Chapter 149: Exposure

A soft scoff echoed in the room.

Shane Thorne sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. The person before him was reporting, "Your Excellency, that Healer-class ran off after learning Cillian Forrest’s identity."

A dark smile touched the corners of Shane Thorne’s lips. He had heard the commotion outside.

’Quite the scene they’re making.’

Ever since the election meeting two days ago, his faction had come under relentless pressure. Bad news arrived every single day, and each report made him more and more furious as their power base was rapidly dismantled.

How could Shane Thorne not be filled with hatred!

Now, finally, there was some satisfying news.

When his subordinate first reported the news, he had sensed something was off.

’That Healer-class doesn’t know Cillian Forrest’s identity?’

’Then I’ll just have to let her know.’

’Cillian Forrest, your methods are swift and brutal. You’ve made me lose so much.’

’I thought you were invulnerable, but to think a simple Healer-class could make you so flustered.’

’So, Cillian Forrest, you panic too.’

He loved seeing Cillian Forrest like this. How interesting, wasn’t it?

"To think that the great Imperial Marshal would get dumped by a woman. How hilarious."

"Don’t you all agree?" Shane Thorne said to his men, his laughter growing louder and louder.

His subordinates exchanged glances. ’Has His Excellency... gone mad?’

’Otherwise, why does he seem so unhinged?’

Just then, the main door was kicked open with a BANG!

Cillian Forrest strode in, dressed in his military uniform. His face was hard, his eyes ice-cold as he stared at the man on the sofa.

Shane Thorne wasn’t the least bit surprised that Cillian Forrest had found him.

After all, he never expected to hide what he’d done from him.

"You’re here."

"Shane Thorne!" Cillian Forrest’s voice was laced with fury. Staring at him coldly, he said, word by word, "You’re the one who sent something to Sophie Wexler’s communicator."

His tone was one of absolute certainty.

At first, he genuinely thought something had happened to Sophie Wexler. Worry had flooded him, and he initiated a large-scale search.

Later, he slowly calmed down and started considering other possibilities. He then returned home and checked every corner of the house.

He found several things missing, the most important of which was Sophie Wexler’s identification.

In that instant, Cillian Forrest’s mind went blank. An impossible thought flashed through his head.

He checked the room, questioned Tammy, and examined the Light Brain.

Finally, he found a message on the Light Brain.

A compressed file.

Cillian Forrest stared at the file for a long moment before slowly opening it.

The next second, his pupils contracted sharply when he saw its contents.

The large words at the top were glaringly conspicuous.

Imperial Marshal: Cillian Forrest!

’Sophie Wexler found out my identity!’

In that moment, Cillian Forrest instantly understood why Sophie Wexler had been able to disappear silently right under Leo Fane’s nose.

She hadn’t been abducted. She had learned his identity, and she had run away!

Cillian Forrest stood frozen, staring coldly at the line of text on the Light Brain.

She probably didn’t know that messages on the communicator could be synced to the Light Brain.

He knew of Sophie Wexler’s fear of the Imperial Marshal—a fear so deep she had nightmares about traveling to the Capital Planet.

He didn’t know where her fear of him came from, so he had chosen to hide the truth. He’d wanted to wait, to understand the full story, and then find a chance to tell her when she was ready to accept it.

But he never expected his identity to be exposed!

And deliberately, by someone else!

The man’s eyes darkened. He opened a comm channel. "Investigate this for me!"

Ethan Cross also hadn’t expected the Marshal’s identity to be revealed so suddenly.

Upon receiving the order, he had immediately set to work. The message’s origin was masked by technical means, making it difficult to trace. It had taken some time; otherwise, they would have found him sooner.

Ethan Cross looked at Shane Thorne’s completely nonchalant expression and frowned slightly.

Shane Thorne saw his reaction and laughed, spreading his hands. "That’s right, I sent it. I just couldn’t bear to see Miss Wexler kept in the dark and deceived, so I kindly told her a little bit of the truth."

"What, did the Marshal not want to tell her your identity?"

Cillian Forrest stared at him without blinking, his aura turning terrifyingly oppressive.

Shane Thorne continued, "I thought the great and famous Imperial Marshal didn’t care about anything. I never expected a woman would be enough to make you lose your composure."

Hearing this, Ethan Cross stealthily glanced at his Marshal’s expression, and a chill ran down his spine.

’No way, has Shane Thorne gone mad? How can he just say whatever he wants? Does he have a death wish?!’

"Tell me, now that the Healer-class knows you lied to her, don’t you think she’ll dissolve your marriage contract?"

The instant the words left his mouth, Shane Thorne was hauled up from the sofa.

A terrifying spiritual power emanated from Cillian Forrest. He looked at the man before him, his expression blank, as his grip tightened step by step.

Shane Thorne’s breathing was instantly cut off, his face contorting. "Cil... Cillian Forrest, you dare... do this... to... me!"

A smirk curved Cillian Forrest’s lips. There was a smile in his eyes, but it sent an involuntary shiver down one’s spine. He laughed and retorted, "Why wouldn’t I dare?"

"Shane Thorne, you’ve overreached."

Cillian Forrest narrowed his eyes and said, word by word, "Or did you think your little tricks could escape my notice?"

"Since you have such a death wish, I’ll be happy to grant it."

He spoke as casually as if he were discussing the weather.

Shane Thorne’s pupils contracted violently. He hadn’t thought Cillian Forrest would actually dare.

Under the pressure of the terrifying spiritual power, Shane Thorne felt as if his entire Spiritual Sea was about to explode. Overwhelming pain engulfed him.

The Spiritual Sea was both a person’s strongest and most vulnerable point. Faced with Cillian Forrest’s absolute Level suppression, Shane Thorne had no room to resist.

It wasn’t just Shane Thorne. Because Cillian Forrest wasn’t holding back his spiritual power at all, its immense strength was becoming too much for even Ethan Cross, who was standing nearby.

He activated his Protection Barrier, then struggled to walk over and call out a reminder to Cillian Forrest, "Marshal."

’Shane Thorne can’t die at the Marshal’s hands right now!’

Shane Thorne’s face was already turning blue, and his gaze had started to lose focus.

The next second, Cillian Forrest threw him across the room.

The moment he could breathe again, Shane Thorne gasped for air like a man brought back from the dead.

He was a complete mess, a far cry from his previous suave demeanor.

Cillian Forrest stared down at the man on the floor and said in a cold voice, "Shane Thorne, for malicious destruction of warship facilities, resulting in the deaths of 368 soldiers in the swarm sea; for the assassination of Imperial officers; for selling Imperial military intelligence; for the illegal imprisonment of more than ten A-level Healer-class individuals from the Empire, resulting in two deaths... by the laws of the Empire, your titles and rights are hereby stripped. You are to be taken into custody and will await sentencing!"

Listening to Cillian Forrest list off his crimes one by one, Shane Thorne’s pupils dilated in shock, his entire body trembling. "How did you find out about these things? How could you possibly know!"

’But I covered my tracks so well!’

’I was so careful.’

"Cillian Forrest, you’re framing me! I want to see His Majesty!"

Cillian Forrest watched him with ice-cold eyes. He had begun investigating everything the moment he returned to the Capital Planet.

He hadn’t made a move on him before because the results of the investigation weren’t in yet.

He hadn’t originally planned to act this soon. He’d wanted to dig up more about who was behind him.

But some people just have a death wish.

He had targeted Sophie Wexler. And since he was so eager to die, Cillian would grant his wish.