Axel looked at the LEVO man he was planning to torture with genuine surprise. His careful facade had slipped. "How did you know?" he asked the man. "What sold me out?"
The man's eyes were wide with a mix of fear and excitement, the adrenaline rush of recognition overpowering his shock. "Oh, my goodness, you're really him! You're really him! I was just guessing because you clearly don't look like you, and even your age doesn't match. But the feeling you give me is that of Z, so I said it out loud anyways, and then you agreed that you're Z."
Axel was left momentarily speechless. His internal reaction was sharp and self-critical. Fine, I sold myself out. He filed the incident away as a crucial lesson: I should be careful of this later so that I won't sell myself out to other people in the future.
The man continued looking at Axel with intense excitement. Axel finally managed to compose himself and looked back at the operative.
