Chapter 911 Drop the Act
Zobber woke up and saw Withal sitting alone on the couch, playing games on his cellphone. Seeing his expressionless face, Zobber couldnât help but furrow her brow.
âWhatâs wrong with you?â Knowing Withal well, Zobber sensed that something was bothering him.
Withal glanced at the laptop in front of him and coldly said, âThe results are out. Take a look for yourself.â
Zobber couldnât help but wonder if there was something unexpected about the results. Filled with suspicion, she pressed a key. As the screen lit up, it displayed the results of Withalâs investigation.
The moment Zobber saw the results, she was furious. âDamn it! Itâs him! Iâm going to grab him. If I donât give this traitor a good beating today, I wonât be able to calm down.â
Zobber stormed off in anger, about to leave the apartment, but Withal grabbed her. She glared at Withal. âThe evidence is clear, and you still want to stop me?â
âIâm not trying to stop you. Iâm going with you!â
Although reluctant to believe it, Withal verified the results several times, and they stayed the same. Zobber was impulsive, and he was worried she might get into trouble. Regardless of the outcome, he planned to accompany Zobber to find out the truth.
âThatâs more like it. Letâs go together!â Zobber happily put her arm around him, her smile returning to her face.
Ronin spent the entire afternoon in the lab with Catherine. It wasnât until dinner time that he came out, planning to prepare dinner. Shortly after leaving the lab, he received a call from Withal. â Youâre at the school gate, planning to pick me up for dinner? Why? Catherine didnât mention it to me.â Ronin was puzzled, unsure about Withalâs sudden visit.
Withal said there was something important to discuss and asked Ronin to come to the gate.
Without much thought, Ronin hurried to the school gate without even telling Catherine.
Upon reaching the gate, he saw Withal and Zobber leaning against a car. Hurrying over, he greeted them before stopping in front of Zobber, who was smiling strangely with an eerie look in her eyes.
Hesitating, Ronin looked at Zobber. â Whatâs with that look? I have a bad feeling about thisâ¦â
Before he could finish, Zobber swiftly struck him with a chop to the neck, leaving him unconscious.
Before losing consciousness, all Ronin could think of was Catherineâs warning -never fully trust anyone. How could he forget that a womanâs heart could be the most treacherous?
After knocking out Ronin, Zobber quickly dragged him into the car. â Withal, drive. Letâs find a secluded place to interrogate this punk,â she ordered.
Withal nodded and stepped on the gas, speeding away.
Meanwhile, Marshall passed by Catherineâs lab and noticed the lights were still on. He entered and asked, â Why are you still here, Catherine?â
Catherine, upon seeing Marshall, replied nonchalantly, âThere are still some things to take care of.â
Scanning the empty laboratory, Marshall frowned. âYou havenât had dinner yet, have you?â
Catherine was about to mention that Ronin had taken care of it, but she held back. She then realized it was already past 8 p.m. and understood why Marshall was concerned about her not having dinner.
To relieve Marshall, she said that she would leave soon. Once Marshall left, Catherine immediately tried to contact Ronin, only to hear Zobberâs voice on the other end.
âWhy is it you? Whereâs Ronin?â Catherine asked.
âCatherine, I needed to talk to Ronin about something urgent. Heâs busy right now. Do you need anything?â
Zobber replied.
âNo,â Catherine said, but before she could say more, Zobber hastily hung up the phone.
With the call abruptly ended, Catherine furrowed her brow, feeling that something was off about the situation. She decided to quickly finish her work and then go check on things.
Ronin woke up groggily in a secret room, confused to see Zobber and Withal in front of him. âHave you both gone crazy? Why did you capture me for no reason?â he asked.
âWhy did we capture you?â Zobber, visibly angry, retorted, âRonin, youâre still trying to play dumb, huh? I have solid evidence. Just drop the act!â
Confused, Ronin asked, âWhat do you mean? What act? Zobber, is there some misunderstanding?â
To make him give up, Zobber presented the evidence in front of him. âTake a good look at this.â
After seeing the evidence, Ronin was stunned. âHow is this possible?â he exclaimed, denying, âItâs not me!â
Zobber didnât believe his denial. â
Ronin, I investigated you. Are you telling me you didnât do it? Not only did you betray the alliance, but you also betrayed Catherine. You own the video. What do you have to say for yourself?â
Ronin was at a loss for words. There was no way to explain how the video leaked from his database. His database was the most important to him, and very few people could crack its password, let alone implant a video without being detected. Now, with the solid evidence, he couldnât explain the situation.
âNo matter how I explain, Zobber, I know you wonât believe me. I have no idea, but I didnât do it, really!â Ronin said.
However, Zobber saw his explanations as mere excuses. âAs a member of the Hacker Alliance, you should know the interrogation methods we use. If you confess, I wonât hurt you,â she said, looking at Ronin with a pained expression. Reluctant but determined to root out the traitor, she had to resort to force.
Sensing Zobberâs unwavering determination, Ronin glanced at Withal behind her. âAre you going along with this, Withal? Do you believe Iâm a traitor?â
Withal remained silent, torn between his trust in Ronin and his responsibility to the alliance. He couldnât afford to spare any suspicious individuals, regardless of their friendship.