The light turned green. The Maserati sped off, leaving behind a fiery red streak.
The Bentley started slowly.
The air pressure inside the car was suffocatingly low. Wearing a cold, dark expression, the man ordered his driver to head in a different direction.
He had seen it clearly just a moment ago. That woman had turned her head to glance at him twice, even flashing him a smile. The corners of her eyes had tilted upward, carrying a charming allure that was both teasing and sultry.
How brazen! Was it a blatant provocation, or a deliberate attempt to seduce him?
"President Thorne, she might just be some D-list starlet who piggybacked off her connection with Miss Rosalind's sister and came up with this trick to get close to you," the secretary analyzed logically. "Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence to bump into you while waiting at a red light?"
The girl was quite pretty, but it was a pity she was going down the wrong path at such a young age. Instead of walking the straight and narrow, she resorted to underhanded tricks. However, no matter how much she racked her brains, it would be useless. President Thorne despised women who threw themselves at him, especially vain gold-diggers.
"President Thorne only has Miss Rosalind in his heart. Those women who try to force their way in won't meet a good end," the secretary gloated.
Vincent Thorne's lips curled down slightly, revealing a grim expression. "She isn't worthy of driving Rosalind's car. Even if she throws herself at me, I won't give her a single chance!"
The secretary was bewildered. Somehow, that didn't sound quite right.
Iris Dalton had no idea someone was behind her back imagining a whole scenario where she seduced a domineering CEO. Everyone in Pike knew the truth, but no one dared to report it to Your Highness, the Pond Lord. They were afraid she would go berserk and completely ruin that President Thorne.
The guy had already suffered a broken back. If anything else broke, he would be completely stripped of his manhood. They were mature, kind-hearted AIs with a bottom line. They couldn't let Her Highness severely injure a sick man and bear the guilt!
And that was that!
The drive was smooth and unobstructed. Upon reaching the outskirts of the city, Iris followed the address on her navigation system and drove through a towering, imposing iron gate.
Inside the high walls lay a deserted farm covering over a thousand acres. Weeds grew wildly along both sides of the road, and the pond had dried up, yet one could still faintly tell it used to be a classical garden. Towering, lush trees surrounded the perimeter, alongside several old courtyards and houses. From a distance, the staggered layout revealed a place of considerable scale.
It was the ancestral estate of the Sherwood Clan. Generations had once lived here together, but now that everyone had moved into city villas, the place was left unattended. Both the estate and the farm had been abandoned.
With the current level of technological and industrial development, there wasn't a trace of Spiritual Energy left near the city, and the soil was no longer suitable for growing medicinal herbs. However, the dirt here had been transported by the Sherwood Family from Old Area A in Luminumbra years ago. Maintained over several generations, it was exceptionally well-preserved, retaining nearly all of its original nutrients and Spiritual Energy. Even precious ancient medicinal seedlings could survive if planted here.
That was why she had gone to such great lengths to acquire this specific plot of land.
Stepping out of the car, Iris found a high vantage point and surveyed her surroundings. The farm was quite large. As far as the eye could see, the land was vast, with a faint but dense layer of Spiritual Energy drifting above it. She bent down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and brought it to her nose to sniff, feeling very satisfied. Over a thousand acres of fertile land brimming with Spiritual Energy—it was more than enough for her to go all out.
Raising her eyes, she looked at the empty spaces to her left and right, forming a rough plan in her mind. Since the estate and farm hadn't been used in a long time, she would need to have the Mercenary Group clear the wasteland first, then tidy up the old houses. After that, she would order plastic greenhouses and building materials. In half a month, she could start planting the herbs.
"You must be Miss Iris. A few of us arrived first; the rest will come over once they get the word."
A man sauntered over from a nearby path. He was burly and strong, sporting a buzz cut. His bulging muscles stretched his T-shirt tight, making it obvious he was a trained fighter. He was accompanied by a few lackeys, all slouching with arrogant, holier-than-thou attitudes. Wearing impatient expressions, they sized up the young girl before them with scrutinizing gazes.
She was truly beautiful, but unfortunately, she was someone Master Dalton was protecting. Untouchable.
