Chapter 645: To the New World

Calm down, Zhou Mingrui.

You can do this, Zhou Mingrui.

Everything is normal, Zhou Mingrui.

The other party is merely the de facto controller of a large corporation; even if the bidding negotiations fall through, there’s no need to panic—she won’t stuff me into a sack and bury me at a construction site to drive in piles.

Recalling how Su Yuling had just offered him a astronomical sum—enough to establish ten Huang Zong Companies—and how he, ungrateful, had refused the acquisition, clearly upsetting her with that lingering gaze and smile.

As if he’d seen this expression too many times and developed a conditioned unease, he felt restless.

After flushing the toilet and washing his face with the sink’s tap water, Zhou Mingrui gradually calmed down; he glanced at the time on his phone—it was exactly 18:00.

Time’s up?

Zhou Mingrui calmly slipped his phone back into his pant pocket.

Ever since drinking that mysterious drink from the vending machine labeled “Assassin,” whenever night fell, he entered a state of crystal-clear thinking and emotional stability; thus, when the company requested overtime, he always volunteered first, while during the day he slacked off and did nothing.

After tidying his clothes slightly, he stepped out of the restroom to find Li Jiatu waiting at the door.

“Did you get through?”

“?”

“I saw you slip into Sage Mode—I get it, after all, facing a beauty like President Su.”

“Shut up!”

Zhou Mingrui suddenly realized he’d broken character.

This was the first time—but there was no help for it, because President Su Yuling was stepping out of the men’s restroom right behind him.

Do you have a gender identity disorder, or are you one of those trendy gender-fluid types?

Fortunately, the restrooms here all had stalls; otherwise, he might’ve been startled. Clearly, these rich people had strange quirks and personalities.

Take Li Jiatu, this top-tier prince—he’s great in every way, except his mouth has no filter, always blurting out inopportune remarks, while Zhou Mingrui himself spoke as if walking on thin ice, careful and restrained.

“President Su, how about considering my buddy? He’s shy and can’t bring himself to tell you the truth.” Li Jiatu grinned. “Even if the deal falls through, there’s still goodwill—can’t we at least grab a meal together sometime?”

He really wanted to sew his mouth shut.

Zhou Mingrui no longer felt like cursing; he noticed Su Yuling was staring at him, her pupils slightly unfocused, a glimmer of light flickering within.

“Actually, from the very first moment I saw you, I felt something special,” Su Yuling said, gazing at Zhou Mingrui, her eyes clear and her voice ethereal.

Zhou Mingrui thought he might be dreaming.

In truth, he hadn’t yet returned from the Cycle Space’s mission—he’d merely been struck by the enemy Cycle User’s Mangekyō Sharingan.

Li Jiatu beside him was stunned too, his mouth slightly open, his Adam’s apple bobbing; then, excitedly, he pulled out his phone and turned on the camera.

“Mr. Zhou Mingrui,” Su Yuling stepped forward two paces, standing extremely close to him, and said: “You’re definitely a good person!”

“That’s it?” Li Jiatu said, disappointed.

Zhou Mingrui blinked—he noticed Su Yuling’s signature warm smile had turned slightly mocking; one hand clenched into a fist, pressed lightly against his chest, then—

“Alright, your heart rate’s still normal,” Su Yuling adjusted a strand of black hair that had fallen beside her ear and said:

“I’m heading to Moon Heavy Industries for overtime later. Tomorrow at lunch, you and this useless guy come find me—we’ll continue the bidding.”

She then resumed her previous cold expression and left with Adam, the vice president who had been waiting for a long time.

“You call that contrast?” Zhou Mingrui couldn’t help but complain.

“What else?” Li Jiatu asked.

This mischievous, teasing personality was practically demonic.

Why, the moment he saw her, had he felt trust toward her?

‘Don’t judge by appearances,’ Zhou Mingrui silently warned himself, relieved his job was still safe—at least he still had a chance to negotiate tomorrow.

“It’s this late—why not skip dinner and go get some barbecue instead?” Li Jiatu checked his watch.

Zhou Mingrui nodded; he’d been working overtime so often lately that he hadn’t eaten unhealthy food in a long time.

Ding dong—

The elevator doors slowly opened.

A group of people in Danmeng Pharmaceutical uniforms stepped out, brushing past Zhou Mingrui; one of them, wearing a monocle, gave him a chilling smile.

“She’s not planning to acquire Danmeng Pharmaceutical too, is she?” Zhou Mingrui turned back, chilled to the bone.

