Chapter 297 - Note (2/2)
After a hearty dinner, Zhang Heng returned to aerodynamics class.
He only just sat down when he received a note. On it was a simple sentence – You suspect Bruno too, right? Meet me in the corridor tonight at three.
Bruno was the alias of that listless young man. Yin Xiong passed Zhang Heng the note, but Livingston had actually written it. As Zhang Heng received it, Livingston nodded at him covertly. Zhang Heng wasn’t surprised. Two consecutive ‘accidents’ had taken place on the same day – one successful and the other a failure. The other players would surely worry about their lives, desperate to find out who was behind all this.
For the moment, it appeared that everyone had reached a consensus that Bruno was the most likely suspect, and that they weren’t about to let him decide their fate. So they decided to take action.
That basically meant that Bruno would be prematurely kicked out of the game. Even if he wasn’t the culprit, the players wouldn’t want a potential threat staying on either, not especially after that argument. Never mind the fact that many were vying for his spot in the first place. Since Zhang Heng managed to survive, they did not really need Bruno around.
The four players joined forces and planned to ambush Bruno. That meant he had almost no chance at winning. Livingston had also invited Zhang Heng to join the cause. Of course, it wasn’t because he valued Zhang Heng’s strengths but to keep him from ratting to NASA about the ambush.It was, undoubtedly, a very wise decision.
With two serious accidents happening in one day, and from the manner of questions being asked, it seemed that the investigators too, suspected the accidents could have been premeditated.
They couldn’t risk such things happening again, not even if it looked like a genuine accident. Lives and reputation were at stake here, and with the recent public backlash, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Only through complicity could the secret be kept under wraps.
Zhang Heng didn’t take too long to decide, agreeing to go along with Livingston’s suggestion.
Regardless of whether Bruno was the murderer or not, getting rid of him would definitely benefit Zhang Heng. Even if the other four players restrained themselves, he would still have to find a way to kick Bruno out to protect himself. Since they were all on the same side, Zhang Heng had no reason to disagree, something that Livingston had previously expected. In the subsequent physical training session, Livingston got up close to Zhang Heng quietly, explaining briefly about the plans tonight. To avoid alarming Bruno, the pair quickly separated after the message got across. Livingston even made it a point to gather everyone, informing them that the discussion would continue tomorrow at noon.
Bruno, on the other hand, seemed displeased with the suggestion. Even so, he approached Zhang Heng after training ended. He tried to explain that he had nothing to do with the jet trainer’s accident and, at the same time, wished to be an ally of his. Bruno clearly knew that he had fallen out with the other players and sorely needed support.
According to him, he and Zhang Heng were the ones with the highest scores, and working together would exponentially increase the success rate of qualifying for the moon-landing mission.
Zhang Heng only said that he’d consider it. When the hour hand on the clock struck three, he opened the door as promised.