Chapter 294
Next, Thomas began organizing the teams.
He and Leonard would spearhead the frontal assault, the Edison brothers would flank them from the side, while Lucas, Liam, and Derek would provide rear guard support.
No one said much; they simply tightened their grips on their firearms. Thomas then laid out the tactical plan in meticulous detail. Everyone listened intently, raising no objections. Thomas had the background for this, so leaving the tactical planning to him was a no-brainer.
Before long, everyone had their assignments memorized.
"If there are no questions, let’s head out. The sooner we move, the sooner we’re back," Thomas said.
Leonard was already raring to go. "Let’s move! We’ll catch them completely off guard."
Right before they left, Suzy slipped some spiritual spring water to both Thomas and Derek, just in case. She gave an even larger amount to Leonard, and even shoved a few hand grenades into his hands, telling him to use them if the opportunity arose.
When Leonard took the grenades, he froze in utter disbelief.
"S-Suzy, are you sure about this?" Leonard was almost too terrified to hold them.
"It’s fine," Suzy said. "If you don’t know how to use them, give them to Thomas."
Thomas would definitely know what to do with them. Suzy had given them to Leonard primarily because he had a spatial inventory, making them easy to carry.
Only after passing along everything useful did Suzy finally feel somewhat at ease. Even though their side had guns and held a massive advantage, there was no guarantee that things wouldn’t go sideways. It paid to be over-prepared. She then pulled several bulletproof vests out of her space and had them put them on.
As for Liam, Suzy hesitated for a long time before deciding against giving him a vest. This kind of gear was just too difficult to explain away. Stumbling across guns was one thing, but finding exactly enough pristine bulletproof vests just when they needed them? No one would buy that.
Since Liam wasn’t a fully unlocked romance target yet, Suzy didn’t want to expose too many of her secrets to him. Still, given that he was one of her targets, she slipped him a small vial of the spiritual spring water anyway.
"What’s this?"
Seeing Suzy hand over a small vial with an air of secrecy, Liam looked confused, though he still accepted it. He looked down to examine it; the tiny plastic bottle was filled with crystal-clear water that looked no different from ordinary bottled water.
"It’s an heirloom remedy passed down in my family," Suzy said with absolute seriousness. "You can use it if you run into danger, or if you get hurt. I don’t have much left, but I was worried about you, so I wanted you to have some."
Liam instantly felt a jolt run through his chest, leaving a pleasant, tingling warmth in its wake.
She said she was worried about him, and she had even given him a family heirloom. It was impossible for Liam not to read into it. Combined with the fact that Suzy had already sustained injuries just to protect him, a wave of unfamiliar emotions surged within his heart.
"I... thank you, Suzy."
Liam didn’t reject her kindness, carefully placing the spiritual spring water into his pocket.
"Stay here and stay safe. We’ll be back soon," Liam promised her softly.
Suzy smiled and nodded. "Mm, don’t worry. Go ahead. I’ll take good care of Noah. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to him."
Liam caught his breath, that fluttering, butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling returning in full force. His heart began to hammer like a drum. He had been just about to ask her to keep an eye on Noah, but Suzy had already anticipated it.
Liam couldn’t quite describe the feeling washing over him, but his nose stung slightly. He looked at Suzy, his eyes brimming with gratitude.
"Thank you," Liam breathed out softly. Expressing his gratitude felt like the only thing he could do. Suzy had helped him so much, often asking for absolutely nothing in return.
"Don’t worry about it. Go, and make sure you come back safe," Suzy said, offering him a smile.
A gentle, incredibly tender smile graced her pale, beautiful face. Liam felt momentarily dazed, his chest bursting with emotion. He clenched his fists and nodded resolutely. "Mm. I will come back safe."
Once the farewells were over, the group departed from Building Eight.
Now, only Suzy and Aaron were left in the main room, though Noah was still in the bedroom. Neither Suzy nor Aaron left Liam’s apartment; they stayed behind to wait for the group’s return.
Sitting back down on the sofa, Suzy glanced at Aaron.
He looked to be in a foul, brooding mood. His eyes were cast downward, the thin lenses of his glasses obscuring whatever emotions lay beneath, and his lips were pressed into a tight line.
"They’ll be back soon, don’t worry too much," Suzy said softly. She had complete faith in Thomas and Leonard’s capabilities.
Hearing this, Aaron looked up at her, a flash of complexity crossing his dark eyes.
"Is that so?" he muttered. He let out a quiet sigh and sat rigidly in place, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.
Right then, Noah quietly slipped out of the bedroom. He had been eavesdropping from inside the room the whole time, staying put only because he had promised his older brother he would. Now that Liam was gone and he knew Suzy was still in the living room, he couldn’t sit still any longer.
However, Noah clearly understood that his brother was embarking on a dangerous mission, so he wasn’t nearly as energetic as usual.
"Big Sis," Noah called out softly. He walked over and sat down next to her obediently, falling silent.
Suzy gently ruffled his hair. "There you are."
"Did Liam and the others leave?" Noah asked in a small voice.
Suzy nodded. "Yeah, your brother and the others have some business to take care of, so they went out."
Noah didn’t press further. When his eyes drifted away from Suzy, he finally noticed Aaron sitting nearby.
"Oh, Aaron here too?" Noah said in pleasant surprise.
Aaron looked at him, forcing a faint smile. "Hi there."
A smile returned to Noah’s face. Suzy glanced back and forth between the two of them.
Do they know each other?
It looked like Noah and Aaron were actually quite close.
"Do you want to keep building Legos?" Noah asked quietly.
Meeting the boy’s expectant gaze, Aaron nodded. "Sure."
With that, Noah happily scrambled off to hunt down his Legos. Watching this play out, Suzy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
They’re just going to play, just like that?
Noah really was remarkably resilient—hadn’t he been worried sick about his brother just a second ago?
Suzy didn’t dwell on it, turning instead to Aaron. "Are you and Noah close? He seems to really like you."
"Probably just because I’ve played with him a few times before," Aaron explained.
Suzy nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "I wouldn’t have guessed."
Just as Aaron was about to say something, Noah returned carrying his Legos. He dropped them onto the coffee table with a loud clack and looked up expectantly. "Aaron, shall we start now?"
Aaron sat down to play Legos with Noah. Suddenly remembering Suzy, Noah quickly asked, "Suzy, do you want to join?"
Suzy smiled and shook her head. "I’m good, you two go ahead. I’m a little tired."
"Are you not feeling well?" Aaron asked.
Suzy gave him a slightly surprised look, then shook her head. "Just sleepy."
"Oh. Go ahead and rest then," Aaron said, keeping his eyes fixed intently on her. "I’ll keep Noah company."