Just as Robert was about to bring up the leader of the Sigma Network, Juniper suddenly stood up. "I''m done eating. I''m going to get some sleep. We can talk about whatever it is when I wake up."


    "You should definitely get some rest,” Lue chimed in quickly, frowning. "You haven''t slept in dozens of hours."


    "Robert, let the kid rest first," Michael intervened, stopping him. He added softly, "She looks terrible."


    "Is it something important?" Juniper asked, noticing their strange expressions.


    "It''s nothing," Catherine soothed. "It can wait until tomorrow."


    After all, the leader of the Sigma Network was here at Subterra Vanguard. He couldn''t fly away even if he grew wings.


    "Oh." Juniper didn''t think much of it and headed toward her dorm.


    With Juniper gone, the five masters turned their piercing gazes on Lue. She was


    so scared she could barely hold her fork and knife, and she looked for an escape. "I- I''m going to rest, too."


    But her escape attempt failed.


    "Tell us about Specter''s situation in Era City," Michael said first. "She seems to have been doing pretty well these past few months."


    "Y-yes, she''s been great," Lue stammered, flustered as she sat pinned by ten pairs of eyes.


    "How does her brothers and sister treat her?" Robert threw out the question. They had only done a superficial background check, not daring to dig any deeper. "They''re great,” Lue answered honestly. "Her family treats Juniper very well." "Specter..." Catherine paused for a few seconds before asking out of the blue, "She''s in a rtionship, isn''t she? She has a boyfriend?"


    "How did you know?" Lue''s head snapped up, her shock evident in her question. The other masters looked at Catherine, who kept her eyes locked on Lue.


    “Uh..." Lue blinked, then quickly and guiltily backpedaled. "How would I know if Juniper has a boyfriend, hehe."


    The five masters remained silent, staring at her ominously. So Catherine''s guess was right?


    "You''ll have to ask Juniper about that yourselves. I don''t know anything," Lue said, and fearing she''d let something else slip, she made a run for it.


    That was terrifying. Thank God they only knew about the boyfriend. If they found out her boyfriend was their mortal enemy... the world would end!


    "Catherine, how did you know Specter has a boyfriend?" Michael asked, puzzled.


    They all knew Specter''s personality; she hated people meddling in her affairs. So, unless she brought it up herself, they wouldn''t dare investigate.


    "A woman''s intuition," Catherine said slowly, resting her chin on her hand. "The girl ispletely listless, like a wilted flower. She never used to be like this, not even after pulling all-nighters for training."


    Not only is she in a rtionship, but she''s also fighting with her


    boyfriend, And given Lue''s reaction just now... it was one hundred percent true. What kind of man could possibly move the heart of that iron-willed girl?


    After a long wait, Shanley finally got news of Juniper. Specter was back at the main base.


    He heard there had been an incident at the adjacent Base 1, and she had spent two days dealing with it. So her sudden departure had been for an emergency, not a deliberate attempt to avoid him?


    “I''d advise you not to move,” a guard said coldly. “The more you struggle, the tighter the cuffs will get."


    “Is that so?” Shanley nced down at his bruised and injured wrists, a faint smile ying on his lips.


    This injury was far from enough... If it were a little more severe, it would make Juniper''s heart ache even more.