Chapter 79 Karammola
Harrison didn’t want to be scolded for no reason, so he stole a glance at Iris, hoping she would be sensible this time.
Fortunately, although Iris was stubborn, she was usually docile in Donovan’s presence.
She remained silent for a very short moment before standing up and facing Donovan reluctantly.
Donovan finally dropped his terrifying expression.
He adjusted the seat's angle, reached out, and pulled Iris down to sit beside him.
Iris was slender, so even when she sat next to him, she didn’t feel cramped.
He reached out to cup her head, forcing her to rest against his chest. Then he opened the book.
"Iris," he said in his deep voice, "which page is the most thrilling?"
Iris wasn’t sure what Donovan meant.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the story?
But she had only read the beginning of the book and couldn't possibly know.
So, she could only answer honestly, "I...don't know."
The next second, Donovan pinched her soft ear.
"Turn the page. I’m done.”
Iris looked down at the dense text before her.
She had barely made it through the first paragraph when Donovan had already finished the entire page.
When Iris didn't move, Donovan gave a brief summary: "Eric took Nova right out of the classroom in front of the teacher and all the students. Next page.”
Over the next two hours, Iris witnessed Donovan’s reading speed.
However, he refused to wait for her and didn't have the patience to read every page aloud to her.
As a result, throughout the entire reading session, Iris remained in a constant state of bewilderment.
She was practically an emotionless page-turning robot. Every time Donovan pinched her, she turned the page.
Sometimes he’d pinch her ear; sometimes, her cheek.
If she hesitated or refused to move, he’d pinch her chin to force her to look up and then kiss her on the lips.
Then he’d remind her, "Iris, turn the page."
After enduring this for two hours, Iris’ head lolled to the side. She rested it on Donovan's chest and fell fast asleep.
Donovan set the book down. He gently adjusted his posture to hold the limp Iris more securely in his arms. Then he pulled his camouflage jacket from beside him and wrapped her up, tucking her into his broad embrace.
The cabin fell silent, with only the occasional soft rustle of pages turning.
The book wasn’t thrilling at all—in fact, one might even say it was boring.
The parts describing gang fights were especially boring; they gave Donovan the illusion of watching children brawl.
The only highlight was probably the love story, which was genuinely touching. Just as Iris had said, the male and female leads were always willing to sacrifice everything for each other.
However, when people from different worlds fall in love, it's like a bird falling for a fish. They fight desperately to be together, yet they may end up hurting each other or destroying themselves in the end.
Donovan closed the book.
Instantly, a heavy object appeared in Harrison’s arms.
He opened his eyes and saw that it was the novel.
Donovan’s deep, lazy voice rang out immediately.
“Dispose of the book.”
Karammola, Valkyrie Valley.
Local time: 2:00 p.m.
The plane landed at a private military base on the outskirts of the valley.
Donovan was the first to step down the boarding ramp, followed by Harrison and Iris, who clutched tightly at Harrison’s sleeve.
On the tarmac, twenty rows and forty columns of mercenaries stood in neat formation, waiting.
As soon as they saw Donovan disembark, they all stood at attention and saluted him in unison.
“Boss!”
Their voices were so loud and synchronized that Iris was startled and immediately shrunk behind Harrison’s towering frame. She peeked out, showing only half her head, to sneak a glance at everything before her.
The two men at the front stood out among this group of rugged mercenaries.
One of them was very young and wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
Iris remembered that, on the day Donovan forced his way into her home, this young man had examined the chip her father stole from Donovan.
Harrison called him Samuel.
Iris hadn’t seen the other man before.
He stood out because he was exceptionally tall.
Donovan, who stood at 6'2", seemed very tall to Iris, but this man was at least 6'5". Iris had to crane her neck to see his face.
Samuel didn’t seem surprised to see Iris hiding behind Harrison, looking timid.
He merely gave her a friendly glance before looking away.
The tall man, Jax, was a completely different story.
His face was cold, and he hadn't taken his gaze off her since she stepped off the gangway.
