[System awaiting command to counter-attack.
Please select Counter-attack or Cancel.]
It took Iris Dalton twenty seconds to put the pieces together.
She understood everything.
So, Serena Sherwood was playing the victim and had hired an online mob to trash-talk and cyberbully her.
Alright then—
Fighting fire with fire.
Let’s just see who’s more vicious.
Since Serena Sherwood loved playing the victim so much, Iris would make her *truly* miserable!
Her fingers tapped on the steering wheel as a plan rapidly formed in her mind.
The corners of Iris Dalton’s lips curled up slightly, her rearview mirror reflecting a deceptively innocent smile.
But behind that smile lay the sharp teeth and claws of a little demon.
Clownfish, who witnessed the smile: “…”
‘So scary.’
‘The Pond Master is about to unleash her ultimate move!’
“Slick, GoldenKoi, [YellowFish], get ready to wipe out the hired mob.
Cleanse the network and launch the counter-attack!” Iris Dalton issued the command.
The command spread across the entire web in under three seconds.
Upon receiving the order, Slick infiltrated social media comments and trending forums, hunting down the hired trolls and keyboard warriors one by one.
After locking onto their IP addresses, it activated virtual IPs.
Millions of AI-driven accounts came online in an instant, launching a frenzied assault on the targeted addresses.
GoldenKoi immediately followed suit, compiling data and classifying the trolls’ comments by severity into four tiers.
Heinous-Grade, Vicious-Grade, Malicious-Grade, and Vile-Grade.
[YellowFish], with its omniscient eye, tapped into every surveillance feed, security camera, and traffic cam on the web, linking them in real-time to the villains in all four tiers.
It then collected evidence and, within a second, reported the troll farm.
The business manager was sent directly to the police station for a little “afternoon tea”—plus a complimentary fifteen-day stay in a private cell with a vegetarian meal plan.
In just a few minutes, the hired trolls and keyboard warriors were hunted down by millions of AIs, which were set to bombard them nonstop for twenty-four hours, insulting them with an endless, ever-changing variety of creative put-downs.
Every insult was clean, without a single curse word, and none were ever repeated.
The assault continued until the troll accounts were spammed into oblivion and permanently banned, one by one.
The hired trolls were on the verge of tears.
‘Is it easy for a guy to earn some money on the side?’
‘Fifty cents a post, and we’re typing our fingers to the bone!
Who understands the misery of a low-level gig worker?’
Twenty minutes later, Iris Dalton was cruising slowly in her Maserati.
The streets were bustling with the orderly hurry of pedestrians and traffic.
Meanwhile, in the digital world, countless troll accounts were being purged.
A smokeless war had erupted across the entire network.
A righteous purge, brutal and bloody!
Serena Sherwood’s fans were still gloating that their idol was trending, but in the blink of an eye, a massive wave of netizens appeared from nowhere and started dragging them for filth.
They were pinned down and verbally thrashed.
Next, her fan forums and hashtags were hit with a digital bloodbath!
The trending list was in constant flux, the scene of a brutal battle to hijack the rankings.
The fans were getting absolutely roasted, completely powerless to fight back.
They couldn’t even think of a comeback; they were all stunned into silence by the verbal onslaught.
If one of them posted a single comment, they’d be swarmed by hundreds of thousands of users ready for a brawl.
The attacks were vicious and personal—verbal throat-grabs, eye-gouges, low blows, and hair-pulling.
Every jab was a killing blow.
They even dragged their ancestors through the mud, digging up eight generations just to insult them.
‘Who could possibly win against that?’
Two troll farms were caught in the crossfire.
One CEO came back from a bathroom break only to find his company had gone bankrupt.
And there were two cops standing at his door!
They promptly slapped a pair of shiny new bracelets on his wrists.
Another boss, seeing the writing on the wall, quickly grabbed the company’s cash and skipped town with his wife’s younger sister.
The other troll farm bosses could only watch, trembling as they clutched their phones, completely dumbfounded.
Everyone in the industry knew Serena Sherwood had started it, but she’d clearly picked a fight with the wrong person and gotten utterly destroyed in return.
The entire industry scrambled to circle the wagons, with everyone spreading the word.
That Iris Dalton girl was off-limits!
Do not mess with her—under any circumstances.
And then they added Serena Sherwood to their blacklist—right at the very top.
From that day on, no troll farm would dare take a job from Serena Sherwood.
She was now the proud owner of the title: Public Enemy Number One of the entire troll-for-hire industry!
*
Sherwood Villa.
Serena Sherwood, still oblivious to the disaster unfolding online, glanced at her watch.
It was almost six; dinner would be in half an hour.
“When is Iris getting back?” she asked, looking up at the butler.
The butler pursed his lips, shaking his head in resignation.
“The Third Young Miss went out this afternoon.
She didn’t say when she would return.”
A triumphant smirk played on Serena Sherwood’s lips.
‘By the time Iris Dalton gets back, the online scandal will have blown up.
She’ll be a social pariah, hated by everyone!’
‘Lumin-Umbra High School starts tomorrow.
She won’t even be able to set foot on campus!’
Just then, Leona Vaughn turned to James Vaughn.
“Iris should be back soon.
Big Brother, did you ask Morgan when he might get here?”
