?Chapter 902:


    She had nearly slipped and said mentor but managed to pull back before the word escaped. No doubt about it—Rayne was her mentor’sst name. She had finally found the right ce. Her mentor was leading the Azure Dragon Unit.


    A sense of urgency bubbled up inside her now that the truth was clear. She wanted to see her mentor—needed to.


    “He’s not on base at the moment,” Kason replied, voice calm. “If you’re hoping to meet him, you’ll have to wait until he returns.”


    The warmth in her expression faded, reced by a subtle flicker of disappointment.


    After a short pause, Kason added, “He’s heading an operation in Tauledo. If everything goes smoothly, he should be back soon.”


    Officially, Kason was not allowed to reveal that. His orders had been clear—location details stayed ssified. But seeing how much it meant to her made it hard to hold the line. Just this once.


    Elena lowered her head. Tauledo was not exactly around the corner. The distance between there and the meant her reunion with her mentor would have to wait. She gave herself a second to feel the sting of it. Then, like a light switch, herposure returned. Years had gone into this search. A little more time wouldn’t break her. Now that she knew where he served, she was sure she’d see him again.


    Her voice dropped to a more subdued tone. “Thanks for telling me.”


    Kason’s eyes shifted downward,shes lowering enough to shadow his gaze. Almost like it was an afterthought, he asked, “Did you know him well?”


    Her face did not so much as twitch. “He helped me a long time ago. Since I’m here, I wanted to thank him. That’s all.”


    Kason epted her exnation without suspicion. “Come on,” he said, nodding toward the corridor. “I’ll introduce you to the others on the research team.”


    She followed, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Alright.”


    Meanwhile, Charlette stood off to the side, watching the exchange unfold. From the way they spoke to each other, the quiet understanding between them, it was starting to feel a little toofortable. Something didn’t sit right.


    With a quick shake of her head, Charlette pulled out her phone and started typing. “Mr. Spencer, you’ve gotpetition. If you don’t want to lose your girl, get to Azure Dragon Unit Base fast.”


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    Elena trailed behind Kason as he led her into a different structure, away from the mainplex.


    Unlike the stark, disciplined atmosphere of the Azure Dragon Unit’s main facility, where uniforms ruled the scene and function eclipsedfort, this new building had a strange softness to it.


    Downstairs, the setup felt more like a quiet college campus than a military base. A modest row of shops lined one wall, a small restaurant buzzed with quiet activity, and everyone around wore jeans, hoodies, and sneakers.


    Elena immediately sensed they weren’t enlisted. These people carried themselves without that stiff, mechanical posture the soldiers had. Their movements were loose, theirughter unforced.


    “The researchers stay in this building,” Kason said, ncing around like he’d walked the route a hundred times. “They can’t leave the base whenever they want, but their day-to-day isn’t much different from life beyond the fence.” Researchers weren’t treated like soldiers. They weren’t there to follow orders, but to solve problems no one else could.


    The military understood that. They’d carved out a haven in the heart of the base—partboratory, part home, part sanctuary.


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