Chapter 121: Aegis
Zack turned slightly, surprised by the question. "The first time I saw her," Sophia continued, "she looked so familiar. It felt like I'd met her before, but I couldn't figure out why. Her appearance, her body—none of it matches anyone I can recall, but still..."
"Her background is similar to Erza's," Zack explained calmly. "She was from another base before she joined us."
"Oh, I see," Sophia said, nodding. The explanation seemed to ease her mind, and she decided to drop the matter. Maybe it was just her imagination after all.
"Alright, take it easy today. Don't overdo it and risk reopening your wounds," Zack said as he turned to leave.
Sophia's face flushed bright red. She pulled the quilt over her head, muttering a muffled, "Okay."
Zack chuckled, shaking his head, and headed downstairs. After washing up quickly, he grabbed the breakfast prepared by Mia and her team and made his way to the basement. "Ego," Zack said between bites of toast, "did you pick up anything last night?"
The night before, Shadow also revealed the Asian communication frequency band of the Vanguard Organization, Ego had managed to hack into it within seconds, undetected. Rather than tampering with the band, Ego had simply listened in, gathering what information it could. "Nothing significant, sir," Ego responded. "The frequency had minimal activity last night, and the few communications that took place didn't reveal anything useful."
"That's fine. Keep monitoring it," Zack said, unconcerned.
Right now, the situation was in his favor. He was operating in the shadows while the Vanguard Organization remained exposed. As long as the frequency band stayed active, all of the organization's movements in Asia were under his watch. "Sir, incoming call—from the prison," Ego suddenly announced.