Downstairs at the Lu Corporation building.
An inconspicuous Volkswagen, parked in the shadows, had been there for two consecutive days.
Inside the car, Ye Chen stared at the building's exit, his gaze as if trying to bore through the glass.
His prophecy of gold plummeting had failed, but he had to try again to win over Shen Ning霜!
"Ning frost... you must have been deceived by him!"
"You wait, I will definitely rescue you!"
"I am the savior! I am!"
He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and frantic.
Finally, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.
Shen Ning霜!
She wore a sharp business suit, her posture tall and straight, her aura cool and detached, as she slowly walked out of the building.
"She's here!"
Ye Chen abruptly pushed open the car door and rushed out, heedless of everything!
"Miss Shen!"
He roared, directly blocking Shen Ning霜's path.
Shen Ning霜 was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure, but upon recognizing Ye Chen, her delicate brows immediately furrowed, and undisguised disgust and coldness appeared in her eyes.
"You again?"
Her voice was so cold it could form ice shards.
"Miss Shen! Listen to me!"
Ye Chen completely ignored her attitude, speaking rapidly, spittle flying, "Our prophecy wasn't wrong! You saw the warehouse fire! The gold price... the gold price was Lu Cheng's doing!"
"He used the Lu family's power to forcibly stabilize the gold price! He's a liar! He's stopping us from saving the world!"
He was agitated, reaching out to grab Shen Ning霜's arm.
"Come with me! Leave that liar!"
"Come to my fortress, that's our only hope!"
"What he can give you now will all turn to waste paper after the apocalypse! And I, what I can give you, is an entire new world!"
However, his hand hadn't even touched the hem of Shen Ning霜's clothes.
"Clap!"
A crisp sound.
Shen Ning霜's hand shot out, quick as lightning, surprisingly striking first and accurately gripping Ye Chen's wrist!
"Ah!"
Ye Chen cried out in pain, feeling as if his wrist was clamped in an iron vise, his bones on the verge of shattering.
He looked at Shen Ning霜 in horror.
This woman, so fast... truly worthy of being the number one female War God of the apocalypse!
"Lunatic."
Shen Ning霜 spat out two words, her eyes filled only with contempt, as if looking at trash.
"Dare to come near me again, and I'll cripple this hand of yours."
"Oh? Am I really that bad?"
A lazy, somewhat playful voice came from behind them.
Ye Chen froze, then sharply turned his head.
Lu Cheng.
He was strolling leisurely out of the building, hands in his pockets, a smile on his face that Ye Chen loathed.
When Shen Ning霜 saw Lu Cheng, the icy coldness in her eyes instantly melted, and she released Ye Chen's hand.
Lu Cheng walked to her side, very naturally reaching out and pulling her soft waist into his embrace, his actions intimate and possessive.
Then, he looked at the disheveled Ye Chen, smiling:
"Mr. Ye, it seems you lost our bet."
"Your future, it seems... isn't very accurate."
This light remark, like a dagger, plunged fiercely into Ye Chen's heart.
"Lu Cheng!"
Ye Chen clutched his throbbing wrist, his eyes bloodshot, glaring at him, a beast-like growl rumbling in his throat.
"Don't get cocky! You're just temporarily interfering with the future by relying on your family's power!"
"When the apocalypse truly arrives, your money, your company, everything you have will turn into a pile of waste paper!"
He puffed out his chest, as if grasping at a last straw, and roared:
"And I, I still have my fortress! I'll stay inside, drinking red wine, watching you and your world be destroyed together!"
This was his last trump card, his last shred of dignity.
However, after Lu Cheng heard him, the smile on his face not only didn't disappear but became even brighter.
He seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world, even dramatically clutching his stomach and laughing several times.
"Fortress?"
He stopped laughing, looked at Ye Chen, and in a deliberate, heavy tone, said:
"Are you referring to... that dilapidated, non-performing asset in the eastern suburbs that's been sitting there for over a decade..."
"...the civil defense project?"
Boom!
Ye Chen's mind instantly went blank.
The madness, anger, and paranoia on his face solidified at that moment, then cracked, turning into endless shock and bewilderment.
Non-performing asset... He... he remembered, the agent had indeed mentioned something about the place being an incidental project of some engineering work... but at the time, his mind was entirely on the apocalypse, and he hadn't paid any attention!
Lu Cheng looked at his distraught expression, the curve of his lips becoming even more cruel.
He leaned in closer and whispered:
"Mr. Ye, I have to thank you for helping me clear out that troublesome non-performing asset."
"And I especially want to thank you for contributing that very impressive sum to our corporation's quarterly financial report..."
"...a nine-figure profit."
"Speaking of which, I've already thought about how to spend that money. I'll use it to buy Ning frost a yacht, how about that?"
"Pfft—"
Ye Chen could no longer bear it; his throat sweetened, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out.
He had instantly transformed from a savior, a prophet reborn with control over the future, into a clown who was sold out and even helped count the money!
"You... you..." He pointed at Lu Cheng, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Lu Cheng, however, no longer had any interest in even glancing at him.
He lowered his head, gently brushed a strand of hair from Shen Ning霜's forehead, his voice doting:
"As a reward for not being deceived by such a boring fly."
"Tonight, I'll take you somewhere nice."
After speaking, in front of Ye Chen, he leaned down and pressed a deeply possessive kiss on Shen Ning霜's lips.
Shen Ning霜 closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and passionately responded.
This scene became the final straw that broke Ye Chen.
He looked at the incredibly dazzling sight before him, listening to Lu Cheng's soul-crushing words... Ye Chen felt the entire world spinning, everyone mercilessly mocking his foolishness.
"Ah—!"
He let out an inhuman wail, turned, and stumbled away like a stray dog, fleeing towards his car.
Escape!
Escape back to his... fortress!
Sitting in the car, he frantically pounded the steering wheel, but soon, the madness in his eyes was gradually replaced by a strange calmness.
Right!
Shen Ning霜 didn't believe him, it didn't matter!
That woman was blind, it was her loss!
The apocalypse... the apocalypse would definitely come!
When the apocalypse arrived, order would collapse, morality would degrade, and he would have an impregnable fortress, with mountains of supplies!
At that time, there would be no shortage of beautiful women willing to do anything to survive!
What was one Shen Ning霜?
He would find a hundred, a thousand!
His [Hundredfold Return System] would trigger as long as beautiful women consumed supplies!
He would have endless resources!
He was the only king of the new world!
Lu Cheng, Shen Ning霜, you just wait for me!
I will live, live to the very end, and watch you die in despair with my own eyes!
...Lu Cheng held Shen Ning霜, watching Ye Chen disappear in disarray, a cold pity flashing in his eyes.
"All his pillars have broken."
"What will a reborn person, left only with paranoia and hatred, do next?"
The smile on his lips became profound.
"I'm so curious."
He turned and smiled at Shen Ning霜 in his arms:
"Let's go, our show has just begun."