Chapter 63: The Mystery of the Car Accident

After the man in black left, Gary collapsed onto the sofa, cold sweat dripping from his forehead as his eyes fell on the photograph.

The symbol in the bottom right corner of the photo was that of the Night Blades.

The Taylor family had previously worked with the Night Blades to deal with some competitors in the city. He hadn't expected that after so long, these people would reappear.

"The end is near anyway, there's no point in worrying anymore." Gary thought to himself. The Dragon Age Guild was now considered a top-tier guild in the Other World, second only to the Angel Group. With that thought, he seemed to make up his mind, grabbed the photo, and left.

The next morning.

When Irving got up, he first went to the bathroom to take a refreshing shower. Just as he was about to have breakfast, the phone suddenly rang. It was Anna calling, wanting to meet up for a talk.

He was now officially the Chief Advisor to the Angel Corps, and Aron had also been a great help in procuring those power generation devices last time.

Half an hour later, in a downtown cafe.

When Irving arrived, he immediately spotted Anna sitting quietly in a corner. Her brows were furrowed, indicating she seemed to have something on her mind.

"You're here?" Anna greeted him with a smile, "What would you like to drink?"

Irving waved his hand. He knew that Anna must have something important to discuss with him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have arranged to meet alone.

Anna was now one of the leaders of the Angel Corps. Although the Corps had been well-prepared for the second wave of cataclysms, they still suffered heavy losses. After all, in the extreme cold and darkness, the threat posed by exotic beasts significantly increased, especially since these were already mid-level exotic beasts.

"Take a look at this first." Anna pulled out a manila envelope she had been carrying with her.

Stamped on the envelope's cover were the words "Classified."

Generally, official documents can be divided into three levels: confidential, classified, and top secret.

Irving raised his eyebrows. Upon opening the bag, he found photos of a car accident and some investigation reports.

"After the banquet that day, I had someone investigate the Smith family. We suspect that the car accident in which Vicky's father died was not an accident, but orchestrated." Anna explained with a significant look.

"Orchestrated?" Irving was taken aback. His first guess was Vicky's uncle, but he dismissed the thought. Given her uncle's way of operating, there must be another culprit behind the scenes.

"Could it be the Taylor family?" Irving speculated.

Anna shook her head, her expression complicated, "You're over-simplifying things. The Ocean Group is a leading trading group in the capital city. As far as we know, many foreign forces have tried to woo them, but the Taylor family has always refused. I think this is likely to be the direct reason for Vicky's father's death in the car accident."

"Have you investigated who's behind this?" Irving returned the accident photos and reports to the brown paper bag.

This matter couldn't be revealed to Vicky for the time being.

Anna shook her head: "We've had limited time, so we could only find out so much. However, Aron's team has continued to investigate." Her tone hardened, "Irving, as the chief advisor of the Angel Group, there are some things I think it's necessary to tell you."

"The current domestic situation is not optimistic. Although the overall state appears relatively stable on the surface, there are undercurrents stirring beneath, and there have even been numerous instances of families being bought and controlled by foreign forces..." Anna sighed deeply as she spoke.

On one hand, the end of the world was looming, with many hidden forces waiting to seize the opportunity of a global catastrophe to achieve ulterior motives.

On the other hand, ever since the launch of the 'Other World' game, abilities gained in the game could be directly transferred to reality, posing a significant threat to the official bodies.

"Speak plainly." Irving said in a deep voice.

"I hope you can move to our official protective zone, which is not only safe, but also has abundant supplies." Anna stated solemnly.

Actually, from the day the Other World Game was launched, the official bodies began planning to build protective zones.

Not everyone is eligible to enter the official protection zone, but as the chief advisor of the Angel Group, Irving is on the list of those first to enter.

To her surprise, Irving directly turned down the invitation. Standing up, he said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

"Thanks for the files." Saying this, Irving prepared to leave.

"Wait, Irving." Anna rushed to catch up, her gaze complex as she looked at the man before her, momentarily at a loss for words.