Although mergers and restructurings between big corporations were normal, Danmeng had the Zhetian Consortium as its shareholder—a group rivaling Taichu Group, even more financially powerful.

“Probably just buying out patents,” Li Jiatu said, unfazed.

“Buy out patents?” Zhou Mingrui frowned. “I never heard Taichu Group had any pharmaceutical business.”

Li Jiatu shook his head. “No—she likes acquiring medical patents and then releasing them for free, while also offering free medical care to this city.”

The elevator was still ascending to pick someone up, but Zhou Mingrui froze—he suddenly remembered that this city had implemented universal free healthcare for years, along with free drugs developed by Danmeng.

Thanks to this, there were virtually no sick people left in the city.

“Did Taichu Group do this?”

“Who else but her would be so idle as to provide widespread divine grace?—Oops, I meant widespread free treatment.”

“Why?”

“The world is actually fascinating, but most people are trapped by birth, aging, sickness, death, and work—they can’t enjoy it.”

Li Jiatu thought for a moment, then confirmed: “That’s exactly what she said.”

Ding dong!

The elevator doors opened again.

“She really does have contrast,” Zhou Mingrui muttered involuntarily.

“You’ve gathered so many weapons—are you planning to storm the Astral Society and fight your way in and out seven times?”

The elusive Traveling Crow had returned, its claws clutching a jade tablet, upon which a golden crow’s phantom rippled like water.

“Where did you get this one?” Huai Shi asked.

“What do you mean, ‘get’?” The Crow lifted its chin haughtily. “I gave my half-sister from another world, with a different father and mother, a pep talk—encouraged her to be brave. In mystical terms, this is called—”

“Oh, Dao Heart Illuminated.”

“Eh! That disobedient Taiyi should be locked in the basement and forced to face reality!”

Huai Shi, a mountain spirit, didn’t understand these mythological terms.

Probably this bitch was playing matchmaker again—the key was one dared to speak, the other dared to listen; some myths might be falling apart.

Huai Shi bent down and resumed tidying up; the points he’d fraudulently earned from slacking off had bought him plenty of good gear.

With a few extra gadgets, if he went all out, he might just send a fifth-rank Transcendent to meet Jesus—or Buddha.

“I’ve got connections everywhere now, right?” Huai Shi grinned proudly.

The Crow tilted its head, perched on his shoulder, its crimson eyes fixed on him: “Necessary?”

“I don’t want to go through the formalities—you know every scroll requires a name interrogation by tradition. Wouldn’t that make me look stupid?” Huai Shi grinned.

“So I’m wondering—what if I actually took Aiqing right from under the Astral Society’s nose?”

“She deserves a chance to choose for herself; otherwise, what’s the point of foreseeing the future?”

“Smashing the wedding carriage’s axle is cliché, but it still has its appeal.”

He was explaining this to the Crow, but also to himself—in short, he intended to stir up trouble.

“Saving the world is too far off, but rescuing a confused ice queen boss from criminal charges? I can do that right away.” Huai Shi zipped up his backpack.

The Crow rubbed its chin with a wing and asked: “Then you two enjoy the taboo thrill of eloping, riding a hellfire steed, kissing your female boss while pulling out silk?”

“That’s not even a kindergarten bus!” Huai Shi stared, dumbfounded.

“Do as you please,” the Crow glanced at him. “Remember to uphold male virtue—stay away from that troublemaking god!”

Like you’re not a troublemaker yourself.

The Crow picked up the jade tablet with its beak and vanished; it clearly had other plans, but wasn’t going to explain them to Huai Shi.

“It’s about time to head back.”

Aside from a pile of messy serums and potions, his cooking skills had improved too—maybe opening a small private kitchen restaurant on the border wouldn’t be bad?

Just kidding.

There’s still much to do—just like Ke Zong, still asleep. Everyone has a bright future ahead; the flower of hope blooms before us.

So don’t stop!

Huai Shi slung the bag over his shoulder and prepared to return first.

“By the way, is Ke Zong okay? Seems like he’s having trouble waking up…”

Logically, the Heavenly Sovereign had become his divinity—meaning the fusion was complete, and he should’ve awakened as an Ancient One by now.

But something seemed off: Kei wasn’t waking up, and his dream world had changed.

Strange—wasn’t the Fallen Mother Goddess already obliterated?

【Meng Qi: “Anyone free in the group right now?”】

Tonight, Taichu God joins the hunt.

The target is Gelmann.

