NOVPUBBrooks finished his cigarette in one drag, then reached into his pocket for another pack.
Upon opening it and finding it empty, he crushed it and tossed it aside.
Lifting his head, his lifeless eyes scanned the room.
"Anyone got a smoke?" Even his voice sounded like the hollow echo of despair.
No one responded.
Everyone just watched him in silence, the solemnity of the meeting ensuring that no one else dared to take out a cigarette.
With a hint of annoyance, Brooks rose, his hands thrust into his pockets. "I’m stepping out to buy a pack. Carry on without me."
Seeing this, Martin’s temper flared. "Brooks!" he thundered.
"This is a critical moment for the Investigation Bureau. Can you get your act together? The weight of the headquarters rests on your shoulders! We’re making decisions about retaliating against the central supermarket. Don’t you want to avenge Alex with your own hands?!"
At Martin’s words, Brooks paused, slowly turning back to face him.
Just as Martin began to hope that his reprimand had shaken Brooks to his senses, Brooks responded with an air of desolation.
"Retaliate? Avenge?" Brooks swept his gaze over everyone, a heavy, morbid aura in his eyes, as though he had already glimpsed a tragic fate. "If we really go, some of us are bound to fall."
Martin’s eyes blazed with anger, "You...!" But before he could say more, Brooks’s deep voice cut him off.
"I’m stepping out for that smoke. Continue without me."
Martin was left fuming, struggling to catch his breath, but also puzzled by Brooks’s demeanor.
Brooks, who usually exuded an unyielding optimism, fearless of heaven and earth, had inexplicably changed since his return from the central supermarket.
Perhaps the situation there was many times worse than Martin had imagined.
Watching Brooks’s retreating figure as he headed for the exit, Martin, in a moment of resignation, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Don’t bother. I’ve got some."
Brooks turned back, taking the offered pack. "Why didn’t you say so earlier?" With that, he took a seat, quickly drawing out a cigarette, placing it between his lips, and lighting it.
The room once again filled with a smoky haze.
Martin frowned, clearly displeased, but chose to ignore it.
Just as he was about to resume the meeting, the conference room door was slammed open.
An employee, accompanied by a man wearing only underwear, rushed in. "Director, we have a problem!"
Already in a foul mood, Martin barked, "How many times have I said not to barge in during a meeting?"
As he spoke, his eyes fell on the barely-clothed man.
He paused, taken aback. "Doesn’t our employee handbook clearly state that one must be dressed during work hours?"
The near-naked man hurriedly explained, "It’s not what it looks like, Director. The Evolver you assigned me to watch over, he’s escaped!"
Julia shot up from her seat, "What?! Daniel escaped?!"
Hearing this, Martin instantly sensed the gravity of the situation. "What on earth happened?"
The employee quickly responded, "All I remember is the door suddenly opening and being knocked out. When I came to, I was left... like this."
Mike quickly pieced things together, "Daniel must have disguised himself in that uniform!"
From a corner, Daniel subtly shrank further into the crowd.
He had hoped to knock out the guard long enough for his escape, cautious not to harm him severely.
He hadn’t expected him to regain consciousness so quickly.
Clearly, he needed to refine his techniques.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Martin immediately issued an order, "Seal all the exits and entrances immediately. Conduct a thorough search of every area, especially the classified archives. We must find Daniel!"
"Yes, sir!" The room echoed with a unified response.
Just as everyone prepared to exit the conference room, a female voice broke through. "Daniel, you’re actually here!" It was Julia.
Swiftly navigating through the crowd, Julia approached Daniel, adopting a defensive stance.
Her palms emitted faint blue arcs of electricity.
For a moment, all the Evolvers fixed their menacing gazes upon Daniel, an almost imperceptible force enveloping him from every direction.
All except for Brooks, who continued to smoke nonchalantly in his seat.
Julia demanded fiercely, "Daniel, who are you? What’s your purpose in infiltrating the Investigation Bureau?"
Regular employees drew their sidearms, their barrels trained on Daniel.
Dozens of muzzles pointed at him, ready to unleash a barrage at the slightest movement.
