113. Leoz's Maze Escape
Buzz—Buzz—
The electronic shackles opened, and the Void Energy Restraint ceased its injection.
Cold lights fell into the serrated vertical pupils unique to true crocodilians, and even the high-ranking guards felt a chill run down their spine when swept by those peacock-green eyes.
"Number 56: Nephis Cleopatra—your company has posted bail, you may leave."
The warden waved his hand. Barefoot on the cold floor, Nephis felt her strength gradually recover, her aura growing into the fierce presence of a wild beast.
Tap, tap, tap…
The graceful silhouette of the woman gradually faded into the distance, prompting the warden to mutter:
"Strutting around, huh. If it weren't for your backers from a narrative-level civilization, you'd be at my mercy here."
"Shh! Are you crazy?!"
A colleague quickly reminded him:
"Keep it down, man. This woman is a 'Jabbros', a war machine of her company. Even with her power sealed, she could kill a veteran at the Zeta tier with just her physical body."
"No way… Without her powers, a [Destruction] pathwalker is nothing but a pile of carbs and protein—a quick bonfire would reduce them to ashes."
"She's different." The colleague seemed to recall some very unpleasant memories: "Fifteen years ago, the missionary plan of [Soul of Plunder] Red King sought to open the market of Orvo Star Ring, but it turned out that the local indigenous forces were powerful and extremely aggressive. Missionary priests were killed, and blessed virgins were sacrificed to their evil gods."
"Then what? That's blasphemy, isn't it? Didn't the 「United Group」 start a war?"
"No, they didn't start a war. One of 「United Group」's subsidiaries, 'Dimeyer Pharmaceuticals', simply brought five Jabbros and went back to the star ring."
The warden paused and said:
"Nowadays, you won't find 'Orvo' anywhere on the star map."
The protagonist being discussed—Nephis Cleopatra—heard their conversation clearly.
But from beginning to end, she never cared.
Entering the hangar, she looked up. Andrew Velazi, dressed in a suit, and the Velazi fleet had been waiting for some time.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Nephis." Andrew nodded. Though his words were an apology, they sounded like a plain statement. He turned and entered the private ship without even looking at Nephis.
Nephis followed closely, lowering her head, loyal as a fierce, ruthless hunting dog.
In fact, it wasn't too far off.
"Last time, losing you was the commander's mistake; you don't need to mind it."
Andrew nonchalantly reassured her, then sat down casually on the luxurious sofa. The maid handed over a cocktail, which he sipped slightly before finally turning to face Nephis:
"Tell me about your opponent."
"Yes."
Nephis's voice was hoarse:
"Sharp, beautiful, deadly, vigilant, timid, weak."
"Seems like just a few encounters left a deep impression on you."
Andrew swirled the golden liquid in his glass, as if swirling the blood of a deity:
"But I'm satisfied with what you said. If you meet him again, can you deal with him?"
"I'll tear open his arteries and drain every last drop of his blood."
Nephis said coldly.
"He dared to harm you. You are Velazi's successor. To mortals, you are the crown prince, the son of god, the gospel to humanity. Anyone who obstructs the spread of the great Red King's divine will in the universe must be punished by divine retribution."
"Nice spirit, but I want him alive."
Andrew smiled faintly.
"He harmed you—"
"That's it? Broke two fingers. For a dragonkin, it's no different from losing a few strands of hair after a late night."
Andrew displayed astonishing tolerance:
"That guy's name is Leoz. According to company intel, he's still a student, taking political asylum in an unrecognized interstellar civilization."
"Currently, he's in his early twenties, yet he was able to destroy our small fleet, forcing us to openly withdraw from Vanlenkov."
"And you want to kill him? That doesn't align with our sacred Red King faith. Anything of value must be used to its fullest. We believe in equality, fraternity, and progress! Killing and fighting are not what Red King advocates. Being alive brings value, endless value, which is what we pursue."
Andrew showed magnanimity, ignoring these personal grudges:
"I consulted advisors and experts. Leoz can generate much more value than what he destroyed—more than Velazi itself. So what if he kills me in the future?"
"When I was young, my father told me and my siblings: A competent capitalist should have even death clearly priced."
"Dignity? It's nothing. When needed, countless people die for it, but when unnecessary, it can't even buy a loaf of bread."
Andrew glanced at the surrounding Velazi executives, teaching them:
"I know some of you are embezzling and misappropriating company assets, but I won't stop it because moderate corruption keeps the company running."
"But remember, what you take now is what the company allows you to take, allowing you to enjoy the blessings of Red King so you can bring more wealth to our civilization!"
