Amanda dove under the table at the exact same moment Thea did. After being screamed at by a room full of generals all day, expecting this thick-skinned woman to jump out and play hero was pure fantasy. Now, seeing Thea hide like an ordinary civilian, neither of them said a word—Amanda simply mirrored her in a silent pact of survival.
They hid extremely well. The others in the conference room weren't so lucky. General Lane's so-called "iron-willed" subordinate was firing wildly, and two generals were hit by stray bullets—one of them being the sleazy officer who had earlier mocked Thea for being chosen by the yellow ring "just because she was a woman."
Now that she had the yellow ring, Thea's mastery of fear magic had deepened. She kept refining and combining her techniques. Seeing the foul-mouthed general get shot, Thea didn't hesitate. A refined fear spell shot out instantly and struck him.
His cowardice inverted into reckless courage. With a roar of heroic vigor, the previously sleazy general leapt at the berserk "iron-will" soldier. He was hit three times in mid-air, but his self-sacrificial tackle was effective—the threat was finally pinned down long enough for the guards outside to rush in and gun the rampaging officer to death.
By then, the "heroic" general had been dead for five full minutes.
General Lane felt the ground crumbling beneath him. Of all the rotten luck—this disaster had to land on him! His trusted subordinate had just killed a fellow U.S. general right in front of everyone. That kind of incident was basically unheard of in American military history. Lane already had enemies in the Department of Defense, and several people were eyeing him with predatory amusement. Anyone with half a brain could see they were ready for a political bloodsport.
"Mr. Secretary, Lane ordered his man to kill a respected colleague! We must seek justice!" "Secretary, he must be punished!" "Court-martial him!"
A bunch of people who'd been waiting forever for a chance to kick him when he was down were practically ecstatic—some of them looked ready to drag Lane outside and shoot him on the spot.
Thea calmly crawled out from under the table. She had no interest in their political drama. Diana was waiting for her at the hotel, and their "battle until sunrise" was still scheduled. She needed the corpse, and she needed it quickly.
Clearing her throat, she said, "Gentlemen—does anyone else want to test their willpower? If not, let's return to our original topic."
"Y-Yes! Yes, this is far more important!"
Seeing he was cornered, Lane immediately clung to Thea's question like a lifeline. He now looked at her with unfiltered affection—honestly, closer than how he ever looked at his own daughter.
The Secretary of Defense didn't want to deal with Lane's situation either. The internal politics were too messy. Leaving the matter vague was the safest approach. He quickly shifted the focus back.
"Yes, yes—let's continue our discussion about the alien."
Thea put away the ring, and several people finally exhaled. Lane oversaw human enhancement programs; no one truly believed his subordinates weren't altered. Seeing one go berserk only reinforced their fear. Their awe of alien technology had shifted into dread.
The Secretary thought for a long moment before speaking into the intercom: "Bring Dr. Silas Stone here."
It didn't take long before a middle-aged Black man in a white lab coat walked in, tapping away on a tablet as he spoke. "What is it? I'm extremely busy."
He didn't treat the room full of generals as anything special, adjusting his glasses with an impatient scowl.
"Dr. Stone, we'd like to ask if you've discovered anything about the alien corpse transported from Coast City yesterday. ID K35H97."
The Secretary of Defense didn't particularly respect this expert in alien technology. His tone was stern, more like giving an order.
"What's the identification number?" Dr. Stone glanced at him briefly before returning to his tablet.
His dismissive tone made the Secretary's veins bulge. How was he supposed to remember the damn ID number? And what even was this classification system? That was the lab's terminology, not his.
"ID K35H97."
Thankfully, a sharp-eyed major general quickly looked it up and saved the Secretary from embarrassment.
Dr. Stone searched briefly, then let out a nasal grunt. "This corpse has no research value. A standard carbon-based lifeform. Physically stronger than humans, yes, but not by much. Based on his cell division rate, I estimate an age equivalent to a human in his mid-forties. Useless."
Several generals deflated instantly. If he was only slightly stronger than a human, then there was indeed little value in studying him.
The Secretary knew well that the military already held a large number of alien artifacts collected from around the globe. If this one was useless, then it was a perfect opportunity to do Miss Queen a favor.
"Miss Queen, in that case, you may take the corpse."
His legs were still shaking from the shooting incident earlier, and he wanted nothing more than to end the meeting and go home. But just as he tried to leave, Dr. Stone suddenly objected. For the first time, he looked directly at Thea—and didn't recognize her.
"Why are you taking it? This falls under my research jurisdiction." He assumed she was another scientist.
Thea had recognized him the moment he walked in: Silas Stone. The future father of Cyborg, Victor Stone. An expert in alien technology who would one day save his son's life using experimental alien machinery—creating the superhero Cyborg.
His lab, codenamed "Red Room," housed every piece of alien technology Earth had managed to obtain. No wonder he had no interest in Abin Sur's corpse.
But should she tell him about alien wars? About Abin Sur's family and Corps? Thea hesitated and glanced at the Secretary.
"Dr. Stone, Miss Queen intends to return the body for burial. That doesn't concern your department," the Secretary interjected.
For someone like Stone—entirely consumed by research—political authority meant nothing. The Secretary rubbed his temples as he spoke.
"Burial? Where exactly?" For the first time, Dr. Stone stopped tapping his tablet and looked straight at Thea.
The Secretary felt utterly helpless. With a man who insisted on digging to the bottom of every matter, he had no choice but to selectively tell the truth. "Back to the planet where the body originated."
Dr. Stone froze for a few seconds—then nearly jumped in excitement. "You can travel to another planet?! Can you take me with you? Which galaxy? How many light-years?"
Thea and the Secretary exchanged a look of shared exasperation. Thea's eyes said: Please remove this man immediately. The Secretary's eyes said: Just say something to get him off your back.
Completely ignoring the strange atmosphere in the room, Dr. Silas Stone rushed over to Thea—nearly knocking Amanda over—and shoved his tablet in her face, eyes shining with anticipation.
"Do you recognize these symbols?"