Chapter 372: Chapter 348: Where is Number 1109?

Dawn Miles’s words made everyone in the room turn to look at Arthur Whitlock with wary eyes.

A bug found in a high-level meeting of the Martial Affairs Bureau was a major security breach.

If this bug was also connected to the killer, then Arthur Whitlock would be dealt with severely, even if he was an unwitting party.

The color drained from his face, and his eyes filled with panic. "I don’t know where this came from..."

The director of the Martial Affairs Bureau, his expression grave, picked up the conference room’s landline and dialed an internal number.

"Get someone from the Information Division in here."

The Martial Affairs Bureau had its own electronic surveillance system. Any electronic device brought onto the premises was automatically monitored by their central AI, which was why no one had been worried, even with Alvin Morgan holding his phone during the meeting.

But no one had expected Arthur Whitlock to be carrying a bug.

Inspector Warner didn’t wait for the agents from the Information Division to arrive; he handed the button directly to Alvin Morgan.

Alvin Morgan used his computer and watch to test it on the spot, but it had no external transmission capabilities—only a recording function.

’She could actually feel its presence?’

’Is she even human?’

The way everyone in the room looked at Dawn Miles changed subtly.

Alvin Morgan glanced at them and sneered inwardly before asking coolly, "Aurora, how did you find this recording button?"

Dawn Miles pointed at Arthur Whitlock. "When he saw me, there was a huge shift in his Power, and he unconsciously touched his pants pocket. I just took a guess, but I didn’t expect him to actually have something on him..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Brilliant..."

Alvin Morgan praised her without reservation.

He had asked her this same question once before, back at the Martial Alliance, after Aurora had found that other bug.

Aurora Sinclair had explained that ever since her breakthrough to Martial Lord, her perception of the outside world had become much stronger. She could even sense certain invisible signal waves, as long as they were within her Power Domain. However, these signals had to be actively transmitting; if they weren’t, she couldn’t perceive them.

Across from them, Arthur Whitlock froze, seemingly in disbelief at her explanation. He vehemently pleaded his innocence, but the senior officials of the Martial Affairs Bureau had already reached a consensus:

"Inspector Whitlock, we’ll need you to cooperate with our investigation..."

Arthur Whitlock glanced at Alvin Morgan and Dawn Miles, pursed his lips, then removed his hat and the badge on his uniform, allowing the agents beside him to lead him away.

The people in the conference room gradually dispersed. Alvin Morgan and Cassius Morgan were the last to leave.

Only the few of them remained in the quiet corridor.

Cassius Morgan glanced at Alvin Morgan in his wheelchair and offered a cool reminder, "Alvin, don’t take things too far. He’s your maternal uncle, after all."

Alvin Morgan scoffed. "Is this about the person who entered the country via the Cerulean Coast?"

Cassius Morgan stopped in his tracks, and Dawn Miles did the same.

Alvin Morgan turned to look at him. "Isn’t it time you told me about this person?"

Cassius Morgan gave him a complicated look, then sighed. "I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. Come with me, both of you..."

He led the two of them to the office of the director of the Martial Affairs Bureau.

"Mr. Morgan, Young Lord Morgan. Have you discovered something else?"

Cassius Morgan sat on the sofa and pointed at Alvin. "He’s found Eugene Morgan."

The director’s expression changed instantly. He stood up tensely, walked over to the window, and shut it.

He then said to Dawn Miles, "Your Excellency, if you would please secure the room."

Dawn Miles gave a slight nod, and a Power Domain strong enough to block the eavesdropping of a Martial King enveloped the office.

Only after these preparations were complete did the director relax. He twisted a pen holder on his desk, and a red light shot out, scanning the director’s pupils.

Alvin Morgan raised an eyebrow. This was the most advanced security system developed by the Morgan Family.

"Identity authentication successful."

A mechanical female voice announced from the pen holder.

With a soft CLICK, the bookshelf behind the desk suddenly rotated ninety degrees, revealing a small, hidden doorway just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"Please, the three of you, step inside—"

Beyond the hidden doorway was a metal elevator.

The four of them entered the elevator together. There were no buttons inside. The walls were forged from a special metal, completely smooth without any grooves or even a ventilation opening. There was only a single facial scanning panel.

The director took off his glasses and scanned his face on the panel. Only then did the elevator begin to descend slowly.

A cautious glint appeared in Alvin Morgan’s eyes. ’The elevator itself is another layer of security,’ he thought. ’If the facial scan failed, we’d probably be trapped in here to die.’

After about three minutes, the sealed elevator doors reopened.

It opened into a massive, square space where hundreds of cloud computers were humming.

A uniformed person sat in front of each computer.

"This is..."

"Our intelligence center," the director explained simply, before leading them through the crowd to a specific computer terminal.

"Director..." The man at the terminal stood up and saluted.

The director leaned down slightly and asked, "Where is National Security asset 1109?"

"En route to the city outskirts."

Alvin Morgan’s hand on his wheelchair tightened instantly. His gaze fixed on the computer screen for a long moment, unmoving.

was a code Eugene Morgan had often used in the past.

It was the date his father had been killed in action.

"He went behind my back..."

A pang of anguish shot through Cassius Morgan as he thought of Eugene Morgan.

Compared to Alvin, Eugene had been far more suited to be the Young Master of the Morgan Family. He was the heir Cassius had always carefully groomed.

And yet, he had chosen to follow in his father’s footsteps.

"I understand."

Alvin Morgan’s expression was grim.

***

「Kingsford. A remote, desolate courtyard.」

Two people entered, one tall and one short.

"You were reckless this time..."

Eugene Morgan’s voice was devoid of emotion. He set Elara Grant down, walked to one side, and switched on the lights.

The bright light made her squint reflexively.

Elara Grant slowly opened her eyes, finally getting a clear look at her surroundings.

It was an abandoned laboratory, covered in a thick layer of dust.

It was obvious no one had been here in a very long time.

She endured the pain from the rampaging Power inside her, gasping for breath as she said, "They killed my father..."

"You were deceived." Eugene Morgan walked over, took her by the wrist, and began infusing some of his Power into her to ease her injuries.

Elara Grant looked up at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"The Master has never trusted the Sherwood Clan. Their ambition is immense, so we must be wary of them. Your recent conflict with the Martial Affairs Bureau was deliberately instigated by Cassian Sherwood to weaken the Trent Family’s strength..."

"But my father disappeared after his duel with Aurora Sinclair on the ship..."

"The video Drake Trent showed you was edited. The Master has seen the complete footage. Aurora Sinclair didn’t kill Linden Grant. In fact, she was ambushed by Cassian Sherwood and knocked into the deep sea. So, Drake Trent has been exploiting your thirst for revenge..."

Fury blazed in Elara Grant’s eyes, but she didn’t lash out. Instead, she looked at the man before her with cold reason. "Aren’t you and Drake Trent working together?"

A faint smile touched Eugene Morgan’s lips. "My loyalty is to the Master, not IBG. But the Trent Family has grown too close to IBG and is even trying to partner with the Sherwood Clan. This has displeased the Master..."

Elara Grant’s brow furrowed slightly. "And what does the Master intend?"

"It’s time for a new proxy."