Li Chen had seen that tentacle in the blue-haired woman’s arms before.

That was a long time ago.

Back then, he had not yet been expelled from the mercenary group he had founded with his own hands, the Judicators.

At the time, their newly established mid-sized mercenary group had just begun to make a name for itself in the commercial district.

They accepted sponsorship from a small biotech company to investigate a pre-civilization site located near the wasteland zone.

No, calling it a ‘ruin’ wasn’t quite accurate.

Unlike those vast pre-civilization city clusters that resembled steel forests, this site was merely an ordinary underground civilian shelter and there were no obvious dangers nearby.

The sponsoring company itself was unremarkable, with no notable background or reputation.

Even the information they obtained consisted of only scattered fragments ‘fished out’ by ancient-data scholars from the deepest layers of SkyNet’s vast database.

All in all, it was an extremely safe operation.

For a small-to-mid-sized mercenary group that had just settled into the commercial district and was eager to climb upward but lacked sufficient accumulation, it was perfectly suited.

An appropriate target and thorough preparations gave Li Chen immense confidence.

Before the expedition even began, he organized multiple reconnaissance runs, repeatedly verifying all available intelligence and confirming that it was indeed a harmless, small-scale mission.

He had even planned to treat it as a warm-up exercise.

But Li Chen was wrong.

When they truly arrived at that pre-civilization civilian shelter, a crack appeared out of thin air without any warning or sign.

And amid eerie whispers and murmurs, Li Chen encountered something he had never seen before, even in the game.

Afterward, when Li Chen led his traumatized team in a desperate breakout, no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he could not remember what had actually happened back then.

The only thing he could be certain of was that he now understood a saying long circulated among mercenary groups that specialized in exploring pre-civilization ruins:

“Out there, the most terrifying thing is not rival mercenaries scheming against one another, not mutants corroded by mutated viruses, not even violent and unpredictable monsters, but… the unknown that led to the destruction of pre-civilization.”

‘How did pre-civilization perish?’

It was a mystery that could never be solved.

Even Li Chen, who before transmigrating had memorized the game company’s initial setting book cover to cover and had spent countless hours debating theories with fellow fans on forums, had no clues at all.

From the popular theory of artificial intelligence rebellion, to world-ending nuclear wars, to absurd tales of alien invasions, countless players and in-game characters proposed countless logically consistent explanations.

Yet none of them could explain what the world had become now.

The only thing Li Chen knew was that the technological chains excavated from the pre-civilization—those incredible prototypes of singularity technology that violated known scientific laws—seemed to be inextricably linked to the pre-civilization’s downfall.

Tap. Tap.

The blue-haired woman’s footsteps disrupted Li Chen’s resurfacing memories.

Gurgle. Gurgle.

The recovery canister she cradled in her arms made no sound at all, yet Li Chen felt as if the writhing tentacle inside was calling out to him.

Come to me.

Gentle voices, like a mother coaxing a child to sleep, eroded Li Chen’s rationality bit by bit.

In a daze, Li Chen felt as though he saw something.

Beauty.

Peace.

Serenity.

As if all the beauty in the world had condensed into that biological canister in the blue-haired woman’s hands.

“Hah…”

Li Chen’s breathing quickened, his gaze growing unfocused as his consciousness blurred, on the verge of stepping out of the shadows and making a sound.

Thump.

A familiar face flashed before Li Chen’s eyes.

‘Bai Wei.’

“I—I…”

Li Chen staggered, his eyes instantly regaining clarity.

“Damn it, the pollution body is way too strong.”

‘Pollution body.’

That was what the blue-haired woman had just called it.

‘If that’s the case, could it be that in the original story, the reason the Schufestan family was wiped out was because they researched that pollution body and violated the so-called taboos of the mysterious Foundation lurking in the shadows?!’

An entire consortium family uprooted, without leaving a single survivor?

Li Chen’s expression grew increasingly grave.

‘And then… my hand.’

Could it be related to what happened back then in that pre-civilization civilian shelter?

He glanced at his arm, faintly glowing with a dim green light, then at the blue-haired woman who seemed to sense something and was steadily approaching his hiding place.

Li Chen’s entire body tensed.

‘No, I can’t drag Xiao Wei into this!’

Li Chen steeled himself for the worst.

‘The Foundation, huh? This has really escalated, but…’

A trace of ferocity flashed through Li Chen’s eyes.

‘Ever since I forcefully broke into that forbidden laboratory, I haven’t had a proper rampage in a long time.’

Crackle!

Yet just as Li Chen was about to undo the seal and fight with everything he had, a cascade of holographic screens suddenly popped up in front of the blue-haired woman, blocking her vision.

[Nighthawk, Nighthawk!]

A weary woman dressed in casual clothes similar to the blue-haired woman’s, with dark circles under her eyes and standing at the auction hall entrance, questioned her angrily.

“Why did you suddenly leave just now? We’re escorting a VIP and she’s entering the venue with her male companion. Security needs reinforcement!”

“Foundation.”

Faced with her colleague’s accusation, the blue-haired woman remained calm and softly uttered that single word.

As if imbued with magic, the moment she spoke, the woman—who had looked formidable even at a glance—fell silent.

[A temporary dispatch?] the woman asked cautiously.

