Chapter 190 Secret slipout

Chapter 190: Chapter 190 Secret slipout

Back at the president’s hidden home, Joseph was still on the phone, even after thirty minutes had passed since he left his family at the dining table.

Catherine sat quietly in her chair, occasionally glancing toward the doorway where her husband had disappeared. A sad smile crossed her face as she picked up her fork and continued eating.

She had been excited when Joseph finally returned home. The children had been even more thrilled, especially Erica, who had barely been able to contain her happiness when she saw her father.

Now, however, it seemed that the moment they had been looking forward to was slipping away.

"I don’t know what I was expecting, but it seems like he isn’t going to join us again anytime soon," Catherine murmured.

She cut another piece of meat and put it into her mouth, trying to act as though his absence didn’t bother her.

Across the table, Landon glanced toward the place where Joseph was making his call. He had been unusually quiet since their father left them, but he eventually turned to his mother.

"He’ll come back to eat, and we can continue our conversation then. So don’t worry, Mother."

Catherine looked at him.

For a moment, she simply studied her son’s face. Landon was growing up quickly, and it showed in the way he spoke and the way he tried to reassure others. He was beginning to understand things that a child his age shouldn’t have to worry about.

She didn’t want that for him.

He was supposed to be enjoying his childhood, complaining about school, playing with his sister, and looking forward to birthdays without wondering whether his father would be around to celebrate them.

Instead, he was learning to manage disappointment and comfort his mother whenever Joseph’s responsibilities took him away from them.

Catherine forced a small smile.

"Well, Landon, let’s hope he does."

She turned her attention to Erica, who had been pushing the food around her plate without much enthusiasm. The little girl sighed, her earlier excitement slowly fading.

Catherine knew that sigh all too well.

Erica had been counting down the days until her father’s return. She had wanted to tell him about everything that had happened while he was away, show him the things she had prepared, and spend as much time with him as possible.

But now he was on the phone again.

And Catherine knew what that usually meant.

Soon, Joseph would leave them once more. It might be weeks before he returned, or even months. Sometimes, he would promise to come back quickly, only for his responsibilities to keep him away much longer than expected.

She hated seeing the disappointment on her children’s faces, yet there was little she could do about it.

"What’s wrong, baby?" Catherine asked gently. "Don’t you like the food?"

Erica lifted her head and looked at her mother.

"It’s not that, Mommy."

"Then what is it?"

The little girl lowered her eyes to her plate, playing with her fork for a moment before answering.

"I just wanted to spend time with Daddy, but I don’t think he wants to spend time with me." Her voice became quieter. "I miss him, Mommy."

Catherine’s heart tightened.

"Oh, sweetheart."

She opened her arms, and Erica immediately climbed down from her chair and hurried into them. Catherine wrapped her daughter in a warm embrace, gently stroking her hair.

"It’s okay. Come here."

Erica buried her face against her mother’s chest.

"Daddy has some business to deal with, that’s all," Catherine whispered. "He’ll come back when he’s finished."

She paused before adding, "At least, I hope he will."

The final words escaped in such a low voice that Erica barely heard them. Catherine quickly forced a smile, hoping her daughter wouldn’t notice the uncertainty in her expression.

She wanted to believe her own reassurance.

She wanted to believe that Joseph would return to the table, sit with them, and finish the meal they had started together. She wanted to believe that, for once, his family wouldn’t have to compete with whatever dangerous business had claimed his attention.

But something deep inside her told her otherwise.

And she was beginning to fear that the problem was much bigger than another unexpected departure.

---

Meanwhile, Joseph remained in the adjoining room, his phone pressed against his ear. His expression had changed considerably during the conversation, and his earlier irritation had given way to keen interest.

"So, you’re heading back to the facility?" he asked in a lowered voice.

"Yes, President."

Joseph leaned against the edge of the desk, his fingers tapping against the surface.

"Well, Mr. Davis, I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. You’ve always been good at getting results, even when the circumstances aren’t ideal."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"But if you encountered people similar to him, why didn’t you bring them back with you?"

