113: Lioz's Vanishing Trail

Buzz—Buzz—

The Electronic Shackles were released, and the injection of the Void Energy Embolization Agent stopped.

The cold light fell on the serrated vertical pupils unique to True Crocodile Class. Even high-ranking guards felt uneasy when their eyes were swept over by those peacock green eyes.

"Number 56: Nefthys Cleopatra - Your company is here to bail you out. Get out of here."

The jailer waved his hand, Nefes stepped barefoot onto the cold floor. His strength gradually returned, radiating a powerful aura like that of a wild beast.

Pat, pat, pat...

As the woman's slender figure gradually disappeared into the distance, the jailer couldn't help but mutter:

"What are you so smug about? If you weren't backed by a subordinate of Narrative-level Civilization, you'd be locked up here and at my mercy."

"Shh! Are you fucking crazy?!"

A colleague quickly spoke up to remind him:

"Keep your voice down. This woman is ' Gabros,' the company's weapon of war. Even with her power sealed, she can still kill a Zeta-rank veteran with her bare body."

"How is that possible... Without strength, a cultivator on the path of [Destruction] is just a fast food meal made of carbohydrates and protein. A single fire can burn it all."

"She's different," the colleague seemed to recall something extremely bad, "Fifteen years ago, Red King, the ' Plunder Soul,' planned to open up the market in the Orpheus Star Ring, but unexpectedly, the local natives were powerful and tyrannical. The missionary priests were murdered, and the Blessed Maiden were sacrificed to their evil god."

"And then what? Isn't this blasphemy? Won't the ' United Company ' start a war?"

"No, they didn't start a war. ' Dimeier Pharmaceutical,' a subsidiary of the ' United Company,' simply re-entered the Star Ring with five Gabros."

The jailer paused, then said:

"Now, you can no longer find the name 'Alver' in the star map."

Nefthys Cleopatra, the subject of the guards' gossip, overheard their conversation.

But she never paid attention to that.

As she entered the hangar, she looked up and saw Andrew Verrazzi, dressed in a formal suit, and Verrazzi fleet waiting for her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Nefi." Andrew nodded, his tone apologetic but sounding like a flat statement. He put his hands behind his back, turned off the stock information on his retina, turned and stepped into the Private Plane, not glancing at Nefes once from beginning to end.

Nefes followed closely, chin tucked in, loyally following his young master like a fierce and ruthless hunting dog.

In fact, they are quite similar.

"The last time we almost lost you was a mistake by the fleet commander, you don't need to worry about it."

Andrew casually offered a reassuring remark, then swaggered down onto the luxurious sofa. A maid promptly served him a mixed drink, which he took a small sip of before turning to face Nefes formally. "Tell me about your opponent."

"Yes."

Nefes spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Sharp, beautiful, deadly, alert, timid, weak."

"It seems that just a few exchanges have left a deep impression on me."

Andrew swirled the golden liquid in his glass, as if it were the blood of a god. "But I'm satisfied with what you said. If you were to encounter him again, could you deal with him?"

"I will tear open his artery and drain every last drop of his blood."

"Nefes said coldly."

"How dare he harm you! You are Verrazzi's successor, to mortals you are the Crown Prince, you are the Son of God, you are the gospel of mortals! Anyone who obstructs the spread of the great Red King's divine will throughout the universe must be Divine Punishment."

"The momentum is good, but I want to live."

Andrew smiled slightly.

He hurt you—

"That's it? Losing two fingers is nothing. For a dragonborn, what's the difference between that and losing a few hairs from staying up all night?"

Andrew displayed remarkable magnanimity. "That guy's name is Lioz. According to the company's intelligence, he is a student who sought political asylum in an unrecognized Interstellar Civilization."

"He is only in his early twenties, yet he has been able to destroy our small fleet and force us to openly withdraw from Valenkov."

"You actually want to eliminate him? This is not in line with our sacred Red King Faith. Everything of value must be used to its fullest potential. We advocate equality, fraternity, and progress! Fighting and killing are not what Red King advocates. Only by living can we create value, and infinite value is what we pursue."

Andrew was magnanimous and didn't hold grudges over these personal grievances. "I had my staff and professionals calculate that the value Lioz could create far exceeds everything he destroyed, even more than the value created by the Verrazzi Company. So what if he kills me later?"

"When I was a child, my father told me and my siblings: A qualified capitalist should even put a price tag on death."

"Dignity is a load of rubbish. When it's needed, countless people will die for it; when it's not needed, it's not even worth a piece of bread."

Andrew glanced at the Verrazzi executives who were sitting on either side of him, and instructed them:

"I know you have embezzled public funds and misappropriated company property, but I will not stop you, because a certain amount of corruption is necessary for the company to keep running."

"But you must remember that everything you are taking now is allowed by the company so that you can enjoy the benefits brought by Red King, and so that you can bring more wealth to our civilization!"

