Mabel was not going to blame Jonathan for Otto and Kairo's deaths.
However, Mabel still valued Jonathan's words.
It seemed like experts like Otto and Kairo, who had come for money, had a mysterious force backing them up. What's the aim of this mysterious force? Mabel was the chief of the Department of National Security's sixth division, and she could smell the scent of danger.
The Department of National Security was meant to keep the country safe, and Mabel's job was to decimate the hidden forces that were a threat to public safety.
It was her duty.
Once Mabel mulled over Jonathan's words, she immediately led her subordinates to Wildefield.
Once she boarded the plane, she started commanding the armed forces of Wildefield.
Otto and Kairo's bodies were soon removed by the
gendarmerie who did everything discreetly and did not bring any trouble to Victor at all. That night, Bjarne and Terry were arrested by the gendarmerie as well.
Although both were not weak in their cultivation, they had suffered in Jonathan's hands and were recovering in the hospital. Therefore, the gendarmerie had no trouble arresting them.
Jonathan never thought that things like these would happen when he was only doing his mission.
Nevertheless, regardless of how things would turn out on Mabel's side, Jonathan knew that his mission was almost complete.
Both Otto and Kairo were dead, and Bjarne and Terry had been arrested.
There was no way Briana would be able to interact with Otto anymore.
Technically, Jonathan had completed his mission as stated in the terms and conditions.
Despite that, Briana was not in a good condition. She was suffering from massive shock. In all the twenty-three years of her life, she had been getting everything she wanted.
Therefore, Otto's incident stunned her to her core.
Victor took Briana back to the mansion to take care of her.
Jonathan could not bring himself to ask for the prismatic crystal from Victor, for it would make him seem heartless.
At eight at night, Mabel reached Wildefield. The moment she landed, she called Jonathan. When the call went through, Mabel said, “I'm with the gendarmerie squad. Do you want to come over?” Uninterested, Jonathan replied, “Go ahead first. I'm guessing that Bjarne and Terry don't know anything about this. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given you the chance to arrest them.” Despite knowing that Jonathan had a point, she said, “But we still have to give it a try.” Jonathan agreed, “Yes.” “Okay, I'll call you again when I'm done.”
“Sure.” Just as he ended the call, a number Jonathan did not recognize called.
He picked it up.
As it turned out, it was Johanna.
Confused, Jonathan asked, “How do you know my number?” Johanna huffed. “It's tough to find you. | had to go to Victor to get your number.” Jonathan let out a hum of realization. Indeed, he had given his number to Victor.
Thus, he asked, “Anything | can help you with?" “Since you don't want the money, allow me and my sister to treat you to a meal tonight.” Jonathan chuckled. “You don't need to go through such troubles. | have something else to work on tonight.” However, Johanna was insistent. “What do you need to
do?” B Jonathan froze before answering, “I have a friend who's here and wants to have a meal with me.” “That's even better. We'll treat you and your friend.” A pause later, she continued, “We'll eat at my place, and I'll cook. You've got to come.” Jonathan sighed in resignation, but he knew he could not reject her anymore. Hence, he said, “Okay, but my friend might be busy until much later in the night.” “That's fine. Call me when you're done. We'll be waiting for you,” Johanna reassured.
“Okay.” “See you later,” said Johanna before finally ending the call.
A bitter smile crept onto Jonathan's lips, but he soon recalled what Beatrix said previously.
Beatrix told him about Joanne's situation. Ice would form whenever anyone with a high level of cultivation shook hands with Joanne.
Jonathan muttered under his breath, “This is Beatrix's theory, but she hasn't tested it out yet. Moreover, Mabel has more cultivation than | do. What if | take her to Joanne and have her shake hands with the latter? What will it be? Well, we'll find out once we try it.” Once Jonathan made up his mind, he started to look forward to the dinner.
There was nothing else Jonathan needed to do, and there was nowhere he could go.
Hence, he contemplated going to a bar to get some drinks and wait until night came.
He then hailed a cab and told the cab driver to head to a bar.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAt ten at night, Mabel was finally done with work.
Jonathan was quietly drinking away in the bar. He had passed the age of flirting with women, so he was doing nothing but drinking.
Johanna was surprisingly patient, for she never once called
Jonathan to urge him to hurry.
Right then, Jonathan received a call from Mabel.
“How is it?” Jonathan queried.
“Where are you? We'll talk about it when we meet.” Mabel sounded tired.
After giving her his current location, he said, “I don't have a car, so please come and pick me up.” “Sure.” Half an hour later, Mabel came in a military jeep.
Jonathan was waiting for her by the bar entrance, so when Mabel's car stopped by the side of the road, he climbed into it and sat in the front passenger seat.
He was surprised to see her in a military outfit, and she looked handsome in it.