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Joseph’s smile slowly disappeared.

"I had my reasons, President."

"Your reasons?" Joseph repeated, his voice sharpening. "You had an opportunity to capture them, and you simply walked away?"

"I didn’t walk away because I was afraid of losing a fight."

Mr. Davis sounded unusually serious, and that alone was enough to make Joseph stop tapping his fingers.

"You didn’t see them, President. I tried to act as though they hadn’t affected me, but I’ve never encountered a team like that before. Their teamwork, faith in one another, and the way they protect each other are unlike anything I’ve seen, even in this apocalypse."

Joseph remained silent, allowing him to continue.

"They fight together, and they don’t hesitate to put themselves in danger for one another. Especially when it comes to their woman."

At that last remark, Joseph’s brows drew together.

"The woman?" he asked.

"Yes. She’s the one who interests me the most. She uses techniques similar to mine, and I suspect there’s more to her abilities than she has revealed. I don’t know the full extent of her power, but I know she’s dangerous."

Mr. Davis paused briefly before continuing.

"I didn’t want to risk having them follow me here. I’ve already lost too many specimens, and I wasn’t prepared to lose more just to capture them."

Joseph let out an irritated groan.

"Mr. Davis, I’ve never known you to be a man who gets frightened so easily. And now you’re telling me that a woman has made you hesitate?"

His voice carried open disdain.

"What exactly can a woman do to someone as powerful as you? If she’s a threat, destroy her. Better yet, bring her here and let me handle her myself. I have no patience for women who refuse to stay in their place and insist on reaching for power they shouldn’t have."

His expression hardened.

"If you already know she’s going to become a problem, then it’s better to end her before she has the opportunity to interfere with our plans. I don’t want unnecessary obstacles standing in our way."

Mr. Davis didn’t answer immediately.

Joseph could hear his breathing through the phone, and the silence irritated him more than a direct argument would have.

"Well?" he demanded. "Do you have something to say?"

"I’m sorry, President, but I can’t do that. Not yet."

Joseph straightened.

"Explain."

"I’ve already lost too many of my specimens. What you saw was only a fraction of what I can do, and I don’t intend to waste any more of my resources without understanding what we’re dealing with."

Mr. Davis took a breath before revealing the information he had been holding back.

"Those men are all SSS-class, based on their power levels. However, something appears to be limiting their abilities. They aren’t operating at their full potential."

For several seconds, Joseph didn’t move.

Then his entire body stiffened.

His shoulders grew rigid, and his fingers tightened around the phone.

"SSS-class men?" he repeated, as though he needed to hear the words again.

The highest-ranked awakened individuals were valuable assets in a world where survival increasingly depended on strength. A single SSS-class awakened could change the balance of power in an entire safe zone.

Yet Mr. Davis was telling him that several of them were moving together outside their control.

How had they managed to remain outside the safe zone? Why weren’t they helping the government fight the monsters? And, more importantly, how had that woman managed to gather such powerful men around herself?

Joseph’s jaw tightened.

How the hell did that bitch get her hands on them?

He had spent so much time trying to secure powerful individuals for his plans, yet this woman appeared to have accomplished what others could barely dream of.

It was unacceptable.

"Well, Mr. Davis, I won’t pretend that you’ve done poorly," Joseph finally said, forcing his voice back under control. "I know exactly what those tiers of awakened individuals are capable of, and I understand why you chose not to risk everything at once."

He paused.

"But that doesn’t mean you can leave the matter unresolved."

Joseph moved away from the desk and began pacing slowly.

"Continue your experiments at the facility. I want the man you captured examined thoroughly, and I want to know everything about his abilities. Find out why his power level is so high and whether we can reproduce the same results."

His voice grew colder.

"After that, you’ll go back and hunt down the others. Bring them to the base. All of them."

Mr. Davis remained silent.

