Chapter 277 - 276: I Will Always Recognize You

Chapter 277: Chapter 276: I Will Always Recognize You

I watched Julian Fletcher, unimpressed. It seemed I’d already anticipated this outcome.

After all, I wasn’t the one panicking now—Erin Whittaker was.

Erin Whittaker looked nervously at Ace. Probably due to a guilty conscience and fear, she hid behind Julian Fletcher.

Ace’s gaze fell upon Erin Whittaker, a faint smile on her lips. It was the disdain of a superior being for an inferior one.

She didn’t even consider Erin Whittaker a threat.

Erin Whittaker clearly couldn’t meet Ace’s gaze and nervously tugged on Julian Fletcher’s arm. "Julian... I feel a little faint. Could you take me out to the deck for some fresh air?"

Julian Fletcher looked back at Erin Whittaker and nodded. "All right."

Erin Whittaker breathed a sigh of relief and seemed to cast a triumphant glance at me and Ace.

’I have no idea what she’s thinking. Does she really believe she’s smart enough to outwit a clone?’

"Cece..." Julian Fletcher looked at me, then at Ace, apparently unsure which of us to address.

I ignored him, disgusted.

"Officer Lowell, can you explain..." Julian Fletcher wanted Zeke Shaw to tell him why there was someone who looked identical to Cecilia Caldwell.

Heh. As a member of the commerce association, he’d even asked questions publicly at the lab. How could he not know about the clones? Ace looked identical to Cecilia Caldwell, but she wasn’t her.

After all, Cecilia Caldwell had died in a glass display case. He’d seen the body himself.

The man was simply in denial.

"This is Ace. She’s Cecilia Caldwell’s... identical twin sister," was the only explanation Zeke Shaw could offer.

Ace smiled at Julian Fletcher.

That smile... it was just like the old Cecilia Caldwell.

The Cecilia Caldwell from before, the one who hadn’t lost her memories.

Cold, calculating, shrewd, impossible to read...

"Before you all came up, Erin Whittaker and I were trapped on the sixteenth floor for three days. She gets a little seasick, so I’m going to take her to recover," Julian Fletcher said evasively, turning to lead Erin away.

He couldn’t accept the fact that Cecilia Caldwell was dead, and now he couldn’t face either of us: a woman who looked just like her, and me, the one who might actually be her.

"Zeke Shaw, if I woke up one day and had swapped souls with Lucas Grant—my soul in his body, his soul in mine—would you prefer the Lucas Grant with my soul, or the me with his soul?" Madeline Quinn pushed Zeke Shaw, demanding in a menacing tone.

"..." Zeke Shaw looked completely lost.

Over on the side, Lucas Grant looked utterly disgusted. "I don’t like men, thanks. That’s gross."

Madeline Quinn rolled her eyes at Lucas Grant. "Was I asking you?"

Lucas Grant was momentarily speechless, then muttered under his breath, "I would never want my soul in a woman’s body. Gross. I don’t like men."

"Ever hear the saying that the biggest homophobes are secretly gay?" Felix Foster scoffed, throwing an arm around Lucas Grant’s neck. "Come on, let’s go to the dining hall."

Lucas Grant was furious at being manhandled by Felix Foster. "You little brat, I’m way older than you! Show some respect for your elders."

"Okay, Uncle. We should go find that fourteen-year-old girl now." Felix Foster, being tall and well-built, easily pulled Lucas Grant into a hug, deliberately trying to gross him out.

Lucas Grant wasn’t short by any means, but next to Felix Foster... he somehow looked almost petite...

Meanwhile, it took Zeke Shaw a while to process Madeline Quinn’s question. He finally murmured, "Pretty faces are a dime a dozen, but a unique soul is one in a million. Without the soul, it’s just a doll, isn’t it?"

Madeline Quinn lifted her chin. "Smart answer."

Zeke Shaw smiled and held out his hand to Madeline Quinn, palm up.

Like a princess deigning to accept, Madeline Quinn placed her hand in his. "Let’s go. To the dining hall."

Watching Madeline Quinn and Zeke Shaw, I leaned over and whispered to Asher, "Are they official now?"

