newbobooks Chapter 703 finally has a clear direction!
Chapter 703 finally has a clear direction!
Finally, Carmela asked in a low voice, "Is that academy far from here?"
Matteo was taken aback, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
Lynn replied, "It's not too far, a few hours' drive. The exact location is confidential."
"Is it safe?"
“It’s more low-key than here, but the security measures are more comprehensive,” Lynn said. “It’s not a typical school operating openly; access and student information are strictly controlled. For Matteo, it’s safer to stay in New York for now.”
Carmela nodded slowly, as if she was still thinking about something. Her fingertips traced the rim of the glass, and after a long pause, she asked again, "Where did he go? Was he a student, or...one of yours?"
“First, he’s a student,” Lynn said. “If his performance, willingness, and ability are all suitable, then we can talk about other things. If they’re not suitable, that’s okay too. At least he’ll learn how not to let his abilities hold him back.”
"What if he doesn't want to join the FBI after he finishes his studies?"
“That’s his problem,” Lynn said. “The department has seen too many cases like this, and they won’t force anyone to stay. Those who are actually kept here are never the ones who were coaxed in.”
Carmela remained silent for an even longer time this time.
Matteo sat to the side, initially excited to see her softening attitude, but gradually he dared not urge her any further. He could only place his hands on his knees, forcing himself not to shake his legs. He probably rarely had a moment like this in his life—not arguing with his sister, not shattering the atmosphere with a harsh word, but patiently waiting for her to finish thinking and make a decision.
He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking in a low voice, "Sister."
Carmela didn't speak, she just looked at him.
“I know I’ve done a lot of stupid things in the past,” Matteo said in a low voice. “And I know it wouldn’t be an exaggeration for you to say ‘I don’t believe you’ now. But this time I’m not trying to show off, nor am I looking for a new excuse to run away. I just… I just want to put things in the right place this time.”
As he spoke, he realized his words were too blunt, and his face stiffened, but he continued speaking anyway.
“You always scold me, asking if I’ve ever seriously thought about the future even once?” He stared at her. “Now I have. I have. I barely slept after I lay down last night. I kept thinking, if this thing is still with me in the future, I’ll either learn it or wait for something bad to happen. You’ll always worry about me, and other people will always use you to threaten me. I don’t want that.”
Carmela's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.
“And you heard it too,” Matteo continued, “this happens quite often in the FBI, which means not everyone who gets this ability ends up becoming a monster or a criminal. Some people learn it, some people stay. So why shouldn’t I try? I’ve tried so many worse things before, and now there’s finally one that doesn’t seem so bad. I can’t just be afraid and not even bother to look at the door.”
After saying that, he seemed to exhale his last breath. The only sound in the meeting room was the low hum of the air conditioner. Lynn sat to the side, motionless, and didn't say anything more. He knew that at a time like this, any extra word would dilute his sincerity.
Carmela looked at Matteo, and the defenses in her eyes gradually crumbled.
She knew that expression all too well. When Matteo got into trouble as a child, his first reaction was always to be stubborn, defiant, and pretend to be fearless; but when he was really serious, he would become clumsy, so clumsy that he couldn't say a single nice word, and could only push his most honest thoughts forward. That was him right now. Awkward, clumsy, his ears were even turning red, but you could tell at a glance that he wasn't lying at all.
After a long while, Carmela finally let out a soft breath, as if she were letting go of the last layer of worry she was clinging to.
“You want to go,” she said.
Matteo nodded immediately: "Yes."
Even if I disagree, you'll still keep thinking about it.
Matteo paused, then honestly replied, "Yes."
"Well, you're really honest."
“You’ve known me for a while now,” he muttered, then added, “But I won’t run away. I’m asking you now.”
These words brought tears to Carmela's eyes again. She turned her head away, pressing her fingertips to her temples, as if trying to suppress the emotion. When she turned back, she first looked at Lynn.
“If I agree,” she said slowly, “you will personally escort him there?”
"Correct."
"Without involving anyone else along the way?"
"Correct."
"Once you arrive, will you explain the procedures, contact person, medical assessment, and security level to me clearly?"
"meeting."
