Chapter 327: The Despairing Chen Xiaojing

"The city, cybernetics, violence, lust, class—these are naturally synonymous with the Peace Heavenly Kingdom."

Papa Rat looked at Yan Jing on the sofa and said, "But there's another word that can't be left out, and that's 'criminal.'"

"The Heavenly Kingdom has what is absolutely the strongest prison across all Domains—the Great Prison. It's the strongest not because of its security, but because of the criminals locked inside."

"All the Heavenly Kingdoms ranked above this one use this exact same prison."

"Many criminals from other Domains are exiled there as well."

"This has created a unique ecosystem inside. Many of the inmates don't even want to leave."

"The advantage is that the state can lock up those lawless criminals without expending massive resources. The downside is that some criminals intentionally escalate their crimes just to get into the Great Prison."

"If you ask who the most arrogant criminal in our Peace Heavenly Kingdom is right now, that's up for debate. But the most famous is definitely this group."

Papa Rat pressed the remote. On the screen, a row of pitch-black silhouettes appeared, highlighted by dazzling special effects and dramatic shading like heroes making their entrance in a cartoon:

"Seven Stars."

"A criminal organization made up of seven different types of offenders."

"Their stated goal is to overthrow the Heavenly Kingdoms' current ruling system."

"They appeared about eight years ago, and to this day, not a single one has been caught."

"Their main targets are corrupt officials and syndicate magnates."

"Their biggest case was four years ago, when they assassinated a member of the Heavenly Kingdom Council. That victim also happened to be a candidate for the next presidency."

Yan Jing was a bit curious.

"They killed a presidential candidate... and still haven't been caught?"

"No." Papa Rat shook his head, his expression calm.

"This has caused the Law Enforcement Agency's credibility to plummet over the past four years. After all, if even a presidential candidate can be assassinated, what safety is there in this country? You have to understand, according to Heavenly Kingdom law, a presidential candidate must be at least at the Sixth Tier."

Yan Jing nodded, then pointed at the TV.

"Even if they can't be caught, there's no need to give them special background effects, is there?"

"It makes money," Papa Rat said.

"In the Heavenly Kingdom, as long as it makes money, there's nothing people won't do."

"Because of the incident four years ago and the slogans they shouted, Seven Stars accumulated a massive fanbase. As a result, the television stations designed specific titles for each of them, fabricated biographies, and even assigned them zodiac signs and lucky colors. The fans even have their own special group names."

Yan Jing nodded and picked up his teacup from the table.

"That is pretty cool. Do you think I have the potential to join?"

"Yeah, you have plenty of potential."

Papa Rat nodded.

"Really?!" Yan Jing blinked.

"Yeah, you have the potential to carry their bags, lug around their luggage, stuff like that."

Ignoring Yan Jing's sigh, Papa Rat continued, "Don't envy them. In the Heavenly Kingdom, everyone is a pathetic wretch."

...

...

"Seven Stars..."

Listening to Yan Jing's words, Chen Xiaojing looked devastated, her face deathly pale.

As a child of a syndicate family, she had naturally heard of this organization, and she knew exactly what the consequences were once targeted.

"Help me, Mr. Luo. If it's you, you can definitely do it. I'm begging you."

Chen Xiaojing stumbled forward, throwing herself at Yan Jing.

Yan Jing's expression was calm.

"I don't believe I have any obligation to do so."

"How can you say that?!"

Chen Xiaojing gripped Yan Jing's sleeve tightly with both hands. Her bloodless lips trembled as she stammered incoherently, "Even if you... even if you don't care about me at all, we're still... we're partners, aren't we?"

"I... I can continue to provide you with network support! This hospital is gone, but I can open another one, and another one after that! Those people can't refuse me! Or... or whatever you want, I can do it for you!"

Yan Jing looked at her coldly. He raised the arm she was clinging to and threw her to the ground. Leaning down, he spoke to her softly. "Listen closely, Chen Xiaojing. You no longer have any use to me. Do you still not understand? Things without value are trash, and trash can be thrown away at will."

Staring into Yan Jing's indifferent eyes, Chen Xiaojing felt as if she had been transported back several years.

At this moment, Yan Jing's eyes were exactly the same as the man who held the title of her father.

Filled with sheer disgust.

That disgust was like a sharp knife plunging viciously into her heart, shredding her trust in the man before her to pieces.

Finally, hatred bred within her. Like a madwoman, she scrambled to her feet and lunged at Yan Jing, her face twisted.

"For you... I sacrificed everything for you! If it weren't for doing business with you, how could that man have gotten through that door?! And now you're abandoning me! You damn liar! You demon!"

"Even in death, I won't let you off! Without my connections, you won't get a single cent! That's right! I'll report you! I'm going to report you! I'll expose the deals between us, and you'll go down with me!"

She continued to roar, her hands tearing at Yan Jing's clothes, only to be thrown to the ground by him time and time again. Her dress, which had easily cost thousands of eerie points, was quickly scraped and torn. With her hair disheveled, she looked like an absolute lunatic.

Yet she still lunged at Yan Jing with reckless abandon.

It was only at this moment she truly realized she had lost everything—and all of it was the doing of the man in front of her.

If her mindset hadn't shifted along the way, if she had remained strictly under duress the whole time, perhaps she wouldn't have been this furious.

But things were different now.

She felt utterly deceived. She couldn't accept that it was the drugs and her own thoughts that had caused all of this, so she vented her fury onto the person opposite her.

