Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)




Patrick spat out a mouthful of dirt, cursing under his breath. "Who the hell dug this hole? Who could be so damn petty?" He wanted to give the mercenary who had been so reckless a good smack across the face. His rebellious nature was one thing, but stepping up like that was another-looking up at the sky in frustration, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

They'd been on countless missions, but never had they been so humiliated. The group of ten or so mercenaries were all covered in yellow dirt, and the only thing standing out was their big white teeth. Some of them had even swallowed dirt-no big smile for them.

"Alright, everyone, let's crawl out of here," Patrick ordered.

They pulled out their knives, using them to dig into the earth, climbing their way out with surprising speed. Less than five minutes later, they were all back on solid ground.

Patrick kicked the mercenary who had caused all this trouble. "Told you not to be so reckless."

The mercenary wisely kept his mouth shut, fully aware that he was in the wrong. He didn't even try to argue what a mess.

No sooner had they walked 1500 feet when they found another sign. It read, "Gotcha. Fell into the pit, huh? Deserved it. Told you not to pull it down. Naughty little dirt man."

'Dirt man?' Patrick couldn't help but glance at the mercenaries. Now that he thought about it, they did look like a bunch of dirt people, covered in mud from head to toe.

"Patrick, do you think we should pull this one down? It doesn't give us any clear instructions this time."

The mercenaries looked to Patrick for guidance, clearly nervous. After all, who knew what kind of nasty surprise awaited them if they pulled the sign down again?

Patrick took a look at the sign, then let out a cold laugh. "This is just one big, shiny trap trying to tempt us. I'm not stupid enough to fall for it twice. No way I'm getting tricked again."

"Let's keep moving," he added, his voice firm.

The group marched on, their steps growing faster with each passing minute. But just as they thought they were in the clear, the ground beneath them gave way, and a massive net suddenly rose up, trapping them and hoisting them into the trees.

"What the hell? We didn't even touch the damn sign! Why is this happening?"

"This is too much! Who would set up such a childish trap? I swear, if I ever find out who did this, I'll make sure they regret it!"

They were all tangled in the net, hanging like a bunch of helpless ragdolls. It wasn't dangerous, but it was infuriating. Patrick's blood was boiling as he gritted his teeth.

"Cut this damn net open," he growled.

Luckily, the mercenaries were well-prepared. They quickly drew out their knives and began cutting through the thick wire.

"Patrick, this is insane. This net's made of fine steel wire! If we didn't have knives, we'd be stuck here forever."

"Quit complaining and just cut," Patrick snapped, his gaze sharp as he concentrated on the task. His fury was practically sizzling in the air.

After a few minutes of cutting, they managed to create a small hole in the net. One by one, they jumped down, their faces full of embarrassment.

"Patrick, do you think there's another sign waiting for us up ahead?" one mercenary asked, already dreading the answer.

Patrick sighed heavily. "I'm sure there is. Whoever's behind this is seriously childish, setting up these ridiculous traps."

"We're not stopping," he said, cutting off their complaints. "We're getting through this, no matter what. We need to find that person."

They marched on, now determined to finish the task at hand. Just as they'd walked another half mile, they came across yet another sign. It read, "Did you fall for it again? Pathetic. Too scared to pull the sign down, huh? Wimp. Useless trash. Piss off."

The group stared at the sign, exchanging baffled looks. Who could possibly be behind this? What kind of childish mind came up with this nonsense?

"Patrick, should we pull it down this time? I feel like..." one mercenary began, but Patrick interrupted before he could finish.

"Don't 'feel' anything! Every time you guys feel something, it's a disaster. This is a mind game. First sign, we

fell for it, Second sign, we didn't Now we get to the third one, and they're trying to get us to pulbit down again." Content belongs to

Novelxo.org

"We're splitting up. I don't care what happens this time. We're not falling for it again,"

he said, voice full of determination.

The group spread out, walking at a distance from one another. They were confident that they'd avoid the trap this time—after all, they had the experience.

But, as usual, their confidence didn't last long.

*****

In Soufield, Geoffrey was rushed into the operating room.

The hospital staff quickly contacted David upon recognizing the name. The call was abruptly ended, with David showing no intention of heading to the hospital.

Nathan, ever perceptive, didn't press further. Instead, he reported, "Boss, I've brought in a few poison experts. They all said the poison, Luna Stalk, is

untreatable."

David's mood darkened further as he sat at his desk. His voice was cold as he responded, "Keep looking for someone who can make an antidote for Luna Stalk."

"Understood."

Nathan hesitated, then added, "Also, Patrick's team is up at Bane Springs Mountain looking for Danielle's master."

"Also," Nathan continued, "the masked people we found in the cave-our lab results came back. They're living experiments, mutated by drugs. On the surface, they look human, but they're nothing more than puppets."

David's eyes narrowed, a flicker of respect in his voice as he added, "Danielle took

care of all those things? Impressive."

"They're connected to the people who kidnapped Matthew, linked to

net

Shadow Domain. A significant portion of their force has already moved to Aleria, and it's likely the mastermind is there as well. But those two in the cave? They came prepared." Content belongs to Novelxo.org

Nathan paused, then added, "The assassin we encountered outside the cave-his phone was recovered by the tech department. It's clear they were targeting you, and

we traced the transfer to Polly."

David's fingers drummed against his desk as a cold smile crossed his face. "Polly again, huh? He thinks he can get rid of me? Not a chance."

David's eyes glinted with cold resolve. "Yes. Bring Polly here. It's time to end this."

Jaden's message arrived.

Jaden: [Someone posed as a doctor last night, trying to take out Xavier. I

caught them in the act, but befored could interrogate, they died-poison in the mouth. The Darling

е

over

family-did they make any enemies? Need any help?] Content belongs to

Novelxo.org

David read the message, his anger boiling over. Harming the Darling family means

harming Danielle.

David: [I'll handle it. Let me know if you need anything, but you should ask the

Darling family, not me.]

Jaden: [Nice, he's handsome, but why does he have such a mouth?]

David: [Xavier's mouth is worse than mine.]

Jaden: [No need to send anyone. My team's already at the hospital.]

David put down his phone and immediately dialed another number.

"Send people to St. Katherine's Hospital to watch over things, especially the doctors

and nurses entering the rooms."

"Understood, boss. We'll send someone right away."