Translator: AnubisTL
"Does what you just said mean you still have a shred of sympathy for her?"
In the suddenly no-longer-empty office, a second voice echoed.
"Yeah, a little."
Wang Jili took a deep breath, his expression dazed and helpless as he curled up on the sofa. He removed the badge from his chest and placed it on the coffee table, burying his face in his knees for a long silence before finally speaking.
"We've been together for so long... there are feelings there. If she could just apologize or confess, I wouldn't kill her. I'd only kill Liu Deping."
"And now?"
"Now it's gone. Kill them both. And that bastard son of hers, whoever the father is—kill him too."
"Now that's more like it. A ruthless man can't be so wishy-washy."
Wang Jili didn't reply, merely leaned back against the sofa, turning his head to gaze at the dark night outside the window. He remained silent, his expression dazed.
"How's the communication with Arena No. 088 going?"
"We've already made contact. The bidding doesn't start for another three months, so it's a bit early."
"Hmm."
"Are you sure you want to film this arena? I've always felt that whether Wu Jinshen's backer is a player or not, there's no need to provoke them, right?"
"Just a player. It's hardly provocation."
"Alright, if you have a plan, I'll trust your judgment."
The room fell silent again.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the badge spoke up again: "I think you've been a bit off lately. How about we go relax?"
"I'll give you something good. Just accept it."
Soon, a black invitation card appeared in Wang Jili's hand. It bore only five words: Rose Club, along with a serial number: 001997418.
"What's this?"
"A rather interesting club. They hold their weekly Friday Eden Party in an hour."
"All members wear masks, ensuring absolute anonymity. Just show the Black Invitation Card to enter."
"No member knows each other's identities."
"To put it simply, this club allows you to unleash your true nature. You'll understand once you go—it's guaranteed to help you unwind."
Wang Jili remained silent, staring at the invitation card in his hand. He could guess what kind of club this was, and on any other day, he would never have set foot in such a place.
In his view, work always came first.
But today, his emotions were unstable. Going to check it out wouldn't hurt.
Coincidentally, a crisis had erupted on the subhuman star, forcing most of his company's operations to halt. He had nothing pressing to do for the time being.
He lifted the wine glass from the coffee table and drained it in one gulp, then tucked the Black Invitation Card, serial number 001997418, into his pocket and strode out of the office. "I'll take your word for it this time."
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
The badge left on the coffee table spoke up anxiously. "Don't leave me behind! I want to go too!"
"Troublemaker," Wang Jili muttered impatiently, returning to retrieve the badge. He pinned it to his chest before striding out of the office again.
"Hmph!"
Xu Fen, Wang Jili's wife, stormed back to her room, her cheeks puffed out in anger. She paused before the vanity mirror, letting her emotions settle slightly before meticulously reapplying her makeup.
The transformation was swift.
She let her wavy hair cascade down her back, exuding both maturity and an air of noble elegance.
Her meticulously applied makeup drew the eye, compelling lingering glances. After retrieving a new set of jewelry from beneath the table, she carefully adorned herself.
Finally, she stood before the mirror, twirling with satisfaction and flashing a captivating, alluring smile.
She then retrieved a Black Invitation Card from the cabinet, tucked it into her spatial waist buckle, and strode out of her residence.
The card bore only five words:
Rose Club
Serial Number: 001998331
"Rest assured, Father," Wu Lengjing said solemnly, his gaze fixed on the elder's image on the screen. He stood in a dressing room within a shopping mall on Orange Red Star. "I understand the critical importance of this operation to the Black Europe Company. I will execute the mission flawlessly and ensure it doesn't disrupt the plan."
"Leave everything to me."
"However, the remaining matters will require your utmost attention, Father."
"Alright, I understand."
"Good. That's settled then."
Wu Lengjing hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and changed into a black camouflage uniform before looking at himself in the mirror. "Stay calm, Lengjing, stay calm. Just act like it's any other day."
"If I can just make it to Eugenia Star safely, everything will be a success."
"Come on, come on, come on!"
