Chapter 142 The real truth

Words : 1533 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Kelvin and Vee stepped into the scene, their footsteps light but unmissable in the tense silence. They took in the sight before them—Noah, standing stiff, his hands still lightly curled as if he had just tried to pry himself free. Lila, arms draped around his neck, staring at him with an expression neither of them could quite place. Kelvin's brow shot up. "Uh... what exactly is going on here?" Vee, standing beside him, folded her arms. "Yeah, should we leave and come back later, or...?" At the sound of their voices, Lila's fingers finally loosened. She let her hands drop, clearing her throat in a manner that almost seemed rehearsed—like she wasn't just seconds away from crushing Noah's windpipe or pulling him closer. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel. As she walked past Noah, she paused just long enough to blow him a playful kiss, her lips curling into a sly smile before she strode off, completely unfazed. Kelvin and Vee exchanged a glance. "Well," Kelvin exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "That wasn't weird at all." Vee snorted. "Yeah, totally normal. Now, are we gonna talk about your little bone bendinggirlfriend, or are we moving on to the part where I save your asses?" With Lila gone, the tension in the air finally shifted. Now, it was just the three of them—Noah, Kelvin, and Vee, their new hacker friend from Year 2. Noah stood there, arms crossed, trying to process everything. His eyes darted between Kelvin and Vee, his brows furrowed. "So... let me get this straight," he finally said, voice slow and deliberate. "You're telling me that after all that running, all that fighting—after she called the damn Year 3s on us—you're suddenly pals?" Kelvin let out a sigh, already anticipating the argument. "I get how it looks, but you've got it wrong. She's not who we thought she was." Noah scoffed. "Not who we thought she was? She tried to blow me up!!" Vee, standing off to the side, looked completely unfazed. "In my defense, that was hilarious." Kelvin shot her a look before turning back to Noah. "Listen, man, I thought the same thing at first. But she's not exactly Albright's lackey. It's complicated." Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire "Complicated?" Noah echoed, arms still crossed. "That's the word you're going with?" Vee finally stepped forward, adjusting the strap of her bag. "How about I explain everything? But over ice cream. Somewhere... discreet. No goons, no crazy exes—" she gave Noah a pointed look "—just a nice little chat over something sweet." Noah narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel like you just want free food?" Vee smirked. "Hey, a girl's gotta eat." Kelvin sighed. "We can talk. Just not here." Noah reluctantly nodded. He wasn't convinced, but he'd at least hear them out. Vee, satisfied, was about to start walking when something caught her eye. Her head tilted slightly, her brows drawing together. "Wait a second." She glanced down at Noah's foot—specifically his toe. The one she'd blown up earlier with her miniature explosive. It was fine. Completely intact. No limp. No sign of pain. "Huh," she muttered, crouching slightly. "That's weird." Noah tensed. "What's weird?" Vee pointed at his foot. "Your toe. I literally saw it get turned into red mist, and now it's like... brand new." Kelvin's eyes flicked to Noah, but he didn't say a word. Noah barely hesitated. "I think you're imagining things." Vee blinked. "Am I?" Noah shrugged, completely unbothered. "Maybe the stress of today's catching up to you. You sure you don't need a nap?" Vee narrowed her eyes, glancing back at his toe, then at his face. He was lying. She knew what she'd seen. But the way he dismissed it so casually made her hesitate. For just a second, she actually wondered if she was losing her mind. But decided not to push it. --- The container yard wasn't exactly the warmest place for a late-night meeting, but it was quiet, secluded, and—most importantly—not crawling with Albright's people. Towering steel containers loomed over them, stacked high like a maze of metal walls. A few overhead lights flickered dimly, casting long shadows. Kelvin handed Vee the promised ice cream, and she accepted it with a smirk. "Took you long enough."@@@@ Noah, standing with his hands shoved into his pockets, looked less than amused. "You're seriously making us wait just so you can enjoy some ice cream?" "Yeah, I know you have it," Vee continued, crossing her arms. "And that's a problem." Kelvin frowned. "A problem for who?" "For all of us," Vee shot back. "Albright isn't an idiot. If he gets even the slightest hint that the file still exists, he'll start looking. And trust me, you don't want him looking." Noah's jaw tightened. "So what, you expect us to just destroy our copy and trust you to hold onto yours?" Vee shrugged. "That's exactly what I expect." Kelvin scoffed. "Not happening." Vee sighed, shaking her head. "Look, I get it. You don't trust me. Hell, I wouldn't trust me either if I were in your shoes. But think about it logically—who's better at keeping this hidden? You two, who are already on Albright's radar, or me, the person who's been staying one step ahead of him for years?" Noah clenched his fists. He hated to admit it, but she had a point. Kelvin, however, wasn't convinced. "Even if we agreed, what's stopping you from screwing us over later?" Vee smirked. "Nothing. But if I wanted to screw you over, I would've done it already." The silence stretched between them. Finally, Noah let out a breath. "This is a terrible idea." "Maybe," Vee said, tilting her head. "But it's the best one we've got." Noah folded his arms, staring at Vee carefully. Something wasn't adding up. "You sent a virus into Raven's tab to wipe the file," he started slowly, piecing things together out loud. "But somehow, the virus extracted the video instead? And then, Kelvin and I still had enough time to recover the phone and the file before your little virus wiped everything?" Kelvin, who had been silent up until now, blinked. Midway through Noah's explanation, the realization hit him, and his expression shifted. "Wait a minute..." Vee, casually eating another spoonful of ice cream, didn't respond. She simply gave him a knowing look. Kelvin exhaled, rubbing his temples. "That's the part that doesn't make sense. You're good, Vee, but not that good. This isn't just about hacking—what you did shouldn't have been possible." Noah nodded, his suspicion deepening. "So, if you really have the file, prove it. And if you do, then the bigger question is—why haven't you used it? Why aren't you exposing Albright right now?" Vee sighed, looking down at the ice cream in her hand. With an exaggerated pout, she let it drop to the ground, the cup rolling slightly on the container yard's gravel. Then, her demeanor shifted. A faint violet glow flickered in her irises, deepening until her entire eye color changed. Kelvin and Noah stiffened. They had seen this before. It was her technopathic ability—her connection to data, machines, and encrypted information. Without a word, she lifted a hand to her forehead. A sharp pulse of violet light appeared just between her brows, like a bio-luminescent mark activating beneath her skin. Her fingers dipped into it—not through her skin, but as if she were reaching into something intangible, something beyond the physical world. A moment later, she pulled out a small chip. Kelvin and Noah recoiled in unison. "What the actual hell—" Kelvin took a step back. "Did you just pull that out of your head?!" Noah grimaced. "That's disgusting." Vee rolled her eyes, holding the chip between her fingers. "Oh, come on. Don't be babies about it." She waved it in front of them like it was no big deal. "Wait, wait, wait." Kelvin raised both hands, still processing what he'd just witnessed. "Are you telling me... you stored the extracted video inside your head?" Vee smirked. "Technically, in my biochip. Every technopath has one." Noah's brows furrowed. "That's a thing?" Vee scoffed. "Of course it's a thing. You think we just leave our classified hacks lying around on external drives like cavemen? This is basic technopath security. I'm shocked Kelvin doesn't have one." Kelvin looked away, clearing his throat. "I do have one." Vee's grin widened. "See? Thought so." Noah groaned, rubbing his temples. "This is too much." Kelvin, on the other hand, was suddenly looking at Vee with newfound admiration. He leaned toward Noah and whispered, "You need to keep this girl around." Vee, of course, heard him. "Oh my god," she drawled, placing a hand over her chest mockingly. "You love me,"

Chapter 142 The real truth

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