The Phantom Company wasn’t a company in the traditional sense. It was comprised of the absolute elite, who would assemble for missions and disperse among the various branch companies when there were none. They all held high-ranking positions, each a master in their own right.

To become a team captain in The Phantom Company, one had to be the best of the best. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Others looked at Nathaniel Nathan and saw only his sterling resume: the prestige of being the provincial top scholar, a double doctorate from a foreign university, and the prominent status of the Nathan Family. But what they didn’t know was that he had displayed extraordinary talent from a very young age and had long been in the service of this special company.

At the age of fourteen, he took the college entrance exam and was admitted to a prestigious foreign university as the provincial top scholar. In truth, he didn’t go abroad to study, but to execute a mission. It was originally planned as a three-year mission, but due to later complications, he was forced to stay abroad for another three years, earning a double doctorate along the way before returning home.

Everyone assumed he had only joined the company after returning home, but that was merely a Blinding Technique. His tenure was far longer than most people realized.

To him, this dense, disorienting forest was no different from open ground. He knew this mission had an extremely high risk factor, but it wasn’t enough to make him nervous.

He pulled Vera Xavier’s photo from his pocket. It was an ID photo she had given him. As such, her expression was serious, but her clear, bright eyes shone with utter clarity.

His eyes softened unconsciously as he looked at her photo. His teammate, Scott Sullivan, noticed and leaned in. "Captain, she’s gorgeous. Is that your girlfriend?"

"My wife," Nathaniel Nathan corrected.

Scott Sullivan glanced at him and teased, "She’s not just beautiful, she’s brave, too. To think she actually dares to like you!"

Nathaniel Nathan shot him a cold glare. Scott just laughed. "A grim reaper like you... I’ve always thought you’d be better for guarding a house, not so much for dating."

Nathaniel Nathan lashed out with a kick. Scott reacted quickly, leaping back, but he was a fraction too slow and was sent flying.

Scott Sullivan laughed from where he’d landed on the ground. "I was just telling the truth! Was that big of a reaction really necessary? What I really wanted to ask was, does your wife have any sisters? If she’s brave enough to like you, her sister must be, too. How about you introduce me sometime?"

Nathaniel Nathan couldn’t be bothered to answer him.

Just then, their teammate on patrol, Shannon Quinn, returned with a man slung over his shoulder. He dumped the man on the ground. "Just found him. This guy’s real crafty. Took some effort to nab him."

Anyone appearing here now was almost certainly one of the drug traffickers’ accomplices.

Nathaniel Nathan’s eyes narrowed. "Scott Sullivan," he said in a low voice, "he’s yours. I want to know all his secrets within the hour."

Scott Sullivan got up from the ground. "You got it!"

He hauled the man up from the ground, a smile playing on his lips. "Falling into my hands... well, it’s just your unlucky day."

Scott Sullivan had a cherubic baby face, complete with two dimples when he smiled. No one would ever guess he was a master interrogator. No one who fell into his hands could keep a secret.

After Scott Sullivan dragged the man away, Nathaniel Nathan heard the sound of muffled grunts.

Forty-five minutes later, Scott Sullivan dragged the man back out like a dead dog. The man had been perfectly fine when he was taken away, but now he looked as though his tendons had been pulled and his bones scraped clean. Blood trickled from his mouth and nose as he lay on the ground, his face ashen.