Awakening: God-Tier Adaptive System
Chapter 61: Conspiracy Part 2

She noticed his heartbeat quicken and picked up on his worry.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice soft, almost like she feared the question might offend him.

But he wasn’t that petty, and this revelation wasn’t enough to shake his composure. If anything, it only made him more alert.

His mind raced. He needed more information about the secret organization, and Lyra was his best shot.

"You smell the Awakener’s presence just before the mist showed up. Tell me everything." he ordered.

She answered without pause.

"She’s a woman, and she’s dangerous. Almost as strong as the one we saw in the forest..." she paused and shook her head.

"No, I think she’s way more dangerous. I froze when I smelled her scent."

’A woman, huh.’

This information narrowed down his suspects significantly, though he didn’t have many to begin with.

’It should be her.’ His suspicion that Suhana was behind it grew stronger.

That meant she had been watching them the whole time. Maybe even saw everything that happened at the river, where they fucked like wild beast in heat.

’Damn it. She probably thinks I’m some twisted perverted sadist, and Lyra’s a full-on masochist,’ he thought, shaking his head as his mind spiraled.

’No, I can’t worry about that too much. So what if she saw us? It doesn’t matter.’

With that out of the way, he took a deep breath before talking to Lyra about his findings.

"I think there’s someone or something else that wants to destroy this island,"

"So, are they, our allies?" she asked absentmindedly.

Neo’s expression turned cautious, his eyes narrowing as he considered the implications.

"It’s not that simple. Sharing a common goal doesn’t automatically mean they’re trustworthy or safe to work with."

He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing.

"The clue in this letter suggests that they’re individuals who were involved in the construction or operation of this island, but now they’re dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. Perhaps they disagree with the direction the island is heading, or maybe they have their own agenda."

"But they’re still good guys, right?" she asked. Still too innocent for her own good.

This made Neo feel like he needed to take more control over her.

"Here’s the thing: we don’t know what their true intentions are. For all we know, these people could be extremists who want to destroy this place not because they care about what’s right or wrong, but because they want to create chaos and exploit the situation for their own gain."

Though his explanation was as clear as day, she still showed some confusion. This was always the challenge when talking to someone who was ignorant about the world.

"Listen to me, " his hand on her shoulder was warm and reassuring, and she felt a sense of comfort in his touch.

"I’m the only one that you should trust," he clarified, his eyes burning with intensity.

"Always treat everyone in this place as an enemy. Even if we meet these people, we can act friendly, but we should never let our guard down."

Lyra nodded slowly, taking in his words. She felt a sense of trepidation wash over her, but at the same time, she began to just accept his words like gospels.

"This is for your own good," he told her, repeating the phrase like a mantra. "I’m doing this to protect you, to keep you safe."

She blushed after hearing such heartfelt words, unaware that she was being mentally manipulated.

"I understand," she nodded gently.

’Good,’ Neo’s smile was subtle, but it revealed his true motive.

He had successfully instilled a sense of dependence in her, making her rely on him for guidance and protection.

This was exactly what he wanted, as it would allow him to maintain control over her actions and decisions.

In his mind, he justified this tactic as a necessary measure to protect her from herself.

"Now that’s settled, we need to change our plan and use this things," he raised the two identification cards.

Lyra looked at him with a confused expression. "Why?"

Neo sighed, trying to be patience with her. "We need to use these ID’s to get closer to our target,"

"But what if it’s a trap?" she asked. She was sharp in some areas, but naive in others.

"I don’t think that’s the case. You see, if they really wanted to kill us, they could’ve done it when that mist appeared. We were powerless against that kind of power." He raised this as the first point to support his conclusion.

"If my guess is right, they’re watching us to see if we’re useful or not. Depending on our performance, they’ll decide whether to dispose of us or recruit us."

Lyra’s expression turned solemn, her eyes clouding over with concern.

She wasn’t afraid of pain and torture for herself, but the thought of him dying was a different story altogether.

It was funny to think that just yesterday, she was a girl who didn’t even understand the idea of love.

Even Neo was unaware of just how deeply Lyra had already fallen for him.

"What do you mean by ’useful’? What could we possibly do for them?"

She was curious, and rightfully so. Judging from that woman’s scent earlier, the organization clearly didn’t lack power.

Neo’s eyes locked onto hers "I’m not sure...But I think it has something to do with our abilities. Maybe they’re looking for people with certain skills or talents."

She didn’t ask any more questions, seeing that even he was uncertain.

But her question wasn’t lost—Neo was thinking the same thing. They were too weak right now to be considered useful assets.

Then it hit him. Maybe the organization needed them for something else. If that were true, the criteria would be completely different.

If they were really being tested, then their resourcefulness and ability to adapt were likely part of the evaluation.

To impress them, he needed to prove that power wasn’t the only thing they brought to the table. Rather than relying on brute force, he planned to use his intelligence.

Neo stood up and looked around. "We need to change our clothes first. The rank in this ID is pretty high, so we need to look the part."

"Okay, but where are we going to find one?" she asked.

Neo smiled, "We’re in a port filled with supplies, so it’s a safe bet that there’s a warehouse around here that contains clothes,"

With their plan in place, they set off in search of it, the disguise as port workers giving them the perfect cover.

No one suspected them as they passed by, because everyone one was busy with their own thing.

Besides, there were so many people around that seeing two new faces wasn’t exactly suspicious.

As luck would have it, the place they were looking for was just a short walk away.

"Look, that warehouse has large plastic containers with clothes!" " Lyra pointed out.

Sure enough, the clothes were visible through the plastic layers, neatly arranged like the cheap, mass-produced ones from the eastern hemisphere, made for fast fashion.

However—

It wasn’t like branded clothes were made differently.

Many knew that even high-end clothing was often sourced from small Asian countries.

Brands would simply slap their logo on it and inflate the price by 1,000%, or even 2,000%, if they were feeling particularly greedy.

Neo watched the warehouse carefully. He noticed people laughing and chatting with the guards before being handed a bag. It seemed that even here, corruption still thrived.

"Let’s move. I have a plan."

This time they did not hid and just head straight to entrance where a security guard raised his hand to stop them.

"You’re not assigned to this area,"

Lyra didn’t say anything and kept her head low, her hat hiding her face.

"I know. I just wanted to ask if you have anything here that will make me look classy—maybe a coat or a leather jacket. I have a date tonight with a really pretty girl from the department store, and I’d rather not burn a hole in my wallet trying to impress her," Neo said with a casual chuckle, his tone too relaxed.

One key variable to pretending to be someone you’re not was confidence, and he was executing it flawlessly. His ability to lie with a straight face made it almost too easy.

The guard narrowed his eyes, glanced around, and then leaned in.

"Of course we do. But technically, we’re talking about rejected clothes here so it has some damage, alright?"

"That won’t be an issue. I’ll just make her take it off after dinner, so it doesn’t need to be perfect. Heck, it’d even be better if the pants have a front hole....makes it more... accessible, if you know what I mean."

The guard couldn’t help but laughed at his humor.