Mu Yuan's thoughts raced. He turned to Brando. "Where were you at five in the afternoon the day before yesterday?"
Brando paused, then thought back. "I think I was inspecting the rebuilt defenses in Santa Fe to see if they were secure. Why?"
"Did you find anything wrong?" Mu Yuan asked.
Brando shook his head. "Nothing. What are you getting at?"
Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes. Seeing Brando play dumb, he said impatiently, "I don't want to beat around the bush, and you can stop pretending. Your aura gives away exactly what you're thinking!"
Brando raised an eyebrow, anger flashing across his face. "Oh? Then tell me what I'm thinking."
"You suspect I'm the mole. You think I controlled the defense system and killed Osiris and his people, don't you?" Mu Yuan said.
Brando hadn't expected him to come over and bring this up. He laughed. "I didn't expect you to be so candid, Professor Mu. Yes, I suspect you. And I've reported every concern I have about you to the Sword-Keepers."
Mu Yuan sneered. "Then why haven't you arrested me for questioning?"
Brando's face darkened. The higher-ups wouldn't allow it, of course. A mere suspicion wasn't enough to move against a scientist of Mu Yuan's stature.
"The higher-ups buried the matter for you. They hope you'll keep doing your research like before and stay out of everything else," Brando said, mixing truth with lies.
"Then give her back to me," Mu Yuan said coldly.
Brando tilted his head. "Her? Who?"
He was genuinely stunned. Where had this "her" come from? "Stop playing dumb!" Mu Yuan snapped.
Brando didn't know why Mu Yuan had come to ask him about this, but he reacted quickly.
Just as he had previously pretended to have caught the enemy, Brando tried to draw him