"I’m glad that you trust me," Samantha began. "But is that the only reason?"

Her hesitation relieved Francis a little.

’Good. She’s using her head.’

He gave her a mental thumbs-up for being cautious. She was heading into dangerous waters.

’From what I gathered, that monster became a fugitive because he was considered a threat by the government. That part made sense, since cases like that do happen.’

Even in his old world, history recorded many capable men who rose too high.

Fearing their growing influence, kings and emperors eventually ordered their deaths to prevent any challenge to the throne.

However, there was a flaw in that line of thinking.

Such actions usually happened only when the person in question was no longer useful.

Lex was a very important asset, and his destructive power was an integral part of the fight against Giant Beasts.

’There was no need to make an enemy out of him just because he had committed crimes.’

’Either he already outlived his usefulness and they found a replacement, or the risk of letting him roam free was greater than whatever value he still had.’

He paused, shifting his focus to what was really bothering him.

’This Director is hiding something, but what does it have to do with her?’

A high-ranking official covering for their subordinates was not uncommon. But as a Director, he could simply have others handle it.

’There was no reason for him to take this much risk by revealing that he was working with a fugitive—unless...’

An idea came to him, and everything clicked.

To think it took him this long to figure it out. It seemed he had grown rusty after all.

’Their target is her all along. But this isn’t a simple kidnapping, because they could have done it in so many better ways.

’No, what they want is for her to cooperate willingly because of her connections.’

From his perspective, Samantha was an ideal host.

She was close to the Director, and her father was a senator, which gave her access to important people and influential circles.

Chances were they were also trying to target her for the same reasons.

’I don’t know much about this Covenant thing, but I bet Lex and the Director are already working for them, or for another group that opposes the current government,’

When all that information came together, he became more certain about his guess.

Back to the two of them, George spoke first.

"This isn’t widely known, but I’m actually the one who saved Lex and his brother twenty years ago."

Samantha’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Saved them?"

He gave a slow nod.

"There was a beast outbreak in their district. It tore through everything. Houses, shelters, even the evacuation lines didn’t hold..."

"Lex’s family was caught in it. His parents didn’t make it. Most of his relatives too."

Samantha didn’t respond, but her posture shifted a little. She was listening more closely now.

George continued.

"When we found him, he was still a child. Covered in dust and blood that wasn’t his. His brother was holding onto him, refusing to let go even when everything around them was burning."

He exhaled slowly, like the memory weighed on him.

"If we had arrived even a few minutes later, they would’ve been gone too."

Samantha looked down for a moment. "And you brought them in?"

"Not exactly. They were sent to an orphanage as per protocol, and I only met them when they both joined the academy. Frankly, I had almost forgotten about it, but they came to me later and expressed their thanks."

"Is that why you’re so close?" she asked.

"Yes... but it’s not the whole reason." He began tapping the table again before looking out the window.

"We could’ve arrived sooner and saved more lives, but I was too focused on following orders. So I wanted to at least be a father figure to them out of guilt. I know it’s selfish."

She shot up to her feet.

"It’s not selfish! Director, I’ve only been working here for a couple of years, but I can tell that you really care about your subordinates, and I also know that you’re a good person."

He let out a gentle smile. "Thank you, Samantha. You know, you reminded me of my daughter. I just wish she could have lived longer. You two would have been good friends."

Those words hit harder than she expected. She opened her mouth to respond, but her expression suddenly twisted.

"Director, please pardon me for a moment. I need to use the restroom."

Without waiting for a reply, she walked out.

’This girl...’ Francis sighed inwardly. ’She actually fell for it.’

It was clear what was going on. That two-faced Director was using her past trauma and her need for a father figure to manipulate her.

From the way he spoke, this plan wasn’t done on impulse, but something they had been building for years.

This meant that, in a way, her mind had already been shaped by subtle suggestions, making her more likely to agree to things she would normally reject.

He was familiar with such tactics from his days with CIA operatives, where they would even live in a country and fully integrate themselves just to plant the seeds of rebellion among the locals.

THUD!

She entered one of the bathroom cubicles and pulled down her pants, but then the pain faded.

"Huh?" she muttered, confused. She stood up, and the pain came back again, but it was clear she didn’t actually need to go.

In the end, she decided to just sit there for a while, hoping her weird stomach ache would pass.

Francis mused, ’This should buy me some time.’

Right now, this turn of events could lead to either an opportunity or a trap.

He could make her sick so she would refuse the mission. That was the safest option so far.

The other path was to let things play out. He could learn more about the organization behind Lex and the Director, but that wasn’t his main priority right now.

Just as he was about to make her sicker, another idea popped up.

It was dangerous, but the reward would be huge if he pulled it off.

’If she got closer to him, it would give more opportunities to kill him.’

Right now, he still needed a couple hundred more livers to reach the next category.

Judging by power level alone, Lex should give him more than 500 at the very least, allowing him to level up and gain a very rare innate talent.

Frankly, the real prize was the innate talent. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He could farm the remaining livers on his own, but even if he reached Category Four—or even Six—he felt he still wouldn’t be able to defeat Lex in a direct fight.

But the talent. That would be a game changer, allowing him to kill stronger Special Categories and make his hunting far more efficient.

While he was still lost in thought, Samantha noticed the pain had already faded.

She returned to the Director’s office and formally agreed to help.

"Take this." George handed her a burner phone. "I’ll send you the coordinates later. You’re doing good work, Samantha. Thank you for helping me save a national hero."

Francis overheard it and almost broke into laughter.

’You might be a manipulative prick, but you’re still an amateur compared to me.’