Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner-Chapter 142: The real truth

Kelvin and Vee stepped into the scene, their footsteps light but unmissable in the tense silence.

They took in the sight before them—Noah, standing stiff, his hands still lightly curled as if he had just tried to pry himself free. Lila, arms draped around his neck, staring at him with an expression neither of them could quite place.

Kelvin’s brow shot up. "Uh… what exactly is going on here?"

Vee, standing beside him, folded her arms. "Yeah, should we leave and come back later, or…?"

At the sound of their voices, Lila’s fingers finally loosened. She let her hands drop, clearing her throat in a manner that almost seemed rehearsed—like she wasn’t just seconds away from crushing Noah’s windpipe or pulling him closer.

Then, without another word, she turned on her heel.

As she walked past Noah, she paused just long enough to blow him a playful kiss, her lips curling into a sly smile before she strode off, completely unfazed.

Kelvin and Vee exchanged a glance.

"Well," Kelvin exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "That wasn’t weird at all."

Vee snorted. "Yeah, totally normal. Now, are we gonna talk about your little bone bendinggirlfriend, or are we moving on to the part where I save your asses?"

With Lila gone, the tension in the air finally shifted. Now, it was just the three of them—Noah, Kelvin, and Vee, their new hacker friend from Year 2.

Noah stood there, arms crossed, trying to process everything. His eyes darted between Kelvin and Vee, his brows furrowed.

"So… let me get this straight," he finally said, voice slow and deliberate. "You’re telling me that after all that running, all that fighting—after she called the damn Year 3s on us—you’re suddenly pals?"

Kelvin let out a sigh, already anticipating the argument. "I get how it looks, but you’ve got it wrong. She’s not who we thought she was."

Noah scoffed. "Not who we thought she was? She tried to blow me up!!"

Vee, standing off to the side, looked completely unfazed. "In my defense, that was hilarious."

Kelvin shot her a look before turning back to Noah. "Listen, man, I thought the same thing at first. But she’s not exactly Albright’s lackey. It’s complicated." Enjoy new tales from novelbuddy

"Complicated?" Noah echoed, arms still crossed. "That’s the word you’re going with?"

Vee finally stepped forward, adjusting the strap of her bag. "How about I explain everything? But over ice cream. Somewhere... discreet. No goons, no crazy exes—" she gave Noah a pointed look "—just a nice little chat over something sweet."

Noah narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel like you just want free food?"

Vee smirked. "Hey, a girl’s gotta eat."

Kelvin sighed. "We can talk. Just not here."

Noah reluctantly nodded. He wasn’t convinced, but he’d at least hear them out.

Vee, satisfied, was about to start walking when something caught her eye. Her head tilted slightly, her brows drawing together.

"Wait a second."

She glanced down at Noah’s foot—specifically his toe. The one she’d blown up earlier with her miniature explosive.

It was fine. Completely intact. No limp. No sign of pain.

"Huh," she muttered, crouching slightly. "That’s weird."

Noah tensed. "What’s weird?"

Vee pointed at his foot. "Your toe. I literally saw it get turned into red mist, and now it’s like... brand new."

Kelvin’s eyes flicked to Noah, but he didn’t say a word.

Noah barely hesitated. "I think you’re imagining things."

Vee blinked. "Am I?"

Noah shrugged, completely unbothered. "Maybe the stress of today’s catching up to you. You sure you don’t need a nap?"

Vee narrowed her eyes, glancing back at his toe, then at his face. He was lying. She knew what she’d seen. But the way he dismissed it so casually made her hesitate.

For just a second, she actually wondered if she was losing her mind. But decided not to push it.

---

The container yard wasn’t exactly the warmest place for a late-night meeting, but it was quiet, secluded, and—most importantly—not crawling with Albright’s people. Towering steel containers loomed over them, stacked high like a maze of metal walls. A few overhead lights flickered dimly, casting long shadows.

Kelvin handed Vee the promised ice cream, and she accepted it with a smirk. "Took you long enough."

