CHAPTER 16: PRS 16

Isabella Clark had barely closed her eyes in the passenger seat for five minutes when a loud voice from the Phoenix System suddenly startled her.

[DING!!!]

[New mission!]

[Mission: Save the life of a man in a black car, 200 meters in front of the Host.

Reward: 3,000 hectares of land in Student City, a drone manufacturing technology company, and 20% shares

New ability: High-level lobbying

Time: 30 minutes]

[ACCEPT] [REJECT]

Isabella suddenly woke up. Her eyes widened as she read the reward offered.

"A drone company? Twenty percent shares? Plus land in Student City?" she muttered softly.

TM Corporation had been desperately seeking land in Student City, but had always failed due to being blocked by stronger parties. If the prize fell into her hands, Isabella would have a powerful weapon to use against anyone. Coupled with her advanced lobbying skills, it would be invaluable in any future negotiations.

Without hesitation, he pressed the [ACCEPT] button on the transparent holographic screen on his lap.

As soon as he looked up, his eyes immediately caught sight of a black car stopped in the middle of the road—the car the Phoenix System had designated as the mission target.

"Brother Siva, could you pull over for a moment? There’s something wrong with that car in front," Isabella said sharply, her tone full of caution.

Siva, her personal bodyguard and driver, immediately slowed down the brand-new Mercedes Benz. His eyes followed Isabella’s gaze. Sure enough, the car looked strange, stopped for no reason, and through the dim glass, a motionless figure could be seen.

Siva pulled the car over and got out first. As a professional bodyguard, he had to ensure the situation was safe. He walked quickly to the suspicious car, inspected its surroundings, and then waved his hand to signal Isabella that it was safe to get out.

"It’s locked," Siva said after trying several doors. He turned to Isabella with a tense expression.

Isabella approached and knocked on the car window. Knock... knock... knock...

From inside, an elderly man appeared pale. He appeared to have just come out of a stupor. His lips moved slowly, mouthing the word "help" silently.

Isabella held her breath. "Brother Siva, this car looks like it’s going to explode. We have to help him quickly!"

Siva’s face immediately turned serious. "Okay, Miss. We have to break the window."

The two of them quickly looked for something to break the window with. Siva grabbed a piece of paving stone from the side of the road, while Isabella opened her trunk and retrieved a fire extinguisher’s oxygen tank she had brought from a cafe a few days ago.

With full force, Isabella tried to hit the car window with the tip of the tank. Knock... knock...! But the glass wouldn’t break.

"Let me try, Miss," Siva said, taking over.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Three hits failed. Only on the fourth hit did the rear window shatter with a loud crack. Deftly, Siva reached out, unlocked the door, and then quickly went inside to open the front door.

As soon as the front door opened, Isabella immediately helped pull the elderly man out. His body was weak, his face pale, and his breathing labored.

"Come on, sir... hold on a little longer," Isabella said, her voice soft but full of urgency.

The two of them dragged the elderly man toward the Mercedes. Just as Isabella’s car door closed, a loud bang rang out from the black car they were leaving. A loud explosion shook the air, flames billowing high.

Siva immediately pressed the accelerator, speeding away.

In the back seat, Isabella supported the elderly man. "Hold on, sir. We’ll take you to the hospital soon. Please don’t fall asleep... keep your eyes open," she said, gently patting the man’s cheek.

Siva quickly directed the car to the nearest hospital using GPS. Meanwhile, Isabella contacted the police on her cell phone, reporting the accident and explosion.

"Okay, we’ll send a team to the location immediately," the police officer replied. "One team to the crime scene, another to the nearest hospital. Thank you for your report."

Soon, they arrived at the emergency room doors. Two nurses immediately came out with a stretcher after seeing the emergency. They carried the elderly man inside.

Isabella and Siva waited anxiously in the waiting room.

A few minutes later, a doctor came out. "Who is the patient’s family?" he asked.

"I’m not his family, Doctor," Isabella answered honestly. "I just happened to help him on the road. His car broke down and exploded. Please... do whatever you can to save him."

The doctor nodded. "We need the family’s signature for surgery. In the meantime, we’ll stabilize his condition first."

Shortly, a nurse came out of the patient’s room. "Doctor, the patient is conscious. He asked that his family be contacted immediately."

"Call his family quickly. We need to operate on his leg immediately," the doctor insisted.

With nothing else to do, Isabella and Siva sat back down. Five minutes later, two police officers arrived to question them.

After explaining the chronology, and since it was clear they had nothing to do with the accident, Isabella and Siva were allowed to go home.

Before continuing their journey, Isabella invited Siva to change clothes in the hospital restroom. "We have to clean up the blood in the car too. I don’t want to leave any traces," she said.

Siva nodded. Once the car was clean, they drove off again.

At that moment, the Phoenix System’s notification sound rang in Isabella’s head again.

[Congratulations, Host, you have completed the mission. You have obtained 3,000 hectares of land in Student City, a drone manufacturing technology company, and a 20% stake. The advanced lobbying ability has been obtained. The land certificate can be retrieved from your bag.]

[Does Host wish to activate the advanced lobbying ability now?]

Isabella took a deep breath. "Yes, activate it now."

In an instant, a sharp pain shot through her head. She closed her eyes, bracing herself as the Phoenix System installed the new ability into her body and mind.

Siva glanced at Isabella in the rearview mirror. "Miss, are you okay? Your face is very pale."

Isabella opened her eyes slowly. "I’m fine. Just a little dizzy. Don’t worry, Siva."

A few seconds later, the status panel appeared clearly in her mind.

[Status Panel]

Name: Isabella Clark

Age: 22

Beauty: 60/100

Intelligence: 60/100

Strength: 20/100

Health: 10/100

Charm: 20/100

Mentality: 25/100

Special Abilities:

Black Belt-Level Martial Arts

High-Level Hacker

High-Level Lobbyist

Assets:

1 unit at Aurora Sky Tower – Penthouse Level 52 – Unit P5201, valued at 42 Billion

1 two-story commercial shophouse on Jl. Hero 08 (1.5M)

1 luxury villa in the Rainy City (5M)

3,000 hectares of land in the Student City

1 drone manufacturing technology company + 20% stake

Total wealth: Rp1,001,995,000,000

Isabella closed the panel. She was too tired to investigate further.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

Alesio ran to the small hospital in City Z upon receiving news that his grandfather had been in an accident. After signing the paperwork, his grandfather was immediately taken to the operating room to treat his broken leg.

Alesio tapped his phone. "Check the CCTV around the road. I want to know what really happened," he ordered his assistant.

A few minutes later, the CCTV footage came into his hands. His grandfather’s car clearly stopped in the middle of the road. Shortly after, a brand-new black Mercedes Benz pulled up, and two young women appeared and desperately tried to save her grandfather. Three seconds after they managed to pull him out, his grandfather’s car exploded violently.

Alesio clenched his fists, his muscles bulging. "Bastard... someone planted a bomb in Grandpa’s car!"

His eyes were filled with rage. "I won’t let anyone who dares harm my family go free. Do you think you can hide forever? No... I’ll find you one day."

He stared at the operating room door, which was still tightly closed. "Grandpa must survive... only he and Nano are left. I won’t let the tragedy of fifteen years ago repeat itself."