Chapter 104: Hunting Trap

In the underground garage of the Sunrich Group.

At this moment, several silver vans were parked there. These vans had their curtains drawn, making it impossible to see inside from the outside, and their rear ends were even devoid of license plates.

A flashy young man was sitting in another black business car, and next to him, there was a computer logged into the official forum discussion area.

The upper right corner of the screen featured a cute cartoon avatar.

If Irving were here at this moment, he would immediately recognize that cute cartoon avatar as belonging to the mysterious player selling tracking crystals in the forum.

"Dennis, everything is ready. When do we set off?" A burly man came over and asked.

The young man was Dennis. His gaze fell on the phone call that had just ended, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

Last time, he had planned to seize Vicky during the banquet, but Irving showed up out of nowhere, not only taking the woman he wanted but also disgracing the Taylor family.

After returning that day, Dennis was severely scolded by Gary and was put under house arrest for an entire week.

However, Dennis did not remain idle during his confinement. Upon hearing the announcement from the Blue Planet's Will about the bounty on the "Public Enemy No. 1." he decided to use this opportunity to prove himself.

A few days ago, he accidentally obtained a tracking crystal while killing an exotic beast in the game and was able to lock onto the signal location of the "Public Enemy No. 1" player in the capital city.

"Are these people reliable? This is my only chance. It must succeed, no room for failure!" Dennis' gaze shifted to the burly man, questioning him. Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The incident at the banquet had caused his status in the family to plummet. If he didn't accomplish something significant, the title of family heir would never be his.

"Dennis, don't worry. Those people are highly-paid assassins from abroad, and they smuggled in a lot of weapons overnight. It's foolproof." the burly man assured him.

Hearing this, Dennis felt slightly relieved. The sinister smile on his face grew even more pronounced, and a hint of hatred flashed in his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Irving, you bastard, just wait. When I get back this time, even if you are the chief advisor of the Angel Guild, it won't matter. Once I obtain the legendary weapon rewarded by the Blue Planet's Will, it will be your death day!"

Equipment is categorized by grades: Junk, Common, Advanced, Rare, Epic, and Legendary—six categories in total.

On the game forum, the highest grade equipment that had appeared so far was merely Advanced.

An Advanced piece of equipment could already fetch a high price on the game forum, and as for the Rare grade and beyond, at least 99.99% of players had never seen them, let alone Epic grade.

In the game, owning a powerful piece of equipment could even level the playing field between players of different levels.

The legendary equipment rewarded by the Blue Planet's Will this time would inevitably attract immense attention upon its appearance. Even the top officials would step forward to win over its owner.

At this moment, Dennis, sitting in the car, couldn't help but fantasize, a series of smug smiles appearing on his face. The next moment, he waved at the driver in front of him, saying, "Let's go!"

The underground garage reverberated as a convoy of eight silver vans, led by the black business car carrying Dennis, rumbled away from the garage.

...

In the suburban villa.

After parking his car, Irving went directly into the villa.

Previously, this villa had staff coming every other day to clean, but after Irving purchased it, he dismissed them because he had other plans for this suburban property.

He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a golden glow on Irving, making him feel quite comfortable.

The villa was built against a hill, offering a splendid view beyond the swimming pool. From here, one could see the skyline of the capital city with its towering buildings.

"Four billion dollars, buying such a large and well-renovated villa was definitely worth it." Irving mused, lying comfortably on the couch and gazing at the distant scenery, feeling utterly at ease.

Once the apocalypse arrived, not only would this villa be his, but so would the entire mountain it stood on.

"It seems the previous owner of this villa had quite the influence, but it's a pity that when he gets out of prison..." Irving chuckled and shook his head, "he probably won't have a chance to come out alive."

The reason this villa had been auctioned off at such a low price multiple times was due to the former owner's threats. The black-market boss, even from prison, had warned that anyone who dared to buy his property would have their family killed upon his release.