When he saw Harrison, a burly man, carrying a small pink-and-white suitcase clearly meant for a girl, Jax’s expression turned even more grim.
Is this the boss’ woman?
So young and petite!
And she’s managed to cause the boss so much trouble!
Seeing this, Samuel tapped Jax on the shoulder to signal him to rein it in. Then, Samuel stepped forward to begin his report.
"Boss, Jack cut off our supply lines in Idusia. The lost arms are valued at over seventy million. Our outpost in Kromgrad has just been attacked by five drones, and we’re assessing the losses. If Jack keeps sabotaging things, we won’t be able to fulfill the Idusia orders.”
Donovan snorted.
"Idusia borders Silvania. By striking at the edge of our territory, he’s trying to provoke me at minimal cost.”
“Avoid direct conflict with him for now. Abandon this operation entirely.”
“Understood.” Samuel nodded and continued, "Also, we just received a new order from Krov. A local warlord named Gary Evans has been engaged in a long-running conflict with the Holy Land organization. In addition to arms and supplies, he’s requested military support. The required personnel have been accounted for and are awaiting your orders.”
Donovan raised his eyes and scanned the eight hundred fully equipped mercenaries before him.
Before issuing his orders, he waved to Harrison, who was standing behind him.
"Harrison, take Iris to the Antalia Estate first to settle in. Wait there for us to meet up.”
Seeming to have second thoughts, Donovan turned to Jax and said, "Jax, you go with them, too."
Jax furrowed his brow and immediately saluted Donovan.
“Seagull requests permission to proceed to Krov to carry out fire support and handover duties and stand with the team through thick and thin.”
Donovan didn’t respond immediately. He merely gave Jax a brief, impassive glance.
The mission in Krov followed a standard route and posed little danger. Once the handover was complete, they could return. He and Samuel alone would be sufficient to handle it.
Within the Silver Fox Team, Jax's combat prowess was second to Wright's.
With Wright absent, the best way to ensure maximum safety was to have Jax and Harrison work together to protect Iris.
However, Jax was arrogant. Sending him on the most dangerous mission would be easy, but asking him to act as a bodyguard for a woman would probably be more painful for him than death.
“The fee will be calculated as usual.”
Donovan said matter-of-factly, implying that the pay for a protection mission would be the same as for frontline combat.
"Boss, it's not about the money..."
Jax tried to defend himself but looked down and saw Donovan frowning impatiently.
Harrison, standing behind Donovan, and Samuel, standing beside him, both took a half-step back in perfect unison. They stood ramrod straight with their eyes fixed straight ahead.
Oh no! I’m about to get chewed out!
Jax snapped to attention, quickly bringing his feet together and holding his chest out and his head up. He replied crisply, "Roger that!"
Five minutes later, Harrison drove a military pickup truck out of the base.
Jax sat in the passenger seat while Iris sat in the back.
Antalia Estate was about a four-hour drive from Valkyrie Valley.
The route was lined with rolling hills and small towns, and the bumpy gravel road was surrounded by vast stretches of green farmland, creating a harmonious and peaceful scene.
Harrison was a man of few words, and Jax was even more taciturn.
Iris had nothing to say to them. After staring at the scenery outside the window for a while, she grew bored. She turned her attention to her backpack and began rummaging through it.
"Harrison," she asked softly. "Where's my book? Didn’t Donovan put it back in my bag after he finished reading it?”
Harrison didn’t respond.
It was a small backpack, but Iris searched it inside and out over and over again. Yet she found nothing except her sketchbook and class notes.
Seeing in the rearview mirror that Iris was so frustrated she looked like she was about to cry, Harrison finally spoke, "Boss asked me to dispose of it."
“Disposed of?” Iris raised her voice. "Why?"
"I don't know," Harrison replied, seeming to ponder for a moment. "Maybe it wasn't quite to his liking. If you want something to read, I have copies of Military Magazine and Illustrated Guide to Combat Techniques.”
Harrison flicked his right hand backward, and the two books landed in Iris’ hands, one after the other.