After Paige glanced at her parents in the living room, who were enjoying a harmonious atmosphere, she turned and followed Mike out.
After walking side by side for a short distance, Paige couldn't help but say again, "Thank you~"
Mike's plan this time could be said to have pulled the young girl back from the edge of a cliff, and at the same time, it saved her family.
"We're friends," Mike said with a smile, "Besides, you've already thanked me."
[Main Attribute: Intelligence +3]
As the young girl's heart knot was untied, Mike, as he wished, obtained a large main attribute light cluster from her.
After all this effort, wasn't this the moment Mike had been waiting for?
Strictly speaking, this was a win-win situation.
Mike, having received his satisfactory "reward," genuinely didn't need the other party's thanks.
Then, Mike eagerly crushed the large light cluster in his hand.
As the light cluster integrated into his body, Mike's main intelligence attribute reached 182, successfully breaking through the 180 mark.
Every twenty-point increase in intelligence was a hurdle.
Now that Mike's intelligence surpassed 180, he was a genius on the same level as Sheldon and Paige.
And with this increase in intelligence, it felt as if an electric current passed through Mike's mind, making him so comfortable that he almost cried out.
Countless pieces of information emerged in his mind, finally transforming into clear images.
Each image was like a USB drive, storing a massive amount of content.
Yes, after his intelligence surpassed 180, Mike also gained the ability of photographic memory.
Moreover, his powerful mental calculation abilities and spatial construction abilities made the images in his mind incredibly clear and fluid when simulating everything in the universe.
From vast galaxies in space to tiny molecules and atoms.
As long as Mike wished, he could construct their 3D models in front of him and could change their states with his thoughts.
This feeling of controlling everything made Mike deeply immersed; at this moment, he felt as if he had become an omnipotent "God."
...
"Mike, what's wrong?" Paige, noticing Mike's unusual state, called out softly.
"Huh?" Mike was roused from his ethereal state. Recalling that unreal feeling, he shook his head to clear it and said, "Nothing, I feel great right now."
The exhilaration of breaking through his IQ was far more satisfying than breaking through physical limitations.
"Are you really okay?" Paige still asked worriedly, "You just stopped walking, and the expression on your face was very strange."
Usually, such a reaction could be a precursor to dementia or a stroke.
"I'm really fine, I just thought of something happy," Mike casually made up an excuse to reassure the young girl.
"Okay." Paige didn't dwell on it too much.
She just felt that something had changed about him. As for what exactly, the young girl couldn't figure it out at the moment.
"It's getting late, we should head back," Mike changed the subject and asked, "Do you know where your sister is? Maybe we should bring her along too."
Tonight was an important moment for Paige's parents to reconcile; it was best if no one disturbed them unless absolutely necessary.
Paige immediately understood Mike's meaning. She thought for a moment and said, "Actually, my sister usually plays outside all night on weekends."
"It's better to be safe," Mike reminded her.
According to the young girl, her sister might not disturb their parents.
However, no one could say for sure, and if something unexpected happened, everything planned before could go awry.
This would render Mike's previous "help" useless, so to be safe, he believed all potential accidents needed to be nipped in the bud.
"Okay, I know a few places she often goes. Let's go look..." Paige also seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem.
Afterward, the two went to several places before dark and finally found Erica at a private party.
At this moment, she reeked of alcohol, mingling in the party with the strong music.
However, looking at her current state, even amidst the lively crowd, she seemed like an abandoned "orphan."
It seemed that Paige's family had more than just her as a child who needed saving.
"Erica, why have you drunk so much?" Paige, who hadn't paid much attention to her sister's private life before, was surprised to see her current appearance.
She stepped forward, took her arm, and said, "I'll take you out of here."
"Paige, why are you here?" Erica seemed drunk, slurring, "Where can I go?...It's enough for the family to have one obedient daughter like you..."
Listening to Erica's ramblings, Paige knew she was drunk, so she didn't respond further. She used both hands to pull her out.
However, compared to her physically stronger sister, Paige's strength was clearly no match.
"Need help?" Mike walked over and asked.
"You're that...person from the Cooper family..." The muddled Erica still had some impression of Mike.
They had briefly met once before at the Cooper family.
"Paige, I didn't expect...you, with your usual good-girl act...to actually hook such a handsome boyfriend..." Erica quickly continued her nonsense, a silly smile on her face.
Paige's face flushed slightly at her sister's antics, then she looked at Mike for help.
Understanding her meaning, Mike stepped forward, grabbed Erica, and started walking out.
However, Mike's handsome face had attracted many gazes the moment he entered the party.
Seeing Mike pulling Erica, many girls at the party showed expressions of disappointment.
"Erica, aren't you going to introduce us to your new boyfriend?"
"Yeah, what's your friend's name?"
...
Since they couldn't get him themselves, some girls started teasing Erica.
Mike, on the other hand, didn't give Erica a chance to reply, pulling her outside.
Blown by the cool evening breeze, Erica seemed to sober up quite a bit.
"Where are you taking me?" Erica asked. Then, she looked at Mike's face and said with a silly smile, "If it's a handsome guy like you, it's not impossible..."
After speaking, her gaze even glanced at her sister, with a mischievous look in her eyes.
Clearly, she might not be truly sober yet, and her mind was thinking some very unhealthy things.
"I'll leave her to you, explain the situation to her," Mike said with a speechless expression, "I'll go call a car."
Although Erica was also quite good-looking, compared to last time, she now had heavy smoky makeup and was wearing a studded leather jacket.
Reeking of alcohol, she was now completely the image of a delinquent.
Mike indicated that his appetite wasn't that good.
By the time Mike called a taxi, Paige had already explained the current situation to Erica.
Erica, now three-tenths sober, had quieted down.
...
Half an hour later, the taxi arrived at Connie's doorstep.
"You two go wash up first, I'll take you across the street for dinner later—" Seeing that Connie wasn't home, Mike arranged for the two behind him.