At the mention of the LuminNet Special Division, Iris Dalton was startled and quickly summoned, "[YellowFish]!"
DING—
[[YellowFish]]: "Your Highness, the Pond Lord, the AI real-time defense monitoring is running. The network attack traces have been cleared. Please rest assured, Your Highness."
She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Clearing all traces was the only way to truly have peace of mind. She couldn't help but inwardly complain about the LuminNet Special Division. Those guys kept too close of an eye on people; she had nearly been caught by them several times.
The LuminNet Special Division was a dedicated network surveillance department under LuminNet, headquartered in Valerium. It was responsible for monitoring hackers and internet gurus who engaged in illegal activities using network satellite surveillance, electronic monitoring, and AI big data. Once any illegal or criminal activities that endangered network security crossed the line, the Special Operations Bureau would immediately take action to crack down on them. They never showed mercy, no matter who it was.
Her earlier command, dispatching The Golden Arowana to fire two laser missiles, was absolutely a violation! Iris felt a little guilty. She hadn't been able to hold back and just wanted to teach those two annoying guys a lesson. She figured that since no one was hurt, they were just being overly petty.
However, creating such a huge commotion meant that even if she immediately destroyed her digital footprint, the LuminNet Special Division would still catch the signal. But Iris wasn't too worried. No matter how capable the LuminNet Special Division was, they couldn't trace it back to her.
COUGH COUGH...
Even if they did find out, she had ways to deal with it.
After spacing out for a few seconds, Iris collected her thoughts and glanced at Tyler Kwan and the others. Several grown men were standing obediently in front of her, not uttering a single word. They stared at her eagerly with puppy-dog eyes. Their gazes were like dogs longing for their master's mercy, hoping to be thrown a meaty bone out of pity. It was a bit pathetic.
Iris's gaze darkened as she calmly rubbed the Silver Fish Ring on her index finger. "Cannibal, get me a stalk of Heavenly Wild Grass."
DING—
[Cannibal]: "Heavenly Wild Grass. Rare materials area, shelf six, tier five, item number 4651."
The folding space had designated zones and shelf locations: the first zone was for weapons and tools, the second for daily necessities, the third for valuables, and the fourth for rare materials. The Heavenly Wild Grass was the base medicinal herb for refining and upgrading the Ancient Martial Potion. Classified as a rare material, it was stored in the fourth zone, on the sixth shelf, at the fifth tier.
With a flick of Iris's finger, a stalk of Heavenly Wild Grass was delivered from the folding space. The entire herb was lush and thriving, complete with flowers and leaves. A clump of fresh, moist soil still clung to its roots. It exuded a rich, exotic fragrance.
Tyler Kwan looked puzzled as he watched her casually hold the herb and wave it in front of him.
"Is... is this..." His eyes widened drastically, his face flushing bright red with excitement. He couldn't believe his eyes and wondered if anyone would even understand his shock; this looked just like Heavenly Wild Grass!
He had spaced out for a split second just now and hadn't seen clearly where this herb had come from. A single herb had already left him absent-minded, and then his eyes landed on the silver ring worn on the young girl's index finger. His mind went BOOM, as if something had just exploded in his head.
He wondered what kind of day today was. First, he had witnessed laser missiles obliterating a large truck, and now he was looking at a stalk of Heavenly Wild Grass that could only be found in Area A of Luminumbra. And then there was the ring on Miss Iris's hand. He realized with absolute shock that it was a legendary nano-folding space. He was going crazy!
Tyler's mind buzzed, nearly shattered by the continuous waves of massive shock. He felt as though he wasn't living in the real world, but rather in a fantasy realm. No, it was even more unbelievable than a fantasy realm. He figured he had to be dreaming!
The other underlings had snapped back to reality, their gazes no longer as sluggish as before. They had never seen Heavenly Wild Grass and had no idea why Tyler was so agitated. They exchanged puzzled glances. They just watched him stare at the herb in Miss Iris's hand, smiling like a pug. His eyes darted back and forth following the swaying seedling, and he was practically drooling. Tsk, tsk. What an eyesore!
Iris casually tossed the herb into Tyler's arms and clapped the dirt off her hands. "Take this herb as a sample and see if the soil here can grow the exact same thing. Once the greenhouse is built in a few days, I'll bring the seeds and seedlings over."
Tyler froze for a second. When he looked down at the herb cradled in his arms, he nearly jumped in the air. "This is really Heavenly Wild Grass from Area A of Luminumbra! How is that possible!?"
