"So that means the epicenter was on the Earth where I lived!"
"Only those who were precisely between life and death at the moment of the blast could get seven chances to rebirth."
"Those six guys, because they were elites, were too set in their ways and ended up dying more tragically one after the other. Now only I am left, with this last chance…"
"If I die in this world too…"
Fyren raised his head: "The world will be over, Earth will be over, Mom will also…"
Fyren clenched his fist.
System: "Host, you can actually be more confident. We've noticed that although many of your actions are rather vulgar and creepy, they are very effective. You are the first person to confront Otto head-on and not get squashed into paste. I have high hopes for you."
"Shouldn't I get rewards for this round?"
System: "Of course! We have a four-wheeled sports car, a commemorative tractor personally started by Otto, the latest adult toy gift pack, and Love Potion…"
"Can you stop giving me these weird things!?"
Fyren was almost going crazy: "Give me something practical! Like lifetime access to the ultimate version of The Great Sage's Tiger-Subduing Fist! Lifetime ownership of the perfected Acala technique! With stuff like that, why would I still fear Otto!?"
"Okay, let me see what we have here… Mhmm. Please receive!"
Upgrade Card x2!
Blink Card x1!
The Great Sage's Tiger-Subduing Fist Level 2 Experience Card x1! (5-minute time limit)
Fyren slapped his thigh.
"Now that's more like it!"
—
Back at the villa, Fyren did three things.
First: Officially promoted Chloe to Life Secretary-General.
Simply put, from the perspective of Dasheng Group internally, Chloe has somewhat stepped away from the internal work of Dasheng Group.
But her core responsibilities shifted from balancing work and life to primarily focusing on Fyren's personal life.
In reality, Fyren intended for her to act as his communication hub, managing the Four Kings on his behalf.
Chloe held a meeting with the Four Kings. Gold King and Tactician, still recovering from their injuries, only listened in.
The other three Kings and their subordinates were responsible for patrols in the construction area of Fyren District, ensuring safe operations.
Second: Comfort Sherry.
Sherry had been with Otto for quite a long time. Being abandoned now, she couldn't emotionally accept it for a while.
Third: Have a talk with Zaring.
Zaring's face was bruised and swollen. Even after treatment, he still looked pretty rough.
Fyren really liked one of Zaring's qualities.
One of his strengths was that this guy seemed worry-free.
Even beaten to a pulp, he still grinned at the sight of Fyren, his mentality incredibly positive.
Fyren looked at him: "The beating you took today was worse than any before. Why can you still smile?"
Mentioning this got Zaring excited.
"Fyren! I am seriously in awe of you!"
"Oh?"
"The moves you showed today were absolutely, I'm telling you… badass!"
Zaring slapped his thigh: "After following you for so many years, I had no idea you were such an incredible master! Otto's men, Hakan's thugs—they were like kindergarten kids in front of you! Wham! Bam! Smack! Crack! Thud! Pow! Smash! Boom! Crash! Thump thump thump…"
"Alright, alright, get to the point."
"So damn awesome!"
Zaring said excitedly, "And that fight you had with Otto! Let me tell you, Fyren, the average outsider probably couldn't even follow it! But my eyes are sharp, you know? That final move—if Sherry hadn't jumped in and messed things up, you totally would've killed that bastard Otto! Wham! Bam! Smack! Crack! Thu—"
"Shut up!"
Fyren said, "From now on, don't badmouth Otto in front of Sherry."
"Fyren, why are we indulging her?"
"She's just a young girl, very simple. Right now, she's heartbroken after being abandoned by that beast Otto. We should cut her some slack."
"Fyren, this girl is completely loyal to Otto, and her skills are top-notch. Keeping her around might be a disaster waiting to happen!"
"But I quite like her."
"Good!" Zaring gave a thumbs-up. "Doing what you want—that's what power is for! This is exactly why I admire you, Fyren! But should we assign her to the group first? Let her tough it out for a few days to temper her attitude?"
"I want to keep her at the villa."
"Good!" Zaring gave another thumbs-up. "The more dangerous something is, the more challenging it becomes! I admire your spirit, Fyren—knowing there's a tiger on the mountain, yet still heading straight for it! But Fyren, this girl is really…"
"My decision is final."
"Good!" Zaring thrust his thumb up again. "Overruling all opposition, deciding solo—that's just…"
"Zaring… do you want to become an ancient martial artist?"
Zaring was stunned, then gave a bitter smile. "I do. I secretly asked Iron King once. He said I'm too old, my bones are set, and I can't develop a dantian anymore… Fyren, you…"
"I can make you an ancient martial artist."
Zaring's knees suddenly went weak. He dropped to the floor, tears welling up. "Fyren, you… really?"
"But this is a secret. You have to be able to keep it. Also, I can only do it once for now, so the candidate must be absolutely loyal to me, never betraying me."
Zaring stood up, went to the kitchen, and came back holding a cleaver.
"What are you doing?"
"I'll chop off an arm! To prove my resolve to you, Fyren!"
"Put the cleaver down. Let's talk business."
"Yes."
"Your strength—I'll enhance it gradually. The tasks I assign you will become more and more important from now on. Sometimes, you might even risk your life. Are you scared? It's not too late to back out."
Zaring grabbed the cleaver. "Zaring can slit his own throat!"
Fyren said immediately, "Just use your words! Stop going for the cleaver!"
