49: Chapter 49: Arrested Again?

They had been driving for ten minutes.

They found nothing.

There was only the increasingly dense forest and the darkening sky.

Then, Sean's phone rang.

He glanced at it... an unknown number.

He answered, "Hello?"

A hoarse voice with a heavy accent came from the other end, "Officer Sean?"

Sean's pupils constricted slightly, "Who are you?"

The person on the other end laughed, "You don't need to worry about who I am! You just need to know that your old friend is in my hands."

Fiona heard it from the side and froze completely.

Sean also gripped the steering wheel tightly, "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything," the voice said, "I just want to tell you... stop meddling in other people's business."

"The matter of that treasure is not something you can touch."

Sean was silent for a second, then immediately asked, "Where is Frank?"

"He is fine," the voice said, "At least for now, but if you continue to investigate... that might not be the case."

After saying this threatening sentence, the call was hung up immediately.

Sean parked the car on the side of the road and stared at the phone screen.

Fiona looked at him, "Sean... is it him? Is it that..."

Sean nodded.

"The Colombians."

Fiona closed her eyes.

After a few seconds, she opened them.

In those eyes, anger overcame fear.

"That old bastard..." she squeezed the words through her teeth, "I told him not to go out! I told him!"

Sean said nothing.

He started the engine and turned the car around.

Fiona asked, "Where are we going?"

"Back," Sean said, "We need to plan this carefully!"

When the car drove back to the estate, the sky was completely dark.

Sean turned off the engine and sat in the driver's seat, staring into the darkness ahead, motionless.

He was thinking.

Frank had been kidnapped by the Colombians.

The Colombians wanted the treasure.

And the treasure... was the key to his cooperation with Fiona Goode.

If Frank fell into the hands of the Colombians, they might be able to pry the clues to the treasure out of Frank's mouth.

Those people didn't play by the rules and had vicious methods; that old bastard Frank wouldn't last a few days.

Once they got the clues... he wouldn't be able to answer to Fiona Goode.

That Supreme Witch wouldn't care about whether Frank lived or died; she cared about the treasure.

And he had promised to help her find it.

Sean rubbed his temples.

This was trouble!

Fiona sat in the passenger seat, not moving at all.

She watched Sean, watched him frown, watched him rub his temples, and watched him stare into the darkness, lost in thought.

Fiona's heart sank little by little.

He was annoyed.

Definitely!

Who wouldn't be annoyed?

A complete stranger of an old man had inexplicably taken in his daughter, helped him find her once, and then he went out and courted death again.

Anyone would be annoyed.

Fiona took a deep breath and said, "Sean, do you find this really annoying?"

Sean was certainly a bit annoyed, but he still wanted to comfort Fiona.

Before he could open his mouth, Fiona continued on her own, "That old bastard Frank, he's just like that, he's been like that his whole life."

"Always causing trouble, always dragging others down."

"You've helped us so much, and he just settled down for two days before running out to court death again."

Her voice grew lower and lower, "If you don't want to deal with this anymore, I can understand."

"Really! He was my responsibility from the start, not yours..."

"Fiona." Before Fiona could finish, Sean interrupted her directly.

Fiona looked up.

Sean looked at her.

His mind was still thinking about the Supreme Witch, about the Colombians, and about how to fish Frank out without exposing the secret of the treasure.

Immediately, Sean saw Fiona's eyes. There was fear in those eyes, genuine, palpable fear.

It wasn't fear of Frank getting hurt.

It was fear that he, Sean, wouldn't help.

Sean was silent for a second.

He couldn't explain the real reason.

He couldn't say, "I'm helping him because I promised the Supreme Witch I'd find the treasure."

He couldn't say, "He has clues that are important to me."

But... he had to say something...

"Fiona, since I've taken this on," Sean began to use his Bullshit ability, "I will see it through."

"Whether it's you or Frank. Since I've taken it on, I'll see it through to the end."

Sean said it very plainly.

No sentimentality, no promises, just using the simplest "Bullshit" technique.

But Fiona stared at him, motionless.

After a long time, her voice trembled slightly, "You know, in my whole life... in my whole life, no one has ever said something like that to me."

Fiona seemed to have opened her heart to Sean's Bullshit, and said, "I've taken care of my family since I was little, taking care of my younger siblings, taking care of that old bastard."

"I've worked a dozen jobs, shouldered countless messes, but no one has ever taken care of me."

This sudden opening of her heart left Sean not knowing what to do, so Sean looked away and could only change the subject, "I will find a way to deal with Frank's situation."

Fiona didn't speak again, but her hand rested gently on Sean's arm.

Very lightly.

So light that it felt like testing the waters.

"Thank you."

Sean nodded, and the two got out of the car.

Fiona walked beside him, not saying a word, but Sean could feel Fiona's gaze lingering on him.

In his mind, the golden book suddenly lit up.

The pages flipped frantically, finally stopping on one page.

【Fiona Gallagher Affinity: 65 → 100】

Sean's footsteps faltered.

What?

He thought he had misread it.

But the number was clear!

100/100

【Affinity Change Log】

You said "Since I've taken this on, I will see it through" + 20

You said "Whether it's you or Frank" + 15

Your tone was plain but very serious + 10

She realized you were protecting her + 10

【Current Affinity: 100/100】

Fiona was indeed the type of person who liked "sweet talk."

But the problem was that Sean hadn't really said anything that sweet, and he hadn't expected these few words to have such a huge impact!

【Note】

She has never been taken care of in her life.

You are the first.

People, you have to grasp their weaknesses!

For someone like Fiona who has always taken care of others, you have to take care of her!

Sean was marveling at this when he suddenly saw the golden book flip another page!

【Detected key character affinity reached 100: Fiona Gallagher】

【Triggering ability awakening opportunity】

【Detecting...】

【Detection complete】

【Survival Expert Fiona Gallagher source ability resonating...】

Sean's body suddenly felt slightly warm.

It wasn't the kind of heat that made him feel uncomfortable, but rather... as if something was being awakened from deep within.

Warm, gentle, spreading from his chest to his limbs.

He looked down at his hand.

Under the moonlight, there was a shallow cut on that hand... he didn't know when he had gotten it, perhaps he had grazed it when getting out of the car just now.

The wound was healing.

At a speed visible to the naked eye.

The edges closed, the scab fell off, and the skin returned to smoothness.

Three seconds.

Just three seconds.

The wound had completely disappeared!