Chapter 80: Matter Resolved, Reward Received

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Matter Resolved, Reward Received

Wyatt Shepherd stayed in the village to handle the aftermath, while Rian Sinclair led her people down the mountain. The military would naturally take care of the rest. Since it was inconvenient for her to get involved, she simply returned to the bed and breakfast. Everything had finally come to light. The knock on her door during the rainy night had likely been a probe to figure out her intentions, driven by the fear that the drugs hidden in the warehouse would be exposed. The village chief was also an outsider—a drug trafficker hiding in the village. Their hasty departure was probably because the people locked in the warehouse’s iron cages needed to be relocated.

In Old Man Collins’s house, faint female whimpering and the sound of someone hitting a wall could be heard. They had likely been brought to his place because he was one of them, tasked with keeping an eye on her group. Therefore, what Old Man Collins said was only half true. His two sons might have died while helping the villains, but his two daughters-in-law were probably locked up by him. The thumping and whimpering had to have come from them. And Ox... he probably wasn’t a fool either. His behavior didn’t resemble a mentally disabled person at all. He was deliberately playing dumb, and his wife had likely been trafficked here as well. Rian didn’t know why she had stumbled upon such a mess.

[Ding! Special mission trigger detected! Mission accomplished! Reward: The Seraphis Grand Manor in Meridia!]

Rian wasn’t surprised to hear another special mission triggered. The probability of triggering one was usually very high during major events.

Fiona Sinclair handed her a glass of water and said softly, "Miss, we will return to Argent tomorrow."

Rian nodded. "Increase the intensity of the foundation’s inspections. I hope a situation like this never happens again."

After Fiona nodded, Rian looked at the police cars parked outside the bed and breakfast and sighed. "There are still too many bad people in this world. Considering how smoothly they operated, they must be habitual offenders."

The incident was so massive that it made the news. However, Rian’s name was kept anonymous; she was simply referred to as a "concerned citizen." Listening to Ethan Sinclair’s report in the villa, Rian had guessed on the way back to Argent that the incident would make the news, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. The daily check-in rewards for the past two mornings had mostly been company shares, all of which she had handed over to Donovan Sinclair to handle.

After breakfast, she received a phone call. Hanging up, Rian happily drove out, heading straight for the airport.

Seeing a woman waving frantically in the distance, Rian smiled and waved back. The woman quickly ran over, looked at Rian, then at the car, and reached out to pinch Rian’s cheek.

"No way, my Ria! Are you really this rich? I thought the videos I scrolled past on Sharkstream were fake! But seeing the followers on your Sharkstream account skyrocket, I thought I had time-traveled to another universe."

Laughing, Rian swatted away the hand pinching her cheek. The woman standing before her was her best friend, Selena Forrest. Rian promptly shoved her into the car, her small luggage fitting perfectly in the front trunk.

"Let’s go, Ms. Selena. Get in, your sister will take you for a spin."

Selena happily threw her hands up in the air. However, once she sat in the supercar, she had no idea how to sit properly, feeling as though she was on pins and needles.

Rian looked over with a smile. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you were coming to Argent? Pulling a surprise attack on a Saturday, huh?"

Hearing her best friend’s familiar banter, Selena finally relaxed, her awkwardness of sitting in a luxury car fading slightly. "I just wanted to give you a surprise!"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Selena chattered about amusing things happening at her university. Rian had skipped grades, but her best friend hadn’t graduated yet. She listened to the campus anecdotes, chiming in with a response every now and then.

"What do you want to eat?" Rian asked.

Selena thought for a moment. "Does Argent have any authentic Sichuan hotpot?"

Rian gave her a deadpan look. "The locals in Argent prefer mild flavors. There are Sichuan hotpot places, but they aren’t authentic."

Selena shook her head. "Never mind then. You decide, Ria. I’ll just bring my appetite." She then looked up at the roof with a tragic expression and let out a dramatic sigh. "What a pity! So young, yet I’m already reduced to being a sugar baby kept by my best friend! Sigh! Who could possibly understand this kind of agony?"

Rian smiled and didn’t say a word. Selena’s mouth spoke of agony, but her eyes were brimming with pure joy. She was practically one step away from banging gongs and dancing on the streets to announce that her best friend was loaded.

Rian took her straight to The Tipsy Abode.

Inside a private room, Selena clung to Rian, gossiping about the entertainment industry, all of which she had gleaned from gossip group chats.

Rian placed some food into Selena’s bowl while playing along. "So, did you come to Argent for a specific reason?"

Selena shyly pulled her hands back, covered her face, and spoke in an incredibly dramatic, whiny tone. "Mainly, I wanted to see my celebrity crush. Didn’t that variety show, *Idol Debut*, start filming? My crush, Zane Shepherd, is one of the mentors."

Eating her food, Rian paused as she processed the words. Quentin had seemingly informed her that the first episode of *Idol Debut* was filming today. The mentors they had invited... Rian thought about it for a moment. It seemed Zane Shepherd, whom Selena mentioned, was indeed among them. Wyatt Shepherd, Zane Shepherd, Ulysses Shepherd? Why was she continuously running into people with the surname Shepherd? She mentally noted to have Donovan Sinclair look into the identities of the three brothers from the Shepherd Family in Kyoro. Meanwhile, Selena continued chattering non-stop beside her.

"Ria, the first episode of *Idol Debut* films today! They invite some live audience members, but it’s mostly broadcasted live online, and they’ll edit in some bonus clips later. Ria, do you know this is the closest I’ve ever been to my idol?"

Rian looked at her total fangirl demeanor and chuckled. "So, did you manage to get a ticket?"

At this, Selena’s expression deflated. "No... AHHHHHH! Those people have insanely fast clicking speeds! I couldn’t snatch one! I had planned to go, but since I didn’t get a ticket, I figured I’d just come hang out with you. I’ll just watch the live broadcast and drool over him through the screen!"

Rian pinched Selena’s cheek. "Hurry up and eat. You need the energy to chase after your idol."

"Huh?" Selena’s eyes widened as she stared at Rian. "Ria, what did you just say? Chase after my idol?"

"I’ll take you to the set later. Eat first." Hearing this, Selena began inhaling her food like a starving pig at a trough.

Rian sent a message to Quentin, telling him she was heading to the *Idol Debut* set later and needed someone to come fetch them. After seeing Quentin Sinclair’s reply, she noticed the dossier sent by Donovan. Reading through it, she confirmed that the three men were indeed the three brothers of the Shepherd Family. The eldest, Wyatt Shepherd, was commanding and rational; the second, Zane Shepherd, was gentle and refined; the third, Ulysses Shepherd, was lively and outgoing. Their personalities were drastically different.

Once Selena finished eating, Rian drove them toward the variety show’s filming location. Upon arriving at their destination, Selena acted like a fanatic little fangirl, snapping photos left and right and looking at everything. She even managed to find a fan group, returning with handfuls of fan support merchandise.

Rian stayed inside the car since it was too hot outside. Seeing her best friend return, she handed her a bottle of water. Just then, there was a KNOCK on the car window. She rolled it down and heard a voice say, "Boss, we received Special Assistant Kerr’s notice. The director sent me to escort you to the set. You can just call me Yan."

Rian nodded and was just about to tell Selena to get out of the car, but then...