Hugo stared at the name and number on his phone screen, confused. He muttered to himself, “Weird… is this a scam call?” The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. He was still preoccupied with Mia’s situation—he wasn’t in the mood to play along with scammers. Without hesitation, Hugo hung up. He murmured again, “Scammers these days really are getting advanced. They can even fake caller names and voices now.” “What kind of nonsense—standing on an aircraft carrier? Might as well say I’m on a space shuttle!” After Arthur and the others left, Hugo had mobilized all his forces to a port closest to Tamaria to escort them as far as possible. He was about to call his people to confirm whether they had picked up Ryder when the phone rang again—same caller ID: “Ryder.” Annoyed, Hugo hung up once more. He was incredibly anxious. Ever since they had walked out the door, Hugo had been working nonstop, making call after call. Now this scammer was clogging the line, and Hugo was getting irritated. But just after he hung up, the phone rang again—Ryder calling once more! After several more rejections, Hugo finally lost his patience. He picked up and immediately snapped, “Enough already! I don’t have money for your scam! Stop bothering me!” The other end was silent for a moment before Ryder’s voice came through again, calm and composed. “Hugo, I’m not a scammer. I’m Ryder.” That voice was too calm. Too composed. Hugo paused. A sudden thought popped into his mind. Could this really be Ryder? Compelled by instinct, Hugo opened his contacts and carefully compared the saved number with the one calling him. “It really is Ryder???” He brought the phone back to his ear and asked, “Brother Cold, I sent people to rendezvous with you guys. Did they find you yet?” There was a brief pause. Ryder didn’t answer the question directly. He calmly repeated, “Hugo, I’m standing on an aircraft carrier right now.” Hugo: “...” What was wrong with Ryder today? Saying such nonsense at a time like this? Mia had gone to Tamaria for academic purposes. Tamaria hadn’t issued any official documents stating that she had been detained. There was no way Hugo or Ryder could escalate this to the government. Even if they could, no country would dispatch an aircraft carrier—an asset of strategic importance—just to rescue Mia, right??? Hugo couldn’t help but question again, “Are you really Ryder??” Ryder’s tone didn’t change. “I’m Ryder,” he said firmly. “Then you—” Hugo hesitated. He didn’t know how to ask what kind of madness Ryder was on about. Ryder added, “I really am on an aircraft carrier.” Hugo was speechless again. Just as he was about to question Ryder’s sanity, a deafening roar came through the phone—so loud and intense that even through the speaker, it rang in Hugo’s ears and shook him. Not long after, he heard a command from the background: “Launch the carrier aircraft!!” That was followed by the thunderous rumble of jet engines rolling down the deck and taking off. That sound—Hugo recognized it. For a moment, his brain froze. He didn’t know how to respond. Meanwhile, on the other end, Ryder had been dragged into the command tower. He stood there, dazed, staring at the surreal scene before him.The roar and tremors from the carrier’s ignition and the jet launch still echoed in his ears. And yet, his voice remained steady. “Hugo, I really am standing on an aircraft carrier.” After a long pause, Hugo finally stammered out, “H-How... how did you get up there?” Ryder replied, “They dragged me on.” Hugo: “Who dragged you?” Ryder: “Arthur’s people.” Hugo: “Arthur?” Ryder nodded calmly. “Yes. Arthur.” Hugo hung up. Then he just sat there, staring blankly from his hospital bed like he’d been possessed. It was a large hospital room. For convenience and security, they had all chosen to stay together. Mateo and Spencer, seeing Hugo in this state, couldn’t help but ask with concern. “Mr. Hugo, what’s wrong? Did something happen to Arthur and the others?” Right now, their biggest fear was that something might go wrong on Arthur and Ashley’s way to Tamaria. President Holland was the Prime Minister of an entire country. Arthur had crossed him—just thinking about the danger ahead was enough to make their hearts race.