"I heard Madeline Quinn went on another matchmaking date, and it pissed Zeke Shaw off. He supposedly stormed into the restaurant and dragged her out. They probably got together after that," Asher said with an innocent air, whispering the gossip. "Lucas Grant said Zeke Shaw took her straight to his place."

"A man and a woman, alone in his house... what else could they be doing? It’s not like they were discussing a case, right?" Asher added with perfect seriousness.

"..." I sighed, grabbing Asher’s wrist to lead him away. "Come on. Let’s find the little girl."

Over by the wall, Killian Lancaster had been leaning there the whole time. Only after we had all left did he walk over to Ace. I don’t know what the two of them said to each other.

I happened to see him talking with Ace as I headed downstairs.

"I won’t let myself die so easily again," I said quietly, looking at Asher, who was holding my hand.

Asher looked back at me, his gaze intense.

"I won’t waste my life again. So... no matter what happens, you have to choose me, unconditionally. Not anyone else," I said.

’I’m not going to die easily. Don’t go looking for another ’Resurrection Armor’ for me.’

Asher watched me nervously, his fingers tightening around mine. "You’re not lying..."

"I’m not lying to Asher," I said with a small smile.

’I’ll only be honest with Asher.’

’As for everyone else... we’ll see.’

Asher smiled too, pulling me into his arms.

He had probably noticed how much I’d changed since coming back this time.

"Don’t worry... I would never mistake anyone else for you," Asher said, his voice hoarse. His body trembled as he held me.

The fear was probably just hitting him now.

The fear that I had died in that lab.

"I trust you," I said, resting my chin on his shoulder.

"Cece, look at that Julian Fletcher. The moment he saw Ace, he hesitated. He doesn’t really love you. He’s just a hypocrite and a liar, so you can’t like him anymore," Asher started to badmouth Julian.

"I don’t," I agreed with a nod.

Looking pleased with himself, Asher stood up straight and led me downstairs by the hand.

"Why aren’t they searching anyone? We’re all carrying weapons..." I asked, confused.

"Because aside from the gunmen who took the cockpit, we can’t tell who’s just an NPC." It was impossible to tell who among the crowd was one of the Rebels.

The only thing we knew for sure was that the hundred-or-so tycoons were members of the commerce association, which was to say, The Genetics Organization.

But Rebels were mixed in among the remaining thousand or so passengers.

So even with our weapons, there was little we could do.

...

That evening, we found the fourteen-year-old girl in the general dining area on the third floor.

The little girl was still in her dance costume, hiding fearfully under a table and snatching pieces of fruit.

The entire cruise ship seemed to have returned to its usual bustling prosperity. The chefs were busy, the food was laid out, and people were eating as if nothing was wrong.

However, the general dining area was noticeably emptier. Many people had rushed to the VIP sections. The wealthy on the 16th floor had their own exclusive dining hall, with sea cucumbers, lobster, and all sorts of exotic seafood not available anywhere else.

"We’re here to help you," I said, crouching down to look at the little girl.

Her face was smeared with food. She crawled out cautiously. "Really?"

I nodded. "The police are on board. They’re looking for you. I can take you to them."

The little girl wiped her mouth and nodded obediently. "Miss, you should eat something too. I was hiding down in the ship’s hold earlier, and I heard the bad guys say that starting tomorrow, they’re going to ration food. They’ll distribute what’s left based on people’s assets. Only the rich will get good things to eat. People with no money will only get dry bread."

I froze for a second, then looked back at Asher. "Are they trying to pit the rich against the poor?"

Asher frowned. He didn’t say anything, but his expression darkened.

Clearly, this was a serious problem.

"Get her to Zeke Shaw. We need to find the CEO of Metropolis Group. You must have seen him, right? We have to ensure his safety. Only if he’s safe will we have a chance to get to the organization’s top leader," I said, pulling Asher toward the elevators at a brisk pace.

We had to find the CEO of Metropolis Group as soon as possible.

If a conflict or riot really broke out among the thousand-plus people on board, it would be extremely dangerous.

"Cece..." Asher pulled me to a stop, his words catching in his throat. "Actually..."