The interior of the Rolls-Royce was silent, save for the hum of the engine.
Blake held the muddy rock in his hands. To anyone else, it looked like a piece of construction waste. But to Blake, who had the System's guidance, it was the key to changing his destiny.
"System," Blake thought, his gaze sharp. "Absorb the Spirit Essence Jade."
[Affirmative.]
[Extracting Target Item...]
A strange sensation washed over his hands. The muddy rock didn't crack; it simply turned into grey dust, sifting through his fingers onto the expensive floor mats.
Left in his palm was a small, glowing green orb. It pulsed like a beating heart.
Without hesitation, Blake crushed the orb.
Whoosh.
A stream of warm, emerald energy shot up his arm and rushed directly into his eyes.
"Argh!"
Blake gritted his teeth, leaning back against the leather seat. His eyes burned as if someone had poured molten gold into them. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't make a sound. A villain does not scream in pain.
A minute later, the burning sensation faded, replaced by a refreshing coolness.
Blake opened his eyes.
The world had changed.
He looked at his own hand. He could see the pores, the flow of blood beneath the skin, and a faint white aura surrounding his body. He looked out the window at the passing cars. The world seemed to move in slow motion. He could see the driver in the adjacent car texting on his phone; he could count the rotations of the tires.
[Ding!]
[Plunder Integration Complete.][Ability Unlocked: Golden Pupils (Level 1).][Effect 1: Slow Motion Vision during combat.][Effect 2: Ability to see 'Qi' and inspect item values.]
Blake smirked, wiping the tears from his cheeks. 'This is the ability Lin Feng used to dominate the gambling dens and become the Gambling God in the original novel. Now, it's mine.'
He glanced at the translucent blue screen floating in his vision.
[Host: Blake Vane][Luck: 20 (Improving)][Villain Points: 500]
"System," Blake commanded. "Open the Novice Gift Pack."
He hadn't forgotten the starter reward. In Webnovels, the starter pack usually contained the essential tools for survival.
[Opening Novice Gift Pack...]
[Congratulations! You have received: Body Forging Pill (High Grade).][Congratulations! You have received: Skill - Master Level Medical Arts.]
Blake raised an eyebrow. "Medical Arts?"
[System Note: In the original plot, the Protagonist Lin Feng uses his medical skills to cure the Female Lead's grandfather, gaining the support of the Han Family. To act as a Villain, you must cut off his path to success.]
Blake laughed. The System was ruthless. It wasn't just giving him power; it was giving him the exact tools needed to steal Lin Feng's thunder.
"Driver," Blake said, his voice smooth and commanding. "Change of plans. Go to the Vane Group headquarters. I need to see my fiancée."
The driver looked in the rearview mirror, surprised. "Miss Chloe? But sir, she said she didn't want to see you until the engagement party..."
"Just drive."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vane Group Headquarters. Top Floor.
Blake walked through the opulent corridors of his family's company. Employees bowed as he passed, but he could see the disdain in their eyes.
'Look, it's the prodigal son.''I heard the Han family wants to cancel the engagement.''He's just a waste of space waiting for his inheritance.'
Blake ignored them. In the past, the original Blake would have thrown a tantrum. Today, Blake simply walked with a predator's grace. He swallowed the Body Forging Pill dry as he walked.
Heat exploded in his stomach. His muscles tightened, becoming denser. His bones felt like they were being reinforced with steel. The fatigue from his "previous life" vanished instantly.
He kicked open the door to the CEO's office.
Sitting behind the massive mahogany desk wasn't his father, but a woman.
Chloe Han.
She was breathtaking. Raven-black hair cascading over her shoulders, skin as pale as snow, and eyes sharp enough to cut glass. She wore a white business suit that accentuated her cold, untouchable temperament.
In the novel, she was the "Iceberg CEO." The woman who would eventually fall for Lin Feng's "simple, rustic charm" after he saved her life.
Currently, she was looking at financial reports with a frown. When she saw Blake enter, her expression turned to ice.
"Blake," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "I didn't expect you. I thought we agreed to keep our distance until the ceremony."