Martin stood up, glaring at Daniel, "Speak! Reveal your intentions. Regardless of who you are or what powers you possess, you’re not leaving this room today."
Unfazed by the hostility, Daniel’s gaze settled on Brooks, who sat smoking quietly. "Do you want to bring Alex back to life?"
Brooks, previously detached, was jolted by Daniel’s words.
He stood up, fixing an intense gaze on Daniel, his expression a mix of hope and foreboding. "Kid, I don’t care who you are, but there are certain things and certain people you don’t joke about."
"Because it can be deadly."
In an instant, a terrifying pressure, akin to a torrential flood, surged past everyone and bore down on Daniel.
"Is this the unparalleled force of a Level 4?" someone thought, genuinely awestruck.
"Compared to him, the earlier adversary, Arlo with the black gloves, seems utterly insignificant."
Daniel’s form wavered as if he had been hit by an apocalyptic force, every organ and fiber in his body experiencing excruciating pain.
Fortunately, the healing powers from the Healing Crystal activated instinctively within him, significantly reducing the impact of the crushing force and stabilizing his condition.
With an unwavering expression, Daniel calmly looked at Brooks. "Your prattle only diminishes Alex’s chances of resurrection. Just answer my question. Do you want it, or not?"
Everyone looked at Daniel in astonishment.
They could faintly perceive the oppressive force emanating from Brooks - a force of sheer terror.
Under such pressure, they’d probably already be incapacitated and lying on the ground.
Yet this young man in front of them remained unaffected.
Who on earth was he?
Brooks was equally taken aback by Daniel’s resilience, fixing his gaze intently on the young man, trying to discern his genuine intentions and thoughts.
But he failed.
The stranger before him had eyes so eerily calm, it was unsettling.
He seemed like a soulless corpse, utterly devoid of life.
Brooks even began to wonder if the man who could speak, act, and withstand his oppressive force was truly alive.
Martin, already frazzled by the escalating situation, was losing patience with Daniel’s inexplicable behavior. "Julia," he snapped, "detain him and take him away!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lightning crackled and buzzed in Julia’s hand, signaling her readiness to act.
Just as she was about to make her move, Brooks suddenly stepped in front of her.
With a softer gaze, Brooks looked at Daniel and asked, "Can you truly resurrect Alex?"
He wasn’t even sure why he asked.
The dead cannot return to life.
As an Evolver, he was well-aware that there couldn’t possibly be any power so perverse as to reanimate the dead.
Yet, whether out of a desperate hope for Alex or because he had lost his mind, he chose to believe in the madman before him.
Hearing this, the corners of Daniel’s mouth curled upwards. As long as Brooks believed, everything would be manageable.
"Of course, I can’t bring back the dead," he began, "but I can perform Time Rewind and change the future."
The room was filled with stunned silence.
Time Rewind to change the future? Was this guy out of his mind?
To them, the idea of resurrecting the dead seemed more plausible.
For some reason, Julia was reminded of something Daniel had said earlier.
’I can traverse between the present and the future, seeing all the possible outcomes, rectifying mistakes in the present. The future, to me, is but a script I can alter at will.’
And when Daniel had said that, the Truth Detector hadn’t made a sound.
Perhaps... just perhaps, Daniel was telling the truth.
Maybe he truly had the ability to perform Time Rewind and alter the future.
Julia was startled by the weight of her own realization.
Brooks, however, harbored no doubts nor did he wish to.
To see that bastard Alex stand before him again, his only option was to believe in Daniel.
Staring intently at Daniel, Brooks queried, "What do you need me to do?"
Daniel pondered for a moment and then asked, "Did you go to the Central Supermarket with Alex?"
Brooks shook his head, "No, I was dealing with a stomachache, ended up spending half an hour on the toilet."
His face clouded with regret, "If I hadn’t been in the restroom, if I had chosen to go with Alex, I’m sure I could’ve brought him back. We might’ve been severely injured, but it wouldn’t have come to this."
Taking it all in, Daniel continued, "Did you have your phone with you while you were in the restroom?"
Brooks nodded, "Yes, can’t do my business without it."
Daniel pressed on, "Good. Give me your phone number, and also tell me a secret that only you know."