After giving himself a pep talk, he retrieved a Black Invitation Card from his old clothes pocket, tucked it into his chest, and strode out of the dressing room.
The Black Invitation Card bore the familiar five words:
Rose Club, Serial Number 001999109
Meanwhile, another person, also carrying a Black Invitation Card marked with the Rose Club logo, was hurrying toward the club.
It was a young woman: Eugenia Xiao Rui, the daughter of the Chairman of Eugenia Corporation and one of Wu Lengjing's primary targets for this operation.
Whether they could successfully breach Eugenia Star's Star Ring Defense and reach this private planet to execute their plan hinged on Eugenia Xiao Rui.
And...
On a street on Orange Red Star...
Three men stood on the street, their faces awestruck as they gazed up at the towering skyscrapers that pierced the clouds and the magnetic levitation cars darting through the air. They couldn't help but marvel.
"I have to admit, their technology seems way more advanced than ours," one of them said. "These skyscrapers look way better than anything on Blue Star. I never knew you could build parks between buildings like this."
"Tsk tsk... impressive. It looks pretty lively here."
"The girls here are so... open," another remarked. "The amount of fabric in their outfits wouldn't even cover my socks."
The trio consisted of Chen Jiang, Scar Dog, and Li Hao.
Yes.
They had smuggled themselves out.
Out of the Ten Thousand Races Arena, smuggled themselves out, and ended up on Orange Red Star.
As for how they managed it, the story was complicated. It all started when they were eating barbecue. Scar Dog suddenly complained, "Eating barbecue every day is getting boring. At least some grilled fish would be nice."
That remark reminded them of the fish buried beneath the world tree—the creature they suspected was the Blue Star World Origin incarnate.
Without much hesitation, they grabbed their barbecue and headed to the fish's grave to offer some kind of tribute.
While they were there, they offered a simple prayer: "Mom, could you please give me a three-star activity design token?"
Not long after, Li Hao suddenly announced that a Three-Star Random Item Chest was buried deep beneath the world tree, in the direction it was advancing.
They retrieved the chest and opened it.
Inside was a three-star activity design token.
Yes, it was that miraculous.
When the three-star activity design token appeared in their hands, Chen Jiang and his group were momentarily stunned. Realizing that Blue Star's world origin might possess a stronger consciousness than they had thought, they immediately returned to the mother's grave beneath the world tree.
They resumed their prayers.
"Mom, I want to design an activity that allows us to leave the Ten Thousand Races Arena and go to Orange Red Star, but I want only the three of us to leave while the other players remain in the arena."
After the prayer, Scar Dog began designing a global event.
After some effort, the plan successfully passed review. Players of other races remained in the Ten Thousand Races Arena to participate in the global event, while the three of them smuggled themselves onto Orange Red Star.
Zhao Ritian and Wang Defa didn't come along; their innate abilities weren't well-suited for the journey.
Zhao Ritian's slime innate ability wouldn't be of much use here; in fact, it would only make him an easier target. So they decided to leave him in the Ten Thousand Races Arena to participate in the global event.
Since the global event was non-lethal, there wasn't much to worry about.
As for Wang Defa, his innate ability made it impossible for him to come to Orange Red Star. While it could grant him immunity to negative effects during the global event, it would be useless here.
That's roughly how it went.
With their mother's help, Chen Jiang and the others managed to sneak onto Orange Red Star before the Ten Thousand Races Arena event concluded.
Remarkably, they did so without alerting the galactic federation. Only a small teleportation gate opened on Orange Red Star, showing no signs of assimilation.
Everything went smoothly.
Of course, after the global event ended in 24 hours, they would be forcibly teleported back.
But that was enough time.
Oh, I almost forgot—Scar Dog designed the global event as a game of hide-and-seek.
Every ten thousand players were divided into groups. Within each group, three players would hide while the remaining players searched for them.
Yes, Chen Jiang, Zhao Ritian, and Wang Defa were the three hiders in their group.
"Is this the planet we're going to conquer in the future?"
