Chapter 140: Chapter 140: The Elusive Shadow

“However… there is one other issue.” Lucas’s voice suddenly dropped, the fire dimming slightly as a tone of helplessness crept in: “I still haven’t been able to finalize the core team structure. There is one specific person I absolutely cannot get in touch with. His name is Azure Caine.”

Hearing that name, Julian’s pupils contracted sharply, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes that no one was there to see.

“That guy is incredibly talented.” Lucas continued to ramble on enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the sudden, heavy silence on the other end of the line: “According to the deep-dive intelligence I’ve managed to gather, he is a reclusive genius in the fields of system architecture and cybersecurity. Perhaps in terms of public fame, he falls slightly short of that other tycoon, but his logical thinking and coding structure are nothing short of monstrously brilliant. If we could somehow invite him to join our technical team, it would be like giving a tiger a pair of wings. We wouldn’t have to fear any cyber-attacks or security breaches whatsoever. But… no matter what method I try, from sending formal emails, leaving encrypted messages on underground hacker forums, to even hiring someone to trace his IP address, I cannot establish contact with him. It is as if he doesn’t exist. He is like a ghost in the machine.”

Hearing the name “Azure Caine” spoken with such reverence and almost religious worship, Julian was momentarily stunned. Then, involuntarily, a mysterious, knowing smile bloomed on his lips in the darkness of the room.

Azure Caine? Of course he knew him. He knew him better than anyone else in this world.

Because Azure Caine was merely one of the many pseudonyms, a digital persona that Julian himself had utilized to trade information and conduct operations in the past, specifically, the past before he had transmigrated into this novel. It was a remnant of his old life, a digital mask he had worn to navigate the gray areas of the internet, and it seemed he had inadvertently left a few digital footprints that coincided with this world’s timeline when he first arrived.

“I know this person.” Julian cut through Lucas’s stream of complaints with a calm, even voice, masking the amusement bubbling underneath.

“Huh? You know him?” Lucas screamed, his voice cracking with disbelief, the sound nearly piercing Julian’s eardrum.

“Yes, I know him. He… has quite a peculiar temperament. He dislikes interacting with strangers and loathes revealing his true identity even more.” Julian effortlessly spun a fabrication that sounded entirely plausible to cover his tracks: “However, I can try to contact him on your behalf. You just rest assured and focus all your energy on securing those two investors first. If we have you, and those two backing us, convincing Azure Caine to join later will be a much smoother process. At that point, even if he wants to be arrogant, he won’t have the leverage to refuse.”

Upon hearing this, Lucas felt as though he had stumbled upon a pot of gold. He immediately launched into a rambling eulogy, praising Julian as a living saint, a savior sent from the heavens. Then, without pausing for breath, he pivoted back to obsessing over how cool Azure Caine was, describing how his lines of code were as beautiful and structured as a work of art, and how his algorithms were pure poetry.

Julian merely chuckled softly, making non-committal humming noises to move the conversation along. He reiterated that while he had a connection, he couldn’t reveal personal details due to a promise of confidentiality. He emphasized again that Azure Caine’s personality was difficult and eccentric, warning Lucas not to get his hopes up for a warm welcome, but promised that when the time was right, he would make the introduction.

Finally, after unburdening his heart and receiving the golden assurance from Julian, Lucas was willing to spare Julian’s poor ears. He sighed with a dramatic reluctance, nagging Julian with a few more reminders to take care of his health, before finally agreeing to hang up.

“Beep… beep… beep…”

The dry, mechanical sound of the disconnected call echoed briefly before being swallowed by the vastness of the room, returning the space to its absolute, heavy silence.

Julian stared at the phone in his hand, the screen now dark and lifeless. The black glass reflected his own eyes, which were gradually losing their focus. He remained in a daze for a moment, the faint smile that had played on his lips fading away completely, replaced by a solemn, introspective expression.

In the beginning, when the spark of the idea to build his own power base first ignited, he had placed immense importance on this project. Julian knew all too well that his solitary strength in this fictional world was fragile. It would never be enough to save him from the turbulent storms of the major families. That was precisely why he had racked his brain, why he had dragged Lucas into the fold. His primary motivation had been to leverage the political influence of Lucas’s family, along with the intricate web of connections those people held, to forge a shield capable of protecting himself.

That was the survival path he had meticulously mapped out: Independence, autonomy, wealth, and power. A fortress built by his own hands.

Only now…

It seemed he was no longer paying as much attention to it as he once did. The blazing enthusiasm that had driven him at the start had cooled significantly, dampened by a strange lethargy.

Julian felt a distinct sense of unease settle in his chest. This was not a good sign. A loud, piercing alarm bell began to ring frantically inside his head, warning him of a danger far more subtle than physical harm.

It seemed he had become too reliant on Ethan Caldwell.

Ethan’s spoiling, his overwhelming protection, and even his intense, suffocating possessiveness had constructed a soft, comfortable glass cage around Julian. It was a beautiful trap that had lulled him into a state of complacency, causing him to forget his primal survival instincts.

If this were the past, in the real world, no matter what hardships or harsh conditions he faced, whether he was being sabotaged by jealous colleagues, oppressed by a tyrannical father, or even suffering physical agony from illness, he would have gritted his teeth and endured it in silence. He would have taken his own medicine, forced himself to stand up, and continued to fight like a tireless machine. He would never have allowed himself to show weakness, let alone depend on another for comfort. Back then, survival was a solitary war, and he was its grim veteran. But now, he was softening, melting into the warmth of another’s care, and that realization was terrifying.

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