In Seoul, a tall commercial office building.
People in suits and ties, looking sharp and polished, were coming and going, wearing name tags and walking with hurried steps—no different from ordinary office workers.
No one would have guessed that this building was actually the base headquarters of the Korean Super Youth Brigade.
Thirteen seats surrounded a round table, but only seven people were seated at the moment.
The empty seats presumably belonged to certain individuals.
The old man in the main seat was over seventy, with most of his hair turned white, yet the skin on his face was taut and well-preserved, making him appear no older than fifty.
He tapped the table rhythmically with his finger, sweeping his gaze from left to right, pausing on each face for less than half a second.
"Lin Mo has already arrived in Seoul."
The tapping stopped.
"Intelligence has upgraded his threat level from S to Triple S. His abilities may be on par with yours, but his potential for harm is far greater."
The old man said this in a flat tone, as if reading a weather forecast.
"To ensure the safety of Seoul, one of you must go to the Time Hotel and keep an eye on him."
The remaining six were unmoved, each wearing an expression of indifference as if the matter didn't concern them.
One was examining her nails, another was daydreaming, and one had his eyes half-closed, lost in thought.
These people were no longer young—the youngest among them looked to be at least twenty-five or twenty-six.
After about ten seconds of silence,
a man with a bushy chin beard sighed, pushed his chair back, and stood up.
"Alright, alright, I'll go."
He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, draped it over his arm, and walked toward the door. After a couple of steps, he turned back to add, "Worst case scenario, we both go down together. I'm almost done anyway."
No one turned to look at him.
They didn't even lift an eyelid.
Only after the man had left did the old man speak up slowly.
"Smiling Face."
"Huh?"
The youngest-looking person in the corner tilted his head.
"Follow him. Keep an eye on him so he doesn't actually tear down the Time Hotel. It's not just the Chinese team staying there—there are people from other countries too. If something happens, it'll turn into an international diplomatic incident, and none of us can bear that responsibility."
Smiling Face bounced up from his chair, a grin plastered on his face, both hands stuffed in his pockets as he jogged after the man.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Big Bro. If he makes a move, I'll stop him. If I can't stop him, though..."
He paused.
"Then it's not my problem anymore."
With that, he was out the door.
The remaining four sat exactly as they had been, as if they hadn't heard a word of the conversation.
The old man paid them no mind, cleared his throat, and said, "Now, on to business."
He pulled a file from under the table, flipped open the first page, which bore a blurry photo.
"The item soon to be transported to our country—the Spirit Eye Bureau is keeping a close watch. The transport route has been changed three times now, and they've kept pace every single time. If they intercept it..."
"Then I'm afraid our Great Korean people will suffer another round of senseless oppression. If that happens, our future..."
The old man didn't finish his sentence.
Everyone present understood what that meant.
South Korea had lived under the shadow of the Americans for years—outwardly deferential, but burning with frustration inside.
After all, they were a sovereign nation, and being choked like this for so long would make anyone resentful.
But resentment aside, their strength was limited, so they could only take things step by step.
"This matter is now in your hands."
The old man closed the file and got up to leave.
--System: A World's Calm Before the Slaughter--
Time Hotel.
In Lin Mo's room, the curtains were drawn tight.
Dongfang Shuye sat on the arm of the sofa, holding a bottle of mineral water. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.
This wasn't China, so he couldn't bring his Dongfang Leaves tea along.
They didn't serve the tea he liked here either, so mineral water would have to do.
"Are these Koreans this timid? I thought they'd come at you."
"Come at me?"
Lin Mo lay on the bed, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "They're not stupid. Best-case scenario, they might live to thirty if they're lucky—why would they throw that away?"
Dongfang Shuye mulled it over and didn't argue.
Within Lin Mo's spiritual perception range, the five super youths had already slipped back to their suite upstairs.
The TV screen in their room was dark, the room dead silent. They stared at each other, not daring to say a word.
They dared not confront Lin Mo, nor did they provoke him at the door.
Dongfang Shuye had originally prepared some diplomatic phrases to negotiate with them, but Lin Mo had bypassed that step entirely with a show of force.
It saved trouble for now, but the subsequent negotiations would probably be much more complicated.
Still, Dongfang Shuye didn't complain.
After dealing with Lin Mo for so long, he had long gotten used to this kind of style.
Thump! Thump!
Someone knocked on the door.
"Hey! Lin Mo! Wanna go eat?"
Wang Jie's loud voice carried through the door panel.
Dongfang Shuye got up to open the door.
Wang Jie froze for a moment when he saw him, looked him up and down, opened his mouth, but ended up saying nothing.
"Where are we going to eat?" Dongfang Shuye leaned against the doorframe.
"The hotel buffet. The event organizers arranged it—teams from all countries are eating there. With so many people watching, no one should dare to tamper with the food."
"Should?" Dongfang Shuye raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you even more cautious than Teacher Bai? Don't worry, Teacher Bai checked—both the ingredients and the kitchen staff have passed a security review."
Lin Mo sat up from the bed, brushed some nonexistent dust off his pants, and shuffled over to the door in his slippers.
"Let's go. I'm hungry."
Wang Jie glanced at his slippers.
"You're wearing those?"
"What about it?"
"Nothing."
"Alright, then. Is everyone going to eat?"
"Yeah, we all have to eat. It's late, and everyone's hungry."
The three left the room and walked to the elevator lobby.
Most of the Chinese team had already gathered, standing around in small groups—some chatting quietly, others looking down at their schedules.
Teacher Bai stood at the front, holding an itinerary.
"The competition doesn't start until the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, we'll arrange a trip to the venue to get familiar with the environment. Also, in the hotel's public areas..."
As Teacher Bai was explaining something, footsteps echoed from the other direction.
A group of about fifteen people walked over, straggling along.
The American team.
Interestingly, more than half of this team representing America had Chinese-American faces.
And not just the contestants—even the coaching staff and support personnel included several Asian faces.
The two teams met head-on at the elevator lobby.
The air went still for two seconds.
The leader of the American team, a Chinese-American man in his forties with short black hair and rimless glasses, swept his gaze over the Chinese side. Without stopping, he led his team straight to the elevator.
But a few of the Chinese-American contestants behind him didn't look quite so comfortable.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
