?Chapter 3258 Shanks Is Lucky


    "Come to the base now," instructed Abel.


    Luca wanted to test why he was calling her there at this time, so she deliberately made things difficult. "But I''ve got something to do now."


    "I don''t care what it is. Just get to the base now," Abel cut her off and hung up.


    Luca ended the call helplessly. It seemed like this was urgent. Abel did not even bother with the usual small talk.


    Warren saved the recording and asked, "Are you heading there now?"


    "Yes, I have to. I''ll grab a cab. You can head home," replied Luca. Normally, she would call a cab, so there was no way she could drive there today.


    As Luca opened the car door and was about to step out of the car, Warren asked, "Do you need someone to follow you secretly?"


    "No." Luca declined without hesitation. "I''ll be fine in A City."


    If something were to happen, having someone follow would not make a difference anyway.


    Luke''s subordinates could not follow her into the base. Once she got inside, whether she was safe or not was beyond their control. It was up to her.


    After all, nothing could be exposed right now.


    "Alright, Ms. Craw. Please stay safe. As per protocol, I have to report this to the boss and Mr. Gale, Warren reminded her.


    "Go ahead and tell them." Luca nodded. After closing the car door, she turned around and walked out of themunity.


    When she arrived at the entrance, she waited for a while before finally hailing a cab. Following her usual routine, she switched to another car halfway there. When she was near the base, Abel called again.


    "Why aren''t you here yet?" His tone was unpleasant.


    "It was tough finding a cab. I''ll be there soon," exined Luca.


    Abel did not respond and just hung up.Content belong to N?velDráma. Org.


    Luca frowned. The more urgent his tone, the more uneasy she felt.


    However, no matter what awaited her, she had to go.


    When she arrived, she paid the driver.


    Seeing a woman dressed expensively in such a sketchy area, the driver kindly warned her, "Ma''am, this ce is full of shady characters. Be careful since you''re dressed like that."


    "I know. Thank you," replied Luca, feeling a bit of warmth from the stranger''s concern.


    After getting out of the car, she followed her nned route, circling twice before entering the base.


    "Where''s Mr. Abel?" asked Luca.


    "He''s on the second floor," answered one of the men. He gave her a quick once-over and pointed upstairs.


    Luca made her way up the stairs.


    As she reached the second floor, she was hit with the sharp scent of cigar smoke. It was the kind of cigar Abel usually smoked.


    She frowned. The strong smell suggested he had been smoking a lot, which was never a good sign. It meant either he was very rxed or very annoyed.


    Either way, Luca knew being summoned meant trouble for her.


    She approached the couch where Abel was still smoking and greeted him, "Mr. Abel, what''s the matter?"


    Abel looked her up and down. "Hmm, haven''t seen you in a while. You look pretty good. What''s the deal? A little attention from a man doing wonders for you?


    "I''m carrying out the tasks you assigned," Luca responded calmly, ignoring his taunt.


    She did not feel ashamed of being with Luke. They were husband and wife, after all.


    If it were rtives or friends teasing her, she might blush, but it only made her angry if Abel said something like that. She was so mad that she wished she could punch him in the face.


    However, that would have to wait; it was not time to act yet.


    Abel blew out hisst puff of smoke, stubbed out the cigar, and pointed at a room. "Go in and help."


    "You didn''t say what I should do." Luca frowned.


    "You''ll find out when you get inside," replied Abel, clearly not nning to tell her.


    Luca eyed the room and hesitated for a moment, unsure of what was waiting for her inside.


    Abel mistook her hesitation for fear and sneered, "Rx, I still need you around Luke, so I''m not about to kill you."


    Luca frowned but walked to the door and pushed it open.


    The room was filled with pharmaceutical equipment, and Shanks was there.


    Luca was surprised. Then, she called out, "Mr. Shanks?"


    "Come in, put on the protective gear, and help me with the experiment," said Shanks.


    Luca closed the door and followed his instructions, changing into the protective clothing and gear before approaching Shanks.


    She had a hunch that Shanks was working on the herbs they had collected in X City.


    A flicker of excitement sparked in her, but she quickly calmed herself down.


    Luke had bought up the remaining herbs. Could Shanks have gathered them all?


    "Mr. Shanks, what do you need me to do?" asked Luca.


    "Separate and purify the extracts," replied Shanks. He pointed at the equipment and raw materials. "The herbs are over there. Just follow the method I taught you."


    Luca walked over to the workbench and picked up one of the herbs.


    It was the same herb Luke had bought.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Shanks, how did you manage to find this herb?" asked Luca.


    "I picked it myself," replied Shanks. He headed into the mountains with a local herbalist to gather it.


    The mountains around X City were vast. Shanks had joined a group of truffle hunters and, while they were searching for truffles, he was lucky enough to find the herbs he needed and made his way back down the mountain.


    "Are they all wild?" Luca asked casually, recalling something a herbalist had once told her.


    If a certain herb could grow in someone''s backyard, it likely meant it could be found in the surrounding mountains.


    However, these herbs were often overlooked as weeds because they were not considered valuable in modern medicine.


    "Yes." Shanks seldom talked when he was doing his research, so he gave her a simple response.


    Luca did not press further. She silently noted that Shanks was lucky and then got to work on the task he had assigned.


    After three years on the Ind of Despair and the time spent in A City, Luca found Shanks'' tasks easy to handle.


    Finally, she finished the refining and purifying process around 8:00 pm.


    During this time, she had not made or received any calls, not even from Luke.


    She figured Luke had not contacted her because he knew she was at the base in A City and was worried about exposing her location.


    When Luca was done, she handed the purified liquid to Shanks. "Mr. Shanks, the purification isplete."


    "Good. Set it aside," replied Shanks. He was absorbed in whatever he was examining under the microscope.


    Luca waited for a moment until he looked up from the microscope. She then asked, "Mr. Shanks, is there anything else you need me to do?"


    "That''s all." Shanks shook his head after a moment''s thought. "It''s gettingte. Go home. You know what to say when you''re back home."


    "I do." Luca removed the protective gear and nced at Shanks, who was still engrossed in his research. Then, she walked out of the room.