International Manhunt

By normal, objective standards.

Su Yuan's cultivation speed, his cultivation method with no hidden dangers, and his limitless potential across all six dimensions—

None of it should have been possible on Blue Star.

Even in the depths of the universe, it was almost unheard of.

The problem wasn't the Six-Dimensional Cultivation Method.

The great powers in the depths of the universe had Six-Dimensional Cultivation Methods too.

But having one didn't mean you could cultivate with it, much less that it was a perfect fit.

The Six-Dimensional Cultivation Method offered limitless potential and perfect evolution, but it was also the hardest to cultivate.

You wanted potential, perfect evolution, and an easy cultivation method, all at once?

How could anyone expect to have it all?

Well, Su Yuan had exactly that.

"At my current cultivation speed, even in five years, my individual strength alone won't be enough to deal with the Alien Force's Interstellar Colony Ship."

Su Yuan thought to himself.

That was the answer Grey Mirror had given him, too.

Could he rely on his individual strength to crush the Interstellar Colony Ship when it arrived in five years?

Only if Su Yuan used certain forbidden techniques to speed up his cultivation or increase his combat power.

That was the only way.

But there was no need.

Using forbidden techniques came at a cost.

And Su Yuan wasn't willing to pay it.

If his individual strength wasn't enough, he would use outside forces.

That was the foundation of Grey Mirror's plan to counter the Interstellar Colony Ship.

First, he would build up a faction and deal with the Alien Force's lackeys, the Truth Society.

For Su Yuan, building a faction required keeping in touch with his subordinates—or, more precisely, being able to contact them at any time.

That was crucial. Su Yuan would certainly stay behind the scenes and direct his subordinates.

Just as he had directed Zhou Yu not long ago. Without Su Yuan's constant guidance, Zhou Yu would have died in Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley, even if she had a hundred lives.

At the time, however, Su Yuan had relied on Xia Kingdom's wireless communications technology to contact and direct Zhou Yu.

In short, a mobile phone.

Blue Star's current wireless communications technology was far too backward. Even in Snake Valley, where no outside technological interference was present, the signal had been lost dozens of times.

If Su Yuan hadn't used Grey Mirror to predict exactly when the signal would fail and reassure Zhou Yu in advance, carrying out the plan to obtain the Blood Lingzhi would have been much more difficult.

Su Yuan needed an absolutely reliable communications channel.

At the very least, it had to work seamlessly across Blue Star, without interruptions, signal loss, eavesdropping, or any of the other problems.

Establishing a stable communications channel on Blue Star wasn't difficult for Su Yuan.

Grey Mirror had given him the answer long ago, even providing him with the relevant technology.

It was alien technology at least a hundred years ahead of Blue Star's current communications capabilities.

But knowing how something worked was one thing. Putting it into practice was another.

To replicate it on Blue Star and put it to use, Su Yuan needed someone to take charge and carry out the work.

That person had to be a leading expert in wireless communications. Otherwise, forget replicating alien technology—they might not even understand it.

It was like giving a lighter to a primitive person. Even if they had every part, they still wouldn't know how to make another one.

Grey Mirror had also provided a candidate for the job long ago.

"Qiao Mingyuan, 46, a Chinese-American expert in wireless communications known internationally. He has lived across the ocean for many years. Six months ago, however, Qiao Mingyuan's wife suddenly disappeared. After investigating extensively, he not only failed to discover why she had vanished, but also found himself being hunted."

"With no other choice, Qiao Mingyuan began fleeing. In ten minutes, he will arrive at South Sea Island in Xia Kingdom..."

The details about Qiao Mingyuan flashed through Su Yuan's mind.

Su Yuan had chosen Qiao Mingyuan for the position for several reasons.

First, Qiao Mingyuan was highly skilled. In wireless communications, he ranked thirty-ninth in the world.

Qiao Mingyuan himself didn't know about this ranking, and neither did the public. Rankings in the sciences were difficult to determine, and credentials were usually given greater weight.

