Chapter 361:
Moments later, two men in sharp black suits approached. Their accents made it clear they were foreigners. One of them asked, “Are you really Healing Hand?” Rylie quickly realized their doubt.
Only a select few had ever been granted the rare chance to meet the Healing Hand, and each of them had sworn to absolute secrecy about her identity. So it was only natural that these men wouldn’t recognize her face.
Rylie rose to her feet and replied calmly, “Yeah, that’s me. Let’s get moving.”
The two men exchanged wary looks, doubt flickering in their eyes. How could the famed Healing Hand be so young? That seemed unusual.
Rylie checked the time on her phone and said, “Can you pick up the pace? I don’t have all day.”
Having witnessed their fair share of bizarre events unfold on the dark web, they recognized that it wasn’t entirely impossible for this girl to be a seasoned healer. The chances of her trying to deceive them seemed slim. After all, she was willingly heading straight into their domain, and if she weren’t truly the Healing Hand, the consequences would be severe.
“Please, come with us,” one of them said, his tone respectful as they escorted her onto the private jet.
Once aboard, Rylie flipped open her laptop and continued refining the all-purpose emergency system she was programming for warships.
Every so often, a few members of the group would stroll past her seat, catching fleeting glimpses of her fingers gliding over the keys, while lines of green code scrolled rapidly across the screen—a sight that held a quiet fascination.
What ultimately erased any lingering doubt was Rylie’s unwavering dedication. Her eyes were fixed on the screen as she coded through the entire night without so much as a moment’s rest.
Only when dawn approached, with just two hours left before their arrival, did she request a bed from the flight attendant, seeking a brief nap to recover.
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By morning, Brad saw the missed call and promptly returned it. After a short pause, the line connected.
His voice came through rough and weary. “I was tied up deploying strategies all night and didn’t have my phone on me. Did you catch the news?”
Still half-asleep, Rylie murmured her reply, her tone soft and sweet, like spun sugar soaked in honey — so different from her usual demeanor. “Yeah… I saw it.” Her drowsy reply lingered in the quiet, fragile and uncertain, as if a kitten had brushed against his hand.
Without meaning to, Brad let his breath slow. The harsh lines of his face eased almost at once, his tone softening into a quiet murmur. “Did I wake you?”
Rylie let out a faint, sleepy hum, pressing her cheek against the pillow’s warmth. “What is it?”
The gentle sound of her voice tugged at something deep within him, making his grip on the phone tighten just slightly. Despite being the one who had called him first, she had completely forgotten about it.
“Nothing,” he answered in a low murmur, his gaze shifting toward the window where the first light of dawn crept in, still unable to banish the remnants of night. She must have been working through the long hours and had only just managed to rest.
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