Scar Dog eagerly scanned his surroundings, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he spotted a man in a suit nearby. "Hey, isn't that an alien? His head looks like it got squeezed in a door!"
The residents of the Galactic Federation they had encountered before, such as the father and sons from the Black Europe Company, all resembled humans closely, with no discernible differences.
This was the first time they had seen an alien species that looked distinctly non-human.
But there weren't many of them.
After standing there for several minutes, they had only seen this one.
"Keep your voice down," Li Hao urgently whispered into Scar Dog's ear. "Don't blow our cover."
"I know," Scar Dog replied, glancing at Li Hao with a hint of exasperation. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Just hurry up and start mapping."
Their primary objectives on Orange Red Star were twofold.
First, they wanted to gather intelligence on the Galactic Federation, ideally learning about their technological capabilities and military strength.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not fear the outcome of a hundred battles.
Second, they hoped to find opportunities to make some money, perhaps by pulling off a heist or some other lucrative scheme.
After all, they would be forcibly teleported back in 24 hours.
Wanted?
Come on, come to the Ten Thousand Races Arena and try to catch your grandpa!
Chen Jiang leaned on his cane with one hand, a smile playing on his lips as he watched the bustling crowd around him. To be honest, it had been a long time since he had experienced such peace.
He felt a strange sense of gratitude toward this planet for allowing him to rediscover this long-lost tranquility.
As a friend, reciprocation was only proper.
So, when he left in 24 hours, he planned to drop a few Giant Super Annihilation Bombs on this city as a parting gift, just to let the planet's inhabitants experience a taste of chaos.
"I never imagined Mom's grave would be so useful," Chen Jiang mused, scanning the crowd. He secretly resolved to visit her grave more often after returning home and pray for a hundred or eighty billion one-star items. Surely that wasn't too much to ask?
Just then, a maglev train glided to a stop before them. A middle-aged man in a black suit stepped out, straightened his tie, and strode toward the alley ahead.
As the man stepped out of the vehicle, a Black Invitation Card suddenly slipped from his inner pocket and fell to the ground.
The man muttered an annoyed curse, picked up the card, and strode into the alleyway ahead, completely ignoring Chen Jiang and his two companions standing by the street.
The entire exchange lasted only a few seconds, yet it completely captured the trio's attention.
Scar Dog narrowed his eyes, watching the man's retreating figure. "If I'm not mistaken, that Black Invitation Card said 'Rose Club'?"
"I think I heard that name somewhere today too," he added.
"Indeed," Chen Jiang nodded, his own eyes narrowing slightly. "It does sound familiar. I also feel like I heard that name earlier today."
"So, Brother Jiang, should we follow him?"
"It's been too long since our last score. My hands are itching for some action."
"According to Wu Zhending, anyone who can attend that club must be either filthy rich or incredibly influential, right? Shouldn't we grab a piece of that pie?"
"I'm starting to get tempted..."
Chen Jiang's lips curved slightly upward as he watched the man disappearing into the distance. "Catch them all in one net?"
"Absolutely," Scar Dog grinned, baring his teeth. "First time on this planet, gotta show these locals some new tricks, right?"
"Everyone unbuckles their belts. They flash their little toys, we whip out our fifteen-meter cannons. Whoever's got the bigger stick wins."
"Excellent."
Chen Jiang's smile widened, his eyes nearly overflowing with amusement. "A crew like this must be worth at least a hundred million star coins, right?"
"Think bigger. We record everything first, then kidnap them. After releasing them, we extort them. Then we keep extorting them. Sustainable development, that's the key."
"Um..." Li Hao, standing nearby, looked bewildered. "What are you guys talking about? I'm kind of lost. Are all the people at the Rose Club rich?"
"Have you guys been to Orange Red Star before? How did you even know about the Rose Club?"
Scar Dog and Chen Jiang exchanged glances and burst into laughter, throwing their arms around Li Hao's shoulders. "Come on, let's go hit the jackpot today."
"Um, you still haven't told me what the Rose Club is for."
"You can think of it as a pet park, roughly speaking."
(End of the Chapter)
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