Among ordinary people, very few were familiar with the Oracle token.
John hadn't expected Danson to recognize it—but he did, and that surprised him.
"Are you the King of Horizon?" Danson asked, his voice trembling.
John gave a slight nod. That was all it took.
Without another word, Danson fell to his knees. "King of Horizon, I failed to recognize you. Please forgive me!"
Now that he knew John was the King of Horizon, Danson's understanding of everything began to fall into place. It made sense now—the ability to track him through the network, the power that John wielded.
"You know what to do now, don't you?" John said flatly, pocketing the Oracle token.
"I understand," Danson replied quickly. His mind was already made up. He knew exactly what path he'd take now.
One path led to the Swift family in Houston, and the other led to the King of Horizon. Without hesitation, he chose the latter.
Meanwhile, Julian was far from calm.
Lately, since aligning himself with Laura, his primary focus had been on keeping an eye on Anita—his task was simple: dig up any scandalous dirt. Wherever she went, Julian and his men followed.
But despite all their efforts, they'd come up empty.
And now, a mysterious young man had appeared at Anita's side. Julian had hoped this was the breakthrough he needed, but instead, every single one of his men, who had followed this new figure, ended up back at the police station.
Laura was not pleased.
Julian, too, was in a foul mood. He sat on his sofa, chain-smoking one cigarette after another, trying to shake off the frustration.
The TV played a movie called New Police Story starring Cris Lee. As the movie neared its end, Cris Lee uttered the iconic line: "Stop it, Julian..."
Julian froze, irritation surging through him. Without hesitation, he turned off the TV.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
He picked it up and looked at the screen.
A message.
It was from his master, Danson.
The message contained a hotel address and a room number.
A wave of anticipation washed over Julian. All his frustration from earlier seemed to vanish as he immediately called Danson.
"Master, what's this about?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
Danson's voice came through the line, calm yet cryptic. "I won't let you down. After this, you can lay low and head abroad for a while."
The message was clear.
Danson, ever the strategist, was giving Julian a heads-up about a scandalous meeting happening in the hotel. And he was advising Julian to grab the photos and run—because trouble was sure to follow, just as it had when Danson had snapped pictures of Laura and a member of the Swift family.
Julian smiled to himself. "A teacher for a day, a father for life," he muttered, deeply moved by his master's protective words.
After hanging up, Julian quickly instructed his men to return to base.
"Forget about monitoring Anita," he barked. "She's already moved on to a different hotel."
His men, confused at first, soon realized the significance. "Boss, something big has happened, hasn't it?"
Julian nodded, his grin widening. "Of course. My master's found the meeting place. We're going in, and after tonight, you can do whatever you want."
His men, eager for the reward promised by Laura, nodded enthusiastically. This was it—this was the breakthrough they'd all been waiting for.
They quickly gathered their gear and headed to the hotel.
Once they arrived near the hotel, Julian instructed his men to wait outside to capture images of Anita and her lover. Meanwhile, he himself checked into a room next to the one Danson had suggested.
Julian left his door slightly ajar, careful to stay alert for any movement from the room across the hallway.
The evening passed quietly until, at eight o'clock, he heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening. Julian tensed immediately.
Peering through the crack in the door, he saw a figure—John.
John stepped into the hallway, speaking into the room, "Sleep well. I'll go out for a bit and be back later."
Then, he disappeared down the hall.
Julian's pulse quickened. This was it. He immediately picked up the phone, dialing his men.
"Listen up. Anita's lover just left. It's the same young man from the crew. Stay hidden, take the photos, and don't let him spot you."
He was convinced now—the woman in the room was definitely Anita.
After all, a woman of such beauty could hardly keep her secrets, especially with a man by her side.
Julian felt a rush of triumph. He had followed Anita for so long, and now, it seemed, the pieces were finally falling into place.
Ten minutes later, Julian's men texted back.
"Boss, something's wrong. The person you mentioned never came out."
Julian froze.
What? How was that possible? He'd just seen John leave!
He'd heard him say he was going out for business, leaving Anita alone in the room. But ten minutes later, John hadn't returned?
"Wait a little longer," Julian instructed, trying to calm his growing suspicion.
Another ten minutes passed.
The response was the same. John had not come out.
Frustrated, Julian decided to investigate himself.
When he reached the corridor, his eyes widened. The door to the room opposite was slightly ajar.