?Chapter 423:


    Vincent’s remark left Jaxen blinking, trying to piece things together.


    “What suspicious detail?” Jaxen asked, his curiosity piqued.


    “You just mentioned it yourself,” Vincent replied, settling into the sofa. His long legs were casually bent, but even then, there was something effortlessly refined about his posture, as though elegance came naturally to him.


    “You said Katelyn’sputer is top-notch with advanced specs, even better than yours. If she’s just a regr designer, why would she need such a powerful machine?”


    Jaxen shrugged it off. “People like what they like. Maybe Katelyn simply prefers a high-end setup.”


    “One suspicious detail might not mean much. But when there are more, they start adding up.” Vincent leaned forward slightly, his tone measured but firm.


    He wasn’t out to expose Katelyn’s real identity, at least not outright. What really nagged at him was why she was so keen on keeping it hidden.


    Was she just trying to stay out of trouble?


    Or had being TS attracted enemies, making it dangerous for her to show who she really was?


    The question hung in the air—was Katelyn really TS, or was there something even deeper going on?


    Katelyn was so engrossed in her task that she had no clue what was unfolding in the room next door. Her focus was entirely on cracking the system.


    The day before, she had been battling the challenge on her own. Today, with Jaxen’s help, their progress had surged forward.


    She had just crafted a program to disable the system’s auto-repair, which sped up their attacks significantly. Yet, even with this boost, breaking through the hundredyer firewall was a monumental task.


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    Firewalls had amon trait: the deeper they delved, the tougher the barriers became.


    It was like advancing in a video game, where the final boss was always the toughest.


    Once they breached thest line of defense, all the information would bepletely exposed. And the firewall was meant to prevent that. Katelyn worked tirelessly until evening.


    Her phone buzzed, interrupting her concentration. She massaged her stiff neck and checked the screen.


    A message from Vincent appeared: “You awake? We’re off to the restaurant for dinner.” She quickly texted back, “On my way.”


    Katelyn shut herptop with a decisive snap, pulled on her jacket, and stepped out the door.


    Jaxen, meanwhile, was clearly drained. His earlier enthusiasm had faded, leaving him looking worn out after seven hours of relentless work.


    Both of them had been working nonstop.


    Jaxen rubbed his aching lower back, grumbling loudly. “I haven’t had this much work in ages, Vincent. You owe me big time. How about throwing a wild party? The more gorgeous women, the better.”


    Lost in thought, Jaxen imagined sunny beaches, clear blue waters, and beautiful women in bikinis. He pictured himself yfully chasing them with a water gun, and the mere fantasy refreshed him.


    Vincent noticed the dark circles under Jaxen’s eyes and smirked.


    “Aren’t you worried about your health? At this rate, you’ll be relying on health supplements to keep going before you know it.”


    Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jaxen nced at Katelyn, who was pointedly ignoring the conversation. He muttered defensively, “Why make it sound so dire? I’m still young and strong. That’s nowhere near my concern.”


    Vincent’s eyes flickered with a trace of disdain, a subtle hint of his irritation.


    Not wanting the conversation to drift further, Katelyn quickly chimed in. “Let’s just go. I’m starving.”


    Vincent’s expression softened, and he replied calmly, “There’s a nice restaurant nearby, just a short walk from here. We could try it.”


    Jaxen’s face brightened, and he strode ahead with enthusiasm. “I’ve never tried Yata’s local cuisine. If it’s good, I’ll order some for all the lovelydies back home.”


    Katelyn and Vincent exchanged surprised nces, momentarily at a loss for words.


    The restaurant, newly opened and just minutes from the hotel as Vincent had said, was soon in view.<fnd3e0> Readplete version only at Find_Novel(.</fnd3e0>


    Jaxen quickly ced an order for every specialty on the menu.


    As Katelyn looked at the massive spread of food on the table, she said, “This is way too much. We won’t be able to finish all of this.”


    Jaxen leaned back with a rxed grin. “If we can’t finish it, we’ll just take it back in case we get hungryter.”


    Katelyn was about to savor her meal when a blur of movement outside the window caught her attention. A momentter, the restaurant door flew open, and a person burst inside, their face twisted with fury.


    “Katelyn, you bitch! What are you still doing alive?”


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