Patrick Davidson had never been able to stand seeing Adrian succeed. The moment he heard Adrian say he would keep opening stones, he muttered under his breath, wishing with all his heart that Adrian wouldn’t uncover a single piece—just like him.Yet Adrian had already struck icy jade with his very first stone.That pain cut deeper than losing money.Adrian merely smiled indifferently and said nothing. After all, there would be plenty for Patrick Davidson to suffer over soon enough.Patrick Davidson felt even worse. When Adrian responded to him, it stung; when Adrian ignored him, it stung even more.The crowd, hearing his sour remarks, only looked down on him further, and before long, their attention shifted entirely to Adrian.Adrian casually nudged another rough stone forward and gave it a cursory glance.“This one,” he said lightly. “It should yield something even better.”Even better? Anticipation rippled through the crowd at once.The cutter asked respectfully, “Should we polish i

Adrian had noticed long ago that the mountain behind the Hill family’s villa was an ancient one, rich in spiritual energy and perfectly suited for setting up an array.Without hesitation, he cleared an open space on the old mountain. Carefully planning each step, he aligned everything according to the principles of balance and orientation, first locating the core of the array before placing each piece of jade in its proper position.As Adrian worked, a vast spirit-gathering array gradually took shape.He had deliberately modified the formation. Not only would it absorb spiritual energy, it would also lock in the surrounding currents, creating a self-sustaining cycle of power within the array.The energy at the core was the strongest of all—so strong, in fact, that it slightly exceeded Adrian’s original expectations. This could only be called an unexpected bonus.Once the array was complete, dense spiritual energy surged in from all directions.Adrian crouched at the center, gazing at

A sudden suspicion surfaced in Daisy’s mind, and she voiced it hesitantly.“Could it have been someone from the Sanders family? They wouldn’t do things quietly, so did they plant a bomb in the car to kill me?”Adrian’s expression shifted slightly. He reached out and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.“Perhaps… this wasn’t aimed at you.”Daisy rarely drove this luxury car herself; most of the time, it was Adrian behind the wheel.Which meant the target was likely him.Adrian suddenly recalled the words spoken by the assassin who had once tried to kill him.“The dark web…”He murmured under his breath, a trace of regret welling up inside him for not pursuing the matter back then.Someone had placed an anonymous bounty on him on the dark web, and that person was right here in Skyline City.As long as the bounty remained, there would be a steady stream of people willing to take the job.Assassins never reasoned, nor did they care about the methods they used.Adrian’s face darkened. He de

Adrian let out a cold laugh. He wasn’t part of the criminal investigation unit, yet Ophelia was questioning him as if he were.“How you investigate is your business. If I hadn’t killed him, I’d be the one lying dead right now. Do you really think you had the ability to capture that man?”“…Forget it. We’ll handle the investigation ourselves.”Ophelia knew his words were rough but not without reason. The logic held, even if it left her in a difficult position.“The dark web is an underground network based overseas. Its defenses are practically impenetrable. Not just in the Novaland Republic—even worldwide, only a handful of people can decipher their access codes.”Adrian nodded at that. Technical obstacles of this magnitude were well within his expectations. If just anyone could crack the dark web’s encryption, it wouldn’t have survived for so long.Moreover, the dark web spanned nearly every country. If it were easy, someone would have dealt with it long ago.“I’m just an ordinary cit

Seeing that the time was about right, Adrian withdrew the silver needles and gave a small nod.“The injuries in your body are no longer a serious concern. Consider it one of the benefits of following me.”“I… my name is Octavia. Thank you.”At last, Octavia lowered her guard. Since he had healed her wounds, he clearly had no intention of harming her.“When I was in Hinoku, I traveled across the entire country and still couldn’t cure these injuries. You’re a good man.”Adrian had no idea how, within the span of a single night, he had gone from rogue to pervert to good man in her estimation—but he found himself accepting the promotion nonetheless.At least he was a good man now.“I know you have your own affairs to handle,” he said evenly. “But I have two conditions. First, you must not interfere with me. Second, you must not harm or obstruct anyone around me.”Octavia nodded quickly, agreeing without hesitation.“My matters have nothing to do with you.”Only then did Adrian assent. He