Handling

NPC!

Why had he said something like that back when he was a high school freshman?

Had his chuunibyou syndrome flared up?

Had he been hallucinating?

Neither!

It was because there was a flag in his mind.

A flag bearing the words "Human Emperor."

This Human Emperor Flag had existed for as long as he could remember.

It was like a companion treasure.

Yet for more than a decade, he had known nothing of its mysteries or how to use it.

It was not until his high school years, when he became obsessed with the game "Blue Star OL," that the Human Emperor Flag, influenced by his deep study of the game, began presenting a game-like status panel in a way he could understand. Only then did he learn the specific uses of this supreme treasure.

Slaughter.

As long as he killed intelligent beings, he could refine their essence souls and raise his Life Level.

Intelligent beings.

For example, humans.

In the terms he understood back then, it was killing monsters to level up.

That bizarre change was why he jokingly called the people around him NPCs.

Unfortunately, he had only been an ordinary high school student then. He had never even killed a chicken in his life—how could he dare kill intelligent beings like humans?

Thus, despite possessing such a supreme treasure, he still grew up utterly ordinary.

He merely used its special ability to "display" values to make himself one of the top students in school.

Until today.

He had begun killing people.

On the bus.

Li ChunJun sat by the window, his unfocused gaze fixed on the dazzling lights streaking past outside.

"NPC."

He silently repeated the word in his heart.

They were merely NPCs.

With that mindset, after forcing himself to adapt to killing dozens of people, he had become even calmer.

He did not feel the slightest nausea, palpitations, or trembling.

He focused a sliver of his mind on the Human Emperor Flag.

He had known ever since the status panel first appeared while he was engrossed in gaming years ago that the Human Emperor Flag's display function adjusted itself according to his "cognition."

It turned souls into experience points and collectively referred to those he killed as creatures.

Just like now.

A wave of invisible ripples spread outward.

The process of refining soul energy was clearly "displayed."

"Eliminated a Level 1 creature. Experience +2."

"Eliminated a Level 1 creature. Experience +3."

"Eliminated a Level 2 creature. Experience +16."

"Eliminated a Level 4 creature. Experience +181."

"So long as I don't treat them as people, it's fine."

Li ChunJun spoke softly.

Then, there would be no discomfort at all when he killed them.

He focused his mind on the Human Emperor Flag.

Life Level: 5 (491/500)

The experience gained from refining the essence souls of intelligent beings was roughly tied to their levels.

Based on his own understanding, he classified External Refinement as Levels 1 through 3, Internal Strengthening as Levels 4 through 6, and Unity as Levels 7 through 9.

The reason he divided each realm into three levels was not because he had done so on a whim, but because it was related to experience gains.

In theory, the experience Li ChunJun could obtain from killing a Level 4 creature ranged from 300 to 400.

However, killing intelligent creatures weaker than his own Life Level suffered from diminishing returns. For every level lower, the reduction was cut in half.

Based on this, Li ChunJun established a Life Level system distinct from cultivation realms.

Thunder, a Level 4 creature, had provided only 181 experience. Shen Zhengxian, a Level 2 creature, had fallen from the theoretical range of 100 to 200 experience to merely one-tenth of the original amount—16 experience.

The remaining Level 1 creatures, originally worth between 0 and 100, gave only around 5%. If his Life Level rose to 6, 7, or 8, the experience gained from Level 1 creatures would diminish again to 2%, then 1%, until eventually he gained nothing at all.

The reduction was astonishing.

But there had been more than thirty of them in succession...

Step by step, they had still allowed him to complete a comprehensive transformation.

Guangzhou City's nights were filled everywhere with glittering lights and revelry.

This city of over a million people was not especially economically developed. In particular, over the past decade, the local government had delegated authority to the "property management" class, allowing members of society to govern ordinary citizens. This spared the government from accountability while also saving it countless troublesome matters.

Of course, this approach had also deepened conflicts between people and worsened the city's public security.

Though it was only just past eight, there were already few pedestrians on the streets.

There were only three to five passengers on the bus, Li ChunJun included.

Before long, the bus stopped.

Li ChunJun got off.

A quiet haven amid the bustle—the most upscale villa district in all of Guangzhou City, Hengguang Garden—had arrived.

Step by step, he approached Hengguang Garden and found an iron fence.

He accelerated, leaped, and vaulted over it.

