1470 A Devious Tactic!

The Next Morning...

In a lavish lounge with golden lightning and a soft interior, Jonathan and Mr. Atticus were seen sitting at a mahogany table.

The serene view of the city of Hope outside the window only added to the ambiance.

Jonathan, dressed in a crisp white suit, sat on one end of a mahogany table, a relaxed smile playing on his lips. Opposite him, Mr. Atticus, always impeccable in his dark tailored suit, had a steely glint in his eyes.

"Mr. Jonathan," Mr. Atticus began smoothly, "I've heard a lot about your recent acquisition near Hope. It's prime land, perfect for development."

Jonathan took a sip from his wine glass, nodding appreciatively. "Yes, it's a beautiful piece of land. I've had my eye on it for a while."

Atticus leaned forward, the weight of his presence pressing down on the table. "I'm prepared to offer you a generous sum for it. Think of the profit you'd make."

Jonathan chuckled, "It's not about the money, Mr. Atticus. I've done well for myself, and that plot is where I plan to retire."

Unfazed, Mr. Atticus tried another angle, "How about a partnership then? You will receive royalties from anything produced on your land."

Jonathan shook his head, still smiling. "I appreciate the offer, but it's a personal project. That land means more to me than just profit."

"Name your price. Everyone has one."

Jonathan leaned back, locking eyes with Atticus. "Some things, Mr. Atticus, are priceless. And for me, that plot of land is one of them."

"Is that so?"

Mr. Atticus' soft attitude began to disparate...His eyes became colder as he stared at Jonathan.

As a businessman, he would never consider using illegal methods if the legal path could lead to the same results.

But now?

There was a tense silence, the air thick with unsaid words and power dynamics. Finally, Mr. Atticus let out a sigh, nodding in acknowledgment. "Very well, Mr. Jonathan. I respect your decision."

Standing up, Mr. Atticus extended his hand, which Jonathan shook firmly.

"Thank you for your time," Mr. Atticus said, his tone gracious but with an undertone of finality.

As Mr. Atticus left the lounge, Jonathan watched him, wondering if he really had given up on the plot of land.

'Good work.' Felix complemented Jonathan...He had watched and heard their entire discussion from a far distance.

'Sir, he doesn't seem like he has any plans to snatch it forcefully.' Jonathan said.

'If you were seeing his face now, you wouldn't think the same.' Felix replied, his eyes affixed on Mr. Atticus who entered his hovercar with an icy expression.

Felix was right in his assumption as the moment Mr. Atticus stepped inside the car, he reached out to his assistant and sneered. "He said he wanted to retire in it, let's see if he will have the same thought later on."

"What approach should I use?"

"Make it barren."

"Consider it done."

***

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a reddish-

orange hue over the sprawling expanse of Jonathan's temporary land.

Vibrant greenery stretched as far as the eye could see, with birdsong filling the air.

Near the boundary, a sleek black vehicle approached discreetly, stopping just out of view. From it emerged Mr. Atticus' assistant, holding a metallic briefcase and having his face hidden.

He was tall, thin, and had an air of quiet efficiency...Dressed in all black, he blended with the shadows.I think you should take a look at

He snapped his fingers twice and a pack of crow-like blackbirds emerged from the back of the car.

They kept hovering above his head, seemingly scanning the new unfamiliar territory.

Opening the briefcase, the assistant took out several small vials filled with a dark, viscous liquid.

He glanced around, ensuring he was alone, and then he poured the veils inside automatic sprayers before attaching them to the birds' ankles.

It took him more than fifteen minutes to finish the process...When he was done, he made a weird-sounding whistle and the birds immediately spread out across the entire forest.

The automatic sprayers were activated the moment the birds toggled into the depths of the forest, spraying the toxic substance over the fertile land.

Wherever the poison landed, the life force seemed to drain away instantly.

Plants wilted, turning gray and brittle, birds and small animals fled, sensing the imminent danger, and the ground itself became hard and cracked...

'Based on the territory's size, it should take half a day.' The assistant timed his watch on his device and leaned against the car, waiting patiently for the birds to finish the job.

Unbeknownst to the assistant, everything was being watched and recorded by Nidam as he was using his shadow abilities to hide himself from detection.

"Don't they want the land to be luscious for the sake of their farms? How can they do this?" Ravager said with a solemn tone as he watched the live feed from Nidam's device.

"My best bet is that they have the antidote to the poison," Felix remarked.

"How devious, poisoning other people's lands, forcing them to sell them cheaply." Miss Sanae said coldly, "Since no one wants to buy a barren land, Mr. Atticus will be the sole party interested in buying it and he can lowball the price as much as his heart desires."historical

"Devious indeed."

It was truly the perfect plan as long as the assistant never stepped inside the private land. Right now, he was more or less a few meters outside of the territory, which made sure that Jonathan wouldn't be alerted at his intrusion.

As for the birds? They were considered harmless animals...If it was beasts or big animals, they would be alarmed.

Hours passed, and by dawn, a once-verdant paradise had turned into a wasteland. The transformation was devastating, the desolation absolute...

The assistant whistled again and the birds returned to him, accepting some treats as their reward before getting inside the car.

Then, he dialed a number on his phone.

"The deed is done, sir," he reported coldly.

Mr. Atticus responded from the other end, satisfaction evident in his voice. "Excellent. Await further instructions."

With that, the call ended, and the assistant went away.

At this point, the deal was sealed in their eyes and it was only a matter of time before Jonathan reached out to them for a quick sell.

...

"How can they be this bold in their crimes?!" Jonathan expressed furiously.

He had just received the news about what happened from Felix and even when the territory wasn't his own for real, he still couldn't help but show such reaction.

It was understandable as he never knew that there were some diabolical businessmen to this degree living amidst them.

"As long as you understand the law, you can be bold as much as you would like." Miss Sanae stated calmly. "They knew that even if you reached out to the law enforcers, the only thing they would do is run a swift investigation before calling it an unfortunate natural cause."

"True, if they were assured in their poison's undetectability, they wouldn't have dared to use it." Nidam nodded.

Since Mr. Atticus was so confident in their plan, it only meant that they had done this plenty of times before and they had never been caught or convicted.

"What's next then?"

"We let them play their ploy and gather as much proof as possible." Felix uttered coldly, "The tape isn't nearly enough to incriminate someone as prominent as him."