Blake walked over to the guest sofa and sat down, crossing his legs. He didn't look like a man about to be dumped. He looked like he owned the place.
"I missed you, my dear fiancée," Blake said, testing his new Villain's Charm.
Chloe paused. She looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time in months. Something was different. The desperate, pleading look in his eyes was gone. Instead, there was a gray, abyssal calm that made her uneasy.
"Stop playing games," Chloe said, putting down her pen. "Since you are here, we might as well talk. The engagement..."
"You want to cancel it," Blake finished for her.
Chloe stiffened. "Yes. It's a business arrangement, Blake. And honestly... your reputation is damaging the Han Group's stock. My grandfather likes you, but I don't."
In the original plot, Blake would have begged. He would have cried. Then, Lin Feng would have burst in, acted like a hero, and humiliated him.
But Blake just smiled.
He activated his Golden Pupils.
Immediately, Chloe's body became semi-transparent to his vision. He could see the flow of her Qi. It was chaotic. And there, centered in her chest, was a knot of icy blue energy that was slowly freezing her meridians.
'The Lunar Frost Poison,' Blake realized. 'In the book, she collapses from this in three days. Lin Feng saves her using acupuncture, and she falls in love with him.'
"I agree," Blake said casually.
Chloe blinked, stunned. "You... agree? To cancel the engagement?"
"Sure. But not yet." Blake stood up and walked toward her desk. He moved with a speed that startled her. He placed his hands on the desk, leaning in until their faces were inches apart.
"Blake, back off!" Chloe snapped, though a strange flush rose to her cheeks. She had never seen him this... dominant.
"You're sick, Chloe," Blake whispered.
"Excuse me?"
"You feel cold all the time, even in summer. Every night at midnight, your chest feels like it's being stabbed by needles. You've seen the best doctors in the world, but they say you're perfectly healthy."
Chloe's eyes widened in horror. "How... how do you know that?"
It was a secret she kept hidden from everyone, even her family. She didn't want to appear weak.
"I know a lot of things," Blake lied smoothly. "I also know that if you don't treat it, you'll be dead in a month."
"You're lying!" Chloe stood up, her composure cracking. "You're just a rich playboy! What do you know about medicine?"
Blake chuckled. "Let's make a bet."
"A bet?"
"Give me your hand."
Chloe hesitated, but the intensity in his gray eyes compelled her. She slowly extended her hand.
Blake grabbed her wrist. His grip was firm, warm. Using the Master Medical Arts, he located her acupoint instantly. He pressed his thumb down hard.
"Ah!" Chloe gasped, a jolt of electricity running up her arm.
"Hold still," Blake ordered. He channeled a tiny bit of the energy from the Spirit Essence Jade he had absorbed earlier into her wrist.
The warmth surged through her body, clashing with the ice in her chest. For a brief second, the constant, dull pain she had felt for years... vanished.
Blake let go.
Chloe collapsed back into her chair, breathing heavily. She looked at her hands, then up at Blake. The look of disdain was gone, replaced by shock and confusion.
"What... what did you do?"
"I suppressed it. Temporarily," Blake said, checking his nails as if he had done nothing important. "I can cure you, Chloe. Completely."
Chloe's heart raced. She had resigned herself to dying young. "If... if you can cure me..."
"If I cure you," Blake interrupted, a devilish grin appearing on his face. "You won't cancel the engagement. In fact, you'll announce to the world that you are madly in love with me."
[Ding!][Scheme Initiated.][Mission: Steal the Heroine's Heart (Stage 1).][Reward: 1000 Villain Points + Copy of Protagonist's Martial Art.]
Chloe bit her lip. She looked at the man she thought was trash. Suddenly, he was the most dangerous, mysterious person in the room.
"Fine," she whispered. "If you can cure me... I'll do whatever you say."
Blake turned to leave, his coat swirling behind him.
"Be ready tonight, Chloe. I'm coming to your mansion. Treatment requires... physical contact."
He walked out before she could respond.
Inside the elevator, Blake checked the System map.
[Alert: Protagonist Lin Feng has entered the Vane Group Building. He is applying for a job as a Security Guard.]
Blake laughed out loud.
"Perfect. The rat walked right into the trap."