“What do you think?” Eyeing Ben , Dave mimicked him and flashed him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Ben went silent.
Gosh, adults are really troublesome. He imitated my tactic in such a short time that I don’t quite know what to say right now.
Pursing his lips, he started, “Alpha Dave, I think you should ask Tony directly if you’ve got any questions instead of dragging bystanders into the mess. Isn’t that so?”
Dave studied him for a moment before drawling, “I merely want to remind you to stay in the room and not to wander around.”
“Oh…” Ben murmured.
When the man said nothing further, he whirled around and left. He’s not asking me anything? He didn’t ask me a single question!
With skepticism lingering within him, Ben returned to the room.
In the room, Ben swept his gaze around the space the instant he stepped in the door. But then, no one was there.
Hence, he walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on the door.
Tony ‘s agonized voice drifted out from within. “My stomach is acting up…” At that, Ben heaved a sigh. “Cut the act! I’m alone!”
In the next second, the door swung open. Tony poked his head out and darted his eyes around.
Only after he had ascertained that Ben was alone did he breathe a sigh of relief. Then, he strutted out boldly.
Ben shot him a look. “You should’ve known better.”
In response, Tony swept a gaze over him. “The situation then was special. I couldn’t just do nothing
and watch them lose when it had to do with whether we could save Nelly . Besides, Alpha Dave was helping us. I would be an ingrate if I were to allow his team to lose. Therefore, it stood to reason that I should have acted.”
Ben nodded in agreement. “Well, if you had remained passive any longer, even I would’ve acted!”
“Then, I should’ve restrained myself a while longer at that time!” Tony groaned. Ben rolled his eyes at him. Does he even have a conscience?
In the next heartbeat, however, he asked, “Have you decided how to explain things later?”
Tony regarded him dubiously. “You’ve already found an excuse for me, no? I’ll just go with that!” At present, that excuse is the most ideal!
“But you didn’t seem as though you only learned a bit. You acted as though you weren’t afraid that you’d be identified!” Ben teased.
“Was I that obvious?” Tony queried. “What do you think?”
After pondering for some time, Tony clarified in slight embarrassment, “Mainly, it was because the situation then was urgent, so I had no time to consider so much. Oh well, I’m just too outstanding that it ultimately can’t be concealed!”
Ben was rendered speechless. Hah! As if!
He glowered at his brother, gripped by the urge to riposte him. Right away, he rolled his eyes at Tony .
Nevertheless, Tony wasn’t at all bothered.
No matter what others say and how they regard me, it’s because they’re jealous!
Ben trained his eyes on him. “It’s still fine with Alpha Dave since we can still somewhat convince him.
But what about Daddy? Do you think he won’t learn about the matter today? Will you be able to brush things off?” he questioned.
“Why not? At worse, I’ll just tell him that Nelly taught me. She’ll definitely back me up on this!” Tony
declared confidently.
Ben contemplated for a moment. “Just tell him the truth. He won’t betray you!”
Following that, Tony mulled it over. “Let me think about it when this matter has passed.”
“A single lie will require countless lies to keep the truth under wraps. Consider it carefully yourself,” Ben warned.
A frown marred Tony ‘s brows. “Who asked Daddy to talk ill about me? I should keep him in the dark. When he finds out one day… Hmph! His reaction will definitely be intriguing!”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know that the scene of you both together then will definitely be intriguing!” Ben quipped.
The furrow of Tony ‘s brows deepened. “If you dare betray me again, I’ll do the same!” “I had no choice!”
“It was the same with me!” Ben went silent.
He then narrowed his eyes at his brother. “I find that you’re really vengeful, Tony !”
“Such is the personality of those from the Jackson family!” Tony sounded all nonchalant. Besides, he wasn’t ashamed of that but felt proud instead.
Shaking his head in exasperation, Ben flashed his brother a thumbs-up. He didn’t say anything else but pivoted and walked to the side.
Tony merely watched it all. Abruptly recalling some things, he instantly headed toward the computer and dealt with some remaining problems.
Meanwhile, after Tony and Ben left, the initially excited crowd in the room slowly turned solemn.