The executive next to him broke out in a cold sweat and dared not utter a sound.

Andrew's implication was clear: what the company is giving you now, you can take back at any time; don't think they can't see it.

Turning back to Nefes, Andrew said, "Lioz can bring significant benefits to our company. Our team has conducted extensive analysis using computing power and financial resources, and we believe that Lioz has the potential to embark on a certain path towards the [Dominion] system."

"If asked how many people are in the Abyss, I could only answer that they are as numerous as the stars. If asked about the potential followers of the [Dominator] path, I think they would occupy at least one-fortieth of the stars in the sky."

It doesn't take much; even a layman can tell how huge this market is.

"If we can bring him into Red King's camp, wow, the immense wealth will make the entire narrative fall under Verrazzi's spell. No one in this world can resist the allure of the ' Plunder Soul Red King!"

"Understood." Nefes lowered his head. "I will bring him back."

"We are tracking Lioz's information in reverse, but someone has provided him with public opinion protection. In the past two weeks, a lot of information about Lioz has been sent into the Collapse Layer by certain people. To find Lioz, we need to create a small black hole and replay the information that was compressed into it."

Andrew took a sip of his drink and sent her a message: "This process is expected to last five years. After five years, you will be responsible for 'bringing' Lioz back. During this time, you need to hone your skills. Our professional team estimates that Lioz will reach the Delta-rank within five years. Nefes, be fully prepared."

"Yes."

Nefes checked the information and bowed his head deeply.

Verrazzi took this matter extremely seriously. Unleashing a black hole was beyond their capabilities; they must have enlisted the help of a high-ranking figure within the corporation.

Fortunately, no one in the company was overly reckless; even young Master Andrew was so cautious that he devised a series of rigorous combat and training plans.

Narrative-level Civilization are never arrogant, at least the "United Company" never cares about such things.

They proceed with caution and prudence, even when hunting a rabbit, they will go all out. They will never intervene in a problem that can be solved with money.

Although this made the expansion of the core Fixed Time Domain of the "United Company" extremely slow, in terms of public opinion, people still preferred the "United Company".

Andrew was about to say something when his secretary suddenly spoke up:

"Young Master Andrew, Miss Nalia would like to invite you to dinner next month. She said she has met an interesting friend and you have a keen eye for talent. She hopes you can help her decide if she is qualified to join the company."

"Nalia, which sister is she?"

"Number 209, young master."

"It's a bit far. Which side of the conglomerate is her maternal family from?"

"Holding 3.02% of the shares, they are on the side of the conservatives."

"Hmm, she poses a slight threat to me. The conservative old man is not easy to deal with. Her side has little power, but she holds a lot of shares. She probably wants to find a son-in-law who will live with her family to continue the bloodline. With a man in charge at home, she can concentrate on climbing the path of cultivation. Hmm, I need to pick someone mediocre to below average for her."

"Really, he trusts you so much, young master. You two used to play together when you were kids."

"Choosing to trust her brother is the price she has to pay for her own sentimentality. What does it have to do with me?"

"You're so naughty, young master."

"There is no such thing as good or bad, only the amount of wealth and assets in this world—only by understanding this can you be more steadfast in your belief in the grandeur of the Red King crown."

Andrew took a sip of his drink. "Speaking of which, where is Nalia now?"

"The Crystal Tower Civilization," the secretary said. "When do you plan to go?"

"The Crystal Tower?" Andrew stroked his chin. "There seems to be something good here... I've heard the Light Gold Priest say that on one of the planets of the Crystal Tower, a piece of corpse from the ' Eye of Discernment ' is buried. Under the influence of the Destroyer's power, the academic atmosphere there has become extremely strong, making it very suitable for building an academy."

"Does young master want that body part?"

"How could I not want to? The ' Eye of Discernment ' is the master of knowledge. All the extraordinary knowledge in these Sixth Layer Star Abyss comes from its deconstruction. Anyone who obtains even a fragment of its body can immediately become a sage and a scholar."

Andrew sighed, "It's a pity that the Crystal Tower was buried tens of millions of years ago, and four or five civilizations have passed through it. Over the years, it has probably been worn down by all the civilizations. Even if there is anything left, it has been shattered into dust. Perhaps it has already disappeared into the world."

Everyone wants to enter a blue ocean industry, but if you wait too long before you do, you'll only end up being exploited.

Andrew wasn't stupid. This kind of luck-based thing was completely different from the nature of the Nakis Blood. They had exclusive intelligence at the time, and the development and excavation of the Nakis Blood was only a matter of time.

But how the hell are you going to find this? Even tomb raiders know not to raid well-known tombs because they've already been hollowed out.

Andrew shook his head:

"I will go there in a few months. It's only right for her to wait a little longer, since she is only 209th in the group."

"Understood, young master."