When they first met, Anna on behalf of the official bodies offered him an olive branch which he directly rejected, this was the third invitation to Irving, but the result was the same as before.

The Angel Group, official protection zone... these two phrases are distant aspirations for many, while to Irving they are a joke.

Official body? Protective zone?

Having lived through one apocalypse, Irving knew that when the end truly arrives, there will be no absolutely safe place. Joining any group, be it the official body or any other guild, is like wearing shackles.

In this cruel world, relying on the protection of any party will not end well...

However, the officials building their protective zones reminded Irving, why not build his own?

"Irving, I'll reiterate my previous statement, the doors of the Angel Group are always open to you." Anna sincerely said, "Even if you don't want to join, I hope we can maintain our cooperation."

Irving gave a slight smile then left the coffee shop.

But he didn't go directly home, instead, he drove the Maybach S680 that James had previously gifted him straight to the Green Ivy Corporation building.

The receptionist at the entrance had been replaced with a young beauty, who immediately recognized Irving and quickly trotted over, "Irving, you've arrived?"

"You know me?" Irving was somewhat surprised.

"James has instructed us that you, Irving, may come and go as you please at Green Ivy Tower." The beautiful receptionist's eyes flashed with a hint of ambiguity as she deliberately bent over, making a welcoming gesture that perfectly showcased her fair chest.

However, such displays held no interest for Irving.

Soon, under the guidance of the beautiful receptionist, Irving arrived directly at the top-floor office.

At this moment, James was rubbing his temples, his face looking quite distressed as if he was worrying over something.

When he heard the knock on the door, he looked at the receptionist who had entered and asked impatiently, "What is it?"

"Mr. James, Irving is here." the receptionist hurriedly explained.

James' expression flickered with surprise. He quickly stood up and warmly led Irving to the sofa to sit down. He then looked at the receptionist and said, "Leave, and no one is to come in without my permission!"

"Understood." The receptionist nodded repeatedly and made sure to close the door as she left.

Soon, only James and Irving were left in the office.

"Irving, you finally made it." James sighed and continued, "If it weren't for the materials you gave me last time at the mine, you might not be seeing me now..."

It turned out that after leaving the mine that day, James hurried back with other members of the guild, using the materials to reinforce the walls and the shelter. However, the sudden onset of extreme cold weather caught him off guard.

Especially having to fend off those powerful exotic beasts in the dark… In the end, they barely survived the second wave of the cataclysm thanks to the fortified shelter, but the guild members suffered heavy casualties.

Even now, recalling those moments, James still felt a lingering fear.

"Irving, I sent someone to that mine this morning, and they didn't find the group that was there before, but they'll probably notice something's wrong soon." James said, frowning. "The Green Ivy Group has too few members right now, and I'm afraid we can't hold that place..."

Irving nodded. He had come precisely for this matter.

Though the Green Ivy Group had the backing of t the White family 's Green Ivy Corporation, they weren't the only guild in the capital city. The most formidable was the Dragon Age Guild led by the Taylor family, having recruited at least several hundred players.

Various guilds were offering generous conditions to attract players to join.

After surviving two consecutive waves of the cataclysm, everyone understood one thing: to survive the apocalypse, one must form a strong enough team.

When apocalypse struck, even the powerful families in the real world would disintegrate instantly, and no amount of money would be worth anything…

Thinking about the current situation made James feel like his head was about to explode, especially with the Brotherhood of Night Blades hanging over him like a sword, ready to exact revenge at any moment.

The mine must be held, and any future resources obtained would need someone to manage them. The Green Ivy Group was currently the best option.

Especially after the incident at the banquet, James' selfless actions had earned Irving's trust.

"What kind of conditions can attract those players to join?" Irving asked.

James paused and explained, "Initially, many guilds used money to attract players, but now equipment is the most important. With enough equipment, a strong team can be assembled immediately."

Irving nodded and then took out all the equipment collected during the second wave of the cataclysm.

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"Is this enough?"

Irving asked calmly. However, his words hung in the air without a response, as James stood there frozen, unable to utter a word, his face filled with shock.