Caesar first saw Lu Mingfei on the Day of Freedom.
That guy had drooping shoulders, hands stuffed in his pockets, and a swaggering look on his face. At first Caesar thought it was the arrogance of the ignorant, feeling that this freshman was completely unworthy of meddling in the fight for the throne between the Lionheart Society and the Student Union.
Until that unreasonable repulsive force rose from the ground, instantly flipping him and Chu Zihang over like broken sacks.
Mid-air, Caesar saw Lu Mingfei's eyes clearly.
Lu Mingfei looked at them as if he were looking at two fools hacking at each other with plastic light swords.
"That Word Spirit..."
Caesar pondered for a moment, pulling open a drawer to retrieve an encrypted computer. After fingerprint and iris scans passed, it connected directly to the headquarters database of the Gattuso Family.
This was one of the largest databases in the hybrid world, recording every single Word Spirit that had ever appeared in history.
[Realm of Dust], [Kingship], [Mirror Pupils], [Yamata], [Judgment]
He searched from low-threat Word Spirits all the way to the very top of the Word Spirit periodic table.
Nothing, it didn't match anything at all.
The screen suddenly flickered, cutting off the search interface to pop up Frost Gattuso's face.
"Caesar," Frost said calmly. "I just received your request on the family intranet to review the Omega-class archives. For that S-Rank named Lu Mingfei?"
"It seems the Board of Trustees has received the report as well," Caesar said coldly. "Open the archives. I'm going to find a way to break that force field."
"Caesar, your reaction disappoints me. Your current behavior is like a gladiator who lost a match in the arena and is crying out for a sharper spear."
"What are you trying to say?"
"My boy, you take personal martial might far too seriously. Feeling humiliated over losing a single duel is the mindset of a gladiator, not the mindset of an emperor."
"If I can't even defeat him, what will I use to defeat the Dragon King? What will I use to win this war?!"
"Use your brain! Use the power and authority the Gattuso Family has accumulated over a thousand years!"
Frost said, "We investigated him. Separated from his parents since childhood, living under someone else's roof. Reading expressions is his survival instinct, and he had zero presence while secretly crushing on a classmate. He is extremely lacking in love and craves a sense of security."
The old man sneered, "Caesar, as long as a person has desires, they can be priced."
"He was treated with disdain at his aunt and uncle's house? We can hire lawyers to sue them tomorrow. He likes that girl named Chen Wenwen? The family has countless scripts that can make that girl throw herself crying into his arms. Whatever he lacks, we cram into his hands. Once he gets used to the red carpet laid out by the Gattuso Family, this sharp blade will obediently rest in your grip."
Listening, Caesar burst out laughing.
"Caesar, what are you laughing at?" Frost's voice deepened.
The laughter echoed in the empty office, growing louder and louder.
"What on earth are you laughing at!" Frost frowned.
"I'm laughing at how pathetically arrogant you all are," Caesar sneered. "Frost, do you really think you can solve everything with a few checks and cheap honey traps?"
Frost's face turned livid. "Caesar! Is this how you evaluate the family's strategy? Your laughable knightly idealism will destroy your throne!"
Clack.
Caesar hung up directly.
In the penthouse, Su Enxi gnawed on her fingernails with loud clicks while staring at the Nightwatch Forum.
Shadw wore a silk bathrobe, irritably wiping her long dao. "Stop biting, potato chip girl. You're driving me crazy."
"I haven't been able to contact the boss for a week," Su Enxi said. "He's offline."
"Did he leave any words before going offline?" Shadw asked.
"No. But I just found out that Zero has made a move," Su Enxi pointed at a hot post on the forum. "Look at this thread."
The post title was eye-catching as usual: "Twilight of the Gods Sequel: The True Face of the S-Rank Demon King Lu Mingfei! Why Did the Ice-Mountain Loli Actively Throw Herself at Him?!"
The first high-definition photo showed Zero and Lu Mingfei walking hand in hand under the trees. The second showed Zero standing on the steps of the girls' dormitory, actively wrapping her arms around Lu Mingfei's waist with her face pressed against his chest.
Shadw gasped. "Was she placed under a spell? Or did the boss stuff some R-rated script into her hands before he left?"
