*****Watching his aides bombard him with frantic questions at this moment and seeing the sheer panic heavily etched across their faces, the kind of fear reserved for national disasters… the Prime Minister couldn’t help but feel utterly and profoundly lost.They stared at him as though he had just crawled back from the brink of death.Before the Prime Minister even realized it, his brows knitted so tightly that they nearly fused together, deep lines carving into his forehead.His eyes narrowed and became unfocused, darting from one anxious face to another. In fact, if anyone looked closely enough at the old man right now, they would’ve sworn they could see literal question marks spinning above his head.Everything that had just happened replayed in fragments inside his mind… disjointed, surreal, and absurd. It felt less like a memory and more like a badly edited movie scene he hadn’t auditioned for.So… he did the only thing that made sense to him.Still squinting and still vis

*****“What in the great, wide world is actually going on here?!” he finally exploded, his voice thundering across the street.“Can someone… anyone please speak like I am standing right here and explain what is happening to me?!”The aides flinched violently.But instead of answering him… they ignored him again, all of them exchanging grave glances.“The Wise Old Man also mentioned,” another aide continued thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, “that after release, the Prime Minister would be extremely sullen, irritable, and unusually hostile.”“…Yes,” another gravely nodded his head. “Very aggressive and even possibly prone to shouting.”And… that was it.At first, the Prime Minister simply stood there, rigid and unmoving… like a man whose soul had momentarily left his body.But then…Dang it!!!”The curse suddenly erupted from his mouth like a grenade, making the aides nearly jump out of their skin.In the following second, their faces drained of color, panic exploding across t

*****When the SSF captain finally finished reporting everything, a thick, heavy, and suffocating silence returned, enveloping everyone.As for the Prime Minister, he didn’t move, didn’t speak, and didn’t blink.Instead, he just stood there, staring ahead, his eyes unfocused, as the captain’s report replayed in his mind again… and again… and again.It felt so unreal and so absurd that it almost crossed the line into comedy… except no one was laughing.He didn’t know how long he stood there before reality finally caught up.Then slowly and deliberately, he released a long breath before waving a hand.In the following second, the SSF captain snapped to attention and stepped back, and only then did the Prime Minister gaze back at the aides.“Is all of the report true?” he askedUnlike before, his voice was calm… too calm, in fact.There was no anger, no disbelief, and no sarcasm. Just composed and chilling neutrality.But the instant the aides heard that tone, their bodies rea

*****The Prime Minister’s words sounded so earnest that, to anyone lacking sense, it would have sounded genuine.But anyone with even the slightest shred of intelligence could instantly hear the venom, scathing sarcasm, and fury buried beneath every word.And the five aides… having clawed their way to the heights of power they currently hold, were not fools.They immediately saw through it, and in the very next second…They froze.It wasn’t like before, where they were just flabbergasted... no.This time… it was realization.The Prime Minister’s sarcastic words slammed into them like a hammer, smashing through the last remnants of denial in them.And in that instant, something colossal detonated inside their minds.‘Yes, how was that person even able to get the Prime Minister’s emergency number… one known only to a microscopic circle if he was not someone he already knows?’The thought struck the five aides like a sledgehammer to the skull.‘Moreover, given the Prime Mini

*****Of course, the Prime Minister knew exactly why he had completely forgotten about the wealthy man, and the reason.And the reason was as simple as simplicity could get.No matter how influential and powerful the man was, and no matter how world-shaking his Project would have been for Riverton… none of it amounted to even one percent of the importance of attending to Xavier.That was the cold, undeniable truth.In fact, if fate rewound itself and the same situation were to happen again… the Prime Minister would still undo exactly what he had done without hesitation, doubt, or even the faintest trace of regret.However…That didn’t mean responsibility could be abandoned.No matter what, power came with consequences, and even choices made without remorse still required correction.So…Once the storm in the old man’s chest settled and his breathing returned to normal, the Prime Minister lifted his gaze and calmly asked, “Where is he now?”The sudden calmness in his voice m