworth Clan pass away, a specific type of butterfly emerges from their bodies. The butterfly inside Chloe flew straight back to the Ainsworth Family the moment she died, so everyone knew right away...
"The Tracking Technique is also divided into basic and advanced levels. Currently, only one person has mastered the Advanced Tracking Technique, but that person has been tied up with other matters and hasn’t returned yet."
Hearing this, Nina finally understood. The Soul-Attracting Butterfly she and Sherry had found previously—the one that had landed on her shoulder—had actually belonged to Chloe. These people were using a basic version of the Tracking Technique, which could only confirm that the killer was somewhere within City D Base.
"If the Advanced Tracking Technique were used, would it be able to pinpoint the killer?" Nina asked.
"I’m not entirely sure, but it should be possible. It just comes at a massive cost, which is why the Family Head sent us to investigate further instead."
"Further?" Nina raised an eyebrow.
Orion nodded. "That butterfly seemed to move again, and the Family Head sensed it." Then, sensing something odd about the conversation, he asked, "Are you really just going to believe everything I’m saying?"
Most people would be highly skeptical upon hearing about something like a Tracking Technique, but Nina had accepted it without question.
Sherry smiled. "To tell you the truth, I actually dabble a bit in Talismans and face reading myself. What you’re describing might be unheard of to most, but it’s well within our realm of acceptance."
"So, after everything I’ve told you, how exactly can you help me?" Orion asked. He was merely working for the Ainsworth Family, and he had a delayed-action poison sitting in his system. If they failed their mission and couldn’t get the antidote, they would meet a miserable end.
However, Nina’s response didn’t disappoint him; in fact, it brought him an overwhelming sense of relief.
"I’m going to let you out." She then sighed. "You’re just working for someone else, after all. Times are tough for everyone. Besides, a life for a life is the natural order of things. It’s best if the killer is found as soon as possible."
"You can really let me out?" Orion couldn’t quite believe it. He knew that escaping from this place was practically impossible.
"I’ll do my best, but releasing everyone will be a bit difficult," Nina said, feigning trouble. Even releasing all of them wouldn’t have been a challenge for her, but she wanted to keep a few behind as leverage.
"I understand! I get it! Even if you only let me out, we’ll still have a chance!" Orion said hastily.
"Alright, then sit tight and wait here. Once you’re out, if you find any leads or need any help, you can come find me. But if you get caught and brought back in here again, I can’t guarantee anything," Nina warned.
Orion naturally agreed to everything, tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes.
After leading him back to the holding cell, Sherry hurried back into the room, practically bouncing with excitement. "You’re something else, you know that? You completely played him! Still, you could’ve just used a Talisman Paper to make him spill everything. This was way too much of a hassle."
Nina shook her head. "You’re forgetting something. Your Talisman Paper didn’t work on those guys last time. They must have been sent by the Ainsworth Family too." Moreover, she wasn’t just after current intel—she wanted future information as well. She wanted to know more about the person who had mastered the Advanced Tracking Technique.
"So, that girl named Chloe..." Sherry asked cautiously.
"I killed her," Nina admitted with a helpless sigh.
Sure enough, taking Justin’s massive stash of supplies didn’t come without a price.