Chapter 9

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Chapter 9: Strange Eyes

The expenditure required to use his unique ability was far less than that of his innate power, and it had been this lifeline that allowed him to survive until now. It was precisely due to the capabilities of the Cyber Eye that Chaoyang decided to host Paradise’s first public performance on the Heart of the Ocean cruise ship. A few simple emails sent through the Caribbean Company’s system created a secret gathering open only to the rich. Although seven invitations were sent out, only four people showed up in the end, but he believed word would spread quickly throughout the upper echelons.

While browsing Joe James’s email, Chaoyang naturally noticed traces of the International Criminal Police investigation. At first, he didn’t take it seriously, as all the images used were fake, so he wasn’t worried about being discovered. However, after signing the contract with Zhu Di, he realized this could be an opportunity, which was why he chose to send the invitation directly to the Asian branch’s mailbox instead.

Considering multiple factors, Chaoyang concluded that the investigator would certainly bite the bait. Although the final result largely matched his expectations, the process deviated from his plan—what he hadn’t anticipated was how the animated email attachments and ppt registration forms he casually designed would become the weakness in his scheme.

“Perhaps I should truly establish a logistics department for Paradise,” Chaoyang thought to himself. Now he had over four million dollars at his disposal, which was traceable and legally acquired. The conceptual designs that were once confined to the realm of imagination now finally had the capital to be implemented.

Of course, he knew that he must handle these matters with utmost caution.

The more traces one left on this world, the greater the risk of exposure.

From his perspective, his greatest advantage right now lay in concealment. Although demonic powers sounded incredible, when pitted against someone directly, he wasn’t much stronger than an ordinary person. Thus, maintaining the mystery surrounding his identity was imperative.

Fortunately, there was also some good news from this side as well.

After being pulled out of the other world, Chaoyang discovered that after satisfying their desire for excitement, the first wave of game participants unexpectedly returned some Wish Power to him, about fifty points if measured numerically. Compared to his harvest from the other side, this amount seemed like a mere addition, but it was nevertheless a promising sign. He knew that even after all the fuss he’d made on Earth, he hadn’t earned so many points before, yet here, each individual provided over ten points on average—how wondrous fate could be.

Clearly, this was absolutely related to how the four had entered the Other world.

And fifty points were enough to create a virtual body that could exist for half a day.

Moreover, since there were no strange and unpredictable entities on Earth, it was far safer overall than the other world.

“Knock knock knock!”

A sudden burst of hurried knocks interrupted Chaoyang’s musings.

He stood up and looked toward the entrance, but not only did the knocking not stop, it actually became more frequent instead. “Food delivery! Boss, your order is here!”

Chaoyang couldn’t help rolling his eyes as he walked over to the door and opened it. “coming, coming, what’s with all the rushing?”

“I still have several deliveries left to make, unlike you—”

He glanced at the small mountain of delivery boxes and household waste piled by the door and paused mid-sentence, “Just grab your food, no need for me to come out.”

The delivery person finished his orders, then seemed to want to say something else, but abruptly stopped talking.

“What is it?” Chaoyang frowned.

This was an old residential area, so the lighting in the corridor was somewhat dim. Right on the boundary between light and shadow, he saw a hint of fear flash across the man’s face. If the driver hadn’t paused abruptly, Chaoyang wouldn’t have noticed this subtle change.

“Oh geez, boss, you’re cosplaying too? Your makeup is pretty good.” The delivery person quickly recovered his composure; he shook his head mockingly, then turned and walked down the stairs. “Next time, open the door early!”

Cosplay? What was this all about?

With suspicion, Chaoyang closed the door and walked into the bathroom.

He turned on the light, looked at himself in the mirror, and couldn’t help but feel goosebumps rise all over his body.

His right eye was no longer the usual crystalline sphere; instead, it was a tightly packed mass of black lines!

snap!

Chaoyang subconsciously covered his eyes with his hands.

Suddenly, his field of vision narrowed by half. Slowly, he lifted his hand again to peek at his right eye once more… This time, he saw a plain and ordinary eye with a dark brown pupil, slight redness at the whites, perfectly normal in every way.

What had just happened? was it a hallucination?

