novelraw Chapter 160: Approved & Not
Chapter 160: Approved & Not
One by one, everyone left the room until only Gideon, Johan, and Delilah remained.
He already knew what she wanted to discuss. Johan, however, was harder to read.
The old man cleared his throat and adjusted his posture. "I have something important to ask you, Chief."
Then he turned toward Delilah.
She understood the meaning immediately.
Although she clearly didn’t want to leave, she rose from her chair and walked toward the door.
Before stepping out, she cast Gideon a look that said plainly, ’I’ll be waiting outside.’
Gideon understood at once. Delilah and her daughters were all equally stubborn.
When the door finally closed and the two of them were alone, he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
"So," he began, "what is it, Johan? Do you want to tell me more about the Children of Eden?"
Johan shook his head.
"I think you already know more about them now," he said with a faint shrug. Then his expression turned more serious. "This is about... my friends."
Gideon raised a brow and immediately understood what he meant.
"I see." He rested his chin against his hand. "And what do your friends want now?"
Johan took a slow breath before answering.
"They want to come here with their families." He paused to take a sip from the glass of water beside him.
"Most of them won’t arrive until spring, maybe even next year. But a few of them plan to come much sooner."
He set the glass down carefully and looked Gideon straight in the eye.
"You don’t mind, do you?"
In truth, Gideon was more pleased than concerned.
If Johan’s "friends" were here together with the Children of Eden, bringing them here would give him access to powerful allies and valuable information.
They might know far more about the fallen government and why they were hunting them so relentlessly.
Still, Gideon kept that interest hidden and deliberately allowed concern to show instead.
"Hm... Isn’t it dangerous to gather all of them in one place when the Order of the West is actively searching faction territories?"
His gaze sharpened. "So tell me your reasoning, Johan. And more importantly, convince me that this won’t put my people at risk."
Johan inhaled deeply. "It’s because of you, you’re the reason."
Gideon narrowed his eyes but remained silent.
"Jade told me what happened with that Devourer, about your abilities and everything else. After hearing it, I came to one conclusion."
The old man leaned back in his chair and slowly rotated his cane between his hands.
"You are part of the experiment too. But you are not one of the Children of Eden."
Gideon felt more confused than shocked. As far as he knew, he wasn’t part of any experiment at all.
He had died in another world and awakened here with the same face, the same memories, and a different body.
But everyone he knows considers him part of the Children of Eden. It also gives him the benefit of not explaining where his power comes from.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked. "How can I be connected to them without being one of the Children of Eden?"
Johan studied him for a moment before answering.
"The Children of Eden all came from the same batch of Genome IX, they are roughly the same age because they were created together."
"But there were batches before them."
Johan frowned slightly and corrected himself.
"No. That’s not quite right. There were earlier experiments, and their abilities were far less predictable. More unstable."
Gideon folded his arms more tightly. "But my power is stable."
"From what I’ve seen, yes." Johan nodded slowly. "That’s what makes this so strange."
"Then again, you claim to have lost your memory. Have you ever considered that memory loss might be a side effect of overusing your power?"
Gideon let out a short laugh.
"And despite that possibility, you still want me to protect them?" He shook his head. "That doesn’t sound very wise."
Johan chuckled as well.
"Probably not, but you’re our best bet. Jade is here, and she would gladly go to war against those government dogs if necessary."
A faint smile crossed his weathered face. "And frankly, I doubt my friends will need much protection."
"Because they’re all strong?"
Gideon tilted his head slightly. "Then why isn’t your granddaughter like them?"
For the first time, Johan hesitated. A flicker of irritation passed across his face, but he answered anyway.
"Yes," he said quietly. "You’re right. I wanted her to grow up as a normal, healthy child."
"Yeah, not exactly the wisest decision either, huh?"
Gideon said with a grin, once again pointing out the flaw in the old man’s reasoning.
The remark clearly irritated Johan further, and Gideon could tell the man understood there was no point in dodging the issue anymore.
"But don’t worry," Gideon continued, his tone turning more serious. "They’re welcome here."
