Chapter 428: I have what it takes to be one of the specters

"So? Would you tell me your answer now?"

Silence quickly followed Zoren’s question, snapping Nathaniel back to reality. He slowly peeked at Zoren, only to hear Chunchun purring at him.

’Goodness, my handsome face!’ he yelled internally, reluctantly sitting up. With his hands bound behind him, sitting up was twice as difficult.

Nathaniel might be a genius in his field, but he was no fighter. Even regular exercise was a rare occasion for him — it was a luxury. However, who was he to complain now? Not that he didn’t have the right, but it would only fall on deaf ears.

Once Nathaniel managed to sit up, he faced Zoren again.

Meow.

He flinched when Chunchun purred again as if urging him to speak and not keep her dad waiting. Another deep breath escaped him as he turned his attention back to Zoren.

"Boss—" he cleared his throat when his voice came out crackly. "Ahem! Sir, please don’t burn me alive. I meant no harm!"

"Ignorance is bliss," Zoren lectured calmly, raising a brow. "You operate in the underground, and your money flows illegally. I’d be disappointed if you thought you could dig up information about us and expect to walk away after recklessly revealing what you know."

Information anywhere in the world was crucial.

In the underground, information was especially deadly. This was why Zoren was so focused on keeping his men’s identities protected. They were very strict about it, and Nathaniel should have known better.

In the underground, knowing too little could kill a person or an entire organization. It was just as dangerous when one knew more than they should.

Nathaniel sighed deeply and smiled wryly. "Like I said, sir, I’m a huge fan," he began. "But it’s impossible for someone like me to catch you — I mean, not catch as in arrest — but to get your attention! It’s confusing, but yes! That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to earn your attention!"

"And you obviously succeeded." A tinge of sarcasm laced Zoren’s voice. "What is your intention of trying to get my attention?"

"I want to join you!" Nathaniel exclaimed, lips stretching into a wide grin, showing all his teeth. "But joining a sophisticated and mysterious group like the Phantom Circle is nearly impossible. I’ve done so much to get your attention, but I never received an invitation from you."

No one could willingly join this group. They get invited — recruited... or so, Nathaniel heard.

Zoren narrowed his eyes and leaned back slowly. He couldn’t see Nathaniel’s expression or the sincerity in his eyes, but after being nearly blind for some time, Zoren had developed a habit of sensing sincerity without needing to see someone.

Zoren could sense that Nathaniel was being sincere. "Trying to get our attention..."

"Like that one leaked footage of the Phantom Circle?" Nathaniel blurted out. "And then the evidence that debunked the theory of the Phantom Circle’s involvement in the cartel massacre?"

Nathaniel listed incidents where he had tried to help or clear the group’s name. Given how the Phantom Circle operated and their aloofness, many groups sometimes imitated them or pretended to be them.

"Ah," Zoren responded, his tone indifferent. ’Those were the times my health started deteriorating.’

The Phantom Circle operated according to Zoren’s will. When his health began to fail, he stopped recruiting and shifted his focus elsewhere. They weren’t particularly interested in clearing the Phantom Circle’s name, knowing international authorities would eventually figure out they weren’t involved.

Zoren snapped his attention back to Nathaniel. "How did you find out about me?"

"Sir, information has been in my blood since I was born!" Nathaniel boasted proudly. "It wasn’t easy, and I admit it took years, but I eventually found out who was behind the Phantom Circle."

"How?"

Nathaniel cleared his throat. "I created a system, sir," he explained. "It’s a program that infiltrates a phone signal. While it’s not fully polished, I got lucky and managed to follow your man’s trail. Long story short, I was able to listen in on one of his calls for three seconds."

He gave a detailed but concise explanation of how he tracked Zoren by following various trails. In short, the brief three seconds he infiltrated Mark’s phone call were enough to give Nathaniel a general location.

"Three seconds isn’t enough to pinpoint you specifically," he added with a polite smile. "It only gave me the country, not a specific address. So, I had to dig deeper. Fortunately, I found some information about your right-hand man’s past. I learned he attended the Summit School of Excellence on a scholarship."

Nathaniel chuckled. "But his grades didn’t meet the school’s requirements for a scholarship. At the time, the largest donor was the Pierson Family. After he graduated, he went to college and worked a part-time job at a small company under the Piersons! I put two and two together, and voilà!"

Pride shone on Nathaniel’s face as he explained how he managed to track down Zoren. Although he made it sound exciting, it was anything but easy. It had taken him four long years and all his resources to get to this point.

However, when he looked back at Zoren, his smile faltered. Nathaniel quickly cleared his throat and lowered his head, adjusting his tone and demeanor.

"I spent years doing the impossible to join you, sir!" This time, his voice was solemn. "The reason I took the job from William Pierson was in hopes that I’d get your attention... and I did, thankfully!"

Zoren nodded slightly. That made some sense to him. "And how do I know you’re telling the truth?"

"Sir, I wouldn’t reveal what I know about you, or even mention the Phantom Circle, if I weren’t serious! I hoped that by sharing everything I’ve gone through to get here, I could prove I have what it takes to be one of your specters."

Nathaniel’s eyes gleamed with determination. "I... would be a great asset to your group, sir — boss — master!" he added fiercely. "Please let me in. If I fail you, I’ll accept death as the consequence."