"This is an ultimatum, Mr. Davis. I don’t want excuses, and I don’t want to hear that they’re too dangerous to capture. You will find a way."

There was a moment of hesitation before Mr. Davis finally answered.

"Understood, President."

Joseph’s expression softened into a satisfied grin.

"Good. Now we’re getting somewhere."

He stopped pacing and stared ahead, already imagining what their combined power could accomplish.

"Mr. Davis, we’re standing at the beginning of a new era. The old world is already falling apart, and the people who survive will be the ones strong enough to take control of what’s left."

He spoke with chilling confidence.

"We’re going to change the narrative. We’ll become powerful enough to shape the future, and eventually, the entire Earth will be within our grasp."

His smile widened.

"So make sure that SSS-class man is stripped of everything that makes him dangerous. I want his abilities understood, controlled, and used for our benefit. If the process kills him, then so be it."

There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his voice.

"I don’t care what it takes. Just make sure you get results."

A low grunt came through the phone.

"Understood. I’ll see you at the facility, President."

"Until then, Mr. Davis."

Joseph ended the call and lowered his phone.

For a moment, he stood there, wearing a satisfied smile as he considered the possibilities ahead of him. His plans were moving forward, and with the discovery of several SSS-class awakened individuals, the future looked even more promising than he had anticipated.

He turned toward the doorway, ready to return to his family.

Then he stopped.

Someone was standing there.

Joseph’s eyes widened slightly, and the smile vanished from his face.

Catherine.

She stood frozen in the doorway, her face pale and her eyes fixed on him. Judging by her expression, she had heard enough of the conversation to understand that something was terribly wrong.

For the first time that evening, Joseph couldn’t find the right words.

"Cathy..."

"Kill someone?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Joseph’s stomach tightened.

Catherine shook her head slowly, as though she was desperately trying to convince herself that she had misunderstood what she’d heard.

"What did I just hear, Joseph? Did you say you wanted someone killed?"

Her voice trembled, and she took a shaky breath.

"Are you a killer now?"

The question struck harder than Joseph had expected.

He had faced dangerous enemies, made difficult decisions, and ordered things that would have horrified most people. Yet standing before his wife, he suddenly found himself struggling to explain something he had never imagined she would discover.

"Cathy, listen to me."

He took a cautious step toward her.

"It’s not what you think. I promise you."

But Catherine recoiled before he could get any closer.

"Don’t!"

Her hands were shaking.

"Don’t come any closer to me."

Joseph stopped immediately.

Fear filled Catherine’s eyes, and seeing it there made something twist painfully inside him. She had looked at him with love, trust, and relief when he returned home. Now, she was looking at him as though she no longer recognized the man standing before her.

"Please, Cathy. Don’t be afraid of me," he pleaded. "Let me explain."

"Then explain!" she whispered, her voice breaking. "What are you hiding from me? Who is this person you want to kill? What have you been doing all this time, Joseph?"

He opened his mouth, but no answer came.

How could he explain the experiments, the facility, and the plans he had been building behind her back? How could he tell her that the world he intended to create might require sacrifices she would never accept?

Catherine searched his face, waiting for him to deny it all.

Instead, his silence frightened her even more.

"Joseph, please," she said, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. "Tell me the truth. Who do you want to kill?"

Before he could answer, a tiny voice sounded behind them.

"Kill who?"

Both parents froze.

Slowly, Joseph turned his head toward the voice.

Landon stood a short distance away, his expression confused as he looked from his father to his mother. Erica was beside him, still holding the edge of her dress, her earlier sadness replaced by uncertainty.

Neither child had expected to find their parents standing like this.

Landon’s eyes settled on Joseph.

"Daddy," he asked cautiously, "who are you going to kill?"

For a moment, the room fell completely silent.

Joseph stared at his son, while Catherine’s trembling hands rose to cover her mouth.

They had been so caught up in their argument that neither had noticed the children approaching.

Now, the secret Joseph had fought so hard to keep hidden was standing right in front of him, asking the one question he couldn’t afford to answer.