He’d originally planned to say this line, then use the connection through the Chaos Sea and the Primordial Creator to have Meng Qi send him over.

But what’s going on here?

“Probably just curious to see which goddess rivals my beauty,” Huiye said with a delighted, knowing smile. “I’m quite curious myself.”

Of course—in Beiloberg, this NEET had witnessed everything.

Given that this informant kept quiet and couldn’t be killed, Su Lin temporarily ignored her—but what about the others?

Meng Qi sighed. “After working with Adam and Amon, I’ve confirmed: ordinary methods cannot enter Kei’s dream world.”

But his dream world has a demand for convergence with the Source Essence, so Source Essence can be used for spiritual transfer—though during this process, a layer of mental blindness and foolishness inevitably covers the mind.

Adam has already merged into the dream world, and the Universal Knowledge Talisman he carried has been repelled.

So?

“That layer of mental blindness and foolishness blankets the primordial spiritual light,” Meng Qi explained. “It’s not dangerous, but it cannot guarantee wakefulness. Perhaps only the chat group can serve as a spiritual refuge.”

“My god, Azathoth,” Su Lin pulled at his mouth.

“This is plot from Book Two—perfect for a cameo in the Weirdness Forecast. Uh, wait, no.” Huai Shi said awkwardly: “I’ll go wake up Brother Ke.”

“Brother Zhou helped me. More people means more backup,” Li Huowang said.

Lu Mingfei covered his eyes as if he couldn’t bear to look and sighed: “You don’t actually need to come. Just me and Su Lin will do.”

“What kind of talk is that?! Brother Zhou’s matter is my matter.” Xiao Yan spoke sternly, then lowered his voice: “Besides, aren’t you curious who that mysterious black-haired woman is?”

So that’s how it is.

These reasons are plausible enough.

Su Lin smiled as he looked around and nodded slightly: “Anyone else want to get off?”

Everyone was baffled.

At that moment, Meng Qi summoned the ancient bronze lamp, and the Cause of All Results began to swirl in his hands.

Peanuts, beer, and barbecue—stealing half a day’s leisure.

After a long day’s work, he returned home and, having nothing to do, originally planned to wash up and sleep. But because he’d eaten too much, he got up and turned on the computer beside his bed.

Zhou Mingrui remembered the last time he’d accidentally joined a middle-schooler-style COS group.

Those people used IDs from various film and TV characters, and their otaku intensity and single-minded focus made his skin crawl just watching.

Some even had speech tics!

“Where did that group go?”

It was strange—yesterday it was still visible in his chat list, but today it was gone.

Did they kick me out?

Whatever. As the only sober person, I didn’t fit in anyway. Getting kicked out was normal.

Knock knock knock!

Zhou Mingrui checked the time. Who would be knocking on his door at this hour?

He frowned and went to the door, peering through the peephole. It was a man with a high hairline, wearing a police uniform.

Zhou Mingrui opened the security door and said: “Hello.”

“Sorry to disturb you. We’re checking temporary residence permits.” The officer’s voice was deep as he showed his credentials: “I’m Deng En, badge number—”

Time passed second by second, until everything was settled.

Officer Deng En took his leave.

Zhou Mingrui couldn’t help asking: “Has something happened?”

“...Yes.” Deng En hesitated. “You know the Taichu Group, right?”

Of course I do—I had dinner with their chairman today.

“Their chairman was murdered tonight.”

It hit him like a bolt from the blue.

Zhou Mingrui stared blankly at the iron door, as if he’d already forgotten when Officer Deng En had left.

Su Yuling… dead?

He immediately grabbed his still-charging phone and called Li Jiatu to tell him.

“Huh?” Li Jiatu replied. “Fake! You got scammed, didn’t you?”

“But the police—”

“You met a fake cop.”

“Why do you say that?”

“If Su Yuling is dead, then who is standing in front of me?”

Li Jiatu smirked, hung up the phone, and smiled: “Beautiful lady, why are you visiting me so late at night? Don’t you have overtime?”

The black-haired woman smiled.

The next day

Zhou Mingrui woke from his dream.

He still found last night’s events absurd—how could anyone pull such a prank?

He picked up his phone, turned off the preset alarm, and cleared all ads—but then a notification appeared before him:

【Nidhogg Group heir, Li Jiatu, was attacked by an unknown assailant and died at home. Former mysterious idol, the Witch of Calamity, Lu Mingfei, has been exposed as the second-in-line heir to the Nidhogg Group.】