"Where does this guy look anything like an S-Rank?" Su Enxi pulled up candid photos taken by Fingel. In the photos, this S-Rank demon king who had just shocked the entire school was wearing a washed-out, faded undershirt, sitting cross-legged on the lower bunk, blankly holding a cup of hot milk with a deadpan expression.
"Call Zero," Shadw said.
Su Enxi dialed the encrypted frequency, and the call went through.
"What kind of game are you playing?" Su Enxi demanded. "Where did the boss go? Why are you engaging in close-quarters combat with the target in full view of everyone?"
"The boss is asleep. From now on, I take orders from him."
Beep, beep, beep. Zero hung up.
Su Enxi held her phone and froze in place. "She said she'll listen to the old man drinking milk from now on."
"Usurpation! This is definitely usurpation!" Shadw laughed in anger. "Usually, Zero looks so quiet and subdued, but at a crucial moment she pulls off a palace coup! Is she trying to skip the process and rule behind the curtain directly?"
"Not just that, judging by this clingy posture, she intends to hold the emperor hostage to command the nobles!" Su Enxi chimed in with a cold snort. "I really couldn't tell the boss had a little padded jacket; she plays these tactics so smoothly. Rising to power so fluidly, do we have to pay our respects to her in the group chat from now on?"
The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
"Tomorrow is the action period for the Kui Gate Project," Shadw's voice lowered. "Aki is going to dive down to the Bronze City..."
Cassell College, District 1, Dormitory 303.
"I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm rich..."
Fingel, like a greedy marmot, stared at the skyrocketing forum coins in the background, grinning so hard his features distorted.
As the largest gossip distribution center of Cassell College, the Nightwatch Forum completely exploded tonight.
Triggering this campus cyber earthquake was precisely a serialized hot post pinned high by Fingel using his moderator privileges as head of the News Department-"Twilight of the Gods Sequel: The True Face of the S-Rank Demon King Lu Mingfei! Why Did the Ice-Mountain Loli Actively Throw Herself at Him?!"
Fingel stuffed a burger into his mouth while frantically updating:
"According to this reporter's own eyes, the two walked hand in hand through the tree-lined path the entire time! In the cafeteria, Junior Sister Zero not only transformed into a perfect wife, personally cutting a pork knuckle for the S-Rank, but when faced with a passerby hitting on him, she displayed the terrifying aura of a true queen, declaring her territory on the spot!"
"Is this the corruption of morals, or the hegemony of bloodline? Want to see high-definition, uncensored photos of the S-Rank and the ice-mountain loli deeply embracing downstairs at the dorm? Only 5 forum coins!"
Currently, the comment count on this post had broken the five-thousand mark, and the private message list was jammed, all with messages offering huge sums to buy Lu Mingfei's candid photos.
On the other side of the dormitory, that S-Rank demon king, rumored on the forum to be like a god descended to earth, was currently wearing a washed-out, faded undershirt, sitting cross-legged on the iron-framed lower bunk, blankly holding a cup of hot milk with a deadpan expression.
Quick as lightning, Fingel snapped a photo from behind of Lu Mingfei's decadent posture drinking milk while keeping his phone on silent.
"Ding, one hundred US dollars credited."
Fingel was so happy he was about to faint.
Lu Mingfei finished the milk Zero had brought him, his temples throbbing with pain. He pulled out his phone to seek help: "Old Tang, seriously asking a question. If a Russian loli insists on holding your hand, follows you everywhere, and feeds you on a regular schedule, how should one deal with it?"
Old Tang: "Bro."
Old Tang: "It's fine if you fool your brothers outside, but don't fool yourself too. Just have fun following the flow of the internet, but when late night comes and you lie alone in bed recalling reality, who's going to wipe away your tears?"
Lu Mingfei: "I'm telling the truth! She just handed me a cup of hot milk!"
Old Tang: "Call the police immediately! This is a honey trap! A transnational criminal gang has definitely set their sights on your kidneys! Mingfei, listen to me, absolutely do not drink that milk! A kidney can sell for twenty grand on the Chicago black market, don't be foolish!"
A string of exclamation points popped up on the screen.
"A bunch of idiots."
Nono sat cross-legged on the bed in the girls' dormitory, casually closing the web pages full of heat.
She walked to the window and pushed open the glass. The late autumn night breeze poured in, stirring her dark red hair.