Chapter 13: Ethan's First Task

Alexander glanced at him, put down the hoe, and opened the burlap sack.

A headless corpse was pulled out by Alexander and thrown into the pit he had just dug.

Jack was immediately horrified, almost screaming in fear.

His terrified gaze fixated on Alexander, who calmly buried the body.

What... what is happening here?!

He no longer dared to utter a single sound.

After burying the body in the white coat, Alexander quietly waited for the super fruit tree to react.

Anything with spiritual essence could be used as fertilizer for the soil.

Although this person in the white coat didn't have much talent, the spiritual essence cultivated in their body should still be considerable.

As expected, the super fruit tree started to respond, emitting a sinister green light.

The corpse buried in the soil quickly shriveled, leaving not even a trace of bone behind.

Two dim lights appeared on the branches of the super fruit tree.

As the light dissipated, a super fruit had suddenly grown.

Alexander examined the fruit, feeling somewhat disappointed.

The power contained in this thing was rather weak, even less useful than a profession-based fruit.

However, weak power was fine, as Alexander didn't want its owner to gain too much strength anyway.

Jack took a couple of horrified steps back when he saw this scene.

Using a person as fertilizer?

This tree was unbelievably evil and terrifying!

If news of this unnatural practice spread, this small courtyard would likely be labeled as a demonic lair and besieged.

This field, this tree, he didn't want to touch them ever again.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack glanced at Alexander, noticing that he was staring at him. Nervously, Jack blurted out:

"Master, don't worry, I swear I won't breathe a word of this to anyone!"

Alexander's expression remained neutral as he asked:

"Did that woman come today?"

Jack immediately recalled the curvaceous woman he had encountered earlier.

Although beautiful, she was nowhere near as stunning as Sister Rosie.

Of course, that mature charm she had was something Sister Rosie lacked.

Actually, his first impression of Dou Yubo wasn't that she was breathtakingly beautiful, but that she had a certain allure.

That mature womanly charm truly made his heart itch.

Hurriedly, he replied:

"She came, but she was quite disappointed when I told her you weren't here.

But I let her know you'd be back in three days."

Alexander nodded and, after calculating the time, said:

"If I'm not around that day, bring her here to this courtyard and have her wait for me."

Jack instinctively glanced at the super fruit, formed from blood and flesh as fertilizer, and began to understand what Alexander intended to do. He felt a bit nauseated inside.

"I understand, Master. I'll make sure it's done."

...

The next morning.

Alexander knocked on the door of the guest room in the small courtyard.

This room now belonged to Rosie.

Inside were several large curved monitors and a few computer towers.

The curtains were drawn, and various mechanical lights flickered.

If it were just for work or gaming, a single computer would have sufficed.

But the Mercenary Guild network was vast and complex, and the equipment here hadn't come cheap.

Rosie sat in her chair, her slender, pale fingers tapping away at the code.

Alexander pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"What are you working on?"

Only then did Rosie notice his presence, giving him a sweet smile:

"Working on a firewall."

That smile made Alexander's heart tremble violently.

The combination of the slime fruit and the medusa fruit carried a bewitching effect.

Together, the two super fruits were terrifyingly powerful!

Alexander cleared his throat awkwardly.

"The website's push notifications shouldn't be limited to wealthy households.

Ordinary people, especially those in professions like trades and services, should also be invited to join.

But of course, we should filter them. Preferably, those whose lives are tough and who desperately crave external help."

The typing on the keyboard came to a halt.

Rosie hesitated for a moment, suspicion in her voice:

"If you're not specifically recruiting government officials' or businessmen's children, what difference does it make who joins the guild?"

"Why bother filtering them?"

Alexander shook his head.

"This is for the website's safety. People with comfortable lives and happy families wouldn't care about the Mercenary Guild.

The Mercenary Guild is still in its infancy, and the missions we'll post will be brutal. If mercenaries don't care about the guild, it'll easily be exposed to the public eye."

This was something Alexander didn't want to see.

Only those whose lives were driven to desperation by oppression would cherish the Mercenary Guild as if it were a precious treasure.

This wasn't a matter of loyalty but one of personal interests.

It was like when there was a certain streaming software that allowed people to watch "any type" of movie for free.

When the software was reported and shut down, countless men at home furiously cursed the "snitches."

In its early days, the Mercenary Guild was just like that streaming software, so it could only invite a specific group of people.

Rosie didn't fully understand Alexander's point, but she began to ponder how to achieve his goal.

After a while, she shook her head and sighed softly:

"With my skills, I can only hack into a small number of phones and computers. The amount of information I can gather is really limited, so the pool of candidates isn't large."

Alexander asked:

"What if you hacked into the database of the Security Bureau?"

Rosie's beautiful eyes widened in shock as she stared at Alexander in disbelief:

"You're not serious, right? That would be a crime!"

A trace of displeasure flashed across Alexander's face.

Rosie quickly shut her mouth and thought for a moment:

"The firewall of the Security Bureau's network is tough to break through. Plus, who's to say the bureau doesn't have S-Rank internet awakened individuals?

Unless…"

Rosie pulled out a USB drive from the drawer:

"This contains a key virus I wrote. If you can plug it into a computer in the city's network engineering department, I can hack into their database. The key virus won't harm the computer and will automatically self-destruct five minutes after activation. No one will ever know."

Alexander picked up the USB drive:

"Simple. Assign the task to Ethan Blake and let him handle it. Just reward him with points."

Alexander stood up to leave but suddenly paused at the door:

"Sister Rosie."

Rosie turned, smiling sweetly:

"What is it?"

Alexander glanced back, his eyes chilling slightly:

"From now on, don't question my decisions."

Rosie froze for a moment.

Her enchanting eyes suddenly showed a hint of panic as she quickly apologized:

"I'm sorry, I… I understand."

With her beauty and figure, combined with her unique talents, she was a goddess-level figure wherever she went.

When Alexander had given her all of this, he had said the price was her freedom.

She regretted running her mouth; her life belonged to him now, so why was she being so talkative?

...

Alexander called out to Jack, who had fallen asleep under the super fruit tree.

Jack instantly snapped awake and stood up:

"Master Alex, what's the matter?"

Alexander handed the USB drive to Jack:

"Deliver this to Ethan Blake. The address has been sent to your phone."

After saying that, he walked out to attend to other matters.

Jack looked at the USB drive in his hand and quickly pulled out his phone to check the address Rosie had sent.

His eyes widened in shock, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Stammering, he muttered:

"Ethan Blake? He's the head of the Eastern District Security Bureau?"

In the past, he would never have imagined he could interact with such a high-ranking figure in his lifetime.

And now?

Even Ethan Blake was just a mercenary in the Mercenary Guild.

And in terms of seniority, he wasn't even higher than Jack!