They were fully aware that their victory that day was all thanks to Tony . While they could deny it as much as they wanted, they knew the truth well.
Miguel dug out a video he once recorded from his computer. Clicking it open, he watched it repeatedly.
As he did so, the crease of his brows deepened. This was exactly what Tony did just now…
Right that moment, he was somewhat stumped as he stared at the computer.
Even if Anonymous taught him, their coding can’t be so similar, right? Besides, those in this field have their own quirks that are evident through meticulous observation. I’ve scrutinized this video thousands of times. In the end, I noticed that Anonymous has a habit of leaving a node when each line of code is about to end. I seemingly saw the same quirk today…
But right then, he was a touch uncertain.
It is my preconception or a trick of the light?
As he was spacing out, Nick beside him ventured, “What’s wrong with you, Miguel?” Snapping back to his senses, Miguel turned to him and shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Is it something Dave said?” Nick queried. “Nope!”
“Although the victory of our match today wasn’t all that bona fide, the other party wasn’t all that glorious either. He won’t be angry because of this, right?” Nick inquired.
Miguel looked him in the eye. “He really didn’t say anything.” “Really?”
In response, Miguel nodded. “What’s wrong with you, then?”
“I was just thinking about Tony ‘s coding…”
At the mention of that, Nick gushed, “He was exceedingly cool, wasn’t he? It’s really rare to see such exquisite coding. Earlier, I couldn’t help myself and even recorded part of it.”
Miguel’s eyes promptly lit up. “You recorded it?” Nick nodded.
Indescribable joy deluded Miguel. “Let me have a look!”
Thus, Nick tapped the video on his computer. By then, everyone had gathered around him.
They were all wholly absorbed as they watched the recording on the computer. It was as though they were experiencing it all over again. In fact, Nick even cheered at the sight of the incredible coding.
“It was truly exquisite!” he praised sincerely.
Miguel rewound the video and replayed it once more.
He was entirely stunned when he noticed the same quirks in the video as the one on his computer. But how is this possible? It’s impossible!
Beside him, Hayden noticed him zoning out and asked, “What’s wrong with you, Miguel?”
Jolted out of his thoughts, Miguel turned his gaze to them. He hesitated for a moment before uttering, “Say, is there a mentee who’d have the exact same habit and quirk as his mentor in this world?”
“What do you mean?” someone questioned.
“For instance, we all have our own quirks when we do something. Say, will someone acquire them when they learn from us?” Miguel clarified.
Speaking of that, Hayden answered, “That’s possible. I once read a psychology book claiming that when someone admires or misses another person greatly, he will imitate everything distinctive of the person, even his living habits. It’s because he considers himself that person deep within him and does so as a
remembrance.”
Upon hearing that, Miguel frowned. “What if that person is still alive?”
“Uh… Then, I’m not too sure about that, but the possibility probably exists. Anyhow, there’ll still be fundamental differences no matter how closely someone imitates the other person. After all, even twins have slight differences. Therefore, it all hinges on whether you can spot them!” Hayden replied.
“Are you saying that there must be differences if they aren’t the same person? Is that what you meant?” “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant,” Hayden concurred.
Miguel thought for a moment before he bobbed his head. “Got it!”
Then, he lowered his eyes and looked down at the man in front of the computer. “Send this video to me, Nick!”
Nick had no idea why he wanted the video, but still, he nodded in assent. Thereafter, Miguel swiftly went back to his computer.
Following that, Hayden remarked, “How smart of you! At that time, I found the coding amazing and wanted to record it, but no sooner had I taken out my phone than the other kid stopped me from recording!”
“Was he afraid that you’d imitate the coding?” Nick teased. “Perhaps,” Hayden bantered.
Regretfully, Miguel paid no mind to their conversation. He studied the two videos on his computer, searching for differences.
Meanwhile, in the ruins of the uninhabited zone, a black jeep kicked up clouds of dust on the road.
Only tumbledown old houses could be seen all around due to the war, and there wasn’t even a place for shelter.
After driving for over twenty minutes, the jeep came to a stop at an open area.