Chapter 973
No.1
Roughly forty minutes later, she stood at the mountain’s peak.
Down below, the driver had been dozing against the steering wheel.
A soft chime from the monitor woke him.
His eyes snapped open.
The screen displayed a system notification: [Target has reached destination.]
The altitude sensor confirmed she was at the summit.
The driver turned to Maxwell with a triumphant smirk. “I win!”
Maxwell had been waiting in tense silence outside the vehicle.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
No.2
Forty minutes.
Boss Montgomery conquered the peak in forty minutes.
He realized, once again, that he had underestimated her limits.
At the top stood a sprawling European-style mansion.
From a distance, Isabella could make out numerous guards patrolling the grounds.
She quickly assessed her surroundings.
The nearest guard was about three meters away—the most immediate threat.
She pulled out a custom-designed air pistol.
With a nearly silent release, it fired a small pellet.
No.3
Isabella immediately covered her mouth and nose.
The pellet was one of her uncles’ inventions.
It released a colorless, odorless gas that could knock out anyone within a ten-meter radius.
Within moments, every guard in the vicinity collapsed.
Even the sentries at the main entrance slumped to the ground unconscious.
Isabella sprinted toward the mansion.
She slipped through an open window with practiced ease.
Her intel indicated that Benjamin was being held in the basement.
She activated her infrared scanner and swept the interior.
No.4
Areas with unusual energy concentrations stood out immediately.
It didn’t take long to locate the basement entrance.
But she wasn’t in a rush.
She took a moment to scan the rest of the mansion.
Then she moved swiftly toward the control room.
Within seconds, she hacked into the security mainframe and disabled the entire defense grid.
Every infrared beam throughout the compound vanished instantly.
The system attempted to send an intrusion alert to Takashi Yamamoto.
Isabella terminated the signal before it could be transmitted.
No.5
It was finished.
No more barriers stood in her way.
Isabella sprinted toward the basement entrance.
The space had no windows.
A single dim yellow bulb glowed on the wall.
Benjamin lay on a Japanese-style tatami mat, sleeping deeply.
She approached and nudged his leg with her foot.
"Wake up. You're coming with me."
His eyes fluttered open.
No.6
Recognizing her, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why are you here?"
"You'd starve if I didn't come," she retorted. "Get up. Now."
He remained on the floor.
"I'm not leaving. I'm training with Takashi Yamamoto."
Since arriving at the mansion, Takashi had preached about inner peace.
Gaming required total isolation from external distractions.
A secure, dark environment was essential.
Benjamin had been skeptical initially.
No.7
But Takashi descended to the basement to demonstrate.
He claimed this very space helped him find his 'gaming rhythm' years ago.
So Benjamin stayed.
Days and nights blurred together.
He avoided food and drink, seeking that elusive inner tranquility.
Perhaps it was psychological, but his skills had sharpened noticeably.
Why abandon such progress?
Isabella tapped his forehead.
"Think he's actually teaching you? This was all Tiffany's scheme. She conspired with Takashi to abduct you."