?Chapter 1526:


    At times, the conflict inside him felt unbearable. His memories told him his heart belonged to the girl who had once saved him. Yet the undeniable truth remained—he was married to Maia. The contradiction tore at him, leaving a wound that refused to close.


    “If only the girl who saved me had been Maia,” he whispered, leaning back in his chair and staring into the unlit night beyond the window. “Everything would make sense.”


    At the same moment, in the study of Kyle’s vi in the southern suburbs, warmmplight filled the room. Maia sat curled into a spacious chair, arms wrapped around her knees, her phone screen glowing softly with her chat history with Chris. Thest message between them felt like it belonged to another era.


    She typed: “How are you doing? How is your wound?”


    Her finger hovered over the send button for a long moment—then she erased every word. A faint, bitter smile tugged at her lips. If Chris no longer loved her, or had truly chosen to forget, why should she hold on and burden herself further? In a game where survival and death were constantly weighed, love felt almost indulgent.


    As the night deepened, loneliness settled over her in silence.


    “At least he gave me many beautiful memories, didn’t he?” she murmured.


    She closed her eyes, thinking of the Chris who had once thrown himself into danger to shield her. “Maybe he only forgot me because of his injury. Maybe distance will help—give him space, and me some as well.” She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes again, determination flickering within them.


    Her focus was clear: dismantle Cooper Group and help Chris reim everything that had been taken from him. Only after those threats were dealt with could they even begin to talk about what came next.


    “Chris, if you’re still out there,” she whispered, “we’ll meet again someday.”


    Online, the struggle continued. Beneficiaries tied to Cooper Group pushed back relentlessly, attempting to scrub thepany’s image clean, and some went as far as issuing vicious threats to silence potential witnesses. Maia operated several social media ounts at once, countering their narratives, while her hackers kept uncovering fresh evidence and ripping away the masks of those with vested interests.


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    At the same time, Chris directed members of The Mask to use intelligence obtained from Raegan to protect the families of researchers from Cooper Group’sboratories, urging them to step forward and testify.


    Unaware of each other’s efforts, Maia and Chris—each longing for the other—worked without pause to break through Cooper Group’s final line of defense. Under the quiet pressure of their unspoken coordination, the situation began to tilt decisively. Families who had long been threatened found the courage to speak once they were promised protection. Thepany’s crimes wereid bare through firsthand ounts, tearful usations, and undeniable proof.


    Many rtives of research staff fled overnight, acting on their loved ones’ final warnings: “If I disappear or die, and something happens to Cooper Group, leave Wront immediately and reveal everything. It’s the only way you’ll survive.”


    Then came even more startling developments.


    The following morning, inside a hospital ward, Kiley and udius went live.


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