Furthermore, there was something about her that told others that she was no simple individual.
‘When Mabel started the car, Jonathan suddenly laughed.
Baffled, she asked, “What are you laughing about?” “l used to want a pretty and elegant woman like you, but alas, it never happened. Don't you think that your getup will make men turn into beasts?” Mabel was speechless, and she rolled her eyes at Jonathan. “That isn't funny.” Jonathan chuckled but did not continue the topic.
“Let's go for barbecue somewhere and talk while we eat,” Mabel said to Jonathan after driving out of the street.
However, Jonathan told her, “That won't do. Someone's about to treat me to dinner tonight, so I'm going to take you there too.” Mabel stiffened for a while before saying, “Why are you taking me to meet your friends?” Jonathan chuckled. “They asked me to bring a female partner. Since we're on such good terms with each other, please sacrifice a little of your time for me.” Mabel's response was instantaneous. “No.” After a pause,
she went on, “If | go to an unsightly meeting like this, my grandpa's going to kill me. He'd say it's a disgrace.” Jonathan laughed again. “All right, all right. | was joking with you. It's true that someone is treating me to a meal tonight, but they're upstanding members of society. The chairman of Falcon Corporation is inviting us to dinner.” Mabel hummed. “I know about Falcon Corporation.
Joanne's a pretty capable woman. Why is she treating you to a meal?” “That isn't important. What's important is that Jonathan has a strange physique.” Hearing that, Mabel gave Jonathan a look. “You're quick, aren't you? It hasn't been long since you came, but you already know that woman has a strange body.” Jonathan was momentarily taken aback. He never thought that Mabel would be rather unrestrained in private when she was a rather solemn individual at most times.
“It's not what you think.” Jonathan then explained to her what happened when he shook hands with Joanne. He also
told her about Johanna's suspicions.
Mabel's interest was piqued after hearing him.
She said, “There really are all kinds of miracles in this world. I'd like to see her for myself.” “Good to hear that. I'l call them and tell them about this.” Mabel nodded.
Jonathan then called Johanna.
Johanna gave no words of protest, and her tone was gentle. When Jonathan asked her for the address, she gave it to him right away.
“I'l see you later,” Jonathan said before ending the call.
Jonathan then said to Mabel, “The third block at Serenyte Garden.” Mabel hummed in response before saying, “Key in the address in the GPS.” “Okay.” That was how convenient modern technology was. As long
as one had the address, one did not need to ask for directions.
After keying in the address, Jonathan asked, “How did the inquest go with Terry and Bjarne?” Mabel seemed to look downcast when the question was raised. “You were right. They were both hired by Otto and Kairo later on. They barely know anything, and they've contributed nothing to our investigation.” Jonathan was not surprised.
“Messenger from hell? Hell? What kind of organization is that, and what aim do they have?” “Don't get too worried about this. I'm sure these men from hell will come to me when the time is right.
Didn't Otto leave a threat behind before killing himself? If they come to me, I'll do my best to get some clues for you.” “You have to be careful,” Mabel reminded.
Jonathan smiled and reassured, “Don't worry. I'm a lucky man. By the way, is General Watson not here yet?”
“It's more like he's gone now. The men are dead, and it's pointless for him to come. He has asked me to convey his thanks to you.” “I see.” Half an hour later, which was twenty minutes past eleven at night, the two of them finally reached Serenyte Garden.
It was a place of serenity amidst the bustling city, and it was certainly a good place to live in.
The inside of the neighborhood was constructed to be a forest park.
Johanna had come to the entrance of Serenyte Garden to welcome them.
After parking her jeep outside the residential area, she and Jonathan got out of the vehicle.
“Ms. Johanna!” Jonathan greeted with a chuckle. He then moved to hug Johanna. As Mabel was around, she forced herself to go along with his actions.
Jonathan was amused, but he was only hugging her as a
greeting.
That made Johanna sigh in relief.
Jonathan then introduced, “Ms. Johanna, this is my friend, Mabel.” Bearing a hint of fear and respect for Mabel, Johanna politely and tentatively greeted, “Ms. Sandler.” To her surprise, Mabel reached out her hand and calmly said, “Ms. Johanna, sorry for the late visit. | hope you won't mind.” Johanna quickly answered, “No, of course not. It's our honor to have you here, Ms. Sandler.”
After the three of them exchanged some pleasantries, Johanna said, “Please come inside.” Jonathan and Mabel nodded. It was only natural for them to oblige.
They were soon ushered into a residential area under Johanna's lead. Finally, they arrived at a standalone mansion with a courtyard in front of it. The courtyard was full of flowers and plants.
It also had a standalone dog kennel.
The moment they entered the courtyard, a huge golden retriever dashed toward them happily and jumped on Johanna.
