: Jealousy Twisted into Madness

"I've been thinking about something for the past two days."

"You're still thinking about him."

"Yes, I've been thinking about him."

Veronica sat in a booth at the champagne-colored bar counter, her delicate fingers interlaced as she held a glass of Champagne-red Romanée-Conti, swirling it slightly. Her charming, fair-skinned face, framed by a high nose, appeared slightly tipsy in the dim blue-purple light.

Simon, with his round face, sat to the side, holding a petite blonde girl in his arms, stuffing roll after roll of old federal banknotes into her snow-white chest.

He sipped his brandy somewhat casually, occasionally exchanging passionate kisses with the young girl.

Veronica seemed completely accustomed to these things, showing no emotional reaction whatsoever.

She continued muttering, "Was he really just lucky these two times? No way, ever since Caesar was captured, he seems to have been blessed by the god of luck."

"I know his background information by heart, but unfortunately not much about the main city. It's all Caesar's fault for blowing up the entire Joyful Province. Even if we sent people to investigate..."

"Ha, the orphanage he went to when he was a child was burned down, the old director surnamed Xu died, his elementary school homeroom teacher is missing, his junior high school teacher died young, and the entire First High School is run by his sister. How ridiculous."

"The only people I know well are his high school classmates. I discovered that one of them, Charles, is a descendant of the Ivan family... but I'm more inclined to believe his best friend, Hutu."

"I know you don't care about any of this, because you always have countless ways to manipulate things," Veronica tilted her snow-white swan neck back, downed the cherry red Conti in her glass in one gulp, licked her lips, and continued, "But I'm different. I hate being ignorant."

"The Devil Gang is in complete chaos right now, and I have to personally step in. I'm even paying Snake Man's rent. Oh my god, am I their mother? I have to do everything myself. What's the point of me supporting them?"

"That's fine, after all, they all respect me and show me awe when they see me. To be honest, they are all well-behaved dogs, so I'm quite satisfied."

Veronica started to ramble on: "What about later? Today it's a handsome young man I know nothing about, tomorrow it's a mysterious beautiful girl, and who knows if they'll even pay any attention to me. Anyway, I can't do anything to them, wouldn't I become a laughing stock?"

Simon continued drinking and kissing passionately, ignoring Veronica's comments.

He coughed twice, then leaned close to the girl's ear and whispered a few words.

The girl lowered her eyelids, her eyelashes fluttered, and after nodding blushing, she left the bar and headed towards the private rooms at the back of the bar.

After dismissing the girl, Simon turned around with a slightly displeased expression, pinched Veronica's chin, and looked her over with a half-smile: "Look, you feel threatened already? How cute."

Veronica's face suddenly tightened: "What a joke, I didn't."

"If you really don't, then don't disturb my enjoyment any longer, understand?"

Seeing this, Veronica suddenly felt flustered and blurted out defiantly, "Yes, I have it!"

Simon snorted: "I think you deserve a beating. I'll give you another chance, but you have to satisfy me first."

Before he finished speaking, Veronica leaned in seductively, like a little wildcat.

Simon frowned and slapped Veronica across the face: "You slut, I told you to tell me the plan, all you ever think about is dirty tricks."

"..."

Veronica winced in pain, especially in such a public setting. She pursed her lips, quickly regaining her composure, and gently bit her red lips, saying without changing her expression, "This time, I'm thinking, there's no need to send any assassins, no need for surveillance or tracking. Just have an ordinary person attack him. I refuse to believe he can escape unscathed!"

Simon casually remarked, "Yeah, remember to connect with me this time, so I can see it too."

"Oh? Yes, Lord Simon."

……

After arriving home, Qiao Yuan habitually took a shower first. Facing the large bag of monster eggs, he took a picture and used his phone's built-in recognition function to learn that it was a type of alien slug called a sand slug. Unlike normal slugs that prefer damp environments, these creatures can live for decades in dry, enclosed environments.

In addition, the alien species are the most common monsters. They are influenced by spiritual atoms produced by the collision of the multiverse and are experimental products that have altered their original characteristics.

In fact, the monsters born in the laboratory are not limited to this. The mist beast that Lin Xuan created was also a product of the laboratory.

These are collectively referred to as alien species, which, although not polluting, still pose a certain threat.

For example, these sand slugs, once they grow up, become extremely greedy for water sources, and will even develop a craving for human blood, which is essentially illegal.

However, because it is a product of a laboratory, it is impossible to prevent even with official bans.

Above the heterogeneous species are the hybrid species.

Like the translucent blue jellyfish with a golden heart that had the beard mentioned earlier.

Compared to the alien species in the laboratory, hybrids, as the name suggests, are monsters born from the crossbreeding of creatures from this universe and creatures from other universes.

Hybrids are categorized based on their stability. Most stable hybrid offspring are free from contamination, while a small percentage of uncontrolled hybrids can produce contamination.

Historically, highly stable hybrids have always been sought after by the wealthy. They are generally considered to be beautiful and possess considerable spiritual qualities, making them excellent for medicinal use, consumption, or ornamental purposes.

As for hybrids, those are the monsters that truly possess the ability to corrupt, and there are many different types.

