Adler gave his nose a thoughtful scratch, still puzzled over Mirabe''s phrase, "no fight, no acquaintance," but too shy to probe further. At the doorway, Carter took a deep breath, then spun around and walked off. There was no way he could take on the woman inside, and he knew he''d end up on the losing end. No point in sticking around!


    So, the group that had barged in with such bluster left quietly, not leaving a trace behind. The door clicked shut again. Adler stared at it for a moment, trying to wrap his head around the fact, "Did they really just up and leave like that?"


    He''d imagined all sorts of dramatic scenes in his head, but nothing had happened at all. Mirabe shot him a sidelong nce, "Would you rather they came back in for round two?"


    "A fight?" Adler''s lips twitched, "Did you actually fight them before?"


    Mirabe fished her phone out of her pocket, shaking her head with a modest grin, "Nope, do I look like I could take anyone on?"


    Adler heard her, and while her words made sense, the way those folks had bolted as if they''d seen a ghost was definitely intriguing. He dragged a chair over and sat back down, deciding against urging Mirabe to leave after everything that had just gone down.


    Ten minutester, the detention room door swung open again. This time, it wasn''t thew enforcement folks at the door. As soon as Adler saw it was James, he tapped the table to get Mirabe''s attention, "Time to go."


    Mirabe nced at Adler, then nodded, "Yeah, time to head out."


    Adler gave a little nod, sitting there with a smile, showing no sign he wanted to leave himself. Mirabe made her way to the door, "All sorted then?"


    James nodded, casually asking, "Nothing happened, right?"


    Mirabe chuckled, "Just bumped into an old friend."


    The officer at the door quickly averted his gaze. James raised an eyebrow, "Let''s get going."


    "Alright." Mirabe nodded, took a step, and then realized Adler was still sitting there like he''d lost his mind. She turned back, seeing him still in the detention room, looking a bit out of it.


    Mirabe rubbed her temples, calling out, "You nning to make this your new home?"


    Adler was still out of it, just staring at the door. "This guy''s in a daze," Mirabe muttered, then called him again, snapping him back to reality.


    He jumped up and hurried out, "I can leave too?"


    "If you want to stay here, I''m not stopping you," Mirabe said, already heading out with James.


    Adler touched his nose, wondering if this was what it felt like to have someone powerful on your side. Watching them walk away, he quickly caught up.


    In no time, the three of them passed through several checkpoints and reached the courtyard. While waiting for the elevator, another group. slowly made their way over from a nearby corridor, with Ben escorted in the middle.


    Mirabe stood facing the elevator, her head slightly bowed, eyes on the floor, not bothering with anything around her. Ben, meanwhile, was being tightly held by thew enforcement team, metal handcuffs clinking.


    He looked pretty downcast, his mood having plummeted since being brought back to the security bureau. As they reached the


    courtyard, his eyes <pnded on the three by the elevator. Spotting one of their profiles, Ben froze for a moment, caught off guard.