“Yes, the mission is complete.”

The blue-haired woman casually patted the recovery canister in her arms.

[Pollution body… let me think… ah.]

A bloodthirsty gleam flashed through the woman’s eyes, like a vulture spotting a plump carcass.

[The Schufestan family?]

“Yes,” the blue-haired woman replied calmly.

“Based on the information I just received, their research into the pollution body appears to have violated taboos.”

[So after their authorized singularity technology patents were acquired, they resorted to desperate measures?]

The woman on the other end of the screen fell into thought.

[Alright, I understand, Nighthawk. Since the Foundation’s dispatch is finished, it’s time to return to the venue and resume security. The old lady gave strict orders—Lady Laura must not die in public… on the honor of the Montmorency family.]

“Yes.”

The blue-haired woman nodded slightly, then hesitated before speaking again.

“Captain, what happens to the Schufestan family after their company is deregistered?”

The personal guard captain on the other side of the screen clearly hadn’t expected such a question and paused before replying uncertainly.

[Uh… I guess the entire family gets cleaned out. Cleaner than even the cleaners. Then they’ll announce to the public that Utopia was the culprit. Those lunatics don’t mind taking the blame anyway.]

The blue-haired woman fell silent again.

“I remember the Schufestan family may not match us, but they still had several ninth-tier powerhouses and secretly cultivated hundreds of eighth-tier martial artists. Are they all…”

[There’s no difference.]

The Montmorency guard captain glanced around warily before answering with certainty.

[In front of the Foundation, ninth-tier powerhouses and martial-arts peaks are no different from ordinary people. Remember this, Nighthawk.]

The captain spoke earnestly.

[Gods and humans are not the same.]

‘Gods? The Foundation?’

Li Chen, forced to eavesdrop from the shadows, felt his expression grow increasingly heavy.

He had never imagined he would stumble upon such secrets.

All for the sake of a single piece of Eternal Gold, an AA-grade material that didn’t even reach S-rank.

[Oh, right, one more thing.]

While directing Lady Laura’s security, the captain glanced at the dazed blue-haired woman and added.

[Isn’t there a saying? Ignorance is bliss. Some secrets let you survive if you don’t pry. But if you obsess over the truth… hehe.]

Beep. Beep.

The screens vanished.

The blue-haired woman turned around, glanced at the enemies she had effortlessly crushed and gave a self-mocking, bitter smile.

“Maybe in the eyes of the truly powerful, I’m no different from these bugs. Well, a worker is still just a worker. Just earn your money and be done with it.”

Step. Step.

Carrying the recovery canister, the blue-haired woman left, brushing past the shadows where Li Chen hid.

One second.

Two seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

She never noticed Li Chen’s presence.

‘Hah… did I make it through?’

Li Chen looked at the mangled battlefield and pondered briefly.

‘Eternal Gold…’

Whoosh—

He moved instantly.

Inside the neatly arranged storage room, a metallic block emitting a faint silvery glow came into view.

‘Found it.’

Li Chen tucked the Eternal Gold away and let out a breath.

‘Finally done. I need to get out before the two consortiums make their move.’

But…

Glancing at the carnage, Li Chen paused.

‘I should clean up the traces. At least give these unlucky souls a proper end.’

Squelch—

Li Chen got to work, meticulously leaving nothing behind.

Boom!!!

Halfway through, the entire space suddenly shook violently.

‘That kind of commotion… Solares made a move?’

Li Chen’s gaze sharpened.

‘Or maybe the Schufestan family…’

Either way, it meant only one thing.

He didn’t have much time left to escape.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Dream Auction House.

Inside the auction hall.

Clatter!

A wave of chaos erupted.

“What… what’s going on?”

A woman holding a freshly purchased painting, still enjoying the tender touch of the man in her arms, stared at the stage in shock.

On the platform stood a voluptuous middle-aged woman in a City Hall senior official’s uniform, a golden necklace draped around her neck, staring in disbelief at her own chest.

A long spear had pierced straight through her body.

“Has everyone lost their minds? Someone actually caused trouble in the commercial district and even assassinated a City Hall adjudicator in broad daylight?!”

The woman shuddered and clutched her chest.

Bang—

As the hall fell into dead silence, the doors were pushed open.

“Miss Kate!” a staff member shouted in panic.

“You can’t—you can’t—what is—?!”

His face turned ashen as he looked at the adjudicator lying lifeless in a pool of blood.

“My god… that’s Lady Laura.”

“Seal the venue.”

A red-haired woman in an elegant gown, her makeup slightly disheveled as if she had rushed over, frowned and issued orders.

“And the guest registry?”

Clack.

The staff member hurriedly handed over a terminal.

“Completely bypassing security… This assassin’s methods are extremely professional. Could it be another consortium?”

Kate, senior director of Titan Heavy Industries and eldest daughter of the Schufestan family, analyzed while flipping through the guest list.

“Hm?”

For some reason, when she saw one particular name, the tension on her face softened into a faint smile.

The staff member followed her gaze in confusion.

On the screen was an unforgettable handsome face, appearing without warning and striking straight at her heart.

‘Li Chen…’

The staff member silently read the name.

‘What a pleasant name. Hopefully, he won’t be dragged into this storm.’