After a while, Eric felt no need to dwell on the shadow warriors' motives. Nevertheless, he decided to call Ruth.Eric recalled Ruth mentioning that the data from the Dortmund laboratory had almost been stolen. Upon cross-referencing information, Eric's suspicions were confirmed. Those attempting to steal data from Dortmund appeared to be shadow warriors.The Dortmund laboratory had conducted genetic analyses and amassed a large amount of classified data. The Combat Department deemed it top secret, understanding that such data couldn't be compromised."Now it seems someone is targeting this data," Ruth said. "Your decision to prevent unofficial organizations from analyzing this information is correct. We have someone captured here, and it seems we need to apply more force. Additionally, I believe you can leverage the Joint Family Association to gain traction with the Oberdeens.""Alright, I will," Eric agreed.Investigating the Oberdeens openly might raise suspicions, but utilizin
The corporate headquarters exuded grandeur and magnificence, presenting an impressive sight.Clad in a suit, tie, and leather shoes, Eric appeared fitting for such an occasion. Grace's secretary awaited him at the main entrance.Following a brief exchange between Eric and Grace the previous night, she was aware of his visit today. The secretary couldn't help but cast a few more glances at Eric."Madam Montgomery is still in a meeting," she explained. "All members of the Association are here today, and she's presiding over it. She mentioned that when you arrive, she'll join you in the office after the meeting. Of course, if you wish to attend the meeting, you're welcome to do so."She was curious about who Eric really was. As Grace's secretary, she should also be attending the meeting with Grace. However, Grace had instructed her to wait for Eric.Eric nodded and said, "Take me to the meeting room then. I'll wait outside."This piqued the secretary's curiosity even more. She led E
Eric was perplexed about Jessica's abrupt departure. When Grace came out, she noticed Jessica's hurried exit and asked in puzzlement, "What transpired with that poor girl? Let me remind you that Vee is at home caring for our child. You mustn't betray her trust."Eric quickly explained, "Mom, I'm not that kind of person! I don't know what happened to Jessica either. She wanted me to invite her for dinner, but when I suggested another day, she got upset and left."Grace nodded and said, "Alright, alright. I'll have my secretary send the food to the office. We can eat and talk there."Meals at Montgomery Corp. were decent, though Eric found the food at Innova Group preferable. Grace and other employees dined on the same dishes. Even members of the Association who visited Montgomery Corp. ate the same food as the staff.At Montgomery Corp., everyone was treated equally. This was integral to Grace's success—she had earned the trust of her employees.While seemingly straightforward, ach
Initially, Grace was completely unaware of the Oberdeens. To her, they were merely a relatively obscure family. A few years back, the Oberdeens lacked significant renown, especially to someone like Grace. It wasn't until she encountered Queenie during her visit to Salt City that she learned about them.Grace affirmed, "I've recently been keeping tabs on them. I had someone conduct an investigation, and it appears that their influence is on the verge of elevating them to second-tier wealthy family status. However, they are still categorized as third-tier upon assessment."Curious, she asked, "Why this sudden interest in the Oberdeens?"Grace hadn't deeply explored the Oberdeens' background. Initially, she speculated that it might be related to Queenie's marriage into the Williams family, seeking support from the alliance. However, she dismissed this notion, considering that such a trivial matter could easily be resolved with a brief phone call from Eric. There seemed to be no necessi
"W-What do you mean?" Eric asked.Suddenly, Eric remembered Jessica and realized she must have contacted Sylvia. Otherwise, Sylvia wouldn't have made such a comment."You definitely know what I'm talking about!" Sylvia exclaimed. "Just think about it. I know you rarely pay attention to online news or browse those jokes. Just take a moment to think literally! Alright, I won't disturb your lunch break. Take care, don't overindulge, and be cautious around beautiful women."With that, Sylvia hung up.Eric pondered for a moment, and understanding dawned upon him. His expression darkened. He had mentioned it casually, not considering its implications. Facing Jessica now seemed impossible.-Seeing that it was almost time to finish work, Eric hurriedly left. He wanted to leave early, but there were no taxis downstairs. Just then, his phone rang. Seeing that it was his mother calling, Eric quickly answered, "Mom, I'm downstairs."Grace instructed him to wait for her downstairs, and Eric
Trevor did not know what was going on with his sister's mind. Was she not supposed to have lost interest in Eric?-Grace convened the Association members early in the morning for a meeting at Montgomery Corp. The primary objective was to commence the review process for the Oberdeens' application to join the Association. Apart from those from the original ten major families, any subsequent applications had to undergo this review process.Families whose strength did not meet the criteria or couldn't bring benefits to the other families in the Association were not permitted to join. Ultimately, the Association's foremost goal was progress, with wealth accumulation serving as its most tangible manifestation.This naturally encompassed the accumulation of technology and techniques, all of which ultimately needed to be translated into wealth.Before the meeting, the Association had already informed the Oberdeens, who were elated. Many families in King City had aspired to join the Assoc