"If he reacts incorrectly halfway through, you wouldn't force him to continue just because he has 'potential'?"
“No,” Lynn said. “I’m not sending him to the competition.”
Carmela stared at him for a few seconds, then finally nodded. The nod was slow, as if it had been made after a long period of hesitation and deliberation.
Matteo nearly jumped out of his chair: "You agreed?"
“I only agreed to let you go and see, to learn, not that I agreed to let you immediately grab your credentials and rush out to become a detective.” Carmela glared at him immediately. “Don’t get too excited.”
"That counts as agreeing." Matteo's lips couldn't be suppressed as he turned up, and his eyes lit up instantly. "You agreed."
Seeing his expression, Carmela couldn't maintain a stern face and could only mutter under her breath, "You really are..."
She didn't finish the sentence. Matteo, however, understood. He seemed to relax completely, even his posture softened. His joy wasn't simply because "there's a great place to go," but more like he had finally stopped trying to sneak away, lie, or stubbornly avoid the issue from his sister.
He raised his hand to rub the back of his neck, trying to make it less obvious, but he still couldn't hide his question to Lynn: "When are we leaving?"
"It depends on your recovery and the receiving arrangements over there," Lynn said. "If things go smoothly, it should be within a day or two."
"A day or two?" Matteo's eyes lit up again. "So fast?"
"You want to stall?"
“No,” Matteo answered quickly, then coughed as if afraid of sounding too hasty. “I mean, it’s better to hurry.”
Carmela immediately looked at him: "Are you already finding me annoying?"
"I didn't." Matteo looked innocent, then quickly deflated. "...Okay, maybe it's not that I'm disgusted, but that I'm afraid I'll back down if I keep thinking about it."
These words were so truthful that even Lynn raised an eyebrow, a rare occurrence for him. Carmela, upon hearing this, wasn't angry. She simply looked at her brother's face, which appeared somewhat pale from a sleepless night but was clearly glowing, and the last bit of hesitation in her heart slowly subsided.
"You won't back down," she whispered.
Matteo paused for a moment.
“You’ve just always misused your courage in the past.” Carmela looked at him, her voice soft but steady. “Don’t misuse it this time.”
There was a two-second silence in the room. Matteo's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he suddenly didn't know how to respond. He was never good at dealing with his sister's serious yet unhurried manner, and in the end, he could only give a soft "hmm," his ears turning even redder.
Lynn looked at the siblings and finally unfolded the remaining few pages of the flowchart.
"Now that the decision has been made, let's get to the specifics," he said.
Matteo immediately sat up straight. Carmela also composed herself and drew her attention back to the table.
“First, Xavier’s School needs a complete referral record.” Lynn flipped through the pages for them, “including your known induced responses, basic medical data, exposure history, protection level, and family contact information. You don’t need to fill this out yourself; I’ll handle it through an internal interface. But Carmela, you need to sign an informed consent form, confirming that you know he will be leaving New York for a period of time, and that the School will take over the main observation and training.”
Carmela nodded: "Okay."
"Secondly, Matteo will undergo another more detailed blood test and neurological assessment, which will be arranged this afternoon. The college will review the preliminary results to decide which level of observation group to place him in."
Matteo frowned. "The observation group sounds like they want to lock me up." "If you were still in the same state as you were by the fence last night, I would agree with that," Lynn said calmly. "But you're not in a high-risk, out-of-control situation right now, so don't scare yourself."
"Your way of comforting people is really..."
“Alright, third point.” Lynn continued, “I’ll personally take you there, we won’t take the public routes, and we’ll only stop twice along the way. Your phone will be temporarily replaced with an internal encrypted phone, you’ll keep your original SIM card, but you won’t use it often. Carmela has a dedicated line to contact the college’s duty office and me.”
Carmela seemed a little relieved upon hearing this: "Then he won't just disappear after he gets there, will he?"
“No,” Lynn said. “There are visitation restrictions, but it’s not a prison.”
You'd better keep your word.
"I usually do."
“You usually say you’ll take a break,” Carmela retorted bluntly.
Matteo burst out laughing immediately. Lynn glanced at him: "You look very energetic now."
"Is it wrong because I suddenly have a future?"