The most well-known examples are the Blessed Races, which are the retinues of superior races or groups that worship them. They are blessed and elevated, posing a great threat and often enough to ignite a bloody war on a planet.

The planet Yaoguang experienced this twenty years ago, losing two floating cities and causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of people, which was extremely tragic.

Although the Legalist Heavy Industry is infamous, Silver Moon City has always been a paradise for Yao Guang Star. At the very least, its protection level and combat power are the highest.

This knowledge is recorded in junior high school textbooks and is not a rare thing. It's just that his birth time was a bit of a coincidence, and he did not experience a large-scale multiverse invasion from childhood to adulthood.

There are still small-scale areas affected, such as the light radiation zone near Huanxi Prefecture, which occurred three years ago.

At that time, he and his baby had just been admitted to the top high school. It was the summer vacation in July and August, and school had not yet started. He hid at home every day, feeling anxious and extremely desperate.

Besides the Blessed Races, there are also the Dark Races influenced by the dark will of the multiverse, high-dimensional civilizations with advanced technology, and various terrifying races that like to merge and parasitize. They are diverse in species and all pose a great threat.

Therefore, there is a great need for spiritual barriers within the Apocalypse Federation.

Unfortunately, relations with the Star Federation had been severed for thirty years, and he dared not imagine what would happen if they were to experience frequent, large-scale multi-dimensional crises again...

Qiao Yuan was soaking in the steaming hot bath, lost in thought. In short, he needed to become strong enough to have enough confidence.

Almost there! Now that we have a shortcut, all that's missing is money. I'm currently three more breakthroughs away from reaching the first tier [Overlord]. I'll go all in tomorrow morning. I wonder how many Night Stones I can exchange for all these Sand Slug eggs. It'll definitely be a lot.

Tomorrow is the 27th. After making a fortune at the Golden Ball Cup finals on the 29th, we'll try again on the 30th.

After taking a shower, he went to practice the Canghai Force and also drank a sip of a constitution-enhancing potion. Before he knew it, Yan Baobao had returned home, and it was already past midnight.

Although the salary and benefits are higher in the main city, it is also busier.

Fortunately, the baby is always full of energy.

His Canghai Jin level increased from 44 to 49, and his physique also increased by 0.13, which is considered a steady improvement, and the gains were quite substantial.

Normally, your physical condition will increase by a maximum of 0.1 during this period.

Just then, Yan Baobao walked over with a smile: "Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you waiting for me to come back?"

"Yes, I'm used to it." Qiao Yuan stood up, went to the baby's side, and tidied her hair.

A few drops of fragrant sweat glistened on her fair forehead, and beneath her beautiful, slender pink eyebrows, Yan Baobao's delicate cheeks remained as flawless as ever, like a porcelain doll, and she also had a very pleasant, faint body fragrance.

After the baby entered the embers, he developed a routine of waiting for the baby to come home before going to sleep.

"Hehe, how about we play some games?"

"Okay." Qiao Yuan chuckled; he knew Bao Bao would say that.

Unlike other girls, Bao Bao's favorite things to do since she was little are practicing martial arts and playing games. She is particularly enthusiastic about games.

Moreover, the baby not only likes playing games, but also enjoys playing with him. He's also a pro gamer, passionate about hidden items and collecting everything in the game.

He played with the baby until 1 a.m., and after returning to the bedroom, he thought about it and decided to go directly to the wreckage area.

This time I need to exchange for quite a few Night Stones, so it would be best to cultivate them all at once. Therefore... let me have a cup of coffee first!

A moment later, Qiao Yuan, carrying a bag of sand slug eggs, took out the black mask with the bushy beard and put it on, instead of choosing Caesar's mask from before.

He mainly wanted to see how many spots were left on his beard so he could have a better idea of ​​what to expect.

Caesar has three more chances left, and we'll see about the bald guy when he goes in on the 30th.

Upon arriving at the desolate and gray wreckage area, he first looked around and found that it was still the same area as before, and it had not appeared on any other wreckage. The ten-meter-tall black tentacle a dozen meters away was, according to his memory, Caesar's.

Qiao Yuan gradually withdrew his gaze. Instead of rushing to change the Black Night Stone, he first went to the vicinity of the other cultists and used their whispers as anchor points to travel to their past or future.

The first cultist was located in an opera house in the fourth main city, Rodel district. On the surface, he was a famous opera singer, but he had opened a secret mezzanine room in his private dressing room.

[Having learned the hiding place of the master of disguise, Richard Williams, and gained absolute initiative, I accelerated the digestion of the Pioneer Potion, just two more attempts away from advancing to the first tier of the Celestial Pioneer [Overbearing]]

The second cult member lived in the Garden District and resembled the previous one. Through his investigation of the villa, Qiao Yuan discovered that the man was the vice president of the Karen Charitable Foundation, a billionaire who owned a medical company called Thousand Stars...

He frowned slightly as he looked at the jewel-encrusted, blonde middle-aged woman in front of him, who was entangled in a passionate embrace with two young, shirtless, handsome men.

The villa was surrounded by heavily guarded cyborg bodyguards; not even a mosquito could get in.

