"Good girl."
The words hung in the air of the ruined VIP box, heavy and utterly dominant.
Mu Xue'er, the terrifying Scarlet Queen who had made warlords tremble, knelt on the plush carpet, her chest heaving as she processed what she had just done. She had just severed her military oath to the Dragon Sovereign and submitted to a billionaire playboy she had despised an hour ago.
And the most terrifying part? Her body felt better than it had in three years. The suffocating, icy grip of death had been pushed back by the scorching heat of his palm.
"Don't patronize me, Chu Feng," she said, her voice trembling slightly, though whether it was from residual pain or the lingering intimacy of the Qi transfer, even she didn't know. She slowly stood up, her lieutenant rushing forward to support her.
"I'm not patronizing you, Xue'er. I'm rewarding you for making the only logical choice," I replied smoothly.
I gestured to Old Chen, who stepped forward and handed the ornate wooden box containing the 500-Year Blood Ginseng to her lieutenant.
Mu Xue'er looked at the box, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You're just giving it to me? After spending a billion?"
"I bought it for you, didn't I?" I walked past her, pausing just by her shoulder. "But like I said, if you eat it now, you'll explode. The Nine-Yin Frost Poison is deeply rooted in your bone marrow. To safely process the ginseng's Yang energy, you need a daily catalyst."
She swallowed hard, remembering the intense, overwhelming rush of my Qi tearing through her meridians. "A daily catalyst..."
"Starting tomorrow night," I said, my tone shifting into a cold, unquestionable command, "you will come to my private estate in Dragon Bay at 9:00 PM. Alone. I will administer a Qi transfer and feed you a fraction of the ginseng. We do this for seven days, and you will be completely cured."
Her lieutenant bristled. "Commander, you can't go to his private estate alone at night! It's a trap!"
Mu Xue'er raised a hand, silencing her subordinate. She looked at me, her sharp blue eyes searching my face for any sign of deceit or the lecherous intent the old Chu Feng was famous for. She found nothing but absolute, terrifying calm.
"Seven days," Mu Xue'er repeated quietly. "And in exchange, the Scarlet Guard protects the Chu Consortium?"
"In exchange, the Scarlet Guard answers to me," I corrected. "I don't need protection. I need a sword. Go home, Commander. Get some rest. You look exhausted."
I didn't wait for her to salute or agree. I simply walked out of the shattered VIP box, leaving the military queen staring at my back, her heart pounding against her ribs for reasons entirely unrelated to the poison.
[Ding!] [Major Plot Alteration confirmed!] [The Scarlet Queen has accepted the Host's treatment plan! Forced proximity established!] [Target's Affection +10! Current Affection: 40 (Intrigued/Submissive).] [Host gains 2000 Villain Points!]
As I stepped into the VIP elevator with Old Chen, the system interface flashed a brilliant gold.
[Congratulations Host! You have entirely severed the Second Protagonist's Military Support!] [Long Chen's 'Dao Heart' is crumbling. His Destiny Points are critically low!] [Reward: System Store upgrade unlocked. Host has been awarded the 'Grandmaster-Level Assassination Arts'.]
A sudden, chilling wave of knowledge flooded my brain. It wasn't just physical martial arts this time. It was the absolute mastery of stealth, pressure points, shadow movement, and lethal takedowns. My footsteps, already quiet, became entirely silent. Even Old Chen, a veteran bodyguard, glanced at me in the elevator, a subtle look of unease crossing his face. He couldn't hear me breathing anymore.
I smiled. The Dragon Sovereign was a battlefield brawler. But with Grandmaster Assassination Arts, I was the shadow that killed the brawler.
[Meanwhile... In the Southern Slums of Jinghai City]
The rain was pouring down in sheets, washing the filth of the alleyway into the gutters.
SMASH!
Long Chen violently hurled his cracked satellite phone against a brick wall, shattering it into a hundred useless pieces of plastic and wire.
"AHHHHHHH!"
The Dragon Sovereign tilted his head back and roared at the gray sky, a roar of pure, unadulterated agony and humiliation.
