Andrew smiled faintly. “Ezekiel, long time no see. If I remember correctly, that was years ago in South Meurico, wasn’t it? Your elite Sorya squad was completely wiped out, every single one of them dead. But one rat slipped through the cracks, running for his life. I couldn’t catch you then because South Meurico was crawling with your allies, and they were damn tough to deal with. Funny though… I never thought you’d be doing this well now, nothing like the coward who pissed himself back then.”

Ezekiel’s eyes turned sharp and cold, but his lips curved into a mocking smirk. “Andrew, real men don’t brag about old victories. Sure, I may have suffered at your hands once, but what about you? What great achievements do you have to show for yourself? You’re a disgraced commander, a traitor who walked out of Holtrien, that monstrous organization that terrifies the world. Your record is littered with stains, and I won’t even bother listing them.”

Luna cut in coldly. “Mr. Beckett, let’s stick to business. You came here to track down your Blackstar Crystal, not to sling insults. Mr. Lloyd was once a soldier of Holtrien, and your words just now crossed the line into slander. I’m a soldier too, and I can’t stand hearing it. So I’d advise you to rein it in, for everyone’s sake.” Even though she and Andrew had already clashed, hearing Ezekiel attack him still made Luna’s chest tighten in defense.

Ezekiel snorted. Then, he took a scanner handed to him by one of his men. He started sweeping it over Andrew and said, “The Blackstar Crystal is a unique substance, formed from refined dark energy. Dark energy doesn’t mix with ordinary air at all, so anyone who comes into contact with it will carry traces, no matter what. Andrew, I hope you can still laugh once you’re exposed.”

Andrew shrugged indifferently. “Blackstar Crystal? Yeah, I stole it. I’ll say it straight to your face. Ezekiel, you and I both know what our relationship is. If anything, I’ve been polite by only robbing you. If I followed my instincts, I would have killed you outright and sent your head back to your Blue House as a gift.”

Ezekiel’s grin turned into a savage sneer. “Don’t worry, Andrew. There’ll come a day when one of us lives and the other dies.” The two women flanking him also flashed cruel smirks, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared Andrew down.

Kyrie jumped in eagerly. “Mr. Beckett, well? The scan should confirm it, right? Once you’ve got your evidence, we can hand this bastard over to you to deal with however you like.”

Ezekiel chuckled darkly. “No rush. Since he admitted it himself, that only means he’s run out of options and is bluffing.”

However, after scanning for quite a while, he frowned. The device showed nothing. Refusing to believe it, he scanned Aspen and Natasha one by one, yet the machine remained silent, not a single reaction. He did not know that Andrew had already fully absorbed the Blackstar Crystal, fusing it into his body. It was no longer a crystal at all, but a part of him. Hence, no device could possibly detect it now, and since Aspen and Natasha had never touched it, there was nothing to find on them either.

“What the hell? Ezekiel, don’t tell me your fancy toy is broken!” Kyrie shouted again, desperate to see Andrew fall.