There were plenty of wealthy people in the city, but no one dared to cross that black-market boss.

However, such threats meant nothing to Irving.

With the apocalypse imminent, survival in the outside world would be tough for everyone, let alone for those still trapped in prison.

Irving had already sent the location of the villa to the mysterious player. Sitting on the couch, he waited patiently, his mind wandering to other matters, particularly the Smith family's Ocean Group.

He had heard long ago that Ocean Group primarily dealt in material transport and trade, and what he lacked now were materials.

If he couldn't secure basic survival supplies, it would be hard to survive in the material-scarce apocalypse, which was also why he bought this villa in the first place.

This suburban villa was rarely visited, spacious, and ideal for stockpiling supplies.

In addition, Irving recalled James's words about the three cities around the capital, each abundant in resources. As someone who had survived one apocalypse, he knew these cities would inevitably become targets for various factions.

"Even controlling just one of these cities would provide enough resources to dominate an area." Irving murmured, a complex expression flickering in his eyes.

At that moment.

His phone rang suddenly.

Irving snapped out of his thoughts, initially thinking it was the mysterious player calling. But when he saw the number on the screen, indicating it was from Starling City, his brow furrowed deeply.

He answered the call.

Before Irving could say anything, he heard Sophia's urgent voice on the other end, "Irving, something terrible has happened! My... my father has been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapping?" Irving was slightly taken aback.

The Green family was one of the top families in Starling City. Within the city, no one would dare provoke them, let alone attempt such a brazen act.

"Last night, after I returned from the secret realm, I received a call. They demanded I hand over the racial inheritance I obtained from the secret realm. If I don't, they said they would... they would kill my father!" Sophia choked out, her voice trembling.

Irving's brows furrowed even deeper. In a serious tone, he asked, "Do you know who they are?"

"It must be the Fox family!" Sophia asserted resolutely. "When we entered the secret realm last night, the Fox family colluded with the Night Blades and betrayed us. During the chaos, I got separated from my family members. They must have kidnapped my father!"

Her certainty stemmed from the fact that all the Night Blades' operatives sent into the secret realm had been wiped out, and almost all members of the Fox family's guild were killed, except for Addison, who was conspicuously missing.

Hearing this, a cold glint flickered in Irving's deep-set eyes.

He harbored a profound hatred for traitorous families like the Fox, and now, the victim was Sophia's father, which made the situation even more intolerable.

"Alright, I'll deal with what I'm handling now and come to you immediately." Irving reassured her. "Don't cry, and don't panic. Wait for me to arrive, understand?"

"I understand, Irving." Sophia nodded vigorously, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

After hanging up the phone, Irving fell into deep thought.

Starling City had vast reserves of rare metal ores, holding an irreplaceable position even on a national level. It also produced high-quality fruits and vegetables, making its importance far greater than that of the capital city in a post-apocalyptic world.

Since he had always lived in the capital, he was unfamiliar with the three surrounding cities. When James mentioned these cities, he didn't pay much attention.

But now, the situation was different…

Sophia, a loyal follower and a rare ice mage, naturally couldn't be left to fend for herself. More crucially, this incident might forge a connection with Starling City, laying the groundwork for controlling this resource-rich city in the future.

While Irving was contemplating these matters, he suddenly sensed footsteps outside the villa.

Since merging with the Taikoo Flame gem last night, his senses had been significantly heightened.

Someone was approaching the villa.

A moment later, the doorbell rang.

When Irving opened the door and saw the mysterious player who had come to trade, he was momentarily stunned, his brows immediately knitting together.

Standing before him was an attractive woman in a pink bodycon skirt, standing about 1.75 meters tall. Her long, slender legs were accentuated by high heels, and her alluring face bore a seductive smile.

"What's the matter? I came all this way to trade with you." the woman in the bodycon skirt smiled, her beautiful eyes holding a hint of flirtation. "Aren't you going to invite me in to sit?"