Luminumbra was the only remaining Ancient Martial Arts Territory on Earth. Area A not only possessed abundant Spiritual Energy, but it also housed extremely scarce ancient medicinal herbs. These herbs had long gone extinct in the outside world; they could only be cultivated in the special soil of Area A. It was difficult enough for an ordinary person to even enter Area A, let alone bring a seedling out of it. It was said that a single seedling could fetch tens of millions at an auction, sparking absolute frenzy. Without a profound background, it was completely impossible to buy one.
Such a precious herb, and Miss Iris was casually taking it out for people to see. It was enough to give him a heart attack! Tyler was screaming internally, his face glowing with excitement. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face, as if he were holding a golden baby instead of a stalk of grass.
"Ancient herbs are naturally precious, which is why I sought out The Mercenary Corps. Planting the herbs is a minor issue; protecting the seedlings is the top priority." Iris figured it was about time to head back home.
Coming back to his senses, Tyler found her words extremely reasonable. His eyes filled with reverence. "Yes, Miss Iris is far-sighted. Such precious seedlings definitely need to be protected well. Master Dalton was right—working for Miss Iris is the true mark of a winner in life."
He gently stroked the leaves of the seedling with his fingers, terrified of accidentally snapping them. His eyes were brimming with a tenderness that was even more cautious and gentle than if he were treating a lover.
At the LuminNet Special Division.
A staff member in the monitoring center had just printed a report regarding a strange command captured from the big data network. Five minutes ago, someone had used a laser weapon to attack a designated target. The signal had been transmitted to the monitoring center, quickly revealing specific details. The target of the attack was in Stellan.
The staff member hurriedly attempted to lock onto the signal. But in the blink of an eye, the attack trajectory and target location vanished into thin air, disappearing faster than the printer could output the data.
The staff member was dumbfounded.
He stared at the analysis report, flipping through the pages one by one, his expression growing increasingly serious. When he saw the words "laser missile," his eyes bulged. He wondered what had happened in Stellan and if the world was turning upside down. He couldn't fathom what kind of audacious criminal syndicate would attack a target with laser missiles in broad daylight.
Clutching the report, the staff member rushed to the director's office to report the situation. The director was a chubby middle-aged man holding a thermos. Upon hearing the staff member's nervous report, he slowly tapped his plump, radish-like fingers against the cup.
"Laser weapons, huh? That is indeed quite arrogant, but it doesn't prove that the person who launched the attack is definitely in Stellan," the director said, taking a sip of his goji berry and chrysanthemum tea. He looked entirely unbothered. He didn't look like a director; he looked like a charlatan!
"But Director, this threatens the safety of Stellan. Shouldn't we send someone to investigate?" The staff member wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This type of laser missile was extremely powerful. If it fell into the hands of criminals, all of Stellan would be in danger. Moreover, the fact that the other party could erase traces from the big data network proved that they were an experienced and formidable hacker. Such individuals were incredibly adept at hiding. Once they concealed themselves on the internet, they were completely untraceable.
The director gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Since such a thing has happened, the Special Operations Bureau will definitely send someone to investigate. Alright, there's nothing else for you here. You can leave now."
The staff member froze, unable to resist asking, "Have you already sent someone, Director? Stellan is such a large city. Are you sending the First Brigade?"
The matter was far too thorny; even the First Brigade might not be able to handle it.
The director shook his head, a somewhat enigmatic smile playing on his lips. "Relax, relax. The Chief, who never even looks for a partner, has personally stepped in. There's nothing that can't be resolved."
The staff member left the director's office with the report in hand, his mind still in a daze. He wondered what the Chief personally stepping in had to do with whether he looked for a partner or not. The supreme commander, who hadn't been heard from in years, had actually gone to Stellan to find a partner!
Overcome with excitement, the staff member pulled out his phone and sent a message to their private group chat.
[Breaking news! The Chief went to Stellan, apparently to find a partner.]
As soon as the message was sent, it jolted everyone in the group chat awake like a clap of thunder.
[Which Chief are you talking about? The Director? He's such an old bachelor, is he still out there ruining people's lives?]
[To the guy above: the Director is the Director, and the Chief is the Chief. You can't even tell them apart? How did you even get into the Special Operations Bureau? I fully support the Chief finding a partner. All us single dogs understand.]
[Fun fact: there is only one Chief, and he's the founder of the Special Operations Bureau! Have mercy, Chief, and add a new company benefit—assigning a partner to each of us?]
[I'm begging the Chief to transfer me to the Stellan branch! If you fail to find a partner, look my way. I swing both ways; I'm not picky.]
...