Chapter 258: Liam's Invitation
Jeremy glanced at the caller ID and discovered that the call was from a strange number.
He felt a twinge of confusion.
Howard and Benjamin had previously assured him that his phone number would not easily be known to unrelated individuals.
This meant that the person calling him must be someone of great significance.
Before answering the call, Jeremy deliberately shifted his gaze towards Claire and Emma.
"I am about to take an important call, so I would appreciate it if you both could wait for a moment."
Claire and Emma quickly nodded in agreement.
Only after confirming that they would not be upset did Jeremy proceed to answer the phone.
"Mr. Jeremy, your timing for this call seems rather late. Are you perhaps engaged in battle within an instance? If so, please feel free to continue with your fight."
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The voice on the other end was one that Jeremy recognized quite well.
After rifling through his memories for a moment, Jeremy finally determined that the caller was Liam, the director of the Special Situations Handling Bureau.
Jeremy had no clue as to why Liam was calling.
Thus, he could only respond,
"I am not engaged in battle; I am currently at a friend's house. Is there something of great importance that prompted your call? If there is something significant, I believe it would be more appropriate for you to visit me in person rather than calling."
To Jeremy, phone communication was inherently unreliable.
There was a considerable risk that their conversation could be intercepted by others.
Consequently, Jeremy felt that meeting face-to-face was the safest option.
On the other end of the line, Liam instinctively praised him, saying, "You truly are a very cautious individual. You are correct; discussing crucial matters over the phone is indeed unreliable.
Therefore, I did not call to discuss anything of great importance. The primary purpose of my call is to invite you to our Special Situations Handling Bureau.
Have you not always expressed keen interest in the affairs of our bureau? In order to facilitate better cooperation in our upcoming endeavors, I believe it is essential for you to gain a more in-depth understanding of our operations."
Faced with Liam's invitation, Jeremy felt quite tempted.
He understood that if he wished to eradicate all instances in Moonlight City, he would need the assistance of other forces within the city.
Although Howard was willing to offer assistance to Jeremy, the information he possessed was rather limited.
The Special Situations Handling Bureau was entirely different from the military; intelligence that the military was unaware of could very well be known to the Bureau.
"I can accept your invitation. When do you intend for me to come over?"
"You may come at your convenience. Since I have extended an invitation to you, it means you are free to choose a time that suits you. If you are particularly busy, you could even postpone your visit to our Special Situations Handling Bureau by a week."
Liam's tone was exceedingly gentle.
He believed that this was an opportunity to win Jeremy over.
Even if he could not fully sway Jeremy to his side, Liam hoped that Jeremy could remain neutral in the forthcoming actions.
Although Liam and Howard had collaborated before, their rivalry was also quite intense.
The Special Situations Handling Bureau was part of the federally controlled administrative system, while Howard was a general in the military.
The ongoing struggle between the federal leadership and the military headquarters had already begun to affect their respective subordinate agencies.
Upon hearing Liam's response, Jeremy felt a slight hesitation.
His initial plan was to assist Claire and Emma in completing their second class change in the coming days.
Yet, Jeremy sensed that visiting the Special Situations Handling Bureau might be a more pressing matter.
As Jeremy hesitated, Claire lowered her voice and spoke to him.
"I believe you need not be overly concerned about our preferences. Although we are all ready to undergo our second class change immediately, we can certainly wait a few more days.
You should prioritize establishing your relationships with other factions, especially the Special Situations Handling Bureau, as they possess a wealth of exclusive intelligence."
After Claire finished speaking, Emma quickly chimed in.
"I think Claire makes a very valid point; there is no need for you to rush into helping us complete our second class change. You should focus on your own more pressing matters."
With the support of both Emma and Claire, Jeremy turned directly to Liam on the other end of the line.
"If you have time, I can visit your Special Situations Handling Bureau tomorrow. However, before I proceed, there is one important matter I must clarify with you."
Jeremy felt it necessary to give the other party a heads-up.
"What is it that you wish to say? Just speak your mind. Since I have invited you, you are welcome to express any requests you may have."
Liam's tone remained calm and steady on the other end of the call.
"I do not intend to make any demands of you; I merely hope that during my visit, you can ensure I am not disturbed by others. I certainly do not wish to have personnel from your Special Situations Handling Bureau gathering intelligence while I am touring."
Jeremy harbored a lack of trust towards the Special Situations Handling Bureau.
In his view, the Bureau was an exceedingly enigmatic organization, one that would undoubtedly seek to extract as much information from him as possible.
Upon hearing Jeremy's remarks, Liam burst into hearty laughter.
"Rest assured, we will not use this opportunity to search for more information related to you. In fact, we already possess a considerable amount of intelligence concerning you.
However, this information does not allow us to accurately assess your true capabilities, nor does it provide insight into your genuine intentions.
That is precisely why I thought to invite you to the Special Situations Handling Bureau. Since you have accepted my invitation, I will naturally ensure that you are not disturbed during your visit."
Liam's response was both straightforward and reassuring, which put Jeremy more at ease.
"Very well! Let's schedule it for tomorrow morning then! I will do my utmost to arrive before nine o'clock!"
The reason Jeremy did not provide a more precise time was that he felt it quite likely he would struggle to rise that early the following day.
If he was unable to rise before eight o'clock, then that would ultimately mean he would not be able to arrive before nine.
Liam felt a slight dissatisfaction with Jeremy's response.
In Liam's view, Jeremy ought to provide him with a very precise time.
However, Liam quickly adjusted his mood.
After all, it was Liam who had taken the initiative to invite Jeremy, and it was entirely reasonable for Jeremy to have other matters to attend to.
"That is certainly no problem at all! I will be at the Special Situations Handling Bureau all day. So as long as you do not arrive too late, I will be perfectly fine with it."
"That's great! Then it's settled!"
Once they reached an agreement, Jeremy promptly hung up the phone.
"The Director of the Special Situations Handling Bureau, Liam, just called me; he invited me to tour the Bureau. I believe this is a wonderful opportunity, so I accepted it right away.
You two should continue to familiarize yourselves with your skills over the next few days. Once I have completed my visit to the Special Situations Handling Bureau, I will assist you in completing your second class change."
After finishing this statement, Jeremy planned to make a swift journey back home.
Claire and Emma accompanied Jeremy all the way to the door.
They watched as he drove away, and only after his car disappeared completely from view did Claire and Emma return to their home.
Emma seemed a bit reluctant; she voiced her complaints to Claire with a hint of frustration.
"While I think it's truly remarkable that so many people value Jeremy, it's also evident that he is far too busy. He hardly has any time left to spend with us."
In response to Emma's grievances, Claire let out a sigh.
"I believe this is entirely normal, especially considering that the crisis of the apocalypse game has yet to be resolved. Exceptional individuals like Jeremy naturally bear greater responsibilities.
Therefore, there is no need for us to complain; what we must focus on is enhancing our own capabilities. Although we cannot increase our levels before completing the second class change, we can continue to practice the skills we possess according to Jeremy's plan."
Claire's demeanor remained considerably more stable than Emma's.
Part of the reason, of course, was that Claire was a psychologist, but another reason was that the skills she had acquired were related to mental well-being.
Even if Claire found herself in a moment of panic, she could immediately utilize her skills to calm herself down.
In a certain sense, Claire is the most emotionally stable person among all those Jeremy knows.
Consequently, Jeremy is also the one most eager to engage in conversation with Claire.
Claire never engages in direct conflict with Jeremy; rather, she simply offers him a series of helpful insights and suggestions.