Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Human-shaped Weapon

"No." Vincent Lawrence immediately shook his head, his tone firm. "We’re still living in a society ruled by law, at least for now. We can’t act recklessly. The more vicious and desperate the enemy becomes, the more we need to prioritize caution."

"Then what do we do now?" Elliot Lawrence was so anxious he was practically tearing his hair out. "We can’t seriously let Mom go see him, can we? Wouldn’t that expose everything?"

Sue Lawrence didn’t say a word, her mind racing.

’Jason Sterling wants to meet now. He obviously has questions for me. I don’t know what went wrong, but I have to get through this immediate crisis first.’

With that thought, she shot her head up, stood, and said, "I have to go all in."

"???" Vincent and Elliot Lawrence froze simultaneously, their faces filled with confusion and shock.

"Where are you going?" Vincent was the first to react, reaching out to stop her, a hint of subtle worry in his voice.

Sue Lawrence picked up her lunch box, grabbed the soda from the edge of the table, and strode toward the door, her expression and tone incredibly resolute. "Going. For. Broke."

"Sis!"

Elliot was so frantic he nearly jumped out of his skin. He rushed to catch up, hissing, "Don’t do anything stupid, Sis! I was just complaining, I didn’t actually mean for you to go kill someone!"

His face was a mask of panic. To him, "going for broke" meant Sue was about to fight Jason Sterling to the death.

But killing someone wasn’t something you could just do. He hadn’t lived through the apocalypse; he’d only navigated the business world with his father. While he’d seen his share of turmoil, the thought of taking a life was unimaginable.

The idea of his sister’s hands being stained with blood was even more unthinkable.

Vincent also looked up, his gaze fixed on his daughter’s retreating figure. Though worried, he had a faint sense that Sue had indeed become much more level-headed recently and wouldn’t actually do something reckless without considering the consequences.

Under the father and son’s complicated stares, Sue Lawrence didn’t head for the exit. Instead, she changed direction and walked straight toward the front of the conference room.

Silas Hawthorne was sitting there.

She grabbed a folding chair from a corner. The chair made a light SCRAPE as it dragged across the floor, a sound that was particularly jarring in the relatively quiet conference room. She paid no mind to the stares from those around her, dragging the chair right next to Silas Hawthorne and setting it down firmly. Then, she placed her lunch box and soda on the corner of the table with a THUD. Her movements were crisp and decisive, without a shred of hesitation.

The Sterling Group’s seats weren’t far from the front row, so this series of actions immediately drew the attention of more than half the room. Jason Sterling’s head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Sue Lawrence’s figure, his gaze instantly turning sharp and complex.

’Sue Lawrence... what is she doing?’

"Hello, Mr. Hawthorne. Do you mind if I sit here?"

Sue Lawrence turned around, a perfect smile on her face. Her voice was clear and bright, carrying a youthful confidence and unruliness that made it impossible to look away. Jason Sterling’s heart clenched. The voice, the tone—it was clearly the Sue he knew, but her poise and composure felt utterly alien to him.

Her voice also drew the attention of the soldier beside Silas Hawthorne. The man was very young, with eyes as bright as stars and a ramrod-straight back. He looked like the empire’s sharpest, most polished blade.

’So this is him. The S Level Human-shaped Weapon.’

Sue was inwardly amazed. ’I’ll have to use the Eye of Barrier Breaking to get a good look at his Superpower later. It’d be great if I could even plunder a little bit of it. This is a Human-shaped Weapon, and combat strength is what I need most right now.’

Just then, Jason Sterling, who had been watching them intently, heard the previously silent man give a slight nod. His voice was calm and steady. "I don’t mind."

"Thank you."

Sue Lawrence pulled out the chair and sat down. She leaned forward slightly, her gaze sincere and focused. "As it happens, I have a few questions about corporate transformation and emergency supply stockpiling. I’d like to ask for your input, Mr. Hawthorne. I’ve heard you’re very forward-thinking in these areas."

"Alright."

Silas Hawthorne nodded and put down his chopsticks. His expression was calm and focused, his eyes resting on Sue’s face without a trace of perfunctoriness. He would occasionally look down in thought. His usual seriousness was somehow approachable.

Just like that, the two of them began to talk, one asking and the other answering. Their conversation flowed from corporate transformation to dealing with extreme weather, then to the stockpiling and distribution of emergency supplies, all with clear structure and tight logic.

They chatted animatedly, oblivious to everyone else, as if they were the only two people in the entire conference room. They completely ignored the probing gazes from their surroundings, and even more so the nearly fire-breathing glare from Jason Sterling not far away.

’Sue Lawrence!’

’In the past, Sue always followed him around, as docile as a kitten. Her eyes and heart were filled with him. No matter what he said or did, she would trust and follow him unconditionally. Even during the apocalypse, she was always trying to curry favor with him, putting his safety first, making him the center of her world. Just a moment ago downstairs, she was even stealing eager glances at him!’

’But now, she had completely escaped his control, like a bird freed from its cage, landing right in front of Silas Hawthorne—the very man he had always wanted to get close to but never even had the chance to speak with.’

Jason Sterling’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. A storm of jealousy and rage churned in his eyes, threatening to break through the dam of his reason.

’Silas Hawthorne!’

’A member of the lofty Hawthorne Family.’

’Everyone else was sitting further back. Only he could sit in the same row as Marcus Morgan, as an equal.’

’In that row were the top official of Stellaport, a high-ranking military officer, Silas Hawthorne, and...’

’Sue Lawrence, who had appeared out of nowhere.’

"Jayden, let’s go sit over there too."

He said this in a dark tone. Jayden Sterling was naturally happy to oblige. Opportunities to connect with Silas Hawthorne were few and far between.

So, the two of them also moved their chairs over and sat down.

"Mr. Hawthorne, do you mind if we join you?"

Silas Hawthorne naturally didn’t mind, but he was much colder to them than he had been to Sue Lawrence.

However, Sue Lawrence paid no attention to the arrival of the Sterling brothers. She continued smiling as she spoke, "Your insights are truly unique, Mr. Hawthorne. I’ve learned so much. It’s no wonder the Hawthorne Group has such a long-standing reputation. It really lives up to the name."

Silas Hawthorne glanced up at her, a flicker of an unnoticeable smile in his eyes. His tone was level. "You flatter me, Ms. Lawrence. The Lawrence Group’s sense of responsibility is also admirable."

Before he could finish, Felix Norris also brought Tia Norris over. However, they couldn’t squeeze into the front, so they could only cluster behind the two Sterling brothers, acting as silent, stone-like listeners, unable to get a word in edgewise.

Sue Lawrence glanced around. ’I might as well take a look at Tia and Felix Norris’s Superpowers while I’m at it,’ she thought, and then fell completely silent.

[Eye of Barrier Breaking] activated.

First, she looked up at the soldier beside Silas Hawthorne.

’That brief glance in the lobby on the first floor... those three words, "Human-shaped Weapon," had shocked her for a lifetime. No, this time I have to get a good look at the description that comes after this S Level Human-shaped Weapon’s Superpower.’