At noon, the review team's roster was finalized. Alongside representatives from each family, several highly specialized professionals were included. Their responsibility was to inspect and evaluate families seeking admission to the Association, ensuring only those meeting the necessary qualifications could join.-The following morning, without prior notice, the review team departed for the Oberdeen Group. This lack of advance warning was integral to the review process—it tested the sincerity of those being assessed.In response to the notification, the Oberdeens had already begun preparations.The initial task of the review team was to assess the Oberdeen Group's assets. In King City, wealth served as the most straightforward criterion for evaluating a family's status. If a family failed to meet the required financial standard, they would not be considered for Association membership.If a family lacked sufficient financial resources, what value could they offer to other Associati
"Mr. Oberdeen, there's no need for that right now. Time is tight, and the task is demanding. Have you prepared all the documents as instructed in the notification?" Drew responded.Francis nodded promptly. The Oberdeens had been awaiting this moment for too long, and they would not slack off.The review work began immediately. Since Eric did not understand these matters, he refrained from intervening.Francis and his son stood to the side, personally offering coffee and water. While handing coffee to Eric, Ivan furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "Mr. Lopez, have we met somewhere before?"He had a deep impression of Eric. After all, he had never encountered anyone as powerful as Eric before, and he was undoubtedly someone not to be trifled with. Now, upon taking a second glance at Derek in front of him, he felt that he resembled Eric.Eric chuckled. "This is my first visit here. I'm certain you've mistaken me for someone else."Ivan nodded. He was certain that Eric wouldn't be
In terms of innate talent, Eric was unparalleled, having reached the pinnacle of martial arts. With a single punch, he sent the 'God' flying."Good!" Stealthbane shouted with excitement.The ultimate enemy had finally been defeated, bringing peace to the world. Eric sighed in relief.However, in the next moment, the 'God' stood up again. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "You have successfully enraged me!"Everyone braced for a potential massacre, but instead, the enemy turned and fled.Could Eric let him escape?"Chase him!" Stealthbane commanded.Allowing this foe to escape would spell endless trouble.A group of people pursued the enemy, who soon reappeared clad in iron armor."Not seen this before, have you?" The 'God' seemed to have recovered somewhat. "Did you think I only research viruses? Wrong! I control global resources and global wealth!"This is our newly developed Doomforge Exosuit which amplifies a person's battle prowess tenfol
The sturdy floor lay in utter disarray.In desperation, Ruth shouted, "Eric, don't give him any more chances! Finish him off swiftly, or we'll face endless trouble!"Eric was well aware of this logic. As he fought, he said, "He's incredibly strong. Taking him down quickly isn't possible! We must fight to the death!"Eric had never feared battle. Besides, this might very well be his final fight.Their fists clashed fiercely.The 'God' also noticed that Eric was growing more formidable as the battle progressed."How do you have so much strength? Wouldn't it be better if we joined forces to control the world? We could have anything we desire!"All the world's wealth, women, and resources would be ours to enjoy. Why won't you listen to reason?" he roared.Eric's momentum didn't falter. "I don't share your grand ambitions. I just want a simple life with a job that pays 1,000 dollars a month and a warm home with my wife and kids. But you, you've disturbed my peace!"The 'God' was fu
The 'God' grew more courageous as the battle raged on, causing Stealthbane to worry incessantly.In another high-stakes clash, Eric and his opponent both retreated. Eric sensed his opponent's growing strength, finding it rather peculiar.The 'God' clenched his fist. "I must thank you! My techniques were slightly incomplete, but I've managed to fill the gaps through this battle!"Eric marveled at his opponent's genius. To mend something incomplete was indeed a rare talent.Despite Eric training with the complete manual, he could only match the 'God' blow for blow. This person was terrifying!The opponent's confidence soared. Although Eric had trained with the full manual, the 'God' felt his innate talent far surpassed Eric's. If he could match Eric with an incomplete manual, now that he had perfected it, wouldn't he be unbeatable?"I thought you had potential and considered inviting you to share this world with me," the 'God' said, his tone turning icy. "But now, I see it's unnece
Stealthbane even felt that Eric might not be a match for the "God."The power was overwhelming.The terrifying aura was enough to crush everything. To an ordinary person, this was a real deity—the strength possessed had already transcended human limits.Eric made his move with a burst of speed. The clash of their fists created a thunderous explosion, and the sound was so intense that Stealthbane felt his eardrums might shatter.This was a battle of the highest caliber, one that even a legend like Stealthbane could not hope to join.Seeing the two evenly matched, Stealthbane sighed in relief. At least there was a chance that the strongest combatants were neutralizing each other. The outcome was still uncertain.Eric shook his aching fist, his expression grave. The opponent's strength was as he had anticipated. If the ultimate boss of the Luminous did not possess such combat power, it would be absurd.Clearly, this "God" had also gauged Eric's strength.He extended a hand toward
Stealthbane knew that the figure facing them must be the ultimate leader of the Luminous.Suddenly, he no longer wanted to die. If he could hold on just a little longer, it would all be over."Mr. Johnson, these people don't seem ordinary. Could that leader be the ultimate figure of the Luminous? Are we about to complete the game?" he whispered.To him, this mission to the Ark felt like a game: defeat the final boss, and victory is achieved."If I'm not mistaken, it should be. This person gives me... a sense of danger," Eric said.Upon hearing this, Stealthbane felt reassured.Just a sense? That meant the problem wasn't too grave!The leader on the opposite side turned to Eric. "I didn't expect you to make it this far. I underestimated your strength, believing my Ark was impregnable, that no enemy could breach it. But why are you so persistent? Why such determination?"He suddenly screamed in a fit of hysteria, "I have so many people! Such a grand scheme! It has all succeeded!