She gave it a big hug and caressed its head. Then, she gestured for it to stay at the side.
The golden retriever was very obedient. It shook its tail a few times before sitting down next to them.
Jonathan was all envious. It so happened that he was fond of dogs as well. However, he was hardly around, so it was
nearly impossible for him to own a dog.
When they entered the mansion, the two guests noticed that the living room was brightly lit and lavishly decorated.
Just then, Joanne approached them. Even though she was dressed informally in a white casual outfit, she continued to exude the aura of a domineering person.
Moreover, people felt that she was distant, albeit she was always smiling.
“We meet again, Ms. Joanne,” said Jonathan with a smile.
Joanne smiled faintly as well. “We've been waiting for you, Mr. Lawson.” Then, she turned and looked at Mabel. “This is...” He stepped forward and immediately introduced Mabel to her. “This is my friend, Mabel Sandler.” Subsequently, he turned to Mabel and said, “Mabel, this is the chairman of Falcon Corporation, Joanne Wilkinson.” ‘With a faint smile, Mabel extended her hand and said, “Ms.
Joanne, | heard a lot about you. Now that I'm actually here,
| can see that you're much more beautiful than what the rumors said.” It was always her forte—to act flawlessly when the situation called for it.
Joanne reached out and shook Mabel's hand. With a faint smile, she said, “Ms. Sandler, you look even more beautiful than I am.” Jonathan looked at them intently. He was eager to see the chemical reaction that would happen when they shook hands.
On the contrary, Johanna did not think too much of it.
As Joanne and Mabel shook hands, the latter's expression changed all of a sudden.
Meanwhile, Joanne looked at Mabel strangely.
Suddenly, Jonathan saw a lot of small ice crystals appear on Mabel's hand.
The ice crystals appeared much faster and the reaction was more intense compared to the time when Jonathan shook hands with Joanne.
Johanna and Joanne exchanged looks of surprise.
As Mabel was unable to withstand the coldness, she pulled her hand back quickly.
The situation helped to affirm Jonathan's guess that Beatrix's theory was absolutely correct.
Mabel exclaimed in amazement, “I can't believe that something as strange as this can happen.” Meanwhile, Johanna turned to Joanne and said, “What's going on, Joanne?” She knew that something was wrong and it had something to do with Joanne.
Joanne merely shook her head. “I'm not sure.” “Do you know what's going on? Why is there a chemical reaction when you shake her hand?” Jonathan asked Mabel.
Nevertheless, Mabel could only smile bitterly. “I don't know.” After realizing that no one could give an explanation for it, Johanna suggested, “The dinner is ready.
Why don't we go and eat? We can discuss it at the table.” Upon hearing it, Joanne agreed. “Please come with us, Mr.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLawson, Ms. Sandler!” Jonathan and Mabel did not decline the invitation.
The lighting was gentle and warm when they entered the dining room.
Atypical western cuisine was already prepared for them.
There wine, pizza, fruit salad, and other dishes on the table. Everything looked delicious and smelled wonderful.
As Jonathan tried to lighten up the atmosphere, he said, “It's obvious that you tricked us, Ms. Johanna. There's no way that you have prepared all the dishes by yourself.” Johanna grinned sheepishly. “All right, you caught me. The dishes were prepared by our chef. But | did prepare one of them.” He smiled as he sat down. “Obviously, it's the fruit salad.
Am | right?” She conceded with a chuckle. “That's very clever of you.”
“It's all common sense, not that I'm clever,” he responded light-heartedly.
After everyone was settled down, Joanne raised her glass and said, “First, | want to thank Mr. Lawson and Ms.
Sandler for being here even though both of you are very busy. Here's a toast to you.” Then, she downed her wine in one go.
Jonathan and Mabel followed by drinking their wine in one gulp as well. Mabel gave a faint smile. “Both of you are busier than us, Ms. Johanna, Ms. Joanne. Jonathan and | are the ones who should thank you for taking out time to entertain us.” Joanne smiled. “Don’t mention it.” Subsequently, Johanna raised her glass. “Jonathan, despite your usual sloppy attitude, you've saved my life. I'm grateful for it. Here's my toast to you.” With that said, she finished her wine in one go.
He smiled. “You're too polite, Ms. Johanna. I'm a martial artist. We will always help others when they need our help.
After all, it's not a big deal.” Having said that, he raised his glass and downed it.
The atmosphere was harmonious as all of them spent the time talking to each other, drinking wine, and eating.
However, a question continued to linger deep in their hearts. It was none other than the incident of the strange chemical reaction when they shook hands with Joanne.
