Gilbert's strange reaction made it clear to everyone that he had already left.
"Something came up, I'm leaving first. No need to see me off—"
A voice with a hint of laughter suddenly came through the speakers in the meeting room.
"Who?" Gilbert was startled.
At this moment, he seemed to be the only one in the room who couldn't follow what was happening. The sudden voice shocked him so much that he jumped to his feet!
The others, however, didn't look very surprised. After what they had just witnessed, they were already numb.
Moses had been unhappy about 'Gilbert' leaving so suddenly without even giving him face, but after hearing the words from the speakers, he quickly gave an order:
"Scan within ten kilometers of the base right now. Check if there are any unusual signs!"
This order was clearly not for the people present, but for the A.I. Owl.
"Beep! Unknown individual detected! No match in any citizen database!" the mechanical voice responded.
"So it is like that… Show me!"
Moses narrowed his eyes and gave another command.
At once, the screen lit up again, projecting the scene above their secret base.
On the surface above was a small convenience store, one with little foot traffic. Usually no one was there, except for passing cars that might stop to buy daily goods.
And now, the screen showed the inside of that store.
A bald old man in a wheelchair was paying at the counter. In his hands were a box of chocolates and a bottle of mineral water.
After paying, the old man gave the shopkeeper a polite smile and thanks, then steered his futuristic-looking electric wheelchair toward the door.
In the meeting room, Amanda and the others stared at the bald old man, suspicion flashing in their eyes.
"Could that be him just now?" she asked.
Moses frowned deeply, not daring to confirm.
The old man had already rolled out of the store into the open-air parking lot.
The screen instantly shifted angles—clearly, it wasn't relying on the store's obvious cameras, but on another hidden method.
And just as Moses was still wondering whether the old man was really the one who had just spoken to them, the man suddenly turned his head and looked straight at the camera.
"What's wrong? Are you all too reluctant to see me leave?" the old man asked with a kind smile.
The voice was exactly the same as the one from the speakers moments ago!
The old man's reaction was as good as admitting it.
He didn't look worried at all about being discovered.
"Should we do it?" Amanda made a neck-slitting gesture at Moses.
Moses understood perfectly why she was asking.
Everyone knew most telepaths had limited combat ability.
If they struck suddenly before he could react, the odds of success should be high.
They didn't know how powerful this bald old man's mental powers were, but from the looks of him, he didn't seem like someone with great physical strength.
Amanda might have had her own motives, but she clearly believed they had a real chance of success—otherwise, she wouldn't have suggested it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so pushy.
Moses hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand.
He guessed the old man was nearby because of that final line, No need to see me off.
And now, seeing how the bald old man reacted, it was clear he had shown himself on purpose, not even in a hurry to leave.
That meant he had already accounted for every possible reaction they might have. He wasn't afraid of them going back on their word.
Of course, it could also be an act—pretending to be calm, gambling that they wouldn't dare to attack.
But deep inside, Moses had a voice telling him—don't be reckless! Get full chapters from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩
The Court of Owls had survived for so long only because of their cautious, step-by-step style.
And attacking now would be a gamble, something completely against their way.
"No one's moving against me? Ok then I'll be off." The old man took a sip of mineral water and asked again with a smile.
When no one responded, he gently tapped the armrest of his chair.
In the next instant, the wheelchair suddenly lifted into the air, floating as if powered by some kind of anti-gravity device. No jets, no thrusters—just smooth levitation.
The bald old man waved toward the hidden camera, then shot into the sky in a flash, vanishing beyond sight.
Leaving behind a room full of stunned people.
They had imagined many ways he might leave—none of them expected him to just fly away.
"That wheelchair… impossible!" the bespectacled man, earlier scolded by Moses, gasped.
"What do you mean?" Moses asked.
"I can't explain everything right now. I need to analyze the recording. But I can say for sure, the technology in that wheelchair is far beyond anything Earth has today. It's unbelievable!" the man muttered.
"Far beyond Earth's technology? Are you certain?" Moses' face darkened.
"I told you, it's still just my guess. I need to study it more." The man spread his hands.
"Then start right away. Report back the moment you have results," Moses ordered.
Without hesitation, the man hurried out.
Though a high-ranking member of the Court of Owls, he was first and foremost their chief scientist.
Compared to endless scheming, science itself excited him far more.
"…Good thing we didn't attack." Moses let out a small breath of relief.
From the scientist's judgment, if the old man's wheelchair really held such impossible technology, then it must also have terrifying defenses.
If they had struck, chances were they wouldn't have been able to harm him at all.
And then—who knew what kind of reinforcements he could call? Not to mention, as a telepath, if he survived the first strike, his counterattack would be devastating.
In that case, everyone in the room would've been finished.
After Harley's latest "friendly talk" with the Joker, Raymond, who had been half-reclining in the backseat with his eyes closed, finally opened them again and glanced out the window.
The one who had taken over Gilbert's body and struck the temporary deal with Moses had been Raymond, of course.
To be precise, it was his Professor X sub-personality, projecting Raymond's mind.
With that ability, something within a single city didn't even require the Cerebro.
And as for locating the Court of Owls? That was thanks to the cybertronian tech from his Megatron sub-personality.
Raymond hadn't just sent out Deadshot and Kizaru.
Professor X and Megatron—two Silver-tier sub-personalities—had also secretly formed a team!
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