The executives around him broke into cold sweats, not daring to make a sound.
The implication of Andrew's words was clear: Whatever the company gave you could be taken back at any moment. Don't think they weren't watching.
Turning back to Nephis, Andrew said:
"Leoz can bring great benefits to our company. Our team used immense computational power and financial resources to analyze and concluded that Leoz has potential to walk down a [Domination] path."
"If you ask how many people there are in the deep abyss, I could only answer, countless like stars. But ask about potential followers of the [Domination] path, and they'd account for at least one-fortieth of those stars."
Anyone, even a layman, could see the size of this market.
"As long as we bring him into the Red King camp, whoa, this massive wealth would make the entire narrative bow to Velazi. No one can resist the temptation of [Soul of Plunder] Red King's allure!"
"Understood." Nephis bowed her head, "I will bring him back."
"We are reverse-tracking Leoz's information, but someone has imposed media protection on him. In the past half-month, large amounts of information about Leoz have been sent into a collapsing layer by some party. To locate Leoz, we'll need to create a small black hole and replay the compressed information."
Andrew took a sip of his drink and transmitted some data to her:
"This process is estimated to take five years. After five years, your mission is to 'bring Leoz back'. During this time, make sure you train well. Our professional team estimates that Leoz reaching the Delta tier within five years won't be an issue. Nephis, be prepared."
"Yes."
Nephis reviewed the data and bowed deeply.
Velazi was taking this very seriously. Creating a black hole wasn't something they could do alone—it must have involved a big figure from the Consortium.
Fortunately, no one in the company acted too hastily. Even young master Andrew was so cautious, creating a series of meticulous combat and training plans.
A narrative-level civilization is never arrogant, at least not 「United Group」.
Step by step, cautiously—like a lion hunting a rabbit, using its full strength. If money can solve a problem, there's no need for violence.
Though this approach meant the core inherent time-expansion of 「United Group」 progressed incredibly slowly, in terms of reputation, people still favored 「United Group」.
Andrew wanted to say more, but the secretary beside him suddenly spoke:
"Young master Andrew, Miss Naliya wants to invite you for dinner next month. She says she met an interesting friend and hopes you could use your insight to see if they qualify to join the company."
"Naliya, huh. Which sister is she?"
"Number 209, young master."
"A bit far down the line. Which side is her maternal consortium from?"
"Holding 3.02% shares, aligned with the conservatives."
"Hmm, a slight threat. The old conservative heads are tough. Her influence is weak, but her shareholding isn't small. She's probably looking for a live-in son-in-law to continue the family line, so she can focus on advancing her path. Hmm, I guess I should pick someone mediocre for her."
"Oh, come on, she really trusts you, young master. You even played together when you were young."
"Choosing to trust her brother is her emotional decision to pay for, what's that got to do with me?"
"You're so bad, young master."
"There's no such thing as bad or good. In this world, there's only the amount of wealth and assets. Understanding this will solidify your belief in the magnificent faith of Red King."
Andrew took another sip of his drink:
"By the way, where is Naliya now?"
"Crystal Tower civilization." The secretary said, "When do you plan to go?"
"Crystal Tower, huh?" Andrew stroked his chin, "Seems there's something good there… I heard from the Pale Gold priests: A planet within the Crystal Tower seems to have a fragment of the 'Discerning Eye' buried. Under the influence of the Annihilator's power, the academic atmosphere there has grown intense—an ideal place for building an academy."
"Do you want to get that fragment, young master?"
"Why wouldn't I? The 'Discerning Eye' is the lord of knowledge. All extraordinary knowledge within the six levels of the Abyss comes from its deconstruction. Whoever possesses a fragment of its body immediately becomes a sage, a scholarch."
Andrew sighed:
"It's a pity. The Crystal Tower's fragment has been buried for tens of millions of years, through four or five different civilizations. Over so many years, it's likely been worn down. Even if something remains, it's probably shattered debris, possibly dispersed by now."
Everyone wants to enter a blue ocean industry, but if you enter too late, you're just a lamb to be slaughtered.
Andrew wasn't stupid. Luck-based endeavors were nothing like the exploitation of Nakis Blood. Back then, they held exclusive information, and the exploitation of Nakis Blood was just a matter of time.
But how the hell would you find this?
Even tomb raiders know not to loot graves that everyone knows about, because they've long been emptied.
Andrew shook his head:
"I'll head there in a few months. A sister ranked 209 can afford to wait a bit."
"Understood, young master."