But just after taking a couple of steps, he retreated again.
His outfit hadn't changed yet…
Regrouping and pulling herself together, Arthur clicked confidently in high heels, clad in a professional suit. Chin held high, she marched up to the checkpoint.
"Dr. Skirth?" The guard at the gate looked surprised to see her. "Where's your vehicle?"
"…It broke down," Arthur said flatly. "I had to walk here."
The guard inside didn't seem suspicious. He chuckled. "Unexpected things happen every day."
"Of course." Arthur smiled back.
Then the two of them looked at each other for a moment making Arthur puzzled, Why aren't they opening the gate?
"Your access card?" The guard seemed just as confused.
Arthur slapped her forehead. "Left it in the car."
"Well… that's unfortunate, Doctor. You know the rules. Without your card, we can't let you in."
Arthur's expression darkened. After hesitating for a moment, she sighed. "Alright then, I'll go back to the car…"
"We can escort you."
"The problem is… It's probably been towed by now."
"No problem. We can follow you there."
"That's great."
Arthur smiled. "Excellent idea."
The guard smiled too, then picked up the phone and said a few words. Turning back to Arthur, he said, "Please wait here a moment."
In under five minutes, a black utility vehicle arrived at the gate. The front passenger door opened, revealing a rugged-looking man in camouflage gear, clearly hiding weapons beneath his clothes.
He smiled. "Doctor, please get in."
"Sure."
This kind of display might intimidate Dr. Skirth but not Arthur. He climbed into the vehicle without hesitation, and it sped away.
Aboard the Vehicle
"Doctor, which towing company did you call?" the young man asked.
"Hmm… let me think." Arthur pretended to ponder, then shrugged. "I forgot. But don't worry, I have their number."
"Good to hear." The man smiled.
Once they were well beyond the perimeter of the base, Arthur suddenly asked, "How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven. Why do you ask?" The man looked puzzled.
"Name?"
"Jimmy. Jimmy Walker, Doctor."
The young man smiled as he answered.
Arthur nodded in satisfaction. "How long have you worked for the Foundation?"
"This is my third year." Jimmy didn't seem suspicious. Just small talk, right?
"Do you enjoy your job?"
"Everything's great, except for our team lead. Bit of a pain. But I heard he's not doing so well lately… you know, after that incident. The boss wasn't happy."
"Oh… right. Your captain is named… um…"
"Letus," Jimmy supplied.
Arthur nodded quickly. "Yes, yes! Letus. Bald guy, right?"
"Of course. That's him." Jimmy nodded along.
Arthur blinked, he'd just been bluffing, but the guy's actually bald?
They continued to chat casually on the drive, with Arthur skillfully slipping in questions here and there. Jimmy, cooperative and open, answered almost everything.
Arthur was quite pleased. Didn't even feel like killing him anymore.
Where do you find such obedient, sweet kids these days?
But as they approached the city, Arthur suddenly said, "Hold on—pull over here for a moment."
"What's wrong, Doctor?" Jimmy glanced at the road. "Not really allowed to stop here."
"But… I really can't hold it anymore."
If Dr. Skirth knew Arthur had not only assumed her appearance but also disgraced it like this, no matter how scared she might be, she'd probably fight him to the death.
Jimmy had no other choice. He pulled the car over to the roadside.
"Alright, getting a ticket's no big deal. I'll have someone take care of it later… but here…"
He glanced around awkwardly. There wasn't a restroom in sight. That meant… well, the Doctor would have to relieve herself out here?
His eyes drifted from Arthur's chest downward, carrying a subtle hint of mischief.
Arthur smiled, then suddenly raised a fist. "I'm warning you. No peeking! Or I'll hit you."
"…I doubt your fist could do me much harm," Jimmy replied with a teasing grin, like a man walking into a situation he thought he understood, but clearly didn't.
Arthur waved her fist again. "Underestimating me will cost you."
"I'm willing to pay that price!"
Jimmy lunged forward playfully with a hand, only for Arthur to seize it instantly.
His face changed the moment they made contact.
There were no mistake—
It might be a woman's hand, but the strength in that grip was inhuman. In the blink of an eye, she had locked him in place. Jimmy's brain tried to catch up.
Wait… does she like it rough?
While he was still reeling from confusion, a pale-white fist suddenly closed the distance between them.
Jimmy blinked, both amused and baffled. Wait… is she actually going to punch me? Did I really misread this whole thing?
Most women slap but this one throws fists?
Whatever. How bad could it be?
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
BAM.
Like a comet hitting the earth.
Or maybe something even worse, Jimmy wasn't sure. All he knew was that it felt like getting hit by a freight train.
His mind went blank. Eyes blurred. He was still trying to understand how she could hit that hard… when he saw something even more terrifying—
Dr. Skirth was transforming, into a man.
"…Wha—"
He didn't even get the sentence out before he collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, completely unconscious.
"Tsk tsk. Poor guy."
Arthur casually touched his face, shifting back to his usual form, then stripped Jimmy of his uniform and gear. With practiced ease, he tucked the young man's body into his Disassembler Space, vanishing him from reality.
Then, spinning the car around, Arthur headed straight back to the Life Foundation base.
This time, everything went smoothly. But when he reached the checkpoint, the guard inside raised an eyebrow.
"The Doctor?"
"She caught a cab into the city," Arthur replied smoothly. "Nothing suspicious happened."
"Alright. Get some rest."
The guard waved him through. Arthur drove past with a faint smile playing on his lips.
From Jimmy's loose tongue, Arthur had picked up a few interesting things—not exactly critical secrets, but useful intel. Like the fact that this guard held a fairly high rank. And more importantly, that the whole escort mission was really just a cover.
The truth?
Dr. Skirth had conveniently forgotten her keycard, something highly uncharacteristic.
So they'd sent Jimmy to shadow her, under the guise of helping her.
Jimmy hadn't said it outright, but Arthur wasn't stupid. He saw the layers beneath.
"If even a checkpoint guard has this kind of cunning… Then what kind of place is this Life Foundation, really?"
As Arthur drove deeper into the compound, anticipation stirred in his chest.
(End of Chapter)
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