Female Novel
Chapter 946
Maxine pointed upward. “Based on Thomas' position when he fell, it seems impossible for him to have
ended up here. He would have fallen on a rock about 100 meters from the opening of the hole and
rolled…”
After a brief pause, she continued. “He should have stopped rolling at around 200 meters deep. When
we descended, I saw a pit where he would’ve come to a stop.”
“Are you sure?”
James was uncertain. He had only cared about going deeper and had not checked the cavern’s
surroundings.
“Alright, then. Let’s head back there to check.”
Maxine jumped up, grabbed onto a stone a few meters away, and quickly climbed upward.
Following her lead, James also opted to not use a rope and began scaling the rocky cavern.
Eventually, they returned to the 100-meter mark.
An enormous rock, more than 20 meters wide, jutted out precariously from the walls.
Maxine raised her head and pointed, saying, “If he fell from there, he would’ve landed here.”
She moved her body and pointed to the rock under her feet.
“However, there isn’t any sign of blood being shed at all here. After hitting this rock, he’d roll toward the
stone’s slope. Let’s head down and get another look.”
“Okay.”
James nodded.
The two descended again.
After climbing down a few dozen meters, Maxine stopped and pointed to a recess in the wall, saying, “If
he rolled down from that rock, he would’ve stopped here. Yet again, there isn’t anything here that
shows that happened.”
James agreed with Maxine's analysis after considering her observations.
He muttered perplexedly, “Is there a chance my grandfather didn’t die from the fall? ”
Maxine nodded slightly and said, “The evidence from our initial findings seems to point in that direction,
yes.”
James asked, “Since he didn’t actually die, why didn’t he show us he was alive?”
Maxine looked James in the eye. "I already told you last night that Thomas may have staged death to
fool outsiders. Also, the presence of the Gu Devil was just to confuse Thea. He wanted us to believe
that the Gu Devil had caught him and ultimately caused his fall from this place which resulted in his
unfortunate death.”
“Why would grandpa do such a thing?”
Maxine broke it down for James. “According to the clues collected, it’s almost certain that he’s come up
with this scheme beforehand. As for why he did them, the only person with answers is he himself.”
A serious expression filled James' face.
Then, he asked again, “Do you think Thea knows that this whole thing was a ruse by my grandfather to
confuse Tobias and me? Is there a way for him to know that Tobias will show up? ”
Maxine clutched her chin thoughtfully. “Because he knows that I’ve been following you. He probably
guessed that my job was to protect and monitor you. I’m sure he assumed that I’d relay all of this to my
grandfather.”
When he heard the part about her reporting to her grandfather, James eyed Maxine warily.
Maxine quickly raised her hands and explained herself, “Although I’ve been monitoring the situation
and reporting back to grandpa, I didn’t say a word about the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside's Edge. I
promised you after all.”
James did not prod her further because he knew that Tobias probably still had not solved the painting’snovelbin
secret. Otherwise, he would have reacted more after learning that Sacred Fire Figs grew in the cavern.
“Let’s go back up.”
James quietly nodded and prepared for the ascent.
“Wait...” Maxine put her hand on James’ shoulder to stop him.
“Why what’s wrong?” James cocked his eyebrow.
Maxine whispered carefully. “Don’t mention Thomas to Thea anymore, and try not to ask her about
him.”
“Why? Do you suspect her?”
“I find it hard not to doubt her. If my suspicions are correct, she must have some knowledge about what
Thomas is trying to do this time as well as his plans. There's a good chance Thomas will contact her
again. She'll spill about his plans sooner or later if you keep her by your side. If you question her now,
it’ll only serve to make her more cautious.”
James asked her flatly, “What do you suggest then?”
“We should act as if Thomas is dead and continue acting as normal. At the same time, we’ll keep a
close eye on Thea. I believe that there’s a reason Thomas took in and trained Thea in such a short
amount of time. He’s probably intending to use her somehow. As long as she stays by your side, the
truth will reveal itself sooner or later.”
“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.” James shot down Maxine’s speculation.
How could she be distrustful of those close to him? She was asking him to suspect both his own
grandfather and his ex-wife.
He trusted that his grandpa would not team up with her to harm him.
He turned around and began climbing back up with the rope.
Maxine shook her head helplessly and followed.