The statement was so blunt that even he was taken aback, as if he hadn't expected it to come out so easily. But since he had already said it, he couldn't take it back; his ears just turned even redder.
Upon hearing the word "future," Carmela's fingers paused slightly, and her eyes softened considerably. She didn't say anything, but simply pulled the informed consent form closer to her and read it carefully.
Lynn continued explaining the remaining procedures. The academy's curriculum was roughly divided into three parts: basic control, physical endurance and recovery, and the ethics of ability application. Instead of training how to attack from the start, they first taught how to stop, how to judge situations, and how to prevent abilities from overpowering the individual. Matteo listened attentively and asked a lot of questions.
Will there be any practical training sessions?
"There will be more later."
"Can you teach combat sports?"
"The basics will be improved."
Where are the firearms?
Don't think that far ahead.
"I was just asking," Matteo muttered, then became interested again, "Could I meet other... people like me? You mean, the kind who can really use their abilities very reliably?"
“Yes,” Lynn said, “but don’t make ‘who you’re better at’ your primary goal.”
"I don't have any."
"It's written all over your face."
Carmela finally gave a soft laugh. It was a faint laugh, but much more relaxed than before.
By the time all the documents were reviewed and the procedures explained, it was already past noon. Carmela signed the papers, and as she put down her pen, her fingers trembled slightly. Matteo noticed and instinctively reached out to touch the back of her hand: "If you want to back out now, it's not too late."
Carmela looked up at him: "Did you think I was going to say, 'Yes, I changed my mind, you're staying in New York'?"
"A little."
"You wish!" She pushed the signed documents toward Lynn, her eyes still a little red, but she deliberately put on a stern face. "Since you're going, you'd better study properly. Don't blow up the academy in the first week."
Matteo immediately retorted, "I'm not a bomb."
"You looked quite like it last night."
"That was an accident."
You think I'd believe that?
"...Okay, half an accident."
Lynn put the signed documents into a folder and stood up: "The inspection this afternoon is at three o'clock. After the inspection, you can pack some things you need to take. Don't pack too much, the academy will provide the basic supplies."
"Can I bring my own clothes?" Matteo asked.
"can."
"Where's the knife?"
"No."
"Depend on."
“You’re going there to learn, not to claim territory,” Lynn said.
Carmela added, "And you should throw away those folding knives of yours too."
"That's from my collection."
That's garbage.
"sister--"
"Shut up."
When the door to the meeting room opened, the sunlight outside became a little brighter. People were coming and going in the corridor, but the atmosphere was completely different the moment the siblings stood at the door. It wasn't that the danger was gone, nor that the road ahead had suddenly become completely bright; it was just that the feeling of being chased and unable to see the exit had finally given them a clear direction.
The next few hours were fully scheduled.
Matteo underwent more detailed blood tests and reaction charts first, a process far more complex than the one in the morning, involving induction stimulation thresholds and monitoring of neural electrical activity. Carmela had intended to accompany him the entire time, but the medical officer gently but firmly persuaded her to go to the waiting area. She sat there, her bag and Matteo's old coat on her lap, appearing calm, but her fingers unconsciously kept touching the edge of her bag. Lynn came by once and handed her a glass of warm water.
"How is he?" Carmela asked immediately.
"Not bad," Lynn said. "He cursed the equipment twice and talked back three times, which means he's in good spirits."
"This can be considered an indicator?"
"For him, it counts."
Carmela's lips twitched slightly at this remark, then she whispered, "Do you really think he can learn it?"
Lynn stood by the chair, watching the busy white figure on the other side of the glass: "I think he's willing to learn, which is already better than many others."
"Being willing doesn't mean you can do it."
“Yes.” Lynn nodded. “That’s why we need to go to that place.”
Carmela looked up at him: "Have you met many... people like him at Qidian?"
Lynn paused for a moment, not answering immediately. After two seconds, he said, "I've seen some. Some people end up staying in the bureau, some leave the system, some do ordinary jobs but at least they can control themselves, and some study for half a year and never want to touch this place again. Some paths go well, some don't."
"And what about the worst-case scenario?"
"The worst?" Lynn looked at her. "The worst is that nobody catches it." (End of Chapter)