Chapter 151: Harvesting Wealth, Returning to the Right Path

The next day.

The matter began under the cooperation of Asen and Michael.

As a gang, the Cano family had long been deeply rooted in Miami, and maintained connections with nearby cities like Orlando; especially Orlando, where, due to Louis's ties, they had invested considerable effort these past years—even building a prison there—so their influence was not insignificant.

And as everyone knows, gangs sometimes serve as the black gloves of capitalists and officials, so they hold certain knowledge of the hidden sides of many capitalist families; these details usually mean nothing.

But at critical moments, things change.

That's right— Asen had sold off other capitalist families last night.

He handed Michael the families' secrets and some leverage—things that could be used or ignored—and Michael, at that moment, held temporary authority high enough to mobilize the National Guard, even overshadowing the police chief.

Thus, the two combined into a chemical reaction.

A blackmail feast.

In the past, the Cano family would never have dared such a thing—doing so would have been suicide—but now, the family had transformed into capitalists, formally entering the upper-tier battleground.

Everyone was an opponent, so tactics didn't matter—what about retaliation after the affair ended?

Let each side rely on their own strength.

So from that day onward, for a full week, every industry in Orlando was extorted, each giving up something, more or less.

Considered tribute to Michael's superiors.

That's right—Michael's superiors. He worked so hard to amass wealth not just because he liked money, but more importantly to serve those above him; otherwise, how could he have gotten such a lucrative post, or endured so many capitalists?

The capitalists here, though they'd been stripped of vast portions during the Cold War, remained fundamentally the masters—not so easily bullied.

In return, the Cano family gained benefits: many industries were acquired at low prices, and their power expanded rapidly.

Of course, expansion also drew increasing envy from rivals.

By the seventh day, Michael had amassed a fortune far exceeding what he could have gained through haphazard extortion, and his gaze toward Asen had grown noticeably warmer.

"Brother Asen, great cooperation. Don't worry—I won't forget what I promised you."

Just before boarding the plane, Michael embraced Asen and said this.

Watching him depart, Asen 's smile vanished.

He turned, facing the dark sea of family elites, removed his ever-present gold-rimmed glasses, revealing eyes cold as venomous snakes—the kind that struck fear the moment they met another's gaze.

"Now, brothers—prepare."

"The war has begun!"

A large crowd of burly men and refined-looking lawyers all grinned, roaring in unison.

…

Michael boarded the plane, heading toward headquarters.

On the plane, Michael thought deeply, then suddenly opened his eyes: "The Cano family is still hiding something—that mysterious power… they may have their own medium."

Mediums have always been one of the major forces in America's occult underbelly, their talents wildly varied—some as powerful as supernatural beings, others barely able to see spirits; it's a broad term with immense disparity between upper and lower limits.

The teammate beside him also pondered: "Captain, why don't we exploit this point…?"

"Oh, brother, don't go looking for death—I don't want to go to heaven yet. Drop it. And we can't afford to lose a capitalist family that's allied with us."

In these past days, he'd reached several new agreements with Asen, even covering matters related to mysterious powers—so the Cano family was now his partner.

"Stop thinking about it. Asen is smart—he won't make things hard for us. Right now, we should plan how to enjoy our vacation properly when we get back."

"I heard there's a new miracle weight-loss bug trending back home—I'm going to try it when I return, shed some fat."

"I'm hitting the bars! Three days and nights, no sleep!"

"Pfft, you guys have such wild tastes. Not me—I'm going straight to HQ's training hall to learn skills. I don't want to end up transferred from field duty to internal affairs, chasing people like clowns just to appease some monster…"

"Shut up. Is that something you're allowed to say?"

"..."

Voices faded amid chatter and bickering.

They arrived at their destination—Washington State.

…

On the other side.

It proved that this generation of capitalists lacked sufficient understanding of mysterious powers.

Aside from a few, middle- and lower-tier capitalists only kept crucifixes, holy water, and similar items—useful only against ordinary spirits, useless against anything stronger.

Thus, Louis, using his effective servant—the Scarecrow—along with its spirit-slaves, blood curses, and voodoo dolls, plus his Peach Wood Divine Statues (Standard, Deluxe, and Luxury editions), employed the strategy of "nurturing enemies to strengthen oneself" and "accusing the thief while crying theft," successfully seizing a batch of small- and medium-sized capitalist families, breaking the encirclement.

What followed was pure business maneuvering. Though at a disadvantage, the family had eaten too much—spitting out a little didn't matter; they still profited enormously.

