Chapter 176 - 175: Left on Read

The group went downstairs.

Yvonne Lowell opened the back door of the car, and the Leogryph hopped in on its own.

Leo Grant glanced at the six bulletproof black cars starting up beside them, an eyebrow slightly raised.

"What are you spacing out for? Get in."

Yvonne Lowell jutted her chin toward the passenger seat before walking over to the driver’s side herself.

Leo Grant obediently got into the passenger seat, then looked fawningly at the woman beside him. "Bonnie, are you tired? How about I drive?"

"Forget it. I can’t be bothered to be your GPS." Yvonne Lowell started the car and slammed on the gas, peeling out.

Meanwhile, after Nolan Crawford got in his car, he abruptly slapped his forehead.

"Look at my memory. I got so caught up in the chat that I completely forgot to ask Yvonne about Moonshadow. Maybe she knows someone from there? If I only rely on Brother Grant, there’s no way I’m meeting up with them this time."

Colin, who was driving, felt his face twitch involuntarily. He glanced at the big dummy in the rearview mirror.

’I wonder if he’ll still be so eager to meet his ’online friend’ once we get back to HQ.’

Nolan Crawford’s eyes darted around before he looked at Colin in the front seat. "Hey, buddy, what faction are you guys with?"

’The one you’ve been obsessing over, Moonshadow, of course,’ Colin thought to himself.

Colin kept his eyes on the road as he drove. "Sir, if you wish to know, you can ask our master yourself later."

"Ah, but I just forgot to ask her, didn’t I? Just tell me. I want to see if I’ve heard of it, or if I know anyone."

Nolan Crawford leaned forward, nearly resting his head on the other man’s shoulder.

"Apologies, but you should still ask our master later." Colin was unmoved.

’Since the master is willing to bring them back to HQ, she obviously doesn’t intend to hide her identity anymore.’

’But he was worried that spilling the beans early would interfere with her subsequent plans. What if Her Highness suddenly decided to play a prank or something?’

Seeing that he couldn’t get any information out of him, Nolan Crawford didn’t press further, instead opting for the next best thing.

"Well then, do you guys work with Moonshadow? Do you know anyone from there? Can you give me an introduction?"

"Yes, I do, and no, I can’t." Colin was the very definition of concise.

"Come on, man. It’s fate that brought us together. Your master is not only my sister but also my future sister-in-law. That makes us brothers, right?"

"Apologies. I’m an orphan."

Ian Lynch and Warren Lynch, who were in the same car, were thinking: ’Please just shut up. It’s exhausting trying not to laugh.’

"Hey! You... You’re no fun at all."

"Apologies. My orientation is straight."

Afterward, no matter how Nolan Crawford tried to trap him, Colin wouldn’t take the bait, and in the end, he simply shut his mouth.

Colin: ’Plead ignorance to everything, and leave him on read.’

Nolan Crawford pouted. "Fine, I won’t ask you anymore. I’ll just ask Yvonne myself later."

"Okay. Be my guest."

「An hour later.」

The eight cars drove into a luxurious estate. Two of them eventually stopped in front of the main building.

"Get out and open the door for your ’precious son’." Yvonne Lowell unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Leo Grant wasn’t annoyed. He got out and opened the back door. "Hurry up. I’m going to find your mom."

"ROAR!" ’Hurry, hurry, what’s the rush! My mom doesn’t want you anymore!’

The Leogryph leaped out of the car, shot him a look, then sauntered into the main building with a cat-like gait, not even bothering with the door.

"Things were going so well. Why did you have to go and provoke it again? The revolutionary friendship you just built is already over."

Yvonne Lowell stood behind Leo Grant with her arms crossed, watching him with amusement.

Leo Grant stepped forward and pinched her cheek. "It was clearly giving me attitude too! Why are you only blaming me and not it?!"

Yvonne Lowell swatted away the two paws on her face, annoyed. "Oh, stop it. I heard everything. You started it."

Leo Grant: ’...? In the end, I just can’t compete.’

After getting out of the car, Nolan Crawford looked around. His gaze finally landed on several brightly lit buildings in the distance, and he couldn’t help but whistle.

"Wow, this place is impressive! Even grander than our Shadow Pavilion! You’re really hiding in plain sight here, Yvonne. Is this your hideout?"

The path from the estate’s main gate was lined with greenery, and after a few turns, it led to the main building.

The work and living areas were separate. The training grounds and office buildings were some distance away, which was why they hadn’t passed by them just now.

Yvonne Lowell couldn’t help the twitch of her lips. "Can’t you use a nicer word? Did you fail language arts or something? ’Hideout,’ really?"

"Ahem..." Nolan Crawford brushed non-existent dust from his suit, put on a serious face, and clasped his hands in a formal salute.

"Is this the seat of your esteemed organization? Might I be so bold as to ask its name?"

’Great, now he’s being even weirder.’

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to know? You won’t regret it?"

"What’s there to regret? I was asking this buddy here the whole way, and he just ignored me." Nolan Crawford pouted, shooting a resentful look at Colin.

Colin: ’Taking the blame is my destiny. I’ll have to get in two extra sparring matches tomorrow to feel better.’

Yvonne Lowell leaned against Leo Grant’s arm and gave a meaningful smile.

"Colin, tell our guest where this is."

"Yes, Master."

Colin nodded slightly and looked at Nolan Crawford. "Sir, this is the place you’ve been talking about the entire trip: Moonshadow HQ."

The moment he finished speaking, Yvonne Lowell clearly felt the man she was leaning against stiffen for a second. She hooked her lips into a smile, her mood quite pleasant.

Leo Grant’s pupils contracted. He looked down at the woman in his arms, his expression one of utter disbelief.

’So she really was the one behind that incident in the Crimson Triangle? And the reason we took down the X Alliance so easily was largely because she had already weakened a portion of their forces.’

"Oh, so this is Moonshadow HQ, I’ve heard of it—WHAT!?" Nolan Crawford’s brain caught up, and his voice cracked in shock.

"What did you say this place was?! Moonshadow?! As in, ’Moon’-moon and ’Shadow’-shadow, that Moonshadow?!"

Ian Lynch and Warren Lynch weren’t any better, their eyes wide as saucers.

Colin endured the piercing pain in his eardrums and patiently repeated, "This is Moonshadow HQ. The Moonshadow HQ you wanted me to introduce you to."

Nolan Crawford turned to look at the equally stunned Ian Lynch and Warren Lynch, then at Leo Grant, who was across from them. Though Leo’s face was blank, Nolan knew him well enough to see the shock underneath.

Finally, he looked at Yvonne Lowell. "This is Moonshadow, and they call you ’Master’... Then... F-Falcon... that can’t be you, can it?"

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "My dad is Charles Lowell, not Falcon."

Nolan Crawford: ’...Right. The code matches. It’s her, no doubt about it.’

’What is this? I’ve been a hardcore fan for four or five years, and my idol was right beside me the whole time?!’

Yvonne Lowell felt a puff of hot breath on her ear, followed by a man’s low voice speaking right beside it.

"So, Zachary Jacobs and Nina Jennings are Scorpion and Firefox, respectively? And you three are the infamous bandit leaders who never act like proper human beings?"