"Zaring is not afraid! Zaring's life belongs to you, Fyren!"
Fyren smiled. "Alright, it's settled then."
—
Helmsman was doing much better.
He wanted revenge!
"Someone! Gather all our fighters! I'm going after Fyren again! And that archer!"
The Finance Director walked in. "Oh! Helmsman, you're better! Helmsman, you're truly amazing. That arrow went right through your guts, and yet here you are, just a few days later, looking like nothing happened!"
"Gather everyone! I'm going after Fyren! I will have my revenge!"
"Um…"
"What is it?"
"Helmsman… you should come out and see…"
Good grief. The main hall was packed with nearly a hundred people, holding up banners.
Helmsman looked them over, one by one:
"Black-hearted Helmsman! Give us back our hard-earned money!"
"We need to live! We need to eat!"
"Assassins' lives matter too!"
Everyone chanted slogans, demanding that Helmsman pay their wages.
Sweat beaded on Helmsman's forehead. "You lunatics! You're goddamn assassins! What's with this act!? Believe me, I'll crush every single one of you!"
With morale this unstable, leading a team out was unrealistic.
Helmsman had no choice but to call it off for now and carefully manage this large gathering of employees demanding their pay.
...
The evening lights came on.
Fyren was soaking in the bathtub.
He marveled inwardly: This herbal packet Xena prepared for me is really effective!
After a good fight, soaking in it for a while really soothes the tendons, promotes circulation, relieves pain, and reduces bruising.
Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open, and someone walked in.
"Who's there!?"
Fyren grew tense.
Eliza's voice, soft and shy, replied, "It's me, Fyren."
"Eliza, I'm taking a bath. There are three bathrooms on the first floor; you can use another one."
"I... I'll scrub your back."
Fyren laughed. "That was all just joking around during the day. You know how I am—I just like to run my mouth. Besides, I'm exhausted today and really not in the mood..."
Eliza's snow-white, slender legs came into Fyren's view. His words slowed, and his mind went somewhat blank.
Those long legs were pure white!
When it came to legs alone, Eliza's were downright unreal.
They didn't seem like they could belong to a normal person—so long and beautiful!
They were perfectly flawless, sexy, and slender, like something drawn by a game artist.
Her ten toes looked as if carved from white jade, with dark red nail polish making her feet utterly enticing—a true feast for the eyes.
And the way Eliza walked in—shy yet with a hint of provocation, as if she wanted Fyren to be captivated by her but was afraid he might think her wanton.
Then Fyren looked at Eliza's face, red as a piece of crimson cloth, not daring to meet his eyes directly.
"Should I scrub your back, Fyren?" Eliza asked, her cheeks flushed, her voice barely a whisper.
"Ah, a back scrub? A back scrub sounds good, a back scrub..."
"Then... turn around."
"I... can't bear to..."
Eliza smiled shyly and untied her bathrobe. The moment it fell to the floor,
Fyren's gaze went hazy.
[I'm dead.]
[How could I ever give this girl up to Otto?]
[If Otto dares try to take Eliza from me, I'll pound him to death!]
Eliza heard these inner thoughts and was overjoyed.
So, Fyren does like me!
"Then... I'll scrub your back. You... turn around and sit."
"Let's scrub the front first."
Eliza pouted. "You're so annoying."
"Then... I'm getting in the water..."
Fyren screamed inwardly:
[Alright, Eliza!]
[Come on, Eliza!]
[Come over here, Eliza!]
Eliza stepped into the bathtub. To get a better view, Fyren bent his head down so far it was almost submerged in the water.
Eliza giggled. "Look at you, so silly! I'll scrub your back!"
"Who cares about scrubbing backs now!"
Fyren pulled her into his arms.
Eliza let out a small scream but then stopped resisting.
"You're so bad."
Fyren nodded. "This is only the beginning."
"Stop messing around. You're injured. Another day, I'll give myself to you."
"I think I can tough it out."
Eliza shook her head. "Today, you need to rest and recover. I promise you, I am yours, okay?"
"It's just a minor injury—ow!"
Fyren tried to move slightly. "Why does it hurt so much around my ribs!?"
"Could it be that Otto broke them?"
"No way!?"
Eliza said, "Let's get an X-ray at the hospital tomorrow."
"Yeah, we should get an X-ray. And then we can go home together and... make another kind of film."
"You're impossible, always thinking about things like that. I'll learn that pole dance I promised you, starting tomorrow."
Fyren laughed. "Just kidding! You're a top executive—why would you learn something like that?"
"My father... wants to meet you," Eliza ventured cautiously. "Would you be willing to see him?"
Fyren thought for a moment. "He doesn't have any power now. Why should I see him?"
"He's still my father. Do it for my sake, please?"
"Alright, I'll see him."
"Fyren."
"Yeah?"
Though Fyren couldn't tackle a big project right now, smaller ventures were still within reach.
Eliza was already breathing heavily in his arms.
"If we start construction fully now and funding isn't an issue, we shouldn't lose money on this project."
"Mhm, good."
"Be prepared—what comes next will be the real storm."
Fyren's mind cooled considerably. He released Eliza and sank into thought.
Just then, Zaring's voice came from outside the bathroom: "Fyren! Fyren! Miss Cora is here! You should, uh… get ready."
Fyren froze.
Well, this was just great. If Cora and Eliza ran into each other, he was going to be in serious trouble.