The wooden door closed, cutting off the sound of the roaring rain and the groans of hundreds of injured people out there.The shop was narrow, its walls lined with hundreds of small wooden drawers filled with dried spices, roots, and glass jars containing things whose origins were best left unquestioned—lizard eyes, snake hearts, and mushrooms that glowed blue. The scent of sandalwood incense mixed with bitter traditional medicine filled the air, masking the metallic smell of blood clinging to David's body.In the center of the room, behind an old wooden table polished by age, sat a woman.Madame Wu.She might be fifty years old, but her skin was as smooth as porcelain, almost wrinkle-free. She wore an emerald green Cheongsam with gold crane motifs. Her black hair was neatly bunned with a jade hairpin. She didn't look like a grandmother; she looked like a Queen who chose to retire in exile.She was pouring tea from a clay pot into two small c

"I want what is rightfully mine," David corrected. "Step aside, Miss. I have no business with you. My business is with your father who stole it.""My father may be a thief and a coward," Mei Lin admitted without hesitation. "But he is still my father. And as long as I breathe, no one is allowed to touch him. Especially an outsider like you.""What a pity," David sighed, slipping one hand into his trouser pocket. "I don't want to hurt your pretty face."Mei Lin's eyes narrowed. "Arrogance."With a movement of her wrist that was barely visible, Mei Lin drew her steel fan.SWISH!The fan snapped open. At the tip of each fan rib, small razors glinted sharply.And without warning, she threw the fan.The object sped through the air, spinning like a giant shuriken, aiming straight for David's neck. Its speed was incredible.David didn't use Skill: Agility Boost. That was too wasteful of his lifespan. He relied on the pure refle

The light of a minimalist chandelier illuminated a luxury apartment in Midtown, one of the many Moretti properties now under David's control. However, the scene in the living room was far from normal.In the center of the room, seated on a sturdy antique wooden chair, Mei Lin was bound.But these were no ordinary bindings. The Dragon Princess's slender body was wrapped in strong rope arranged in intricate and artistic geometric patterns. The rope coiled around her neck, crossed over her chest accentuating her form, then locked her arms behind her back, and wound around her waist and thighs with mathematical precision.This was advanced Shibari.David hadn't tied her haphazardly. The System gave him knowledge of the Meridian Restraint Technique, an ancient method of binding martial artists by applying pressure to their Chi flow points. Every time Mei Lin tried to summon her internal energy to snap the ropes, the knots would press against her nerves, instantly deadening that power.Mei

One hour later.Mei Lin sat in front of a laptop, her eyes glued to the screen.On that screen, the video recording from Franky's glasses played.Mei Lin saw clearly as her father's lieutenant handed Sisi over to the strangers. The betrayal was real. Her father had actually sold her sister.Tears of rage flowed down Mei Lin's cheeks.Then, the scene at the harbor continued. Mei Lin saw David, the man she had just tried to kill, the man she had insulted as a demon, embracing her sister.She saw the explosion. She saw David's back torn apart by shrapnel. She saw David not move an inch, becoming a human shield for Sisi.And she heard David's voice in the video: "Your sister, Mei Lin, sent me."The video ended.The door opened.David entered, limping. His shirt was gone, replaced by emergency bandages wrapped around his chest, but blood was still clearly seeping through.Behind him, Isabella guided Sisi in.

"FIRE!"Dragon Head Zhang's command split the silence of the dojo. Dozens of assault rifles roared in unison, unleashing a hail of hot lead at David and Mei Lin in the center of the room.RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!To the naked eye, they should have been shredded into meat sieves. However, David didn't flinch. He still held Mei Lin's waist with one hand, while the other hand was raised forward, palm open.ZIIING!A thin, transparent wall of golden energy manifested in front of them.[Active Skill: Qi Shield Lv. 1][Resource: Core Tantra (Infinite Loop).]The bullets struck the energy wall, stopping abruptly in mid-air as if hitting an invisible concrete barrier. They flattened against it, then fell clattering to the tatami floor.Clink. Clink. Clink.In seconds, a mound of flattened metal piled up in front of David. There wasn't a single scratch on their bodies."Impossible..." Zhang hissed, his eyes bulging. He lowere