Ava's brow didn't relax at Arthur's words; instead, it furrowed even deeper.
"I still can't bring myself to trust you. At least, given the current situation, it's hard to believe a stranger who suddenly barges in."
"Hey, Ava, being so harsh isn't very ladylike," Arthur said, spreading his hands. "If you were in my shoes, what would you have done? Ring the doorbell or call for an appointment?"
"...I don't even know how to refute that," Ava said after a moment's thought. "But I've never claimed to be a lady."
Arthur remained silent.
After another moment of silence, Ava sighed. "But... I really have no other choice."
"Realizing that yourself is already quite remarkable," Arthur said, clapping his hands in admiration. "So... what's next?"
"If you promise you won't resort to violence, then I think Foster should hear all this too," Ava added.
"No problem at all," Arthur replied.
…
…
Half an hour later, at Ava's home, the three sat in a triangular formation. Arthur repeated everything he had told Ava to Foster.
Foster turned to Ava, who shrugged. "So, that's what he said."
"Hmm..." Foster paused, then said, "First, we need to know: do you truly possess such a team?"
"There's no hiding that," Arthur chuckled. "Once we reach our destination, you'll see everything for yourselves."
"Then, if it's a trap..."
"If it were a trap, I think my only target would be Ava," Arthur sighed. "Please believe me, I've done everything I can to ensure this proceeds amicably and peacefully. I'm doing this because I don't want you to make rash decisions in the chaos. And even more so, I don't want a... hmm, a ticking time bomb, running loose in the world."
"So you fancy yourself righteous?" Foster asked.
Arthur felt tears welling up in his eyes. "Do you really think I belong in the chaotic evil alignment?"
"Uh..." Ava and Foster exchanged a look. Foster said, "I don't think a truly righteous person would barge into a single woman's home and pretend to be her boyfriend."
"The key point is," Ava added, emphasizing the crucial detail, "he wouldn't show up uninvited."
"...Let me make it clear: I have a girlfriend. Secondly, I've never pretended to be anyone's boyfriend!" Arthur's face darkened. "Isn't all of this your own twisted scheme?"
Silence fell between them again.
After a moment, Foster said, "I'll go with you."
Turning to Ava, he added, "I'll scout ahead and confirm the situation. If it's safe, I'll come back and bring you over."
"Absolutely not!" Ava shook her head firmly. "I refuse to let you handle this danger alone! If we're not going together, I'm the one who goes first!"
"Ava!"
"Cough, cough!"
Arthur glanced at the two of them. "I hate to interrupt, but I believe you're engaged in a pointless argument."
After a moment's thought, he removed his mask. In that instant, Ava and Foster's pupils contracted wildly!
Beneath the mask was Foster's face!
Arthur looked down at his flat stomach and said, "Oh, perhaps it was like this..."
He readjusted his Transformation Art, and in the next moment, a paunch swelled out. He glanced at Ava again. "Or perhaps like this?"
His form began to shift before their eyes, transforming into Ava's likeness.
The pair stared in stunned silence. Ava remained frozen for a long moment before murmuring, "I thought you had a twin brother."
"Me too. If my parents weren't already gone, I'd be calling them right now," Foster said, rubbing his face. "So, if you wanted to, you could silently kill either of us, impersonate the other, and achieve your goals without a trace?"
"Perhaps you could imagine something even more elaborate," Arthur said. "For instance, what if I didn't show myself to you today? Tomorrow, I could appear as Foster, come here, and take Ava away. Then, disguised as Ava, I could go to the university to find you and take you away as well... To be honest, that might actually be a good method, but ultimately it involves deception, which is why I didn't use it."
The truth was, Arthur had simply forgotten he could do that.
But this was undoubtedly the final straw that broke the camel's back.
'Did Ava really want to live?'
'Yes!'
'She dreamed of it!'
Why had she lived such a cold-blooded life all these years?
Wasn't it to cure her "illness" and live like a normal person?
Arthur's arrival had undeniably opened a brand new door for her, a new possibility. But after stepping through that door, would she find a dark abyss or rebirth?
Careful consideration before taking that step was only natural.
But Arthur's attitude implied: if he intended to push you into the abyss, why wait for you to cross the threshold?
And now...
Ava took a deep breath. "I'm going with you!"
"Me too," Foster added, then asked, puzzled, "What do you even look like?"
Arthur readjusted his mask, then casually removed a small device from his belt and tossed it onto the floor. In an instant, a Teleportation Array materialized.
"New gadget," Arthur said. "One-time use. You'll understand once we reach the base."
With a gesture of invitation, Ava glanced at Foster. "It feels like stepping into a fantasy novel."
"Completely surreal."
"No," Arthur replied, his voice deep with conviction, as if recalling something profound. "Sometimes, this is reality."
They practically gritted their teeth as they stepped into the Teleportation Array. The next moment, Arthur joined them, and with a flash of light, the trio vanished from Ava's apartment.
As soon as they were gone, the small device on the floor emitted a soft pop and disintegrated without a trace.
…
…
As the light faded and their vision returned to normal, a vast, cavernous space stretched out before Ava and Foster.
Arthur glanced at Tony, who was sitting nearby with a screwdriver in one hand, looking just as bewildered. "Who are they?" Tony asked, equally perplexed.
…
(End of Chapter)
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