The Strongest Curse Master-Chapter 348: Friendship Is A Two-Way Street

Having decided to cut their losses, just as Ace and Dame Wasp were prioritizing which curse gadgets to ditch due to limited time, Dee3 rushed into the maintenance depot with a grave expression. Upon spotting Ace, she urgently warned, "You need to get out of here. They'll regain access to the depot any minute now."

While trying to locate where the Overlords' descendants were being held, Dee3 had discovered that the base was in lockdown and on high alert under suspicion of its systems being hacked. So she immediately checked on Ace to realize the sector he was in was under maximum alert, and that even the General himself was leading the effort, she didn't wait to understand the full situation—she rushed to warn Ace and get him to safety.

"I know," Ace replied nonchalantly, adding, "There's still time before they break in. I should be able to add a few more of these curse gadgets to my collection before then."

"How can you possibly know that? Ace, don't be greedy. Let's get out of here right now," Dee3 insisted. Seeing that he wasn't budging, she moved to grab his wrist and drag him away—only to quickly realize she was too slow to catch him.

With her cheeks puffed in frustration, she warned, "Ace, come with me right now or… or I'll have Thunder and the others drag you out of here!"

"Relax, Dee3. I'm not being greedy. I know what I'm doing. Just give me a few more minutes—I'll be done here soon," Ace reassured her, noticing she might actually follow through on her threat. Despite the urgency, he felt oddly pleased—her ultimatum showed she genuinely cared about his safety.

"Ace, those things aren't worth risking your life for. Come on, let's get out of here while we still have time," Dee3 urged him again, her desperation standing in contrast to Ace's calm and composed demeanor.

She still hadn't realized that it was Ace who had hacked Base Wulfric's system. In her panic, she hadn't pieced the puzzle together.

Even now, she was more focused on getting Ace to safety than trying to understand what was going on in the base, showing that her super intelligence was still bound by her emotions. It was a rare trait, especially since many with super intelligence came to see emotions as hindrances and often tried to control or eliminate them.

Those who succeed often turn into overachieving psychopaths who stop at nothing to get what they want, while those who fail end up wrecking themselves, trying to disconnect from their powerful and beautiful minds using drugs.

Dee3 appeared to be different. Maybe her super intelligence was on another level, one that allowed her to understand that emotions weren't the enemy. She had accepted that she wasn't omniscient and embraced both her failures and successes, her flaws and strengths, with equal grace. Perhaps it wasn't just her intelligence but her life experiences that gave her a perspective others with similar gifts failed to attain.

Getting no response from Ace, Dee3 looked at the four gray, metallic, slime-like curse tools devouring vehicle-type curse gadgets, then at Ace himself, who was busy deciding which gadgets to prioritize, completely unbothered by the risk of being caught by the government.

But knowing his circumstances and what was at stake, she realized she couldn't blame him for risking his life. Guilt began to well up in her—maybe she was wrong to call him greedy. Then it hit her: if not for her, Ace wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

The more she thought about the circumstances that led to this, the guilt weighed heavier on her. Combined with the fear that the General and his soldiers could break into the depot at any moment, Dee3 ultimately came to a conclusion: the only way to get Ace to leave with her, without any hard feelings, was to help him collect these vehicle-type curse gadgets. That meant helping him steal them.

The moment this thought crossed her mind, she shook her head vigorously, prompting Ace to ask with concern, "Dee3, you okay? Just head back—I'll be out in a jiffy."

"No. I'm not leaving without you," Dee3 said firmly, having made up her mind. With determination in her eyes, she ordered, "Ace, step back. I'm moving all these vehicle-type curse gadgets into my dungeon."

This wouldn't be the first time she had broken the law and her principles for a friend. However, to her surprise, Ace stopped her, saying, "No need. I'm done here. Let's head back."

"What? Really?!" Dee3 exclaimed in relief, while Dame Wasp exclaimed, in Ace's mind, in astonishment, 'Master, we're far from done.'

"Yes, let's head back," Ace said with a gentle smile, recalling the Speclimes into their toy spaces.

Yes, the vehicle-type curse gadgets were priceless—but so were Dee3's principles. She was willing to set them aside for him. So why shouldn't he be willing to give up a few gadgets for her? In this scenario, Ace felt Dee3's principles were worth more than the curse gadgets. So, his choice was obvious.

'She's just helping me steal a few curse gadgets—even if it goes against her principles, what's the big deal? It's not like she's selling her body.'

Some might think this, but Ace wasn't one of them. He wouldn't even bother wasting his time explaining himself to people like that—people who wouldn't understand. To them, life was nothing more than money, booze, and sex.

Sure, he could've tried to explain to Dee3 that he had things under control, that she didn't need to worry. He could have addressed the issue instead of giving up. But he didn't want to see his friend distressed any longer.

'I guess I'll just rob the base again when I'm free.'

He could always come back and finish what he couldn't today, but in Dee3's case, it would haunt her till death.

"All right." Soon after, Ace and Dee3 left the maintenance depot and safely returned to her dungeon.

"So, did you find where they're holding the Overlords' descendant?" Ace asked, trusting that with Dee3's unlimited access to Base Wulfric, locating the target would be a piece of cake.

"No, I didn't have time to look yet. Give me a minute," Dee3 replied before surrounding herself with numerous holographic screens, scanning each floor of the base in search of their target.