HBWnovel Chapter 372 - 372: You… really have a friend like that?
Chapter 372 - 372: You… really have a friend like that?
Inside the room stood an elderly man with neatly combed silver hair. He wore a crisp white lab coat and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose—definitely the scholarly type. His face radiated a kind, gentle demeanor.
This was Dr. Morgan, the head of the lab and a leading expert in extraterrestrial meteorite re
She turned back. "Yeah? Something else?"
Dr. Morgan hesitated, then asked with a half-smile, "You… really have a friend like that?"
Mia froze for a beat, then sighed, exasperated. "Seriously?"
She could practically feel the giant question mark hanging over his head—clearly, he thought she'd made the whole thing up.
…
At that moment, Ethan was still lounging at home.
With most of his crew out on various missions, the area around his high-rise was unusually quiet.
Golden sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm, lazy glow across the room. It was the perfect afternoon for doing absolutely nothing—and Ethan was soaking it in.
But deep down, he knew this peace wouldn't last. It was the calm before the storm.
Out on the horizon, a streak of silver light cut across the sky—a sleek aircraft descending fast toward the city center.
"Well, well… they're back. Guess giving them a little push actually worked," Ethan muttered with a smirk.
In the blink of an eye, his body vanished from the couch. A second later, he reappeared downstairs.
The aircraft had already touched down smoothly.
With a sharp click, the hatch opened.
Mia and Sean stepped out.
"Ethan! We're back from Mount Elbert," Sean called out cheerfully. "Brought you some red berries—oh wait, that's right, you don't eat fruit. So I figured I'd just eat them myself." He grinned, happily munching away on a handful of berries.
Ethan gave him a sidelong glance. This kid clearly had no intention of sharing from the start—but whatever. No point arguing with a fool.
Mia stepped forward. "Here's your aircraft back."
"Oh? And did you ask about the stone tablet?" Ethan asked.
"Of course I did," Mia replied, hand on her hip. "We're practically family, right? Ride-or-die. Your business is my business. Of course I asked."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. Okay, he had to admit—she was pretty solid.
"So? What'd you find out?"
"Dr. Morgan, the guy who studies celestial objects at the Mount Elbert shelter, said there was a massive meteor shower near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over two thousand fragments fell. If you're looking for something, that's your best shot."
"Wait, hold up…"
Ethan frowned. That many meteorites, scattered over who knows how wide an area? That sounded like a nightmare. He'd be searching forever.
"This kinda feels like you're brushing me off."
"What? No way. Why would I do that?" Mia said, feigning innocence. "Look, when it comes to meteorites, there's no shortcut. This is the only lead we've got. I did my part."
"No, you didn't," Ethan said, shaking his head. "If you really did your part, you'd be helping me look."
Mia rolled her eyes. Of course he wasn't gonna let it go. She should've known he'd rope her into this.
Ethan kept going. "I mean, come on—if I go all the way out there and something happens to me, who's gonna have my back? You gotta come protect me, right?"
"..." Mia stared at him, deadpan. One thought popped into her head: scheming bastard.
Still… the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
That conversation with Dr. Morgan had revealed something interesting—some of those meteorites might contain rare elements with serious scientific value.
If they could haul a few back, maybe she could even forge a new high-powered weapon or something...
"Hmph. Fine. I'll go. What's the big deal anyway?"
...