Noah, standing with his hands shoved into his pockets, looked less than amused. "You’re seriously making us wait just so you can enjoy some ice cream?"

Vee raised a brow, slowly taking a spoonful of the dessert and savoring it dramatically. "Patience is a virtue, big guy. Besides, if I’m spilling secrets, I need a sugar rush."

Kelvin sighed, leaning against a nearby crate. "Alright, Vee. Enough games. You said you’d explain."

She wiggled the spoon at them playfully. "I will. But first..." Her eyes flicked to Noah, mischief dancing in them. "I have some questions."

Noah groaned. "Oh, come on."

Vee ignored him, tapping her spoon against the ice cream cup. "So, rumor has it Sophie is the dom in your relationship. Any truth to that?"

Noah blinked. "What?"

Kelvin, meanwhile, immediately turned to him with an intrigued expression. "Wait. What?"

"No. What the hell? Who even—" Noah shot a glare at Vee, but she only grinned wider.

"People talk, Noah. And you two do have that dynamic, y’know. She’s bossy, you’re all broody… it makes sense."

"It doesn’t—You know what? Next question."

Vee chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. "Fine, fine. How about this one—did you really fight off a Category 3 beast on your first expedition?"

Kelvin raised a brow. "Seriously? Everyone knows that actually happened. Are you stalling?"

Noah shifted slightly, jaw tightening. "I had help."

Vee hummed, staring at him like she was picking apart his words. "Yeah, but still. Surviving one is impressive."

Noah exhaled sharply. "Was that the last of your dumb questions, or can we move on to why we’re actually here?"

Vee smirked, tossing her now-empty ice cream cup aside. "Alright, alright. Let’s get serious."

She took a step closer, her expression finally sobering. "So, about Albright."

Noah and Kelvin both tensed at the name.

"He came to me with a job—to delete that file from Raven’s tablet. I didn’t have much of a choice. He had leverage on me, something I did back in Year 1."

Kelvin frowned. "What kind of leverage?"

Vee hesitated, glancing away for the first time. The playful attitude she’d carried all evening dimmed slightly.

"Let’s just say... I made a mistake. A big one. And he’s had me under his thumb ever since."

Noah crossed his arms. "So what, you were just going to erase evidence that could take down a guy abusing his power?"

Vee’s lips curled slightly, but it wasn’t a smile. "That’s where you’re wrong."

Kelvin and Noah exchanged a glance.

"I never planned to delete the file forever," she continued. "I was going to use it myself—as leverage. Albright thinks he’s the only one who can play this game, but I wanted a card of my own. Something to keep myself safe in case he ever decided I wasn’t useful anymore."

Kelvin narrowed his eyes. "So you weren’t destroying it… you were keeping it?"

Vee nodded. "Exactly. If I had outright refused him, he would’ve ruined me. But if I deleted the file and made it seem like it was gone for good, I’d have an upper hand. He wouldn’t suspect I still had a copy."

Noah ran a hand through his hair. "So where’s the copy now?"

Vee smirked. "Safe. Let’s just say it’s in a place where even Albright can’t reach it. And before you ask, no, I’m not giving it up. Not yet."

Noah exhaled sharply. "You realize keeping that file could help a lot of people, right?"

Vee’s expression darkened. "And you realize that if I hand it over now, I lose all my leverage? Albright will know, and he’ll come after me. I have to be smart about this."

Kelvin rubbed his temples. "So what’s your plan?"

Vee shrugged. "I’m still figuring that out. But trust me, I’m not on Albright’s side."

Noah studied her carefully, trying to read between the lines. There was truth in her words, but also something else—something she wasn’t saying.

"You’ve thought this through," he muttered.

Vee gave him a lazy grin. "I usually do."

Kelvin sighed. "This is a mess."

Vee clapped her hands together. "Glad you’re catching on. Now, about that copy you two have…"

Noah and Kelvin both stiffened slightly.

