Hearing the name "Landon Lu," Frank Lu felt a wave of discomfort in his heart. Still, he couldn't lose face in front of Lynn Shen, so he forced a smile and said, "I just started working at the City Special Police, so it's not wise to be too high-profile. Give it some time, and then I'll help you get even with him properly."
"Brother-in-law is right. You're the minister, and he's just a lowly lieutenant. If you want to deal with him, it's as easy as flipping your hand!" Lynn Shen nodded in agreement.
Soon, Frank Lu saw his wife Shen Qin. She looked much like Lynn Shen—neither was beautiful. The only reason he had dated and married Shen Qin was for the Shen family's influence; only by joining them could he gain better cultivation resources.
Thinking about how Landon Lu was so young yet already had a mental strength of 6.1—and hadn't even joined any major faction—made Frank Lu feel a surge of jealousy and irritation.
"Frank, you're back. How was your day?"
Shen Qin came over and gently helped Frank Lu take off his coat.
His wife's tenderness stirred a trace of emotion in Frank Lu's heart, but it was quickly replaced by resentment. He was a dignified two-star Psychic Adept, yet had to face such a plain, vulgar face every day—it was just too unfair. For a moment, his mind flashed to Amber Liu, whom he'd promoted to temporary secretary. She was a girl with both looks and figure. If only he could...
Ian Song and Amber Liu had dinner together, took a stroll, and then went their separate ways.
At home, Lynn Ning was waiting for him tenderly. After some intimacy, Ian Song took out the Evolution Divine Pearl to examine it.
As soon as the Evolution Divine Pearl appeared, it emitted a faint red glow. To avoid being discovered, Ian Song quickly cast a formation to envelop the entire villa, preventing its aura from leaking out.
In a rundown old house on the outskirts of a county in Plumridge City, a young man in black robes sat cross-legged, tending to his injuries. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, excitement flashing across his face as he exclaimed, "The treasure has appeared!"
But his excitement quickly faded, because the treasure's aura appeared only for a brief instant before vanishing.
Inside the villa, Ian Song let the Evolution Divine Pearl's red glow flow into his body. As the evolutionary light entered him, he sensed both his physical strength and mental power increase slightly. For him, the effect was minor, but for ordinary people it would be tremendous.
Just look at how all those rats and snakes under the underground palace became so powerful after being exposed to the Evolution Divine Pearl's light.
Although the short-term effect on his body was small, wearing it long-term should still lead to meaningful "evolution." But before he could do that, he needed to craft a concealment formation to hide its aura. Otherwise, ordinary animals would be unable to resist the attraction of the evolutionary light.
The next day, Frank Lu publicly announced Ian Song's promotion to deputy captain of the Fourth Battalion, with the rank of captain. At the same time, Ian would continue as vice-captain of the Mech Squad.
Many people were genuinely happy for Ian Song's promotion, though some felt jealous—Max Lin was one of them.
Promoting Ian Song was just a side matter for Frank Lu; his main task was reorganizing the five battalions of the City Special Police. After losing over three hundred people in Southriver County, the teams had been refilled, but it would take time to restore their previous efficiency.
So, the remaining hundred-plus veteran members had to be shuffled and reorganized to lead the new recruits. Only this way could the City Special Police quickly regain combat strength.
To be fair, Lu Feng might be a bit hypocritical, but he was definitely competent. With just a few orders, the entire City Special Police force was mobilized.
Ever since his Livestream System was stripped away, Gavin Xu had been feeling pretty down. But since he couldn’t go back to his old world, he could only live out his new life. Luckily, the guy he swapped with was from a rich family, and his new parents doted on him.
Even better, he’d recently started dating a girl at university.
When he first got the Livestream System, he almost lost himself—chasing money and girls nonstop. Now, living like a regular guy again, he actually kind of liked it.
His new girlfriend was Selena—a mixed-race girl in the dance department, fiery, bold, and with a killer figure.
He’d mapped out the whole date: dinner, movie, then the hotel suite to finally seal the deal. He’d been with other girls before, but just imagining being with Selena—her wild energy, her curves—made his heart pound.
When classes let out, Gavin Xu rolled up in a luxury flyer to pick Selena up outside her building.
A few minutes later, Selena strutted out—tall, gorgeous, and impossible to ignore. Every guy nearby stared.
"Babe, thanks for coming to get me!"
Selena hopped in, grabbed Gavin’s face, and kissed him hard. The flyer shot up into the sky, heading for the fancy restaurant he’d booked.
As they left, a nondescript middle-aged man stepped out from the edge of campus. He watched the flyer vanish, formed a quick hand seal, and seemed to melt into thin air.
The date went off without a hitch.
After dinner and the movie, Gavin and Selena arrived at a super-luxury hotel suite—five thousand Federation credits a night.
His Livestream System was gone—stripped by Ian Song—but he still had his stash of item cards. With those, he could fight way above a normal person. But every card he used was one less lifeline for the future. If he burned them now, what would he do next time death came knocking?
Suddenly, Selena slumped unconscious in his arms. Gavin froze—then noticed a stranger, a middle-aged man, standing in the room.
"Who the hell are you?" Gavin demanded, instantly on guard.
The man just smiled. "What do you think, fellow Host?"
Gavin’s face went stiff. His Livestream System was gone—he was just a regular guy now. But another Host had tracked him down. If he wanted to keep living in peace, he absolutely couldn’t admit it.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about!"
"Come on, show me what you’ve got. Let’s see what you can really do!"
With a flick of his fingers, the middle-aged man raised a barrier. Instantly, Gavin found himself in a void-like space—just the two of them.
"Where is this? Let me out—I really don’t know what you mean!" Gavin shouted, struggling against the void.
The man just smiled. "Any idea how I found you? I’m a master of divination. With my cultivation, there’s almost nothing I can’t calculate. If you break out of this barrier, you get to live. If not—well, you die."
Gavin’s face went pale, caught between panic and indecision.
His Livestream System was gone—stripped by Song Yan—but he still had his stash of item cards. With those, he could fight way above a normal person. But every card he used was one less lifeline for the future. If he burned them now, what would he do next time death came knocking?