"I won’t give them any special treatment, though. At most, I might arrange time and facilities for them to train their powers."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Other than that, they’ll live like everyone else. They need to contribute to this territory and follow the same rules as every other resident."
Johan nodded slowly. "I understand. Thank you, Chief. I’ll send word to them immediately."
The two men stood and shook hands.
Johan had already reached the door when he suddenly stopped and turned around.
"The one who lives closest, in Edelweiss Town, is already on the way," he said. "Perhaps you can ask them directly about the strange events happening there."
He gave Gideon a slight nod. "Excuse me."
Then he left.
Gideon watched the door close behind him and shook his head.
"That old snake had already made his decision before he even asked me," he muttered under his breath.
"Oh well. Now the real trouble begins."
When Gideon stepped out of the room, he was greeted immediately by Delilah.
She stood in the hallway with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, a deep frown on her face.
"Why are you rejecting my idea?"
Gideon let out a long sigh and started walking.
Delilah followed close behind, her irritation only growing when he failed to answer.
"Gideon," she snapped, "answer me."
He stopped and turned slightly toward her.
"It’s too dangerous, and it’s too isolated. That tower needs at least three people stationed there."
He narrowed his eyes. "Who were you planning to bring with you? Your daughters?"
"I can ask my colleagues, they’d be happy to work there and live here as well."
Then she hesitated. "Although Jade might not be thrilled about it since Freebound also needs researchers."
"No." His tone was firm. "Jade told me most of the researchers staying in Climber Rift are men. They also work according to their factions’ interests."
He folded his arms. "I’m not bringing more political complications into this territory."
Delilah narrowed her eyes.
"Do you not trust my abilities?" Her voice rose with frustration. "I may be a junior researcher, but I am still a researcher."
"Wait, no. That’s not what I mean."
Gideon sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Of course I trust you."
He exhaled slowly. "Come on. Let’s go to the tower and you can see for yourself how depressing it is."
Delilah gave a stiff nod, but she shrugged his hands away, refusing his touch.
The small gesture stung more than Gideon expected, but he told himself it was for the best.
When they arrived at the Defense Tower, the place remained as pristine and lifeless as ever.
The rooms were empty. The technology still looked advanced. There was no dust, no signs of wear, as if time itself had forgotten the structure existed.
They made their way to the third floor, and the moment they stepped inside, the monitors and control systems activated automatically.
"Do you still want to stay here?" Gideon asked. Then he added stubbornly, "And if you do, I’ll only allow female colleagues to join you."
He insisted on that point.
Delilah might have no interest in other men, but that did not mean those men would feel the same.
She didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she moved from panel to panel, pressing buttons and studying each function until she began to understand how the tower operated.
"Delilah," Gideon said more firmly. "Answer me."
She let out a slow breath and finally turned toward him.
"If you think this place will scare me, it won’t. My living conditions inside the bunker were worse than this. And during field expeditions, we considered ourselves lucky if we found a roof over our heads."
Gideon rubbed his temples and sat down in one of the chairs before the control panel.
He had run out of arguments, except for one.
And it was the very thing he had been avoiding because he knew she would not react calmly.
"Delilah," he said quietly, "you can’t stay here. At least not for the next nine months."
She frowned. "What? What do you mean?"
Gideon forced himself to meet her eyes.
"You’re pregnant, with my child."
The words finally left his mouth. Exactly as he had feared, Delilah did not look pleased. But she did not look devastated either.
She simply looked stunned. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, like a koi fish gasping at the surface.
Then she walked toward him and dropped into the chair beside him, her body suddenly limp.
"H-How?" she whispered.
A second later, realization struck.
"Right... our unprotected sex." Her hand flew to her mouth.
"I know this is a lot," Gideon said carefully. "But please... if possible, don’t abort the baby."
Delilah turned her head toward him with excruciating slowness.
Then she reached out, grabbed his cheeks with both hands, and pulled hard.
"Why would I do that, you idiot?" she snapped, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Stupid Gideon!"