Atop the high-rise, Qi Yuan gazed up at the sky, pondering. Had he been an ordinary rebooter, killing Wang Wei and tasting that first surge of fortune might as well have pushed him down a different path. He would’ve set out in earnest to hunt the remaining rebooters one by one.

This trickle of fortune is worth less than a psychiatric certificate. I'd have to be genuinely unwell to go around hunting other rebooters.

Most other rebooters had been ordinary people in their previous lives. None of them would have foresight like his. They almost certainly didn’t know that killing a fellow rebooter would allow them to absorb that person’s fortune. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

He sighed in disappointment at her body, murmuring, "What a waste. She didn't even drop a single point of EXP. I thought you were supposed to be something."

Then, he walked over to the black-clad sniper's body and picked up the communication device.

***

Two hours later, Qi Yuan surveyed the spacious room filled with medicinal herbs and sea monsters, feeling a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

Beside him, Kuang Huan still hadn't quite recovered from the shock. The events of today had thoroughly exceeded his expectations. Moreover, over the past two hours, a steady stream of information had been flowing in.

Now, he knew who had ordered the ambush: the Black Crystal Earl, Zhao Renji. Zhao Renji came from an old nobility. During the Qin Cui War thirty years ago, his father distinguished himself in battle. Ever since, the Zhao family had been synonymous with power in Tianyue City.

Even Kuang Huan, a hereditary viscount in his own right, had to tread carefully around the Black Crystal Earl when operating within city limits.

The viscount asked cautiously, testing the water, "Mr. Qi, should we consider leaving Tianyue City for now?"

This was the Black Crystal Earl's territory. If Zhao Renji decided he truly wanted Qi Yuan dealt with, there was nothing Kuang Huan could do about it. On the other hand, he was confident he could keep Qi Yuan safe in Xinyang.

Qi Yuan shook his head. "Why would I leave? I was very careful when I killed them. No witnesses, no evidence. How would the police ever trace it back to me?"

Kuang Huan was briefly silent before saying carefully, "They don't need evidence to make an arrest."

Evidence, after all, was a courtesy exchanged only between parties of comparable standing. Great noble clans didn't bother producing evidence against lesser noble clans, just as lesser noble clans didn't bother producing evidence against commoners.

Qi Yuan produced his all-purpose protective talisman, the psychiatric disability certificate. "No evidence? Then how about this?"

With this in hand, he was utterly untroubled.

Kuang Huan fell silent again. He always had the unsettling feeling that Qi Yuan's depths were impossible to measure.

The viscount added, "The Black Crystal Earl doesn't just have a squad of gene soldiers at his disposal, he has access to firearms as well."

A gene soldier squad was fearsome enough. Given the national strength of the Qin Yuan Kingdom, a proper gene squad formation could roll over a whole battalion of a weaker nation's infantry.

The firearms were something else entirely. Against the great equaliser, it didn't matter who you were. Moreover, some of Arch Star's weaponry had been developed with reference to Brilliant Star's technology. Experts had been known to say such weapons were capable of killing gods.

Qi Yuan admitted, "Those weapons are a real problem."

Today's sniper rifle had proven the point. Taking a direct shot would kill him. Heavier weapons were out of the question entirely. Running into heavier weapons would be genuinely troublesome.

Kuang Huan's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you will come with me, Mr. Qi?"

This would bring the two of them considerably closer.

Qi Yuan's eyes held a quiet trace of amusement. "The weapons are a problem, yes. But the people are simple."

His enemies weren't the weapons, but the people.

Arch Star's technology still had a long way to go. The countermeasures it had developed against cultivators remained woefully inadequate.

Kuang Huan blinked. "Pardon?"

Qi Yuan shrugged. "Today's your lucky night, if you come along to the Zhao family residence, you might even get dinner out of it."

No matter how devastating their weapons were, the Zhao family were still humans who could bleed. What did it matter if they had gene soldiers guarding them?

Having played so many games, his methods were beyond anything an ordinary mortal could anticipate. Moreover, he had also taken out two Yang Spirits. If even Yang Spirits couldn't guard against him, a regular person stood no chance whatsoever.

The moment he had picked up the communication device earlier, he had placed a call to whoever was running things on the other end. That turned out to be Zhao Renji himself.

Qi Yuan issued a single demand: Zhao Renji was to take his own life as an apology and accept responsibility for his actions. Zhao Renji, naturally, had no intention of doing any such thing. He hadn't shown the slightest remorse. In that case, Qi Yuan had no reason to hold back.

There was a saying in the old myths, “Hearing a demon's voice was enough for someone to be beguiled.” Qi Yuan was stronger than any demon those myths described. With a communication device as a medium, he could lace his voice with illusory spells and techniques. Zhao Renji would have no idea it was happening.

It would never even occur to Zhao Renji to guard himself. He hadn't taken Qi Yuan's words seriously in the slightest. After all, who would ever imagine someone capable of killing through a phone call?

***

At that very moment, inside the Zhao family residence.

Zhao Renji turned to face Zhao Shiqi, his eyes burning with barely contained viciousness. He said slowly and deliberately, "He's nothing but a commoner. I want him dead."

Zhao Shiqi's tone was sharp with displeasure. "He isn’t just any commoner. He’s the orphan of a martyr."

As someone who had spent his career in the military and genuinely cared for the soldiers under his command, he had no qualms about fighting back.

"Hmph. A pack of filthy farmers." Zhao Renji snorted, then turned to his brother, grumbling coldly. "Honor them, and they become glorious. Ignore them, and they're nothing but a mob waiting to happen. More importantly, did you have a hand in what happened today?"

Qi Yuan himself barely registered as a concern. What Zhao Renji truly cared about was whether Zhao Shiqi had been working behind the scenes to foil his plans. He had always been wary of his younger brother.

Zhao Shiqi met his brother's eyes. "I..."

Frustration and resentment churned underneath. He was able to guess exactly what his brother was thinking, and it only deepened his disappointment. Even now, at a moment like this, his brother thought only of power.

Zhao Shiqi held his brother’s gaze, unflinching. “I wish I had. Since he survived, keep your hands off him.”

Zhao Renji let out a contemptuous smirk. “Well, I wasn’t going to, but he refuses to leave me alone. He just called to demand I take my own life and beg for his forgiveness. Hmph, I'll give the boy credit, he has guts.

“I've never met a young man quite so brazen. If you want this resolved, bring him here yourself. Have him apologise to me in person. If his sincerity impresses me, I may let him live."

The words hit Zhao Shiqi like a fist. Disappointment and fury surged in equal measure, cresting higher than they ever had. Yet he said nothing, looking at the floor.

Zhao Renji's cold voice filled the silence. "Us great nobles do not make mistakes. And even if we do, we never admit to them. The instant we show weakness, those commoners will think we’re easy prey. They'll push further and further. How long before no one fears us at all?"

The dignity and authority of the family meant everything to him. What was a single human life compared to that? Though the plan to eliminate Qi Yuan had gone strangely awry, Zhao Renji couldn't bring himself to care. In Tianyue City, his word was law.

Zhao Shiqi kept his eyes down and said nothing. His brother had once spoken these words and so had their father, many times before him.

Zhao Renji threatened him. "Bring me his head and this matter ends. Or would you rather the martyr family relief fund for Tianyue City take a hit?"

Years of absolute control and looking down on others had made him reckless, convinced of his own untouchability.

Just then, someone’s faint voice drifted straight into Zhao Renji's ear. "Tsk. You are still alive?"