“Morgan is busy with matters in the experimental district.
He can come over whenever he’s free.
Don’t rush him.” James Vaughn prioritized his son above all else; no one was to disturb Morgan Vaughn.
But at the mention of his niece, Iris Dalton—whom he had yet to meet—James Vaughn’s expression soured.
“I heard Iris Dalton is going to Lumin-Umbra High School.
Was that Old Mr.
Sherwood’s doing?
She’s an uneducated girl from the mountains, for crying out loud.
She’s uncivilized and ill-bred.
Sending her to an elite academy will only bring shame to both the Sherwood and Vaughn families, won’t it?”
Leona Vaughn froze, taken aback by her brother’s hostility toward Iris.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
“Uncle!” Serena Sherwood had been listening in, and when she heard James Vaughn’s objection to Iris attending Lumin-Umbra High, she immediately darted to his side and clung to his arm, speaking in a wheedling tone.
“Iris just got back, she doesn’t know any better.
If she goes to Lumin-Umbra High, at least she can learn to be a decent person.
Besides, she’ll be in the Experimental Class.
Who knows, maybe she won’t even need to take the entrance exams to get into a university.”
Serena Sherwood knew Lumin-Umbra High was a sore subject for James Vaughn, and the Experimental Class was a particularly raw nerve.
Many years ago, after being driven out of Valerium and sent to Stellan, James Vaughn had failed to get into Lumin-Umbra High School right after junior high.
It had been a chip on his shoulder ever since.
Later, when his son Morgan took the entrance exams, he missed the cutoff for Lumin-Umbra High by a mere five points.
James Vaughn had spent a fortune and pulled every string he could to get his son into the Experimental Class, but he had failed.
Because of this incident, the Vaughns grew to resent the Sherwoods for not lending a hand, and the two families nearly had a major falling out.
Fortunately, Morgan got into Stellan First High School and did well, ultimately earning a spot in a direct bachelor’s-master’s program at Stellan University.
Only then was James Vaughn able to swallow his indignation.
But the moment he heard the Sherwoods were sending Iris Dalton to Lumin-Umbra High—and into the Experimental Class, no less—all that old fury came roaring back.
“This is absolute nonsense!” James Vaughn slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide with fury as he launched into a tirade against Leona Vaughn.
“Do you have any idea what kind of students are in that Experimental Class?
We’re talking about the children of Stellan’s most powerful families, not to mention the young masters and mistresses from Valerium!
By shoving Iris into that class, you’re not helping her, you’re throwing her to the wolves!” James Vaughn’s face was a mask of fury, as if he were genuinely concerned for his niece.
In reality, he was just jealous and resentful.
‘If the Sherwoods had just pulled some strings back then, Morgan would have gotten into Lumin-Umbra’s Experimental Class, and from there he might have even made it into Lumin-Umbra University!’
‘If that had happened, he, like Claire Sherwood, would have become one of the most sought-after young talents among all of Stellan’s elite!’
Leona was left speechless by his outburst, unsure of how to respond.
The truth was, the Experimental Class at Lumin-Umbra High School was not easy to get into.
Aside from earning a spot through top exam scores, the only other way in was with a joint letter of recommendation from three board members.
Iris Dalton had never attended school, so her only way into Lumin-Umbra High School was through a recommendation.
The Sherwoods wanted her in Lumin-Umbra to prevent gossip—they didn’t want outsiders calling a daughter of the Sherwood family uncultured and ignorant.
That was why Old Mr.
Sherwood had pulled so many strings.
Combined with the fact that Simon Sherwood was on the board himself, they had managed to secure a spot for Iris in the Experimental Class.
Leona Vaughn had taken it for granted and hadn’t thought much about it.
Now, hearing James mention that the students in the Experimental Class were all from rich and powerful backgrounds, Leona realized Iris would indeed face problems there.
Most likely, she would be ostracized by the other wealthy students, or worse, become a victim of bullying.
“I heard that the young master of the Shaw family from Valerium, Jude Shaw, is in this year’s class.
He’s a genius, you know.
If my dear sister can connect with him, she might build a network in Valerium,” Serena Sherwood said, her smile radiant, playing the part of a kind, considerate older sister.
But she couldn’t hide the calculating, mocking glint in her eyes.
‘That young Shaw master is incredibly arrogant and despises ignorant fools more than anything.’
‘If Iris tries to cozy up to him, it’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t humiliate her and crush her completely!’
Serena Sherwood couldn’t help but feel smug, eager to see the pathetic sight of Iris Dalton being kicked out of the Experimental Class.
‘Now *that* would be a real spectacle!’
“The Shaw family’s young master is also in the Experimental Class?” James Vaughn’s brow furrowed.
“Iris Dalton knows nothing.
What does she have to offer to befriend someone like him?
Her looks alone?
What if she offends him?
Who’s going to clean up that mess?”
*
Outside the villa.
As she reached the front door, her spiritual power captured the conversation happening inside the living room.
She stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze dropped, her eyes dark and unreadable.
‘People are talking bad about me everywhere.’
‘Ryan was right.
I’m too good-looking, so people get jealous and always try to hurt me!’
‘But I’m not afraid.’
Then, a faint smile touched her lips.
She held her head high, squared her shoulders, and strode into the villa.