"Alright!"
Old Master Sloan’s arrangements were swift and decisive. The special plane was quickly readied. At almost the same time, the car sent by Levin Sawyer arrived, whisking Sophia Shaw away to the takeoff point at breakneck speed.
After passing through several tight security checkpoints, the military transport plane Old Master Sloan had mentioned loomed before her.
A pilot in camouflage fatigues nimbly hopped down the ramp, saluting and shaking hands with the person there for the handover.
Sophia Shaw said a brief farewell to Levin Sawyer and hurried toward the plane.
Hearing her approach, the person handling the handover turned around. It was Shane Grant.
Those charming, almond-shaped eyes, which usually held a smile, were now as deep and still as an abyss under the airport lights.
"The plane is all yours," the pilot said to Shane Grant, his attitude extremely respectful.
He turned to Sophia Shaw and said, "Miss Shaw, this is our top pilot. He will definitely get you to your destination safely."
Sophia Shaw met Shane Grant’s gaze, and her steps faltered almost imperceptibly.
"Get on the plane," Shane Grant said, his words concise.
His gentle gaze rested on her for a moment.
Sophia Shaw suppressed her feelings and quickly climbed into the cabin.
Shane Grant followed close behind. As he passed her seat, he paused slightly. "No fear."
Those two simple words were incredibly reassuring.
Sophia Shaw nodded firmly.
She took a deep breath.
And took out her notebook.
There was no time to rest. She had to use the flight time to condense and refine dozens of pages of content into a precise thirty-minute report.
—A report that would win over everyone!
During the ten-plus-hour flight, Sophia Shaw was completely immersed in her work, unaware if the plane had passed through any dangerous areas.
All she knew was that the flight was consistently smooth.
As dawn broke, the plane finally landed at a connecting airfield nearest to NASA.
A car was already waiting at the bottom of the ramp.
Levin Sawyer had made all the necessary arrangements the night before.
"Thank you." Walking to the side of the cockpit, she gave Shane Grant a formal bow of gratitude.
Then she turned, ready to leave.
"Wait."
The tall man stood up, his body nearly blocking the light pouring in from the cabin door.
Sophia Shaw felt something cool press into her palm.
"Blow this if you’re ever in danger." Shane Grant tapped her palm. It was a small whistle.
"No matter where you are, someone will come to help you."
Sophia Shaw picked up the whistle. It looked no different from an ordinary one.
But she knew that it produced an ultrasonic sound that humans couldn’t hear. Its special frequency would be picked up by special equipment.
Only important individuals were qualified to possess one.
Sophia Shaw’s heart tightened, and she quickly tried to give it back. "This is too valuable. I can’t accept it."
"Don’t feel burdened." Shane Grant saw her anxiety, his voice steady and open. "I’m not just giving you this whistle because I like you, but also because you are now a person of importance to Cathan. As a soldier of Cathan, protecting you is my duty."
His words were so forthright and noble that Sophia Shaw couldn’t find a reason to refuse.
But the words "protecting you" felt like a heavy weight on her shoulders.
"Shane Grant, I don’t think I can return your feelings."
"I’ve said it before. Liking you is my business. If you don’t like me back, then don’t."
Sophia Shaw was at a loss for words.
The man’s charming eyes were as deep as the sea with affection, yet he restrained himself from letting his gaze linger on her for too long.
He walked past her and headed outside.
"Um..." Sophia Shaw clutched the whistle, knowing she should accept it, if only for the sake of the project. Still, she had to ask, "This... this won’t get you in trouble for breaking regulations, will it?"
"It won’t!"
The man stepped off the plane.
Sophia Shaw didn’t have much time to dwell on the matter. A more important mission awaited her.
Clutching the whistle tightly in her palm, she rushed down the ramp, quickly ducked into the waiting car, and sped away.
Shane Grant slowly emerged from behind the wing, silently watching the car until it disappeared from sight.
"Don’t worry. We’ve already contacted our people here. They’ll ensure she arrives safely," someone beside him said.
Shane Grant was a soldier. His movements in Mador were strictly restricted; he could only operate within designated areas.
"Mm."
—
Sophia Shaw arrived at the designated location with only five minutes to spare.
Pushing open the heavy doors, she strode into a conference room that was already packed with people.
The room was filled with the world’s top figures.
Every face represented an irreplaceable, paramount achievement.
She should have been nervous.
But right now, her chest was filled with power.
The power of certain victory!
After exchanging a look with Old Master Sloan, she walked straight to the podium and began her presentation...
Thirty minutes!
Exactly.
The moment her voice trailed off, the entire conference room fell into a profound silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A few seconds later, thunderous applause erupted.
Without a doubt, Sophia Shaw’s speech had won over everyone in the room.
A unanimous vote!
The moment she saw the entire room raise their "Approve" placards, Sophia Shaw was so moved that tears of joy streamed down her face.
"Thank you, thank you."
’There are so, so many people to thank for getting me here.’
After the meeting, Sophia Shaw and Old Master Sloan walked out of the venue side by side, their faces beaming with the joy of success.
"Teacher, thank you for helping me contact the Cathan military. They sent their best pilot, which is how I was able to arrive safely and on time."
"The Cathan military?" Old Master Sloan shook his head, his expression serious. "I’m an Madorian citizen. You should know how serious the consequences would be if I contacted them directly."
He mused for a moment before saying, "The person who was really pulling the strings behind the scenes was Vincent Grant."
"Vincent Grant?" Sophia Shaw’s heart jolted. "How could it be him?"
’He was the last person she wanted to be involved with.’
’And when did her teacher ever cross paths with him?’
Old Master Sloan confessed, "Vincent Grant had people try to contact me several times before, but I ignored them. Later, he had Ms. Warren bring me a message, saying that if you and I ever ran into a problem we couldn’t solve, we could go to him."
"I didn’t pay it much mind at first. It wasn’t until last night, when I heard you were in trouble, that I remembered his words. I contacted him just to see what would happen, and he actually solved the problem for you."
’No wonder.’
Amid her surprise, Sophia Shaw suddenly understood why the military had been able to react so quickly, and why they had sent Shane Grant of all people.
’Only Vincent Grant had that kind of influence!’
Old Master Sloan looked at Sophia Shaw intently. "I know you don’t want to have anything to do with him, and you certainly don’t want to be in his debt, but we’re working on something big right now. We can’t get bogged down in trivial matters."
"I know." Sophia Shaw lowered her gaze.
’When faced with important matters, all personal grudges must be set aside.’
"And don’t worry. Knowing Vincent Grant’s character, he won’t use this to demand anything from you in return."
Although Old Master Sloan disliked Vincent Grant, he had to admit the man possessed a great deal of charisma.
’Of course, even if Vincent Grant doesn’t ask Sophia Shaw to repay the favor, an old man like me can’t just pretend nothing happened. I absolutely cannot give him another chance to snatch my apprentice away!’
So he said, "In a while, I’ll send him a grand gift to repay this favor myself."
"Are you talking about giving away..." Sophia Shaw understood, and her heart ached. "Teacher, that system is your life’s work! It’s also how you honor your wife’s memory."