?Chapter 603:


    Upon hearing Paul’s words, Marissa felt a mix of anger and amusement. She snorted sharply. “So, you were aware that she injured me?”


    Paul looked into her eyes deeply and responded, “At the time, I didn’t realize ck Mallow was you. When I was informed of the incident, I truly felt sorry. Now that I know it was you, I’m even more distressed.”


    He sighed heavily. Reflecting on the events, he added, “Even now, thinking about it scares me. It’s fortunate your life wasn’t in danger. Otherwise, I’d have lost the opportunity to meet you, which would have been a significant regret in my life.”


    Paul then lifted his gaze once more, his tone earnest as he spoke. “Marissa, please believe me. My only target was the chip. I never intended to harm anyone. I made it clear to rissa that no harm shoulde to anyone, even if the theft were to fail. What happened to you waspletely unintended.”


    Marissa watched Paul closely, noting his sincerity and the apparent fear that she might not believe him and hold him ountable. She felt inclined to trust his words. It seemed that rissa’s decision to go after ck Mallow was a rogue move and Paul had been unaware of it.


    Naturally, Marissa had no intention of disclosing this to Paul. She nned to confront rissa herself; she didn’t need Paul’s assistance in this matter.


    With skillful ease, Marissa shifted the conversation. “Alright, for now, I’ll set aside the issue of your raid on the Doomsday Base. Now, tell me what you did after acquiring the chip.”


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    “Alright,” Paul nodded, his response quick and reminiscent of apliant child.


    Marissa couldn’t suppress another burst ofughter upon seeing this transformation. Previously, they had met when he was a grim and formidable underworld figure. Now, he presented himself like a naive elder, which only served to stoke her enjoyment in yfully provoking him.


    As Marissaughed, Paul joined in. He recognized that he hadpletely abandoned his formidable image in Marissa’s presence, but he couldn’t control himself. However, he was unconcerned. Marissa was daring and sharp-witted.


    No matter how sternly he maintained his boss-like demeanor, it wouldn’t intimidate her; she would mock him regardless. Thus, he opted for a more rxed and genuine interaction with her.


    After their sharedughter, the atmosphere lightened further.


    Paul went on to say, “Once rissa had the chip, she wasted no time in delivering it to me. Eager to discover its contents, I immediately tried to insert it into theputer. But then, I realized—”


    He shook his head in resignation.


    Marissa grinned mischievously. “You discovered that the chip was crafted by a genius, protected by a millionplex passwords in an utterly baffling setup. You stood no chance of cracking it.”


    Paul also smiled and nodded. “Yes, I gathered many scientists to try to crack this chip, but none seeded. They couldn’t breach even one password, let alone a million.”


    Marissa’sughter grew louder. “Paul, we knew the chip had been stolen by the Peridot Consortium, yet King ordered us to reim it for the past five years. Do you know why?”


    “I can probably guess King’s reasoning,” Paul replied. “Given the chip’s intricate design, no one at the Doomsday Base could decipher it either. King likely wanted to see if we could crack it. Once we did, he would send his people to take it back.”


    Marissa nodded, acknowledging this insight, then added with a chuckle, “Do you want to hear how King mocked you?”


    Paul pressed his lips together, choosing not to respond.


    Marissa couldn’t contain her glee as she continued, “King joked that you managed to steal the chip but then just watched it collect dust in yourb for five years, which must have really frustrated you.”


    “Ahem!” Paul coughed, looking ufortable. “Marissa, why did you suddenly decide to retrieve the chip now?”


    “Should we have just let it continue to collect dust in yourb?” Marissa shot back.


    Paul pressed his lips together again, evidently at a loss for words.


    With a sly smile, Marissa kept up her taunting. “King finally sent me to fetch the chip because he has lost all faith in you. You had five years, and you didn’t crack a single password. Maybe the Peridot Consortium should rename itself the Loser Consortium.”


    Paul looked at her, still smiling. “So, you think you can crack the passwords if you get the chip back?”


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