By the time Chen Qi returned to his villa, it was already dinnertime.
He was utterly exhausted after the day's events.
Whether it was his Superpower or his Grandmaster Level Fighting Technique, using them came at a cost. Right now, Chen Qi was not only famished but also aching all over.
It was a sensation like pinpricks all over his skin, to say nothing of the agony in his 639 muscles and their fibers.
Everything that had happened today was still a bit too much for his body to handle.
Chen Qi estimated it would take him at least a week to fully recover.
'A medicinal diet plan and a Vitality and Body Strengthening Pill, heh!'
Before he left, Yu Hongwu had been thoughtful enough to give him these gifts.
Clearly, the old fox had seen right through to Chen Qi's true condition.
Chen Qi suspected the old coot was just worried that if he didn't recover properly, it would delay the treatment he was supposed to provide.
But Chen Qi had no intention of accepting this 'kindness.' He didn't trust Yu Hongwu one bit. There was no way he was going to ingest anything the man had given him.
Without a second thought, he tossed them into the trash can, walked into the bedroom, and took a box of capsules out of his safe.
It was something good he'd happened to acquire at a gathering of tycoons a few days prior.
Soldier's Rations Pills from the Dark Star Empire.
Several of the tycoons at that gathering were in the import-export business.
One of them had established a connection with the Dark Star Empire and secured the sales rights for many rare resources.
The Soldier's Rations Pill was the product he was pushing hardest at the event.
Its effect was simple: it rapidly replenished the body's energy, allowing a person to maintain peak vitality for an extended period.
Some of its special ingredients were practically a "cure-all," capable of relieving the body of various negative conditions.
Rumor had it the Dark Star Empire had conducted human trials where, after taking a single capsule, an ordinary soldier could sustain three days and three nights of high-intensity combat. Afterward, they only needed a single night's sleep to be as good as new.
'This is the "technological might" of a top-tier, medium-sized power!'
Of course, just six months ago, the Dark Star Kingdom had announced its mastery of Controllable Nuclear Fusion Technology, producing its first Sun Furnace. This achievement catapulted it into the ranks of the major powers, and it became the Dark Star Empire.
Riding this wave of prestige, the Dark Star Empire's various products quickly became hot sellers worldwide.
The merchant, Westin Kuta, was one of those who had hopped on this bandwagon.
There were plenty of other products at the event, but the hottest seller was still the Soldier's Rations Pill.
After all, not every tycoon could go at it for three days and three nights in bed like Ireland.
The Soldier's Rations Pill's special effects catered perfectly to the tycoons' particular hobbies!
As for Chen Qi, his decision to buy the Soldier's Rations Pills was genuinely born from his trust in the technology of a major power.
'And now it was coming in handy!'
...
GULP!
Chen Qi swallowed a capsule with a gulp of water. Soon, he felt a small furnace ignite inside his body, continuously radiating heat.
Countless warm currents began to circulate throughout his body, making him feel as if he were in a high-end sauna.
'Not bad. Not bad at all!'
He could feel his condition visibly improving.
The warmth coursed through him for a full half-hour. The moment it subsided, Chen Qi felt completely rejuvenated.
However, an overwhelming sleepiness came with it.
Sleep was the body's best path to recovery, so Chen Qi didn't fight it, drifting off to sleep in an instant.
...
'The technology of a major power really is trustworthy.'
The next morning, Chen Qi woke up brimming with energy.
Although his body hadn't returned to peak condition, he figured one more capsule would do the trick.
'Looks like I'll need to stay on good terms with that Westin fellow!'
'According to him, the Dark Star Empire has lifted the export ban on quite a few resources in order to build its Space Carriers.'
'How tempting!'
Space Carriers are standard issue for the major powers. Even the most common models are three kilometers long, have a displacement of ten million tons, and require three Sun Furnaces.
The top-of-the-line Celestial Driver-class, on the other hand, exceeds ten thousand meters in length, has a displacement of one hundred million tons, and requires nine Sun Furnaces.
Only the top ten major powers have the technological capability to build them.
These are the powerful tools humanity uses to dominate the Outer Ring, controlling the sea, land, and sky.
...
"Good morning, Chairman!"
After breakfast, Chen Qi "went to work" on time, arriving at Chris Tower.
The first thing he did upon reaching his office was summon Sam.
"Sam, I'm putting Taruno in charge of Fadir Mining. You'll be his point of contact for it."
"Also, bring me a list of all the company's subsidiaries, especially any related to the computer industry."
Taruno had already started putting together a security team, and of course, Chen Qi wasn't going to let the funding for it go unsupervised.
Sam was the right man for the job!
As for the list, it was part of Chen Qi's long-shot plan to find someone within his own subsidiaries who could decipher the Blood-colored Chip.
Chen Qi certainly didn't have the guts to just install it in his body.
According to Yu Hongwu, the chip contained Su Zhenqing's "Martial Dao will." The very thought was bizarre.
Soon, Sam delivered the list.
Chen Qi scanned it quickly, discovering that in addition to its seven direct subsidiaries, the Chris Group had also invested in over a dozen other projects.
But the only one with any connection to the computer industry was a small, five-person game development studio.
What surprised Chen Qi even more was that the person who had made the investment decision, a year ago, was none other than Jomoya Chris.
'Strange, why would that guy have any interest in getting involved with video games?'
The Lanyu Kingdom was a small nation to begin with, and its video game market was a barren wasteland—hardly a profitable industry.
'Could there have been an ulterior motive?'
For some reason, Chen Qi's thoughts turned to Fadir Mining, which existed solely for the purpose of acquiring Source Ore.
If the decision had been made by Ireland Zoff, Chen Qi wouldn't be overthinking it.
It had to be said, Sam was truly dedicated to his work.
Appended to the list, Chen Qi found detailed information about these companies.
Dream Creation Studio—that was the name of the game studio.
The founder and lead technician, Yu Dongcheng, was originally a citizen of the Lanyu Kingdom who later studied game development abroad in a medium-sized power, the Great Chen Dynasty.
'Interesting. He actually managed to escape the influence of the *King's Game*!'
Thanks to certain mineral resources and a relatively competent government, the Lanyu Kingdom had always been a model student among the smaller nations.
The people's standard of living wasn't the best, but it was better than most, making it a perfect place for an unambitious, comfortable life.
Consequently, very few people from the Lanyu Kingdom chose to study abroad.
Of course, the more likely reason was that the people of the Lanyu Kingdom were influenced by the *King's Game* and had grown accustomed to being homebodies in their own country.
This made Yu Dongcheng's case stand out even more.
But what Chen Qi found even stranger was that the guy had actually come back.
Chen Qi circled Yu Dongcheng's listed major: "Immersive Virtual Reality Development." You couldn't find a job in that field in the Lanyu Kingdom.
For decades, the Lanyu Kingdom had banned "virtual games," classifying them as "dangerous goods harmful to the brain."
Connecting all these threads, Chen Qi felt that even without the Blood-colored Chip as a motive, a trip to this game studio was necessary.