Johanna, who was very concerned about her sister, was the first person to raise the matter. “Why is there no reaction when ordinary people like me shake hands with Joanne?” “I may not be able to answer other questions, but | do know the answer to this. Mabel and | are martial artists. We have strong vitality, which means the energy inside us is robust and fierce. Thus, you can see the reaction clearly when we shake hands with Ms. Joanne. In contrast, you don't have strong vitality, Ms. Johanna. That's the reason why you can't trigger any reaction from Ms. Joanne,” Jonathan
explained.
Realization dawned on Johanna.
Then, Mabel asked Joanne, “Don't you know anything at all, Ms. Joanne? It's impossible for something to happen so suddenly.” Jonathan turned to look at Joanne as well. “Mabel and | mean no harm, Ms. Joanne. Perhaps we may be of help to you if you can shed light on this matter. Your situation is very rare. At the very least, we've never encountered it before.” Joanne took a sip of her red wine. With a sigh, she said, “If | were to say that I'm clueless about the incident, | don't think you will believe me anyway. But | really never thought much about it before this. After all, | always thought that it was a mere coincidence.” Jonathan and Mabel were surprised by her answer. He then asked, “What had happened?” Johanna was also looking at Joanne with surprise.
Joanne said gravely, “I've always had the same dream
since | was young. It was a ridiculous dream. In the dream, 1 was on top of an ice mountain. There were endless rows of soldiers at the base of the ice mountain who greeted me loudly. It started like 'Long live Your Majesty. May the world be united forever!" or something of the sort.” Having said that, she paused for a short while before continuing, “Sometimes, | thought that the king standing on top of the ice mountain was me. Other times, | thought it wasn't me as the person felt like a complete stranger. I've had this dream many times and it would occur every so often.” “I get it now,” Mabel said quickly.
The rest immediately turned to look at her. Jonathan did not understand what she meant, thus he asked, “About what?” “If I'm not wrong, you must be the reincarnation of an expert who was a Divine Master,” she explained.
However, Jonathan thought the assumption was unimaginable. “Reincarnation? Can that even happen?” Johanna and Joanne were also unable to comprehend it as
it was too unbelievable.
Mabel continued to explain, “Of course, reincarnation is something that is baseless. But Jonathan, after reaching our current cultivation stage, we know it better than anyone else. An ordinary person is unable to reincarnate. However, an expert who has become a Divine Master may be able to understand the mystery of life and reincarnate successfully.” Then, she turned to Joanne and said, “I think that your dreams are spiritual imprints, Ms. Joanne.” Jonathan concurred. “All right. It's a plausible explanation.
But there's something else that | don't understand. How can there still be a ruler in our modern world? Perhaps it's the reincarnation of an ancient king? But it can't be right. After all, we only have one famous female ruler who ruled the ancient world—Cleopatra.” “I can't think of anyone who fits the description. After all, we only know about the scene on top of the ice mountain and the reincarnation of a Divine Master,” said Mabel in a heavy tone.
As Johanna listened to them, she found the explanation to be even more inconceivable. “What are you talking about? The more | listen to you, the more | can't understand it.” On the other hand, Joanne fell into deep thought.
Mabel gave a contrite smile. “It's hard to explain the whole matter in such a short time to you, Ms. Johanna.” Then, after pausing for a while, she turned to Joanne and said, “Ms. Joanne, my knowledge is limited, so that's all | can analyze. If you really want to get to the bottom of this mystery, | can take you to Yaleview. Perhaps some experts in the Department of National Security can give you some answers.” Joanne's eyes reflected her mixed emotions. Everything that happens has deviated from my current life. | don't know how to decide. Do | continue to live a plain and simple life? Or do | want to open Pandora's box? She hesitated for a while before determination appeared in her eyes. Turning to Mabel, she said, “I'm counting on you then.”
Mabel nodded. “When can you go, Ms. Joanne?” “Anytime!” Joanne replied.
Upon hearing the answer, Mabel stood up. “Instead of scheduling another date, shall we do it today? It so happened that a jet is waiting for me outside. We may arrive at Yaleview later.” “All right.” Joanne stood up as well.
Both of them were formidable women who were decisive and firm in their actions. Thus, when they had decided on a matter, they would do it as soon as possible.
“Are you coming with us, Jonathan?” Mabel asked.
He smiled ruefully. “I wanted to, but | still need to take care of a few matters here. I'm worried that something might come up.” Thus, she did not force him to go with them.
Meanwhile, Johanna immediately said, “I'll go with you, Joanne.” However, Joanne turned her down. “The company needs you, Johanna. You don't have to worry. I'll inform you
once | have news.” “Okay. Please be careful,” said Johanna.
After that, Mabel and Joanne left in a hurry.
Jonathan and Johanna watched the car drive further away before he said, “I'l take my leave as well, Ms. Johanna.” She was caught by surprise. “Where are you going?” “I need to find a hotel,” he replied.