[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-building-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt":3,"chapter-building-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt-building-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt-chapter-7":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Building Interstellar Empire With Universal Synthesis",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1509075,1960,"Chapter 7: Wealth Or Power?","building-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>\"You’re back so early, Neo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. I brought the 100 units you asked for.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? You’re quite efficient, brat. Alright, put them on the front rack so customers can see them clearly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo carefully placed the flasks along the display shelf. Under the warm lights of the workshop, the Aqua Core Flasks glowed with a soft blue sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uncle Dorok... the payment?\" Neo asked cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old craftsman waved his hand with a carefree laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha! Impatient as always. Give me your bank account. I’ll transfer the 600,000 dollars right away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo had already prepared for that. He took out his family’s virtual payment card and held it forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With modern transaction systems, a simple proximity touch was enough to transfer funds instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorok tapped his own payment device against the card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft chime followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, the balance appeared in Neo’s vision through the card’s interface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Balance: $602,000 ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo froze for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>600,000 dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an amount that he could never have imagined earning in his entire lifetime. But now it settled quietly in their account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So much money...\" he muttered under his breath, lips curved into a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can buy so many things for Mom and Nina.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While these thoughts filled his mind, Neo left the workshop and headed toward home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky had already begun to darken. Evening lights flickered across Chronopolis as flying vehicles crossed the glowing skyline like streaks of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo felt an urge to return home quickly. After all, he had wonderful news to share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he approached the apartment complex, something felt... wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stepped down the taxi, he noticed a crowd had gathered in front of the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People stood in groups, whispering among themselves while watching the scene unfolding near the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo’s chest tightened as a bad premonition crept into his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without thinking, he broke into a sprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His footsteps echoed across the pavement as he pushed through the gathered crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he heard a familiar voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir, please... don’t take our belongings,\" Mrs. Godson pleaded desperately. \"Please give us some time. My son has recovered, and soon he’ll return all the money we owe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch. Stop whining, old hag! Just let us do our job,\" A rough voice replied with clear annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you have something to say, go beg in front of our boss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Neo’s shock, several large men were dragging their furnitures and personal belongings out of the building entrance, tossing them carelessly onto the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina was crying as she watched her books and notebooks being discarded like trash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Godson immediately went down to the thug’s knees to beg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t do this, sir. They are my daughter’s dreams. She dreams of becoming a spaceship pilot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The underlings burst into amused laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, did you hear that, boss? These lowly insects are dreaming of crossing the stars. How ridiculous!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. Who’s going to tell them that reaching that level isn’t just about money? You need power, influence, backing. Not just anyone can become a space pilot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader’s rough face turned annoyed when the woman refused to let go of his legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he immediately delivered a ruthless slap across Mrs. Godson’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear red palm print appeared on her aged cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She held her face, dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stay in your place, you old hag. Don’t touch us with your filthy hands,\" the leader sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a heavy fist collided with the leader’s face, twisting his jaw with a sickening crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​The man spiraled backward, hitting the dirt hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scrambled to sit up, nursing a rapidly swelling cheek as he stared in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing before him, Neo trembled with a volatile mix of fury and adrenaline, already charging forward for a second strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​\"Little Bastard!\" the leader spat, his towering frame unfolding like a predator’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​This time, the brute didn’t flinch. He caught Neo’s desperate punch with a palm that felt like solid stone, then drove a counter-blow straight into the boy’s solar plexus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Bam!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​\"Blurgh...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Neo’s vision blurred, and the air vanished from his lungs as a wave of agonizing pressure collapsed his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if his internal organs had been hollowed out by a sledgehammer. He then hit the ground on his knees, coughing up a mixture of bile and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​The leader stood over him, looking cold and ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Break him,\" he barked at his men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​The underlings let out cruel sadistic grins, swarming Neo from every side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They fell upon him like a pack of hyenas, throwing their massive punches, kicks, and slaps from all side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No! Don’t hurt my son.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Mrs. Godson and Nina screamed, throwing themselves into the fray to shield Neo, but they were met with the same senseless violence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were tossed aside, beaten black and blue as they tried to reach him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many people witnessed this cruel treatment to the Godson family, but not a single soul moved to intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would they? The West Kings gang was name that strike fear in any living soul’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They are ruthless in thr underworld, mostly known as Terrible loan sharks, Weapons dealer and Illegal nightclubs operators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Neo, drifting on the edge of a dark consciousness, felt a heat on his cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an intense, suffocating self loathing..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Why am I still so pathetic? I promised to protect them, yet here I am watching my family bleed because of my own incompetence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this it? Is this the ’life’ I’m supposed to lead, even after the Awakening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​The sounds of his mother’s muffled cries pierced straight through his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​I was a fool. I thought the ’System’ was just a golden ticket to wealth. I thought money was the ultimate shield in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was wrong. In a world of Beyonders, gold is just shiny metal if you don’t have the strength to hold it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​He felt a rib crack under a heavy boot, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the realization rotting in his gut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​I have the ultimate cheat, a power others would kill for. But I’ve spent my time playing merchant while my family gets trampled in the dirt. If I had the strength of a true Beyonder, these flies wouldn’t even dare to breathe the same air as me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t deserve this power... not until I learn how to use it to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, what’s happening here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​All of a sudden, an authoritative voice echoed from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​The woman was radiant, walking through the air as if she were on solid land. She looked just like a superhuman from the movies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​\"Fuck! She is a Beyonder! Run, Boss!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​The thugs immediately scrambled away, running as fast as their legs could carry them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​Neo looked at the woman through his hazy vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​She was beautiful. Too beautiful for this tainted world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>​To be exact, it wasn’t her beauty that attracted him. It was her power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted that kind of power.\u003C\u002Fp>",1170,"2026-06-06T04:59:14.316Z",1,"novelbin.me","813bf6cb9306f9a360631bcecaeb0489a1a82d7475162921f24570d9d732d192","building-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt-chapter-8","building-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt-chapter-6",102,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbuilding-interstellar-empire-with-universal-synt-cover.jpg"]