"Yeah, I know you have it," Vee continued, crossing her arms. "And that’s a problem."

Kelvin frowned. "A problem for who?"

"For all of us," Vee shot back. "Albright isn’t an idiot. If he gets even the slightest hint that the file still exists, he’ll start looking. And trust me, you don’t want him looking."

Noah’s jaw tightened. "So what, you expect us to just destroy our copy and trust you to hold onto yours?"

Vee shrugged. "That’s exactly what I expect."

Kelvin scoffed. "Not happening."

Vee sighed, shaking her head. "Look, I get it. You don’t trust me. Hell, I wouldn’t trust me either if I were in your shoes. But think about it logically—who’s better at keeping this hidden? You two, who are already on Albright’s radar, or me, the person who’s been staying one step ahead of him for years?"

Noah clenched his fists. He hated to admit it, but she had a point.

Kelvin, however, wasn’t convinced. "Even if we agreed, what’s stopping you from screwing us over later?"

Vee smirked. "Nothing. But if I wanted to screw you over, I would’ve done it already."

The silence stretched between them.

Finally, Noah let out a breath. "This is a terrible idea."

"Maybe," Vee said, tilting her head. "But it’s the best one we’ve got."

Noah folded his arms, staring at Vee carefully. Something wasn’t adding up.

"You sent a virus into Raven’s tab to wipe the file," he started slowly, piecing things together out loud. "But somehow, the virus extracted the video instead? And then, Kelvin and I still had enough time to recover the phone and the file before your little virus wiped everything?"

Kelvin, who had been silent up until now, blinked. Midway through Noah’s explanation, the realization hit him, and his expression shifted. "Wait a minute..."

Vee, casually eating another spoonful of ice cream, didn’t respond. She simply gave him a knowing look.

Kelvin exhaled, rubbing his temples. "That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. You’re good, Vee, but not that good. This isn’t just about hacking—what you did shouldn’t have been possible."

Noah nodded, his suspicion deepening. "So, if you really have the file, prove it. And if you do, then the bigger question is—why haven’t you used it? Why aren’t you exposing Albright right now?"

Vee sighed, looking down at the ice cream in her hand. With an exaggerated pout, she let it drop to the ground, the cup rolling slightly on the container yard’s gravel.

Then, her demeanor shifted.

A faint violet glow flickered in her irises, deepening until her entire eye color changed. Kelvin and Noah stiffened. They had seen this before. It was her technopathic ability—her connection to data, machines, and encrypted information.

Without a word, she lifted a hand to her forehead.

A sharp pulse of violet light appeared just between her brows, like a bio-luminescent mark activating beneath her skin. Her fingers dipped into it—not through her skin, but as if she were reaching into something intangible, something beyond the physical world.

A moment later, she pulled out a small chip.

Kelvin and Noah recoiled in unison.

"What the actual hell—" Kelvin took a step back. "Did you just pull that out of your head?!"

Noah grimaced. "That’s disgusting."

Vee rolled her eyes, holding the chip between her fingers. "Oh, come on. Don’t be babies about it."

She waved it in front of them like it was no big deal.

"Wait, wait, wait." Kelvin raised both hands, still processing what he’d just witnessed. "Are you telling me… you stored the extracted video inside your head?"

Vee smirked. "Technically, in my biochip. Every technopath has one."

Noah’s brows furrowed. "That’s a thing?"

Vee scoffed. "Of course it’s a thing. You think we just leave our classified hacks lying around on external drives like cavemen? This is basic technopath security. I’m shocked Kelvin doesn’t have one."

Kelvin looked away, clearing his throat. "I do have one."

Vee’s grin widened. "See? Thought so."

Noah groaned, rubbing his temples. "This is too much."

Kelvin, on the other hand, was suddenly looking at Vee with newfound admiration. He leaned toward Noah and whispered, "You need to keep this girl around."

Vee, of course, heard him.

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"Oh my god," she drawled, placing a hand over her chest mockingly. "You love me,"