All in one smooth motion.

Because cultivators disliked exposing their privacy to cameras, Da Shang Kingdom—and indeed all developed nations—had long since removed ninety-nine percent of their surveillance cameras.

Hengguang Garden was no exception.

However, the number of patrolling security personnel had increased severalfold.

The protective forces in such an upscale villa district far surpassed ordinary people's imagination.

But...

They were ultimately just security guards meant to stop petty thieves.

Using shadows and blind spots in their vision, Li ChunJun moved silently through Hengguang Garden.

Several minutes later, he arrived at a detached villa covering over two thousand square meters and equipped with a tight security system.

Jin Family Courtyard.

The courtyard was enclosed by gleaming white walls, though viewing windows had been left in place.

Through one window, he could see a graceful, luxurious woman entertaining two distinguished guests in a small garden.

Several men and women who looked like guards and assistants stood waiting nearby.

Servants continuously brought exquisite tea and pastries to the three.

Every one of the three carried themselves as though they had received professional training, their words and actions filled with an indescribable elegance.

Even the several attendants beside them stood straight and dignified, their spirits full and vibrant, radiating the air of elites.

In truth, being able to work beside such important figures—even merely as guards, assistants, or secretaries—was itself proof of outstanding ability.

Even top students graduated from Capital University would likely take their achievements as models to pursue for a lifetime.

As Li ChunJun approached the courtyard, the eyes of three highly alert security personnel inside immediately fell upon him.

One of them swiftly searched his memories for information on every resident in the villa district and their relatives.

But before they could determine Li ChunJun's identity, he accelerated and vaulted over the white wall at the edge of the courtyard once more.

Anyone could see that this meant he had come with ill intent.

Yet the noblewoman and her two guests showed little change in expression.

The secretaries and assistants they had brought did not move either.

Only a man who looked like a guard said, "Leave it to me."

Yet even those words were stopped by the noblewoman. "Please trust Captain Sun's capabilities. The Jin Family will not allow any guest to suffer the slightest fright or harm."

Watching Sun Yongxing, the captain of the guards, rapidly lead three people toward the intruder who had climbed over the wall, she raised her wineglass with a smile. "President Song, Madam Song, please consider it a live-action performance."

The man addressed as President Song nodded.

They naturally had absolute confidence in the Jin Family.

However, after letting his gaze linger on Li ChunJun for a moment, he recognized him. "This is... the one who stirred up public opinion a month ago... what was his name again? Li ChunJun?"

After all, it had been Star Gathering Media that single-handedly suppressed that wave of public opinion.

"I didn't expect President Song to personally concern himself with such a trivial matter."

The noblewoman smiled.

"It was something Chairman Jin instructed us to handle. Naturally, Star Gathering would give it our all."

As President Song spoke, he looked at Li ChunJun again, surprise in his eyes. "Young people truly don't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth."

"What a pity. Carrying a weapon, trespassing into a private residence, and attempting murder—he has already violated the law, has he not? Da Shang Law will teach him how to turn over a new leaf and become a decent person again."

The noblewoman elegantly took a sip of red wine.

Maserati Deluxe Edition—one sip was worth an ordinary person's annual salary.

As she sipped her wine, she glanced at her assistant.

No words were needed. The assistant immediately stepped forward. "Master went to Sword Tasting Hall not long ago, but before that, he had already asked Three Stars Property Management to handle this matter."

"Three Stars Property Management?"

The noblewoman maintained her elegant poise, with no joy or anger visible on her face. "Is that how Shen Zhengxian handles matters? Making our Jin Family lose face before our guests? Call him immediately. If he can handle this, then handle it. If he cannot, he is never to step through the Jin Family's gates again."

Clearly, she did not care about Li ChunJun.

What she cared about more was that the matter had not been cleaned up properly, allowing someone to come to the Jin Family's doorstep with a sword and make them lose face.

"Yes, Madam."

The assistant answered and quickly went aside to make the call.

"Please, sit. Let's watch and talk. Don't worry, Yongxing is steady in his work. He won't make it too bloody and offend your eyes."

The noblewoman...

The mother of Jin Haoxuan and Jin Zhiya turned her gaze back to President Song and Madam Song.

President Song gave a slight nod.

But just as he bent down and settled into his seat, in the next instant, he nearly sprang right back out of it.