Amidst the billowing smoke, the red flag flapped in the wind, looking particularly captivating. The four college students were also gazing at it, and they were all wearing peculiar expressions. Evander's heart was pounding like crazy. The country flag looked very different from its modern iteration, but Lionel could sense an inexplicable strength emanating from it. "It's an ally, Mr. Disher! She's communicating with us via sign language. It's our exclusive sign language, too!" Evander and Ingrid heard what the soldier said, and they were shocked. Who in the world was that young lady? How did she know about the earliest military sign language? It should've been a top classified information even in the 21st century. It wasn't their fault to be stunned, though. After all, the lady seemed very young, and she looked like a superstar. Considering the reality they were in, it was impossible to put this young lady and the military in the same picture, let alone fly a fighter jet."T
As the chief of staff, Lionel was shouldering immense pressure. Anyone who laid eyes on him would praise him for being a strategic mastermind. Lionel only had 30-odd soldiers in his company. However, he was able to hold out this place for this long. Not only did he buy time for the main force, but he also razed some of the enemy's rally points. The enemy force didn't dare to launch a large-scale assault. Instead, they relied on the fighter jets to carpet bomb the place. The reason for that was because the enemy force thought Lionel must've brought with him a huge army. After all, he attacked them in such a grandeur fashion. Naturally, he must've come fully prepared for him to do something this bold.It was all thanks to Lionel's deliberate actions. He might've been vastly outnumbered, but he carried the intimidating pride of his great nation. Lionel would never waiver when he faced the enemy. He even went to the mountains and shouted at the top of his lungs. That was when it g
People said that one couldn't fight destiny and that God had a plan. However, this wasn't true for the Farshyans; they made their own destinies.Aria approached Lionel, and there was respect and admiration in her eyes. On the other hand, Lionel was stunned when he saw her. "Did you pilot the fighter jet?"Aria nodded and opened the hatch to unload the cargo. The only inconvenience about the fighter jet was its space; she couldn't load a lot of stuff into it. It would've been much easier if she had a passenger plane instead. Lionel still couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Did you really capture the enemy's colonel?""Yeah!" Aria needed to be economical with the use of space in the fighter jet. So, Viktor was still tied up. He had just woken up, and his eyes widened in shock as he kicked both of his feet. Aria looked over a little, but she ignored Viktor for the most part. Instead, she dragged someone who was tied to the side."Yeah. Also, I brought something else over. We
The college students stood there, unsure of how they should have responded. Astrid wanted to say something, but her body immediately stiffened when Aria glanced at her. Lionel wore a smile on his face. He even came up with an explanation for them. "You must've worn a Krowonian traditional outfit to save yourself. I understand it. After all, we often wear disguises when we are doing reconnaissance. "It was just that we didn't speak Krowonian. So, we were constantly worried that we would be found out. You guys are better than us. You knew how to speak Krowonian, after all."This is great." Lionel was smiling a second ago, but his eyes suddenly reddened. He looked at Aria. "I can't believe my beloved country is doing this well in the future. Is this really happening?"Aria responded solemnly, "We are doing wonderful, and we owe it to all of you.""Looks like it's worth losing an ear, then!" Lionel threw his head back and laughed, his voice reverberating throughout the surrounding a
Aria wondered why Barron had lingering regret within the manifestation. Apart from the Carver family's protection, what else could there be?The reason the Carver family's ancestors protected this manifestation had something to do with Barron. So far, the only thing that Aria hadn't found was Barron's regret.Aria wondered if there was more to the newspaper, something that might reveal a connection to the Carver family.With that thought in mind, she spread out the youth paper.Apart from that letter, she wanted to find something that could link to the Carver family.She looked through the newspaper but still didn't find anything.Aria frowned. It seemed like she had hit a dead end.Lionel observed her staring intently at the newspaper and brought her drink, hoping she might take a moment to drink. Aria had made a great contribution, so he wanted to reward her.When he reached her, he saw her looking stunned, her eyes glued to Barron's picture in the newspaper. He broke the sil
Aria got up, intent on preparing the horse. That fake message might have had unintended consequences, and Barron must have felt guilty about it to this day. Aria had to find out what happened."We've caught up with them!" someone called out."Mr. Disher, we've caught up with them!"Lionel was surprised. "That fast?""The enemy had bombed the road ahead, damaging a section of it. They were about to make a detour and were nearby. They didn't get too far." While speaking, the elites responsible for the reconnaissance ran back with bags on their backs. They were quick. Though there were only five of them, the elite reconnaissance troop was fast, stealthy, and skilled in combat. In most cases, they were the best candidates in the unit. Without them, fighting would be like shooting in the dark—no advantage at all.When Aria looked at them, she could see that they were marked for death. She finally understood that the fake message wasn't just to mislead Lionel.Although Lionel had
Lionel and the others were all watching this unfold, finding this absolutely bizarre. However, they would all forget everything after the manifestation disappeared.This was why Aria wasn't worried about any negative consequences. She didn't stop walking until she reached the intersection between the manifestation and the real world. The Cerulean Dragon suddenly said, "There's something underground. It contains boundless evil, but it's relevant to you."Something relevant to her? Aria was confused, but she didn't waste any more time and started digging. She moved fast, digging about eight inches into the ground within a short time—until she caught sight of a talisman. It wasn't one of the commonly seen ones, but one used to subdue souls. This seemed to be a recurring theme. Aria dug further down. She was no longer inside the manifestation. This item seemed to be buried in the yard, around the drainage system. Aria continued, unearthing stones along the way. Under three ta
The other spirits were disappearing as well. They stood ramrod straight, disheveled uniforms hanging off their backs, as sharp and unrelenting as knives and axes slicing through all the injustice in this world.Their eyes showed no indignant reluctance, only longing for the future. Aria felt emotions coming over her as she watched them. Lionel knew that Aria was feeling reluctant to part with them. Aria was great, but she was also easily troubled. She was also one of their own now, so Lionel said some reassuring words to her before his departure. "I'm not as gullible as you think, my child."He touched the top of his head as he looked at her, and he laughed heartily before continuing, "You're all from the future, which proves that we're all dead at this point.""One's soul is sure to disappear when he passes. If some linger in this world, they aren't doing so by any legitimate means." Lionel was accepting of his fate as always. "I would dream of a time when my company owned a
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t