Only Grey Mirror could provide an absolutely objective and accurate ranking.

Second, Qiao Mingyuan had a simple background. He was a Chinese-American expert with no connections back home, making him easy to handle and control.

Third, the Truth Society was behind his wife's disappearance, and it was also the force hunting him.

Qiao Mingyuan's wife fit the criteria the Truth Society used to create androids, so she had been secretly taken away.

And Qiao Mingyuan had been targeted by the Truth Society only after his extensive investigation brought him close to uncovering the truth. They wanted to silence him.

Simply put, the Truth Society was Qiao Mingyuan's enemy.

And Su Yuan wanted to deal with the Truth Society, too.

Their goals aligned, so Qiao Mingyuan would work even harder for Su Yuan.

"Androids..."

Su Yuan fell into brief thought.

Androids were the Truth Society's most powerful technology.

Of course, to Su Yuan, androids were no secret.

If he wanted, he could create Level 4 Artificial Humans, Level 5 Lifeforms, or even Level 6 Lifeforms.

However, creating androids consumed too many resources and required a suitable "vessel."

The time and resources needed to create a Level 4 Artificial Human would probably be enough for Su Yuan to cultivate into a Level 5 Lifeform or even a Level 6 Lifeform.

The Truth Society had controlled the international underworld for decades, perhaps even a century, yet it had created only twelve Level 4 Artificial Humans so far.

A hundred years ago, when the Great War of Nations broke out, the Truth Society had only three Level 4 Artificial Humans.

Su Yuan wasn't interested in androids. The technology had been obsolete in the universe for who knew how many years.

"It's time."

Su Yuan checked the time, took out his phone, and made a call.

South Sea Island, southern Xia Kingdom.

A major tourist destination, South Sea Island saw countless travelers come and go every day, many of them from abroad.

A passenger ship came to a stop, and a middle-aged man stepped off.

The man was Qiao Mingyuan. His eyes were bloodshot, and he clearly hadn't slept in several days.

"Why did Anna disappear? And who's hunting me?"

Qiao Mingyuan had a thousand questions. Half a month ago, he had almost gotten his hands on the surveillance footage from the time his wife, Anna, disappeared.

But before he could get the footage, a friend who was helping him obtain it was shot in the head.

If Qiao Mingyuan hadn't been lucky, he would have died too.

Afterward, Qiao Mingyuan contacted his mentor. With his mentor's help, he managed to flee the country, then spent another two weeks on the run before finally reaching South Sea Island in Xia Kingdom.

His mentor's final piece of advice had been that he might be safer in Xia Kingdom.

That was why Qiao Mingyuan had come to Xia Kingdom.

"What's that?"

Just as Qiao Mingyuan began to relax, his pupils suddenly contracted.

A short distance away, at the exit he was heading toward, several men in sunglasses stood waiting.

The moment he saw the muscular men, fear welled up inside Qiao Mingyuan.

"It's them! It has to be them! They've chased me all the way to Xia Kingdom!"

Qiao Mingyuan trembled with fear and immediately turned around.

The men in sunglasses at the exit had spotted him too. They hurried toward him.

"Run! Run! Run!"

Qiao Mingyuan ran wildly in every direction, then finally ducked into a restroom.

Hiding in the innermost stall, he felt utterly hopeless.

He was almost certain it was only a matter of time before they found him.

But where else could he hide?

Just as Qiao Mingyuan was about to close his eyes and await death,

his phone began to ring.

"A ringtone?"

Qiao Mingyuan was puzzled. He had lost his phone long ago while fleeing to Xia Kingdom. He didn't even have one.

"Over there?"

Following the sound, Qiao Mingyuan saw a phone lying on the tissue box beside him.

Someone must have accidentally left it there. It had probably been lost, and the owner might be calling it now.

After hesitating for a moment, Qiao Mingyuan reached out and picked up the phone.