Brent shouted desperately, "After you get on your knees, they'll kill you all, and we won't survive either! Kill them! Kill them all!"He understood the situation with stark clarity. Kneeling meant certain death. If they had to die anyway, fighting back would be their only chance of survival.Eric sighed. "Mr. Rogers, in the end, it was we who implicated you. But this place must be eradicated, and the Luminous must be destroyed as well! Everyone, attack!"As the battle commenced, the masked man immediately struck Brent with a punch.Eric charged in. "Die!"He knew that Brent was unlikely to survive. This punch was his way of avenging Brent.The masked man spun around, trying to block Eric's punch. But the speed of the blow was too much—the gust of wind from the punch arrived before the fist did.It was an instant kill.The masked man had no time to react before Eric's punch collided with his chest. The terrifying force shattered the mask on the man's face, revealing an unfamili
Stealthbane was blinded by rage. He was killing anyone in sight, his fury unrelenting. They had ventured deep into enemy territory, where every encounter seemed to be with an adversary.Eric and his team from the Combat Department showed no mercy.Yet even Stealthbane's resolve was wearing thin."I can't kill them all! It feels like every master in the world is concentrated here!" he shouted in frustration.He felt the number of people he had brought was insufficient. If he had brought a few thousand more, he might have been able to overrun the place.Stealthbane was overwhelmed by the sheer horror of their situation. Fortunately, they had arrived. If anyone else had come, they would have met their end here.The numbers of the masters seemed endless."Damn it!" Stealthbane cursed angrily. "There are too many of them, and they're all exceptionally powerful. What kind of game is this?"He was tempted to retreat, but where could he go?Eric sent an enemy flying, pushing forward
"I was opposed to coming in from the start, but as you all know, the Rogers family is extremely complex. If we hadn't entered, I might have ended up dead. At least if the virus isn't a threat, that's something!" Brent poured himself a cup of coffee and continued. "These people are ruthless! They want to kill everyone outside the Ark and establish a new order, managed by a select few. It's insane!"You don't need to tell me—I know you're here to kill them."He then pulled a small token from his pocket. "This is our Rogers family's privilege here. It allows us to move freely between different levels. With this, you can go anywhere!"Stealthbane grabbed it eagerly. "Why didn't you mention this earlier? Things will go much smoother with this!"Brent sighed. "Once you've handled everything, could you take me out with you? I really don't want to stay in this dreadful place any longer.""Sure!" Eric nodded. "We'll definitely call you when we leave. For now, we're heading out."Brent e
Everything was ready, but they couldn't just walk in.Ruth instructed the Combat Department to conduct a three-day intensive training for everyone, focusing on coordinated combat.-After three days, the forces led by Stealthbane moved out, first dismantling the outer defenses of the Ark. This was their specialty!A large group of several hundred arrived in front of the Ark's entrance. At first glance, it resembled a mountain.Jack scratched his head and said, "Is this the gate? I don't see any door."The Holy Templar's people arrived as well. St. Pius said, "Everyone, don't rush. Wait for two minutes. Once the gate opens, we need to get in quickly. I have other plans inside, but once we're in, it's going to be a life-or-death battle! No one should show any mercy!"Stealthbane flexed his fists and replied, "Do I look like a good guy to you? Just watch me deal with them!"No sooner had he spoken than there was a tremendous roar. The ground shook, and the door of the Ark swung