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
Having done something wrong, he was very anxious, even considering escaping through the back door. Quickly dressing, he saw that Ruby had left as well, so he opened the back door and fled.Ruby was still at the front, calling out, "Officer, come inside and sit down. The dumplings will be ready soon. We can chat while we eat.""My son has been very well-behaved lately! He's been staying home every day, not causing any trouble. You can be absolutely assured!"She was unaware that Kayden had scratched someone's car paint and punctured the tires, let alone the fact that the compensation would be so high.The two policemen remained silent. After a few minutes, one of them said, "Why isn't he coming out? Even if he went to the bathroom, he'd be done by now.""Let's not wait anymore! Let's go in and get him!"Ignoring Ruby's attempts to stop them, the two policemen entered Jared's house. Inside, there was no one to be found. They went to Kayden's room and realized he had escaped."Chas
The police calmly explained the situation to Ruby, revealing that Kayden had damaged Eric's car.-Kayden was brought to the entrance of Eric's house, where Jared and Ruby were already present. Not only were they there, but even Richard and Delilah had come to witness the commotion.Eric received the quotation from the insurance company, noting that the price had increased to 70,000 dollars. He handed the document to the police officer, who glanced at it and then turned to Kayden. "The insurance company has provided a quote of 70,000 dollars. Do you want to pay the compensation, or should we proceed with legal action?"Let me tell you, 70,000 dollars is enough to send you to prison for several years. And going to prison doesn't mean you won't have to pay. Even after you get out, you'll still owe the 70,000 dollars!"Kayden turned pale. They had thought it would be a simple matter, but now it required compensation of 70,000 dollars?! He had dealt with second-hand cars before, but o
Gavin approached. "Mom, did you see everything? Please don't cause any more trouble. If anything gets damaged, my salary can't cover it!"He noticed another new, expensive car parked in front of Eric's house and feared Delilah might impulsively damage it, just like Kayden had done.Delilah snapped, "I'm not stupid enough to ruin something so expensive! At most, I might throw a few stones at their chickens. Chickens aren't worth much, are they?"But don't worry, I know how powerful his family is. I won't mess with them anymore!"She had learned her lesson and didn't dare to provoke them again.After a moment, she added, "But Gavin, you tell me: he's doing so well now, so why doesn't he take care of his relatives? If he casually gave us a few hundred thousand dollars, it would be enough for our retirement!"Even tens of thousands would do!"Gavin was speechless. "Mom, why would he give us anything? He doesn't owe us! Besides, getting me a job at Williams Corp. was already a big fa
Alexander also wanted grandchildren—whether they were grandsons or granddaughters didn't matter.Seraphine said, "Dad, Sylvester has been quite busy these past two years. Besides, we're still young. There's no rush.""Busy?" Alexander wasn't having it. "How busy could he be? No matter how important the work is, can it be more important than having children? Money? You both make millions from Montgomery Corp. every year. Isn't that enough for you?"If it's not enough, you can ask your aunt to give you more."Money? To Alexander, it was never a problem. Any problem that could be solved with money wasn't a problem at all."Dad..." Sylvester felt a bit embarrassed. His father-in-law's bluntness was quite something. But then again, the Montgomerys were never short of money.Alexander continued. "You two need to hurry up. Whether it's a grandson or granddaughter, you need to have one already."He was quite anxious. "Even if you want a son, doesn't Eric have a prescription for that? Ta
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