Chapter 80: Over-Interpretation
"At the base, before you left, you told me you'd show me around Paris." Scarlett pointed to the ground beneath her feet, then to the distant Eiffel Tower spire.
"Paris represents your destination, and the Parisian scenery you mentioned represents the Eiffel Tower. Weren't you trying to warn me?" Scarlett's eyes reddened slightly as she questioned him with a touch of anguish.
Mason opened his mouth, wanting to tell Scarlett, "You're overthinking it. I was just being flirtatious before I left..." But he reconsidered, realizing he couldn't blame her for the over-interpretation.
Following that line of reasoning, it made perfect sense.
After stealing the warhead, he just wanted to reach the Arctic base as quickly as possible. Even if he wanted to draw G.I. Joe's attention, he wouldn't be bored enough to have them obstruct him here.
Okay, it really was just a coincidence, Mason thought helplessly. But then he realized this might not be such a bad opportunity.
He walked up to Scarlett, weapon in hand. "Believe me, the General's death has nothing to do with me. I had no choice but to do this. It's the only way I can infiltrate the Arctic base and destroy the entire operation!"
He struck Scarlett on the back of the head with a controlled blow, and as she collapsed unconscious, he said with genuine emotion, "I'm sorry, Scarlett. I really wish I could come back alive and show you around Paris."
If Paris still exists after this, Mason silently added.
He leaped up the boarding ladder in a few bounds, but as soon as he climbed onto the aircraft, before he could even secure the cabin door, he saw a man in tattered armor burst out of the ruins below.
The figure scrambled up a nearby high-rise building, then suddenly accelerated on the rooftop, launching himself at the cabin like a missile!
It was Duke, who had somehow regained mobility.
"As expected of the hero—always saving the day at the last second." Mason sneered, but raised his pulse pistol and aimed it at Duke.
"Falling from this height, I hope your armor is sturdy enough." With that, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Whoosh!
An energy ripple flashed across the sky. Duke's momentum faltered, and then, like a kite with a severed string, he plummeted toward the ground.
"No!"
Ana cried out in anguish, a look of torment crossing her face.
"As your former fiancé, I think McCullen certainly doesn't want to see him again," Mason said slowly.
"Is this McCullen's order?" Ana demanded, her face contorted with fury.
"You could interpret it that way." Mason unhesitatingly smeared McCullen's reputation. Hearing his words, Ana fell silent, finding a secluded corner to sit down in.
Beneath Mason's feet, nanomites were eroding the city at a terrifying rate, leaving a black scar on the map of Paris—ugly and cruel, as if corroded by parasites.
Mason opened the alloy case, removed the kill switch, and activated it. The command was transmitted, and shortly after, the nanomites throughout the city began dying in waves. Apart from the devastated streets and the traumatized survivors, everything seemed as if nothing had happened.
"What are you doing?" Ana asked.
"It's a place I used to know, after all. Have to leave some of it standing." He turned to look at Storm Shadow. "Can we go now?"
The aircraft sliced through the sky, heading straight for the Arctic base.
On the G.I. Joe aircraft returning to the Egyptian base.
Scarlett rubbed the back of her head and opened her eyes.
"Where am I?"
The cabin was silent—no one answered her immediately. Suddenly, she remembered. "Where's the warhead? Did we recover it?"
Breaker shook his head.
"Snake Eyes is critically injured—three cracked ribs, four broken, and severe internal organ damage. He probably won't be able to return to active duty for a while." He looked toward the far end of the cabin, where Ripcord, bandaged himself, was tending to the wounded Duke.
"He was shot down from the sky by Mason. If Ripcord hadn't recovered in time, Duke would have hit the ground at terminal velocity."
Breaker sighed. "Fortunately, no one died this time, but Paris is devastated. Nearly a quarter of the city was destroyed, and the damage is incalculable. We also lost track of the remaining three warheads."
He looked at Scarlett. "What did Mason say to you before he left?"
"Shortly after he departed, the nanomites in the city began dying en masse. Someone must have activated the kill switch."
"But why would he do that?"
Scarlett sat up straight. "Mason told me he had his reasons. He said he was going to the Arctic. There's a base there, and only by destroying it can all of this be stopped!"
Scarlett was about to stand when her left hand brushed her pocket and paused. "What's this?" She pulled out a button-sized device and asked with a puzzled expression.
"That's a tracking beacon!"
Breaker shouted excitedly, transmitting the information from the device to the main screen. A clear red dot was pulsing on the map, moving toward the Arctic Circle.
"Could this be a trap?" Breaker suddenly sobered.
Scarlett shook her head painfully. "I don't know... I really don't know!"
She felt like she should understand Mason. Before recruiting him, she'd studied all of his background in detail, from childhood to present—every detail.
Was he a washed-up playboy, a ruthless warrior, or something else entirely? A traitor or a covert operative walking the edge of darkness?
Scarlett couldn't tell. Mason seemed shrouded in fog. He could kill, and he could save. He was cruel, yet showed mercy.
She really didn't know whether she should trust him.
"We have to go! Why wouldn't we go?" With Ripcord's help, Duke slowly approached the others.
"If the intel he left is genuine, we'll destroy them completely. If it's false, we'll fight our way out and stop his plan!" Duke said resolutely, his determination inspiring the others.
The four exchanged glances and said in unison,
"Let's go—to the Arctic!"
At that moment, the aircraft carrying Mason slowly descended onto the Arctic ice field. Carrying the nanotech warhead case, he followed behind Storm Shadow and entered a camouflaged cave entrance.
The entire Arctic base was constructed deep beneath the polar ice cap, tens of meters of ice making it impossible to detect by conventional means.
The group took an elevator that plummeted downward, quickly arriving inside the subterranean facility.
The elevator doors opened, and McCullen, dressed in an impeccably tailored pinstriped suit, stood there smiling. He saw Ana and his expression brightened. He was about to reach out to embrace Ana when she deftly sidestepped him.
McCullen didn't seem bothered, turning his smile to Mason. Mason stepped forward and handed the nanotech warhead case to McCullen. McCullen accepted the case, his expression suddenly shifting.
"Arrest him!"
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