Iris was highly sensitive; their aggressive stares irritated her a bit. A trace of coldness flashed in her eyes as she dusted the dirt off her hands. "Did Master Dalton arrange for you to come?"
Since they were Master Dalton's subordinates, she should have given them a smile out of respect for him, if not for them. But their attitude made her very unhappy!
She pressed her earpiece, and Slick's mechanical voice reported the information.
[Slick]: "Target: Tyler Kwan. Male. 29 years old. A three-star member of UmbraNet. Specializes in close combat and mechanical weapons. Once single-handedly rescued ten women and children hostages."
Iris glanced at the man, her expression softening slightly.
Tyler knitted his brows. He looked the young girl up and down, his attitude somewhat dismissive. "Master Dalton gave the order. He said you plan to grow medicinal herbs here and told us to come help you."
They were Master Dalton's most trusted Mercenary Group. Consisting of a hundred members in total, they had braved life and death with him, achieving countless glorious military records. In the past, whenever Master Dalton dispatched them, it was always for top-tier, highly rewarding missions. But unexpectedly, they had been sent to Stellan this time just to help a little girl farm!
And she wanted to grow ancient herbs, no less. Tyler felt extremely frustrated, wanting to urge her to give up on this unrealistic delusion. What could a little girl possibly know about ancient herbs? Did she think she was Lana? What a joke!
Before meeting Iris, Tyler had heard the employer wanted to grow ancient herbs, and a spark of hope had ignited in his heart. Perhaps Master Dalton had sent them to assist Miss Anne Lancaster. After all, being able to cultivate ancient herbs outside of Luminumbra was something only Lana could achieve. If that were the case, they would have hit the jackpot. Aside from their loyalty to Master Dalton, the person their Mercenary Group admired the most was Lana. She was practically omnipotent, and her talent for cultivating herbs was unparalleled! If they were lucky enough to help Lana, they might receive some medicine once the ancient herbs matured. They might even get the chance to upgrade into Ancient Martial Artists!
Unfortunately, he was disappointed.
Tyler glanced at the young girl in front of him, his eyes carrying a hint of resignation and regret. She wasn't Miss Anne Lancaster. How could she possibly grow ancient herbs? He didn't know what kind of relationship this little girl had with Master Dalton, but since the Master had sent them, they had to complete the mission no matter how reluctant they were. At the very least, they had to put on a passable front.
The lackeys behind Tyler shared the exact same thoughts. Instead of stepping forward to greet her, they huddled together to chat.
"They call this a cushy job, but I'd rather go fight pirates with Sanzi and the guys. We could earn several points. Growing herbs is just a complete waste of our time."
"Master Dalton promised that regardless of whether the ancient herbs grow or not, he'd give each of us a dose of medicine. Even without points, it's still a win."
"Every brother in our Mercenary Group is highly skilled and capable of taking on a hundred men each. Isn't farming a massive waste of our talents?"
"Sigh, if only we were growing herbs with Lana."
Iris cast a cold glance at the men, a flicker of impatience flashing through her eyes before she twisted the Silver Fish Ring on her left index finger.
Before leaving the house today, she had specifically put on the Cannibal Fish Ring. It was a Space Ring built from nano-scale large-capacity spatial materials, powered by infinite solar energy, and integrated with an AI folding space. She didn't need to carry a bag when going out, as it could hold quite a lot of items.
Too lazy to waste breath on these people, she pulled out a contract and handed it to Tyler to sign.
Business was business. Since she was paying to hire people for a job, she had to clarify the terms and rules in advance. Only when both parties reached a mutual agreement without any objections would things proceed smoothly in the future.
"I want greenhouses set up here to sow the herbs. That large plot over there needs to be fully planted with medicinal seedlings. All the empty houses must be cleaned out. Everything needs to be finished within two weeks. Can you do that?" Iris outlined her requirements.
She had spent a fortune to hire a Mercenary Group ranked two stars or above because the herbs she was growing were no trivial matter. If discovered, they would cause a massive uproar. In case some sneaky thieves came to steal the crops, she needed people around to protect them. A Mercenary Group from UmbraNet was perfectly suited to act as bodyguards.