His right arm hung uselessly at his side, hastily wrapped in a makeshift splint fashioned from a wooden pallet and torn fabric. His customized clothes were soaked and stained with his own blood.
He was ruined.
Fifty billion dollars. Gone. Hacked and given to dogs.
His military fiancée. Gone. Panting into the phone while betraying him for the very man who had stolen his money.
The three mercenaries who had survived the airport ambush were standing at the end of the alley, looking at their "invincible" Sovereign with a mix of fear and growing doubt.
"Boss," one of the mercenaries stepped forward cautiously. "We... we don't have a safe house. Our local accounts were frozen in the cyber-attack. We don't even have the cash to rent a motel room or hire a back-alley doctor for your arm."
Long Chen's head snapped down, his eyes bloodshot and completely feral.
He didn't need a doctor. He needed blood.
He had returned to Jinghai to play a game. To slowly crush the local rich kids, build his harem, and establish his dominance. But Chu Feng hadn't played the game. Chu Feng had flipped the entire board and set it on fire.
"We don't need a safe house," Long Chen hissed, his voice dropping into a deadly, gravelly register. The 'Dragon King's Combat Arts' inside him were boiling over, fueled by his shattered Dao Heart and pure rage. "Chu Feng thinks he's a god because he has money. He thinks hacking a bank account makes him invincible."
Long Chen reached into his combat boot with his good hand, pulling out a matte-black trench knife.
"He's forgotten what real power is," the protagonist snarled, the killing intent rolling off him in waves. "Money doesn't stop a blade in the dark. I am the Dragon Sovereign. I have slaughtered entire syndicates overnight."
He looked at his three remaining mercenaries.
"We are going to Dragon Bay," Long Chen ordered, his eyes turning pitch black with murderous intent. "Tonight. We bypass his security, we breach his villa, and I am going to personally carve Chu Feng's heart out of his chest while his new 'Acting CEO' watches."
[One Hour Later - Dragon Bay Estate]
The Maybach glided smoothly into the private garage of my villa.
I stepped out, rolling my shoulders. The sheer amount of Yang Qi I had expended at the auction house left a pleasant, dull ache in my muscles, but my new Grandmaster Assassination Arts kept my senses razor-sharp.
I walked up the stairs to the main living area.
Su Qingran was sitting at the massive marble dining table, surrounded by holographic displays and financial documents. She looked up as I entered, her eyes lighting up with genuine relief. She was fully embracing her role as the Acting CEO, methodically dismantling my Uncle's loyalists in the company.
"You're back," she said, standing up and walking over to me. She didn't hesitate this time; she reached out and took my coat, her fingers brushing lightly against my chest. "How was the auction? Did you get the ginseng?"
"I got the ginseng, and I got the Commander," I replied, pouring myself a glass of sparkling water. "The Scarlet Guard is officially off the board. Long Chen has no money and no army."
Su Qingran's eyes widened in awe. "You dismantled a global mercenary king in less than twelve hours."
"I told you, Qingran. Nobody takes anything from me," I smiled, stepping closer to her.
She looked up at me, her breath hitching slightly, completely captivated by my Overlord Aura and the absolute security I provided.
But before she could speak, my system chimed with a blaring, blood-red warning that completely covered my vision.
[CRITICAL ALERT!] [The Heavenly Dao is executing a Desperation Protocol!] [Second Protagonist Long Chen has abandoned all rationality and plot progression! He has initiated a direct assassination sequence!] [Warning! Long Chen and three elite mercenaries have breached the outer perimeter of Dragon Bay!] [Estimated time until they breach the living room: 60 Seconds.]
My eyes instantly hardened into chips of ice.
I set my glass down on the marble counter with a sharp clink.
"Qingran," I said, my voice dropping into a terrifyingly calm whisper. "Go to the panic room in the basement. Now."
"What? Chu Feng, what's wrong—?"
CRASH!
The massive, floor-to-ceiling reinforced glass window at the far end of the living room violently shattered inward.
A heavy, military-grade smoke grenade bounced across the expensive hardwood floor, instantly flooding the room with thick, blinding gray gas.
A cornered dog had finally shown its teeth.