The hearty seaside feast concluded at eleven o'clock, with everyone departing in high spirits.
Back at the grand hotel, Ren Yuanhao felt a wave of exhaustion. After a quick shower, he sprawled out on the large bed.
Outside, the moonlight held an unsettling aura. The moon halo was tinged with green, and the air was hazy with moisture. This phenomenon was said to be a harbinger of an approaching typhoon.
He had never experienced a typhoon firsthand, but he had seen footage of them. The sheer power of nature felt overwhelming. When a typhoon passed, the clashing high and low-pressure systems created an indescribable sense of oppression, like someone constantly battering the glass windows. The wind would howl, trees would bend and sway, and even lightweight, old advertising signs could be swept away. Pedestrians caught in the wind would feel an invisible wall of air before them, making it difficult to fall even when leaning forward at a certain angle. In short, progress would be agonizingly slow.
If he stayed in this place for three to five days, he might very well experience his first typhoon.
The thought prompted him to subconsciously get up and close the windows.
As he approached the window, the sprawling metropolis was beginning to fall into slumber. Towering construction cranes and concrete structures stood silent against the night sky. The undulating mass of buildings surged forward like an ocean tide, while sparse vehicles resembled slowly drifting celestial bodies in the cosmos. The incessantly flashing red lights, like specific distress signals, illuminated the city's cold and lonely expanse.
Just as he began to feel weary, the system's loli voice chimed in his mind once more.
"Order complete, intimacy level reached. Reward: 500 points, balance: 2000. Additionally, a quick reminder: please purchase a Strength Pill or other stat-boosting medication as soon as possible. Otherwise, your body will be unable to withstand buffs like today's."
"Host's physical data scan results are as follows:
Strength: 8
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 3
Mana: 1
Luck: 3
Learned Skill: Flying Dragon Steals the Clouds Hand
Learned Technique: Azure Sea Tide Song Art"
"Looks like my stats haven't degraded; they're growing steadily."
"Don't be flippant. I need to report two things. Firstly, the bamboo slip you acquired is actually an incomplete map. As for what lies at the location indicated by the map, that remains unknown. Without the latter half, it's not advisable for you to investigate further."
"I wasn't planning on it anyway. What's the second thing? Go on."
"Secondly, given that you have gained a preliminary understanding of empaths, this system is obligated to recommend some defensive pills or secret manuals."
"Defensive secret manuals?"
"Remember the voodoo that nearly doomed you last time? Actually, these long-range spellcasters can be detected once their agility attribute reaches a certain level. Of course, as voodoo masters, curse practitioners, and shamans improve their craft, the higher the required agility points become."
"Don't you think you're digging a pit for me?"
"Digging a pit? As the host, if you can't even defend against these basic sorceries, you'll have a tough time ahead."
"Alright, alright, you're always right. How much are you planning to swindle me for this time?"
"In principle, I'd like to go all-in, but I need to leave you some pocket money. I recommend raising your agility to 15 and strength to 10. Remaining points: 200."
Ren Yuanhao considered for a moment. With the main competition tomorrow, he couldn't predict what might happen. For his own safety and that of the three girls, no, now four girls, he had no choice but to heed the system's advice.
...
Meanwhile, in a 24-hour business hotel, Zhou Long was seated with Zhang Liang.
"I didn't expect Shen Lan Ni and you to have that kind of relationship. It seems we have a common enemy," Zhang Liang said, swirling his wine glass before raising it high.
Zhou Long also raised his glass, clinking it against Zhang Liang's. He then lowered his voice significantly. "Young Master Zhang, what is the background of this Ren Yuanhao?"
"What background could he have? Just a mere accountant. However, his martial arts are quite formidable, and dealing with him won't be easy."
Zhang Liang stared intently into his red wine, his eyes seemingly brimming with fresh blood, making him appear even more sinister. Ever since Jiang Cheng's sudden appearance in Jiangcheng that night, he had lost all contact with him. When he arrived at the dilapidated church to search for the underground laboratory, he was shocked to discover that the basement had also been completely destroyed.
To this day, he had no news of the laboratory or Jiang Cheng. The fact that Ren Yuanhao and his group were alive and well meant that many unforeseen events must have occurred that night, events he couldn't fathom.
Whether Jiang Cheng was alive or dead, and where the laboratory had gone, these questions remained a mystery to him. One dark and windy night, he had revisited the dilapidated church, attempting to find any trace of the Mandara Gene. However, the underground laboratory was completely blocked by massive rocks. Without a significant amount of TNT, it was impossible to blast it open. Even if it were blown open, he couldn't guarantee whether the Mandara Gene still existed inside.
In short, his dream of becoming as powerful as Jiang Cheng in a short period had been completely shattered.
Zhou Long had no idea that the sinister man opposite him was currently consumed by such complex and unsolvable thoughts. However, his curiosity about Ren Yuanhao had not diminished in the slightest; it had only intensified.
"If this Ren Yuanhao is truly capable, why did he stay at Lan Ni's Taekwondo gym for so long?"
"You invited me here not just to investigate Ren Yuanhao, right?"
Zhang Liang picked up his knife and fork, suddenly feeling as if the sizzling steak, limp on the plate, resembled the filth vomited by some monstrous creature. The white connective tissue looked like wriggling maggots, and the longitudinal striations seemed to be constantly oozing blood!
A sharp pain gripped his stomach, and his gastric juices surged like a turbulent tide. His face instantly turned pale.
Fortunately, Zhou Long's next words pulled him back from the terrifyingly nauseating vision.
"Of course not. Since Young Master Zhang has a grudge against him, we are now on the same boat."
"Oh? Interesting. Are you also after that Shen Lan Ni?" Zhang Liang asked with a playful expression, his steak knife finally slicing into the piece of meat that had triggered his unpleasant hallucination.
Zhou Long nodded. "As long as I can have Shen Lan Ni, I'll do anything. She and I should be the perfect couple!"
"I do have a way, but I fear you might not have the nerve."
"Young Master Zhang, in this city of Donglu, there's nothing I dare not do!"
"Is that so?"
A faint smile played on Zhang Liang's lips, like a sinister devil. With eyes that seemed to penetrate souls, he stared directly at Zhou Long.
This gaze sent a chill down Zhou Long's spine, as if uttering a simple affirmation would unleash a series of malicious plans, dragging him into a rotten, foul-smelling mire.
"It is."
Zhou Long hesitated for a full ten seconds before squeezing out those two words.
"Very good. Now, prick up your ears and listen carefully..."