But there hadn’t been anything about this part in his memories after awakening…

For a moment, Chaoyang also found himself puzzled by this turn of events.

However, since others could see him, it proved that this wasn’t merely an illusion. Thankfully, the dim lighting in the corridor hid the mistake, making people think he was wearing colored contacts or something similar.

Chaoyang wasted another half an hour but the strange pupils failed to reappear again.It seemed that the previous incident had been a mere coincidence.

Damn, now he really felt like a cybernetic organism.

Chaoyang let out a small sigh.

Clearly, this place was no longer suitable for him to live in. Even if the delivery person hadn’t seen his face clearly, who could guarantee that they wouldn’t remember him at some point and feel extremely suspicious?

Ever since discovering this new way of life, he rarely stayed in one place for more than half a month, making renting accommodations commonplace. Despite having just returned from abroad only a few days ago, and despite having just rented this house, he still needed to leave. Fortunately, unlike back then, he now had plenty of money saved up, so he didn’t have to fret over the prepaid rent for several months.

But Chaoyang was puzzled—why did this happen even though he’d used his ability multiple times before? Was it perhaps also an effect brought about by traveling between two worlds?

From a precautionary standpoint, he should first figure out what’s going on before moving forward, but time waited for no man. Not only was he bound by his contract, but his Wish Power depletion also left him little room to pause.

Moreover, he currently had absolutely no way of separating himself from the Other world.

The vast disparity in Wish Power usage dictated that he must frequently travel between the two worlds.

Chaoyang took out his phone, opened the prepared message, and pressed send.

Under his control, strings of characters climbed onto the Main Net, flying like sparks across the globe—

A new round of Paradise games was about to begin.

….

In a high-end bar somewhere in Jiangcheng.

The vibrant neon lights cast people’s silhouettes in red and blue hues while fast-paced music filled the ears. Amidst this splendid light show, men and women pressed against each other, hunting their respective targets. Compared to those cheaper bars outside, there wasn’t much difference here—aside from the more expensive drinks, stricter entry requirements, and younger, more beautiful girls.

Zhou Zhi could be considered somewhat of a regular at this place; or perhaps it was more accurate to say that Jiangcheng’s wealthy youths viewed this place as a gathering spot for socializing, whether it be for pleasure or passing time. Zhou Zhi had also been enthusiastic about these affairs in the past, but today felt different. For the first time, he found the lively music grating on his ears, irritating to listen to, and even the presence of internet celebrities no longer piqued his interest.

“Brother Zhou, what do you think about the girl in purple?”

“I heard she’s from out of town and has quite a few followers online.”

“So what? Brother Zhou will definitely bag her with ease,” the crowd around them praised.

This was how games began: everyone picked out an outstanding target, then bet on who would win the object of desire. Zhou Zhi had participated many times before, winning a handful of victories himself. To him, however, the outcome mattered little; the process was far more entertaining.

“I’ll pass, I’m not interested today.” However, this time, he didn’t join the conversation.

“What’s wrong? Not feeling up to par?”

“If you don’t play, I guess I will,” another companion winked at him.

Zhou Zhi waved his hand, allowing the man to do as he pleased.

“I understand. Brother Zhou is probably too busy discussing important matters today.”

“Oh, it must be club matters?” someone chimed in immediately. “I heard Young Master Zhao is coming later on? I’m not qualified enough for such things, so all I can do is watch from the sidelines.”

Zhou Zhi neither confirmed nor denied this theory, but only he knew the true reason behind his decision. Every time he closed his eyes now, he would be reminded of one scene:

The towering horse rushed toward him, and together they fell into the muddy ground mixed with fishy smells; the dagger sliced open his stomach, and his torso suddenly felt much lighter. But what kept his gaze fixed even as he lay dying was Naruko locked in fierce combat with their enemies, every movement filled with an indescribable kind of beauty. Even when her neck was slit by a sharp blade, her piercing gaze remained terrifying.

When he looked back at these women dressed lightly and coquettishly, he found them utterly tasteless.

No, it wasn’t just the women. In the past, hadn’t he himself who frequented these places also been as colorless and flavorless, like a chewing gum?