"What are you looking at?"
"Ha."
In the cafeteria, Locke looked up and blinked at Gwen as she sat down across from him with her meal tray.
Since their last morning periods were different, Locke had arrived at the cafeteria first.
Gwen gestured with her eyes toward Locke's phone and asked curiously, "What's so engrossing?"
Locke smiled and flipped his phone around to show her.
"Are there eagles in Brooklyn Park, New York, and can they be adopted?"
Gwen looked at the content on his screen, then back at Locke. "Is this some kind of trick question? Like your license plate 'LKNB'—is it another homophone?"
Locke raised an eyebrow. "You figured that out?"
Gwen said, "We have international students from the East in our class."
Coincidentally, they were female.
Gwen was always keen on helping others. While she couldn't help everyone, she did her best to assist female transfer students, international students, or exchange students in adapting to life at Midtown High.
That day, remembering Locke's license plate, she had searched for a long time without finding an answer, so she simply threw it out as a conversation starter.
And then...
It was decrypted by a female student from the East.
L (Luo) K (Ke) N (Niu) B (Bi)!
The student was too embarrassed to explain the literal slang meaning of the 'B', so she just used a polite homophone to suggest it meant "Locke is awesome."
Gwen shook her head and looked at Locke. "I didn't realize you were actually quite narcissistic."
Locke burst out laughing. "That's not narcissism, that's confidence!"
Him.
Locke.
He started as an orphan, and in Texas of all places—the famous Lone Star State, a land rumored to be haunted by cannibals and demons. It was practically a "natural disaster" level starting point.
By his teens, he had already dealt with witches, demons, and cannibals.
The result?
Locke had worked his way up to where he was now. He wouldn't say it was perfect, but it was definitely a winning hand.
From natural disaster to winning hand.
It only took Locke sixteen years, achieved through 99.9% hard work and perseverance, plus that tiny 0.1% of system assistance.
(T/N:- wow such a humble and hardworking mc, indeed system barely played a part. right guys?)
If that couldn't be called confidence, then what could?
Gwen opened her mouth, looking at Locke's sharp, spirited features, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Just then.
"Gwen?"
"Mrs. Codd."
Gwen looked at the school guidance counselor, Mrs. Codd, who was walking over. She asked curiously, "Is something the matter, Mrs. Codd?"
Mrs. Codd was plump and well-to-do in appearance, giving off a gentle vibe. "Have you seen Megan Walsh?"
Gwen shook her head. "No, why?"
Mrs. Codd said, "She had an appointment for a consultation this morning, but she didn't show up. Did she ask any other teachers for leave?"
Gwen thought for a moment and shook her head.
Mrs. Codd nodded. "Alright, I see."
With that, Mrs. Codd turned and walked out of the cafeteria. Presumably, she was going to try and contact Megan. If she couldn't be reached, she would likely call the police.
Locke sat in his chair, thinking to himself while maintaining a calm expression.
Mind your own business and stay out of trouble.
He wasn't afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D., but as long as they didn't provoke him, he wouldn't get involved in their messy affairs.
After sitting back down, Gwen thought about Mrs. Codd's words and looked at Locke. "Locke, you had Biology this morning. I remember Megan has that class too. Did you see her?"
Locke shook his head.
Gwen frowned. "That's strange. Liz clearly said Megan left the house a step ahead of her."
Locke shrugged.
Gwen's eyes darted around. "No, after lunch, I have to go and ask around."
Locke smiled. Gwen was always so warm-hearted toward every classmate. No wonder Flash immediately backed down the other day when he was bullying a smaller kid and Gwen intervened.
Of course.
It might have had something to do with Flash catching a glimpse of Locke standing next to Gwen in a tank top—revealing his eight-pack abs while wondering if he could pivot his hobbies toward basketball.
However, this matter was beyond the scope of being helpful.
Likely...
Megan would vanish from the face of the earth starting today, and the NYPD would probably have one more cold case on their hands.
Locke chewed on his smoked hot dog, thinking to himself as he watched the cafeteria entrance.
The next second.
WTF?
Megan Walsh, wearing a green jacket with her curly hair loose, appeared at the cafeteria door.
What's the situation?
Was it not S.H.I.E.L.D. who kidnapped Megan Walsh?
Could a defected S.H.I.E.L.D. agent really walk back out unharmed after being dragged back?
...Wait.
Victoria seemed to have done something similar.
Was it the Brotherhood again?
Probably not.
Or was it just a common kidnapping case?
That made no sense. What kind of bizarre kidnappers would they be?
Locke's thoughts raced. It was highly unlikely that Megan Walsh had fought her way out. The reason was simple: she was wearing the exact same clothes as when she was taken. If she had killed her way out, she couldn't be that clean, and there was no scent of blood on her.
So Megan must have been released, either on her own or with help.
Gwen followed Locke's gaze and turned her head. "Megan?"
"Hi, Gwen."
Gwen watched Megan walk over with her tray, asking with a slight frown, "Where were you this morning? Mrs. Codd was just looking for you; she said you missed your appointment."
Megan glanced at Locke sitting opposite, then gave a somewhat unnatural smile. "I had some business this morning. I just ran into Mrs. Codd and explained it to her."
Her truth serum hadn't worn off yet, but she could control it now.
Gwen nodded and, after a thought, added, "Remember to tell a teacher or me next time. Otherwise, it'll be recorded. If it happens too often, you might not be able to graduate."
Megan nodded. "I will."
Locke, sitting across from her, seemed to have discovered something very amusing.
The scent of truth serum.
With his sharp six senses, Locke immediately picked up the scent of truth serum lingering on Megan.
As a qualified assassin, mastering various drugs and their scents wasn't exactly a mandatory course, but it was a solid elective. Locke happened to have learned about common and rare drug odors from the sommelier at the Continental Hotel.
After all, one had to be prepared in case they were ever drugged.
Locke valued his life very much, which was why he had rushed to buy the Resilience talent once he accumulated 50,000 Achievement Points back then.
So...
What exactly did Megan do this morning?
And another thing.
Locke couldn't help but feel that the way Megan just looked at him was a bit off.
It was as if she was observing him.
Hadn't a month been enough time for that?