With the supplies secured and everyone out, Marcus Monroe and his team beat a hasty retreat.

At full speed, Glimmerlake Base was soon left far behind them.

Grant Yardley was strong, but carrying a grown person on his shoulder had obviously slowed him down. After they pushed through a thicket of bushes, Marcus Monroe waved for the group to halt. The road ahead was rough, but with few obstacles, it should be clear enough to drive.

Panting, Grant Yardley tossed the person to the ground. Paige Summers set Erin Quinn down as well. Just as everyone was about to get in the vehicle, disaster struck.

Cillian cried out hoarsely, "The ring is gone!"

He had been the one to take the Space Ring and sneak into the warehouse for the supplies. The fight that broke out after he emerged meant he never had a chance to hand the ring to Marcus Monroe. Now, the ring he had carefully hidden in an inside pocket was gone without a trace.

The blow was staggering. Cillian was so shocked he couldn’t process it.

The faces of the others changed as well.

Paige Summers frowned, deep in thought. ’This is very strange.’

’Cillian knows how important the ring is. He wouldn’t have been careless with it. The chances of him accidentally dropping it must be slim... Could it have been stolen?’

Just then, Marcus Monroe asked, "Who’s gotten close to you since you came out of the warehouse?"

Cillian’s face was pale. He thought for a moment before finally shaking his head. No one had been that close to him.

So, where on earth was the ring?

Marcus Monroe turned his gaze to the distance. Glimmerlake Base was now just an insignificant black dot on the horizon. He was lost in thought, and just as he was about to speak, the woman Grant Yardley had thrown on the ground suddenly stirred.

She shot up like a coiled spring, rocketing out from their midst like a bullet. At the same instant, Erin Quinn, who had been lightly holding Paige Summers’s hand, was yanked by a powerful force, her small body flying toward the woman!

The turn of events was so swift that everyone froze for a few seconds.

By the time they reacted, Erin Quinn had already been taken hostage. The woman stood a dozen meters away, one hand gripping Erin’s neck, holding the child’s small body against her own. With her other hand, she swept her hair back, revealing her face, and offered them a faint smile.

Surprisingly, what lay hidden beneath the messy hair was an exquisitely beautiful face.

Fair skin, phoenix eyes, a delicate nose, and red lips came together like an ink wash painting, full of ancient Astorian charm. When this person smiled, the arch of their brows and the curve of their eyes made it seem as if they weren’t an enemy, but a lover, captivating the heart. However, this beauty was tinged with a handsome, roguish air, lacking a certain softness. And then there was the prominent Adam’s apple... all of it proved that while this person was indeed beautiful, they were not the woman everyone had assumed, but a man.

"A m-man?!" someone stammered. They were immediately shot a glare by the person next to them.

The man across from them obviously heard. He scoffed, his voice cold and arrogant. "Do you want this kid to live or not?"

"We do! What do you want?" The words could only have come from Paige Summers.

The man glanced at her. "Not much. You people kidnapped me, so naturally, I’m going back. I’ll just have her escort me for a bit."

Paige Summers looked to Marcus Monroe.

She didn’t know why Marcus Monroe had captured this person, or even who he was. All she wanted was to save Erin Quinn. Watching the child struggle to breathe, a knot of discomfort tightened in her gut.

’Having her snatched right out of my hands... It feels awful.’

But Marcus Monroe wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the man as he stated with conviction, "You stole the ring."

The moment he finished speaking, Holden Everett and the others exchanged a look and, with practiced coordination, swiftly surrounded the man.

The man’s expression stiffened for an instant. He tightened his grip on Erin Quinn’s throat, looking as if he could snap her slender neck at any moment. His body went on full alert, but he still retorted, "It’s not stealing. It’s taking back what belongs to us."

That one simple sentence revealed two things.

He was with Flying Eagle, and he knew they had taken the supplies from the warehouse.

’If that’s the case, why didn’t he tell the Flying Eagle’s leader?’ Marcus Monroe was surprised, but his surprise quickly gave way to confusion. ’During the brawl in front of the warehouse, I saw it clearly. This man has a close relationship with the captain who was leading their operation. In fact, that’s the very reason I grabbed him on a whim.’

His gaze flickered past Erin Quinn, who was trying fruitlessly to pry the man’s hand off her neck, then over Howard Everett and the others, before finally settling on Paige Summers’s grim face.

Paige Summers could feel the tension ratcheting up.

’Right now, with a single gesture or command from Marcus, it might be too late to save Erin. But in exchange, they could easily get the Space Ring back...’

’Other than me, no one here would think that’s the wrong choice.’

’Compared to all those vital supplies, not just Erin, but even I am probably worthless.’

Paige Summers abruptly stopped biting her lip. She strode resolutely over to Marcus Monroe and, under his watchful gaze, leaned in to whisper, "Can you leave this to me? I guarantee I’ll get the ring back. But I need a little time to save Erin... If anyone has a problem with it, I’ll use my share of the payment to compensate them afterward."

A muscle in Marcus Monroe’s brow twitched. He took a few seconds to compose himself before saying faintly, "Then give it a try."

"Thank you."

Paige Summers turned and walked away without another word.

Watching her walk away, Marcus Monroe felt a surge of frustration. ’Is that kid really so important? Worth her sacrificing so much? They’re practically strangers. Even if Paige has some skills, she’s not worth the trouble she brings!’

He was annoyed, yet he couldn’t stop staring after her.

Not that she even noticed.

Paige Summers’s full attention was on the man holding Erin Quinn.

She walked closer, deliberately keeping her voice calm. "We can let you go, just don’t hurt the child."

The man stared, stunned. Just as he was about to speak, Howard Everett yelled from the side, "Paige Summers, you—"

"Vince!" It was Marcus Monroe who cut him off. The others looked toward their boss and saw him make a "stay out of it" gesture. They all fell silent. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’What the hell is going on?’ everyone thought. But no matter how confused or resentful they felt, they had to obey their boss’s command. With grim faces, they backed away a few steps.

Paying them no mind, Paige Summers spoke only to the man. "See? Let the child go, and you can leave."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Do you take me for a fool? You, come with me. Get me clear of this area, and then I’ll release her!"

"Fine."

Paige Summers’s reply was so sharp it surprised the man for a second. But he didn’t say anything else, simply hauled Erin Quinn along as he slowly backed out of the group’s attack range.

He moved farther and farther away. No one followed, except for Paige Summers.

Once they were fifty or sixty meters away, he ordered Paige Summers to walk ahead of him. Only then did he turn his back completely on the group and sprint toward Glimmerlake Base.

The expressions of those left behind were a study in bewilderment. They were bursting with questions, but seeing their boss’s expression was even fouler than their own, they dared not ask a thing. ’Are we really just going to let that guy run off with the supplies? After all this time, after all that effort... what was the point?!’

Howard Everett, whom the others had been looking to for a reaction, remained silent. His face was grim as he stared into the distance, lost in thought. Finally, Martin Warren, who was known for being the most approachable, was pushed forward.

"B-Boss... about this..."

Marcus Monroe swept his gaze over them. "Move out. We’re going back to Glimmerlake Base."

"What?"

As the others stared, either dumbfounded or pensive, Marcus Monroe spoke with a hint of mockery and a dark chill in his voice. "Flying Eagle, is it...? I’m curious to see which tactic is more effective: taking a hostage, or pulling the rug out from under them."