The journey was silent.After more than an hour, they arrived at Nutikiville.Elijah and Howard exchanged glances.They knew this was Eric's hometown. Could it be that Nutikiville had a project requiring funding from Salt City? That didn't make sense!The development of Nutikiville was largely funded by Eric. He had never asked for much money from the finance department. The notion of funding didn't add up.Upon reaching a reservoir, Eric finally parked the car."Mr. Dawson, Mr. Kent, what do you think of the scenery here?" Eric asked, gazing at the vast reservoir."It's wonderful!" Elijah commented, "The landscape is beautiful and picturesque. Years of environmental construction have truly paid off! Green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets!""Mr. Johnson, if I recall correctly, you funded the construction of this reservoir in Nutikiville, right? I heard it cost about 3,000,000 dollars. With this reservoir, the water supply and irrigation issues for the surround
Eric hadn't finished speaking yet. He looked at the reservoir and said, "There is little vegetation within the city. To develop the economy, some pollution is inevitable. But in a rural place like this, setting off fireworks wouldn't cause significant pollution, even if you burned down this entire mountain."What I really want to know is whether you're banning fireworks because of air pollution or because it's difficult to manage. Is that why you issued such a strict regulation?"Howard was feeling a bit overwhelmed. He quickly replied, "Mr. Johnson, we'll issue an apology and lift the ban. Will that be acceptable?"He thought this would resolve the issue completely. However, Eric shook his head. "Mr. Kent, you still don't understand my point."Bringing you both out here just to talk about fireworks would be a waste of time. What I'm saying is that no matter how busy you are, you need to get out more and see what people actually want. Before implementing any regulation, you should
It was clear that Amelia's expression was not pleasant. As someone experienced, she saw something in Lora's eyes. It was love! She had even come to their home, which was impressive!When Eric returned, Amelia left immediately, not wanting to stay and be further annoyed.Eric approached with an evident lack of cordiality. "What are you doing here?"Lora smiled. "Just came to see you all. It's been two or three days, hasn't it?"As they spoke, Brook entered, covering his grin. Clearly, he had noticed something as well but chose not to interrupt and went upstairs.Eric, eager to leave the awkward situation, stood up. "Vee, you chat with her. I need to discuss something with Brook."Sylvia, understanding Eric's discomfort, nodded.Once Eric was out of sight, Lora asked, "Is he... your family's live-in son-in-law?"Sylvia's family background startled Lora. Such a prestigious family in Salt City was indeed remarkable. Lora knew that Eric hadn't always been impressive—over five years
Sylvia sighed. "Mom, don't worry, okay? Eric isn't that kind of person!"Amelia shot another glare at Sylvia before finally leaving.-After dinner, Sylvia and Eric walked out hand in hand.Brook put down his utensils. "Mom, you don't need to worry so much. Vee and her husband have a great relationship. You've been watching too many soap operas lately. In real life, there aren't that many people who are so fickle."Connor nodded quickly. "Brook is right. There aren't that many fickle people. Men are usually very loyal."As soon as he finished speaking, Queenie glared at him. "Loyal, you say? You men always prefer 18-year-olds!"Connor immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.Amelia set down her utensils. "Queenie, Misty, Seraphine, all of you listen up. If any of the three brothers dare to be unfaithful, beat them senseless. If they even touch a hair on your heads, I'll deal with them myself!"The three brothers all shrank their necks. It was terrifying!Er
Going to Nutikiville meant not being able to accompany Amelia and Henry in Salt City, and staying in Salt City meant not being able to accompany Eric's parents.Upon hearing that, Sylvia said, "Eric, we should spend New Year's in Nutikiville. For the past two years, we celebrated in Salt City. While it was great for us and our parents here, no place compared to the way they felt about Nutikiville."This woman was quite astute.Did Eric's parents really want to spend New Year's in Salt City?Maybe not.They had spent their entire lives in Nutikiville, only coming to Salt City to work and support Eric and Elly through their studies.Now that they no longer needed to worry about money, no place was better than Nutikiville!Sylvia's words were also meant for Amelia and Henry. They couldn't disregard Eric's parents either.Eric didn't say anything, but Henry nodded. "Vee is right. You guys should decide for yourselves. If you ask for my opinion, Nutikiville sounds like a good idea."
In recent years, Kayden had fallen on hard times. Upon entering Richard’s home, he sat by the fireplace and looked at Gavin. "Cuz, are you still associating with them? Do you remember how much trouble their family has caused us over the years?"If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have spent years in prison, and my second-hand car business wouldn’t have gone under."His father, Jared, had kept a low profile, avoiding trouble. But Kayden and Ruby were restless and unable to stay out of trouble."Exactly!" Delilah chimed in. "Last time, that little bastard scared me half to death. Now, whenever it rains, my back aches! It’s all his fault!"Previously, when she tried to hit Blake’s chicken, she missed and was startled by Eric’s shout, causing her to nearly fall to her death in her panic."Mom, Kayden, the past is the past. At worst, we can just live our lives behind closed doors and not provoke them," Gavin said and sat down. "People say everyone is equal, but the truth is, there are
It wasn't just a matter of millions, hundreds of millions, or even billions. The millions spent in Nutikiville over the past few years were already beyond his imagination!Delilah slapped her thigh. "So that boy has really made it big, huh? Someone told me yesterday that Eric took Salt City's mayor to inspect the reservoir. I didn't believe it then, but now I do!"She realized Eric was no ordinary person. It would be wise to stop messing with his family's chickens, lest he called Elijah, and the Johnson family might never recover from that.Though she didn't know how powerful Eric was, she knew how significant Elijah was. In ancient times, such a figure would be like the ruler of Salt Province!To Delilah, even the local police station officers were like deities. Interacting with the station chief was the pinnacle of her social reach. Yet, even those officers were out of her reach.She decided not to provoke Blake's family anymore. If she couldn't afford to offend them, it would b
In the evening, Kayden took a knife and slashed all four tires of Eric's car!-The next morning, Eric and his family planned to visit the town's market, but they were dumbfounded when they saw the flat tires!"Damn! This never ends!" Andy exclaimed. He knew the Nutikiville Johnson family was troublesome, but he didn't expect this level of trouble.Andy went to check the surveillance footage, and Gavin arrived.Seeing the four flat tires, Gavin shook his head repeatedly. If it had just been a scratch on the car's paint, Eric wouldn't have minded, but now, slashing all four tires was too much.Andy quickly returned after checking the footage. "It was him again!"Kayden had no idea that his every move was clearly recorded on the surveillance cameras. Initially, Eric didn't bother with it, and Kayden thought no one knew."Call the police!" Elly was fuming. "This is too much! How can someone be so wicked?"Eric was still considering it. After all, they were cousins. Should he re
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