These cult members live so openly and honestly that no one knows their true nature. Once you think about it more deeply, you can't help but feel a chill.

Ordinary cult members only create disasters, but these powerful figures can determine them!

Qiao Yuan took a deep breath and continued to look around the old beast's villa, searching for useful information.

After a while, he saw a list of invitations for a birthday dinner on the holographic screen in his study downstairs, with a familiar name on it.

[Simon Mikhail, Administrative Director of the First Experimental Building, Spiritual Research Department, Twilight Group.]

Damn, I knew them all after all.

The dinner will be held a few days later on August 31st, the location of which is unknown, and the guest list is only partial.

He then learned that the blonde woman, who looked to be only in her thirties, was actually a hundred years old, and that the electronic dinner invitation was to celebrate her 100th birthday!

I'd guess they've probably consumed Hera substances or other longevity-enhancing drugs.

Qiao Yuan shook his head slightly. Knowing all this didn't seem to be of much use; he wasn't going to barge in.

The others all had biometric identification. He accidentally touched one, and the alarm lights and red flashes went off throughout the study.

The doors and windows slammed shut instantly, and a white holographic projection of a smart home assistant lit up in the study, scanning the surroundings. This quickly alerted the cyborg bodyguards outside, who rushed in with guns drawn.

The blonde woman upstairs was also alerted.

Qiao Yuan wasn't in a hurry; he planned to take another look and check the security level here.

Time passed slowly, and it wasn't until half an hour later that he returned to the wreckage area, still feeling unsatisfied.

[Having learned the whereabouts of renowned philanthropist Karen Francis, I have gained absolute control and accelerated the digestion of the Pioneer Potion. I am just one step away from advancing to the next level of the Celestial Pioneer [Overbearing]]

Phew, almost here.

Qiao Yuan continued to stroll around and soon learned about the third cultist's secret base. This one was quite far away, just like the last one, it was located in the nearby New London Floating City.

[Having learned the hiding place of the masked assassin Sun Shi and gained absolute initiative, I accelerated the digestion of the Pioneer Potion and officially advanced to the first-tier Heavenly Destiny Pioneer [Overbearing]]

[The term "domineering" refers to a powerful individual within their current rank who has mastered the art of portraying their identity.]

[Tier 1 Pioneer Ability, Memory Visualization Evolution: Gain Memory Corridor.]

[Effect: You can revisit any event you've experienced at any time, returning to the places you visited before to rediscover clues hidden in the past.]

[To advance to the first-tier Celestial Pioneer [Awakening], eight more Pioneer Breakthroughs are required, each of which allows the Memory Corridor ability to awaken.]

[Upon advancing to the next tier of [Awakening], the number of times you can enter the timeline each day will be increased again.]

Qiao Yuan blinked subconsciously, and the more he looked, the more he felt that this ability was a bit buggy.

He tried it directly in the wreckage area, and instantly the scene of Karen's study in the villa appeared before his eyes. With just a thought, he could arrive there again.

Wow, is this the Memory Corridor?

He finally understood why most of the pioneers were scientists.

This is truly an amazing skill! It's far superior to memory visualization, which only allows you to see the information and saves you time in recalling it.

However, now that he has returned to the original location of his memories, he can review them again.

Although limited by memory, I can't see places I haven't seen before, or go to places I haven't been to before, it's still great.

The normal pioneer sequence mostly discovers new, previously overlooked clues in this way, but he can travel to the past and future...

In other words, the Memory Corridor can only return to past memories, but it can also travel to future memories that it has visited!

This is a bit interesting.

In the past, I always felt that sometimes half an hour was a bit tight and rushed.

In the future, you can use the memory corridor at any time to review things or information that you may have previously overlooked, and conduct a review.

Not bad.

This is only the first-tier pioneer [Overlord]. There are still two more opportunities to evolve the ability, [Awakening] and [Breaking Limits], who knows what they will be like then.

Qiao Yuan licked his lips in satisfaction. As for the last timeline of the day, he thought he'd save it for now. Simon might still have something to do, so he'd see how many stars were left on this side before making a decision.

He now returned to the black-bearded creature, which was only five meters tall and quite ordinary.

There were only two stars lit up on the tentacles, not many indeed. One would disappear after it left, leaving only one chance to enter and exit.

There probably won't be many on the bald guy's side either.

So I used it anyway.

There's no need to worry too much. Just activate your Devil Stand when you get home from school, and it won't be a big problem.

As Qiao Yuan pondered this, he sacrificed all 48 sand slug eggs from his black leather bag.

The tentacle in front of them clearly fluctuated, as if it was extremely pleased. Its height increased from 5 meters to 5.5 meters. In addition, thirteen pieces of Black Night Stone were successively swallowed and spat out from the tentacle's huge mouth!

Qiao Yuan's mouth was dry from reading.

He brought two bottles of physique potions worth 30 each, and only managed to produce one Black Night Stone. Now, the value has increased 13 times.

This means that the value of this bag of eggs is close to four million, far exceeding his expectations.

After all, all the gene enhancement fluids and physique potions left behind by Caesar only amounted to three or four million.