In the end, except for a few families who resorted to underhanded tactics and were all cursed to death by Louis's blood curses, everything remained within normal competitive bounds; this struggle finally ended after six months.

Both sides withdrew. The Cano family, at the cost of many rivals' blood, became a notably famous capitalist family in Florida.

Their main bases were Miami and Orlando, with diverse industry involvement—but their core pillars remained few: the prison industry, food industry, medical equipment industry, real estate industry… Recently, they were exploring how to fully enter the medical industry through medical equipment; in America, the medical industry was a terrifying profit monster.

As for the internet, since the boom hadn't yet arrived, they'd only made modest strategic moves.

At this point, time had reached October.

Louis's life had long returned to normal.

In class, Louis toyed with a blood-red crystal bead, the size of a fingertip, translucent as if alive—within it, crimson blood flowed, occasionally morphing into strange shapes, dazzlingly beautiful.

But if one looked closely, the shapes were not beautiful: grotesque moth-like human figures, winged human monsters with fangs and claws, towering figures with blurred faces…

"President, President, I found another place that might harbor a malevolent spirit—want to check it out?"

Gilmore, the chubby little guy, ran over, gazing at Louis with eager eyes.

Since Louis returned to school, Gilmore had handed over the presidency of the Paranormal Society to Louis; Louis didn't mind—he merely held the title, while Gilmore did all the actual work.

Moreover, Louis had other ideas about the society, though they were still immature, and he hadn't decided whether to act on them, so he kept silent.

As for the place Gilmore claimed held a malevolent spirit…

Louis stretched lazily. "No time. Next time."

Gilmore was just too unreliable. Since the Tarot incident, every "paranormal event" he found turned out false—mere rumors, nothing real. The most thrilling one was just a murderer.

Whose blood had been drained and turned into a blood curse bead.

So Louis no longer trusted him—and besides, he had real business to attend to.

Just as he thought this…

Madison, with long golden hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes seductive, expression haughty, radiating an inexplicable, irritatingly bitchy aura, approached: "Louis, why aren't you leaving yet? The Student Council meeting—Emma and the others are waiting."

She glanced at Gilmore, expression indifferent.

Gilmore didn't push his luck. He looked at Louis with envy, then returned to the back to chat with other society members.

"Let's go."

When they arrived at the Student Council…

Louis's clothing shifted like a chameleon's optical camouflage, automatically changing into a black suit.

In his hand appeared a silver cane—the very cane used to control the Scarecrow.

Inside the Student Council, Emma and the others had already waited, chatting animatedly—Emma appeared to be speaking, radiating pride, while Maria beside her looked envious, Yulanka sneered, and Jiali remained expressionless.

Seeing Louis and Madison enter, they all fell silent.

Louis walked Zijue to the podium.

"Whose turn is it today?"

The five exchanged glances, then Jiali stepped forward. Louis nodded.

"Good. Jiali's focus is mastering your own power. I have a modified White Bone Contemplation method that should suit you well—come with me."

"And you others—don't forget what I taught you. Start practicing now."

That's right—the so-called Student Council internal meetings were dedicated sessions, deliberately replacing mundane classes like PE, to guide their cultivation.

These were all allies now, future disciples—naturally, they needed strengthening, especially regarding Yin Yuan.

Since each had different focuses, Louis's guidance varied accordingly.

For Emma, it was pure cultivation—aiming for Qi Gong's Great Perfection, seeking breakthrough to Yin Spirit.

Yulanka aimed to break through Qi Gong, cultivate internal Qi, and learn part of the esoteric arts Louis had passed on.

Maria specialized in the Ghost-Eating Art and practiced the Willow Blade Golden Knife Technique; given her soul power and the malice of her Ailan persona, this art suited her perfectly.

As for Madison, perhaps due to her hero rescue, she'd become unusually submissive toward Louis. One desired, one intended—her joining Louis's small circle was inevitable.

But she'd always been bold, wanting to sleep with Louis, claiming it was proof of her charm—but Louis had temporarily refused. He admitted he was greedy—he wanted to savor more Yin Yuan flavors.

So she could only, under his guidance, experiment with other awkward practices.

Besides, her talent was truly exceptional—perhaps due to her Salem witch bloodline—her Qi Gong had already entered the realm, and her progress had caught up to Yulanka; a breakthrough to mastery, the birth of internal Qi, seemed not far off.

(End of Chapter)