Finally, lacking the strength to stand back up, she lay on the ground and looked at Yan Jing with a cold sneer.

"I won't let you off! Either you kill me and get targeted by the Law Enforcement Agency, or you wait for me to spill everything! Without my network, you won't make a single cent!"

Faced with Chen Xiaojing's threats, Yan Jing's mind remained as still as stagnant water. He crouched down and said, "Can you really endure prison life, Chen Xiaojing?"

"..."

Chen Xiaojing thought Yan Jing was mocking her and immediately wanted to snap back, but Yan Jing's next words followed closely on the heels of the first. "There are no luxury cars there, no fine dining, and no Mental Potions. You can only sit in a cold prison cell, and your daily job will be turning a wrench."

"Perhaps a favored child of a syndicate might still have a sofa, a study, and even Mental Potions in prison, but what would you have?"

"Your family has long since abandoned you. Your friends will soon start mocking you. Your subordinates hate you to the bone and will avoid you like the plague. Your rivals wish you were dead even more. At a time like this, who's going to pull strings for you? Who's going to spare a thought for you in that prison?"

"You are about to be forgotten by the world."

"Soon enough, your fellow inmates will rejoice at the arrival of a syndicate elite, because they'll finally get to experience a reversal of power."

"They come from backgrounds far inferior to yours—people you would normally avoid if you saw them on the street—but their feet will be stepping on your head."

"When that time comes, who will you cry out to for help?"

"If someone pulled out a tiny piece of a Mental Potion, you would probably fall to your knees and eat it right off the floor. Aren't you terrified of that happening?"

"..."

"..."

Chen Xiaojing was quickly plunged into immense terror by Yan Jing's words. She was entirely oblivious to the black flower that fell from the sky and landed on her leg.

A Fear Flower.

Although it wasn't as effective as the Memory Severance and Fear Memories of his Yi Ji persona, for someone whose mind was completely muddied by drugs, it was more than enough.

Yan Jing leaned his face close to Chen Xiaojing's, his tone as placid as water.

"Turn yourself in. The Heavenly Kingdom doesn't have the death penalty. I'll pull some strings to make your time easier. Hand over the businesses under your name for me to manage, and tell me if there's anything you want to eat."

"Chen Xiaojing, other than me, who else could possibly help you right now?"

"Hmm?"

"..."

"..."

Inside Yan Jing's body.

The Fear Bird, allowed to speak because its containment under the Fourth Rite had taken effect, wriggled its bound body over to Fei Yu and said, "I told you a long time ago, he's a demon."

"A real demon."

"Haven't you noticed?" Fei Yu suddenly asked.

"Noticed what?"

The Fear Bird paused.

"The young master is very lonely," Fei Yu said softly.

"Look at his eyes. They're almost exactly the same as mine from hundreds of years ago."

Staying inside that cage, she could see everything in the world. On ordinary days, people gave her water and brushed her fur. When she shed tears, someone would catch them; when she grew angry, someone would be punished. But she was very lonely.

So lonely it was terrifying.

Since entering the Heavenly Kingdom, her young master's loneliness had become all the more apparent.

Only when he stayed with that rat could she see this loneliness ease somewhat.

"Don't you have a method to accelerate weird energy absorption?"

She looked at the Fear Bird beside her.

"Why?" the Fear Bird asked warily.

"He doesn't rely on absorbing weird energy to advance in tiers."

"That little guy needs it."

As soon as Fei Yu said this, the Fear Bird immediately understood. She was talking about that little brat who delivered the letters.

"Impossible! That's the method of a Deity! Siphoning both of our weird energy to feed it—are you trying to work the two of us to death?!" the Fear Bird shouted, its eyes wide.

"But it will also give back to us, won't it?"

Fei Yu's gaze was calm.

"Only by getting stronger can we help the young master. Once the young master becomes stronger, you won't be of any use anymore. And once you're useless, the young master will definitely throw you out."

What do you mean, useless?! Who's useless! Do you have any idea how awful you sound right now?!

"..."

Although it was displeased, the Fear Bird did indeed begin to hesitate.

That was until a handful of sunflower seeds was offered to it:

"Have some sunflower seeds."

Who wants to eat sunflower seeds! You're just like that guy who offered mantou!

...

...

Chen Xiaojing agreed.

She looked at the calm-faced man in front of her. As if stripped of her last shred of strength to resist, she became a lamb ready for the slaughter.

As the effects of the Mental Potion gradually faded, she had figured it out. There was no way for her to impose any so-called "restraint" on this man.

This man had already tapped into much of her network. With Zeng Qing around, the business could still continue.

No one would turn down making money. Even without her, it only meant losing a portion of the connections. There would be an impact, but it wouldn't be fatal.

"So you've been wanting to ditch me from the start? All this frequent business dealing these past few days was just to kick me out? Why? Is it so bad being with me?"

She smiled in despair.

Yan Jing didn't speak.

He didn't need to explain his outlook on life or his values to Chen Xiaojing, nor was it possible to make her understand.

It was even more impossible to make Chen Xiaojing turn over a new leaf and weep in bitter remorse. That was stuff for TV dramas.

All he had to do was achieve his goal.

"Keep quiet. Someone's coming."

He immediately grabbed Chen Xiaojing and shoved her behind him. Then he looked up at the man in a black tailcoat walking slowly toward them down the alleyway opposite.