While walking back toward the dormitory through the narrow pathway behind the school, Ethan suddenly received a phone call from an unknown number.
The moment the screen lit up, he paused and stared at it suspiciously for a few seconds before finally answering.
As soon as the call connected, a man's voice echoed from the other side.
The tone was commanding, almost as though he were ordering someone around.
"Go ahead… tell your son."
"..."
"Hello…?"
A familiar woman's voice followed immediately after. Ethan's mind raced for a moment before his eyes widened in shock.
"Mom…?"
"Yes, Ethan… What exactly have you gotten yourself into this time? Some filthy sewer rats dragged me into this disgusting place and tied me up."
"What?! Mom, calm down first. Who are they? Did they say what group they belong to? Where are you right now?"
Ethan's expression instantly darkened as panic seeped into his voice. But before his mother could continue speaking, the phone was suddenly snatched away. The same man from earlier returned to the call.
"Oh? So this is the famous reckless troublemaker… Kakamora? Ahh, just hearing your name makes my body tremble."
Ethan's gaze instantly sharpened.
"Hmph. Who the hell are you? Kidnapping my mother with such low-class methods… are you out of your mind?"
His voice turned cold.
"You must value your own life at least a little, right?"
"Hahaha… not bad. You've got guts, I'll give you that."
The man laughed loudly before continuing.
"Alright then. Come to the harbor alone. No subordinates. No bodyguards. I don't like extra guests."
His tone suddenly became darker.
"But if you're curious about what'll happen if you ignore my warning… feel free to bring them."
A noise filled with fierceness echoed.
"We're not exactly treating your mother to a luxury hotel stay here. One random cargo ship and poof—she disappears from this world forever."
Silence.
"You understand what I'm saying, right?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Hmph… I'll come."
Then he smirked coldly.
"But at least make this fair, yeah? I don't usually pick fights with nameless nobodies. Why don't you tell me who exactly I'm dealing with?"
The man burst into unpleasant laughter.
"Oh? You forgot already?"
His mocking tone sharpened.
"You caused trouble not too long ago. Try guessing who we are."
The instant those words registered, Ethan's expression darkened completely.
"Tch…"
A low curse escaped his lips.
Meanwhile, the man on the other side seemed delighted by his reaction.
"Hahaha… looks like our great Kakamora can get angry too."
"Hmph. Using childish tricks like kidnapping my mother?"
Ethan's voice became ice-cold.
"Fine. Send me the location."
"Good boy."
The man chuckled.
"We'll send the coordinates soon. Oh—and make sure you follow the rules carefully. Otherwise… the result might become much uglier."
"You better keep your promise too."
"Haha… sure thing. We'll be waiting, Kakamora."
The call disconnected.
Ethan immediately lowered the phone and strode toward the parking lot with long, hurried steps.
A sleek red sports car roared to life the moment he entered it.
Vroooom—
Like a wild horse released from its restraints, the vehicle shot onto the road at terrifying speed.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Ethan curled his lips into a dangerous smirk as he accelerated deeper into the city streets.
......
Meanwhile, inside a quiet corner of the library, Mia and Rosalie sat surrounded by towering stacks of books.
They were currently searching through materials related to the discussions they had the previous night.
Rosalie continuously wrote down useful information into her notebook while flipping through page after page.
Suddenly, she found a section discussing servo motors and artificial skin.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
Those were exactly the kinds of details they currently needed for the robot prototype.
To create realistic facial expressions—eye movement, lip movement, smiles, laughter—they would need countless tiny motors integrated beneath the artificial skin.
However, they still lacked enough reference material regarding the finer technical details.
Rosalie quickly highlighted the important sections and scribbled notes into her journal.
While she was deeply focused, one of the university professors quietly approached from behind.
After briefly observing the notes she had written, he turned toward one of the bookshelves nearby.
A few moments later, he returned holding a thick book in his hand.
He sat beside her and gently handed it over.
"Rosalie… I think the theories and references inside this book might help with what you're looking for. Take a look."
He smiled warmly.
That professor was none other than Edward—the very same man who, in her previous life, had later become one of the chief advisors in her advanced technology company.
After she achieved success in the future, the two of them would collaborate to create numerous cutting-edge inventions together.
"Oh, Professor Edward… thank you so much. This is exactly the kind of reference material I've been searching for."
Rosalie's eyes brightened with genuine gratitude.
The professor chuckled softly.
"It's nothing. If it can help such a hardworking and talented student, then I'm satisfied."
With that, he stood up and quietly walked away.
Rosalie watched his departing figure with a soft smile.
At that moment, Mia suddenly slid her own book toward Rosalie.
"Rosalie… can you explain this part to me? What exactly does this mean?"
She pointed toward a section filled with coding structures.
"And when inserting the code to activate the system… I don't really understand this step."
"Let me see."
Rosalie accepted the book and began scanning through the material while organizing an explanation in her mind.
Right then, Erika and Lily entered the library together.
Lily immediately collapsed into the empty seat beside Rosalie with an exhausted sigh.
"Rosie… what did we miss?"
She leaned back lazily against the chair.
"We ran into Professor Jonathan on the way here. He said his class starts at one in the afternoon today."
"Really? Did the schedule change?"
"Yeah."
Rosalie nodded lightly.
"We just started reviewing the theories again anyway. This afternoon we'll head to the lab and continue the practical tests."
She tapped the notebook in front of her.
"Let's redo the experiment from last week too."
"Mhm… thank goodness we have our genius friend here."
Lily dramatically grabbed Rosalie's arm and leaned against her shoulder.
"Otherwise our brains would already be on fire."
Across from them, Erika quietly sat reading several books on martial arts and combat techniques.
Unlike the others, she barely spoke a single word.
Academically, she usually remained somewhere around average.
Not because she lacked intelligence—
In fact, Erika was extremely clever.
She simply never bothered putting in excessive effort.
However, her instincts, adaptability, and creativity were exceptional.