The pace of change in this world far exceeds people's imagination.
The turmoil in Country J lingered on the international news pages for less than three days before being replaced by other headlines.
The world seemed to have forgotten about that couple from Xia Country who had been trapped in Gotham.
But some people hadn't.
Qin Group, CEO's office.
Qin Ya stood before a massive electronic screen, densely populated with all the publicly recorded movements of Yuanlong Tech, Hanqing Tech, and even the "Distant Horizon" Foundation over the past six months.
From the "Living Water Lab" in Country J to the water wells in Africa.
From the explosive popularity of a documentary on Country A's streaming platform to the small yet exquisite "Eastern Elegance" art exhibition in Gotham.
Each piece of information was like an isolated chess piece.
Before, Qin Ya had dismissed these as Lu Chenyuan's minor maneuvers—harassment, defense.
But when Country J's political scene publicly fractured over an editorial and an open letter...
When Lu Chenyuan emerged unscathed, securing precious time and public support with Mo Qingli by his side...
Only then did Qin Ya connect all these scattered pieces.
She finally understood.
From the very beginning, Lu Chenyuan had no intention of engaging in symmetrical warfare on his opponent's chessboard.
What he was waging was asymmetric warfare.
Country A wielded the blunt force of hegemony—rigid, unyielding power.
Lu Chenyuan, meanwhile, sowed seeds of goodwill, exported culture, and built soft, emotional connections in every corner of the world.
He didn’t meet fists with fists.
He entangled that swinging iron hammer with countless invisible threads, making every strike slower, heavier, burdened with hesitation.
"Madman."
Qin Ya muttered under her breath, yet the corners of her lips curled upward uncontrollably.
It was the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent.
She had always wanted to defeat Lu Chenyuan, to outshine Mo Qingli.
But now she realized they weren’t even competing on the same plane.
Lu Chenyuan was building an ecosystem.
She was still fighting over territory.
"Ya-jie."
Huangfu Chengshi pushed the door open, interrupting her thoughts.
Today, he wore a sharply tailored gray suit—looking every bit the polished man, no longer the little boy who used to trail behind her.
"The latest test results for 'Edge' are in." He handed her a report.
"The commercial version’s core metrics have caught up to the previous generation of 'Genesis.'"
Qin Ya skimmed the report, satisfaction flickering across her face.
"Well done."
"To celebrate this success—and to thank you for the resources you’ve poured into this project without hesitation—" Huangfu Chengshi met her gaze, eyes bright,
"Would you honor me with dinner tonight?"
He used the word "honor," posture deferential.
But his eyes held an unshakable confidence that brooked no refusal.
Qin Ya studied him, then smiled.
"Sure."
The dinner was at an intimate French restaurant.
Huangfu Chengshi was flawless—from wine selection to conversing with the waitstaff, even explaining each course with effortless elegance.
He wasn’t the little brother who needed her guidance anymore.
He was a man who could stand as her equal.
"Ya-jie," Huangfu Chengshi began casually, cutting into his steak,
"I’m planning to spin 'Edge' off into a separate company."
Qin Ya’s hand paused mid-motion.
"Oh?"
"The future of AI isn’t just an auxiliary system." His eyes burned with ambition.
"It’ll be the operating system of the next era. Whoever controls the strongest foundational model controls the future."
"'Genesis' is moving fast. But they have weaknesses."
"Lu Chenyuan shields Lu Ruoxi too well, letting her focus solely on research in her ivory tower. But that also means 'Genesis' reacts slowly to the market."
"I’m different." He set down his knife and fork, locking eyes with her.
"I’ll make 'Edge' the sharpest blade in the market—the one that understands users best."
Qin Ya listened quietly, watching the boy she’d raised.
He had truly grown up.
There was an aggression in him now—one she recognized, even admired.
"So," Qin Ya took a sip of wine, voice calm, "what do you want from me?"
"Nothing." Huangfu Chengshi grinned.
"I’ll repay Qin Group’s investment in 'Edge' at the highest premium, converting it into equity. I’m just... letting you know."
He leaned forward slightly, gaze unwavering.
"Ya-jie, I used to follow you because you were stronger."
"Now, I can stand beside you."
"So I don’t want to just be your little brother anymore."
Soft music filled the restaurant.
His confession was direct, unflinching, carrying the fierce possessiveness of a young wolf.
Qin Ya studied his face—young, handsome, etched with obsession and hunger.
She found it... amusing.
Her lips curved into a slow, crimson smile.
"You can try."
---
Yuanlong Tech, AI Lab.
Contrary to the tension outsiders might imagine, the atmosphere here was quiet, orderly.
Every researcher worked at their station, lost in thought or immersed in silent focus.
No anxiety hung in the air—just the serene tension of a team moving in perfect sync.
Lu Ruoxi’s "self-evolving" architecture was no longer a mad sketch on a whiteboard.
Over the past months, it had become the team’s shared creed.
They dismantled "Genesis’" core code, rebuilding it module by module—like constructing a new city from scratch.
Su Yang, Lu Ruoxi’s most trusted partner, shouldered the heaviest engineering load.
He led the team in translating her abstract mathematical models into solid, reliable code.
Today marked the first full performance test of the new "Genesis" model after achieving a closed-loop self-iteration.
On the central screen, data streams flowed steadily.
No dramatic spectacle.
Just a relentless climb of core metrics—computational efficiency, model complexity, energy consumption—cold, brutal, undeniable.
"Energy ratio, stable below threshold."
"Model complexity, increased by two orders of magnitude."
"Logical consistency, one hundred percent."
Su Yang’s voice was steady, but a faint tremor betrayed him.
Everyone stopped working, rising to their feet, eyes fixed on the screen.
They knew what these dry numbers meant.
They had leveraged finite resources to unlock infinite possibilities.
Lu Ruoxi stood motionless at the console, silent.
Until the final test concluded.
Until the screen flashed the ultimate report.
A large green icon indicating "Approved" dominated the center of the screen.
The lab was first engulfed in absolute silence.
Then, subdued cheers erupted, long suppressed but now bubbling over.
"Ruoxi..." Su Yang turned to look at her, his eyes filled with endless emotion and admiration.
A faint smile finally appeared on Lu Ruoxi's face.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
