The woman's appearance drew different reactions from everyone. Marcus quickly asked, "Bertha, do you know Dr. Zeller?" Felix had not expected to encounter the rude Mercedes driver here. He smirked and said, "That would be an understatement. Mr. Rothwell, is this your wife?" Despite his growing unease, Marcus admitted, "Yes, she's my wife." Bertha Whitmore, who had been about to speak, quickly shut her mouth upon seeing Marcus' respectful attitude toward Felix. Felix scoffed. "Your wife's quite the tyrant in public. She's the rudest person I've ever encountered!" Turning to Leonard, Felix continued, "Mr. Ziegler, though I promised you I'd help, I can't help a family with someone like this. Frankly speaking, they can't be good people. I'm leaving!" Felix was not a masochist. Why should he help her family after she had insulted him so viciously? That was impossible! Caught off guard by this development, Leonard shot Bertha a dark look before hurrying after Felix without a
"Bertha used to be slender, beautiful, and refined. But two years ago, they lost their only child in a car accident. She turned into a completely different person. Though she's alright at home, she's become a complete shrew in public. "I'm not excusing her behavior, but I truly hope you can give Garrett a reason to keep living," Leonard explained. Felix sighed deeply before turning around. "Alright. You've convinced me." Seeing Felix return, Garrett broke down in tears. Knowing it was Leonard's doing, he pointed at Bertha. "Kneel and—" Felix raised his hand. "No need. Let's go to the bedroom for your treatment." Watching Felix's retreating back, Bertha collapsed, crying into Marcus' arms. "Marcus, I'm sorry. I know my mistake this time."…After leaving the Rothwell residence, Leonard was overwhelmed with emotion. "Felix, thank you. Seeing Garrett recover was my greatest wish." He was once again astounded by Felix's medical skills. That rare heart condition stumped doctor
Felix felt really annoyed being called out in such a rude way in public. Turning around, he saw it was Ethan from Medic's Haven. His irritation subsided. Clearly, Ethan was still relying on his supposed backup to cause trouble. "Damn it! I don't care who you are. Get lost!" George erupted. He was furious that his moment of joy over Felix's agreement had been ruined. "I'm here for Felix. You're the one who should leave!"With a clank, George's glass shattered on the floor as he pointed angrily, while a middle-aged man appeared before Ethan. "Get rid of him. I'll deal with him myself later!" George could afford such arrogance as a rich young heir from Yartford. In Canraville, he could disregard anyone he pleased. Felix was content to let things play out silently. Ethan clicked his tongue. "George, I haven't seen you in a while, but your temper's gotten worse, hasn't it? Heard you'd reformed and started managing your dad's business. I guess you still need more practice."With
Harry, who had been listening intently the entire time, suddenly burst out laughing. "Talk about asking for trouble! Felix, did you really think we hadn't looked into your background?"Sure, you used to have some influence, and plenty of big shots owed you favors, but what are you now? Just another ordinary doctor. Do you honestly believe everyone is like George, desperately hoping you'll make a comeback?"Maybe you had a shot at that before, but now? That chance is long gone. Besides, even if you did rise back up, do you think you could go against Ethan?"Ethan works for Malcolm, and Malcolm is my cousin. By messing with Ethan, you're disrespecting Malcolm. Simply put, you've picked a fight with someone you shouldn't have." George watched with a cold smirk, knowing everyone who had tried to destroy Felix felt this same confidence. Yet, they all regretted it the next moment."Oh? Someone I shouldn't mess with? Are they really that important?" Felix asked casually.Harry straight
Harry expected the other party to back down after making such bold threats, since no one would typically risk a conflict between two great martial families over an outsider. However, the young man responded by striking Harry to the ground with a single slap. When the men in black suits moved to intervene, the young man merely flexed his arms, and an invisible force sent them all flying backward. "You're just a distant relative of the Crayden family, yet you dare show off in front of us? If Malcolm came here to say these words, that would be a different story." He emphasized his point by stepping on Harry's face. "The name's Jeffrey Saphira, and you can tell the Craydens that Felix is a friend of the Saphira family. If anyone wants to mess with him, they'll have to deal with us first. Now get lost!" His commanding tone terrified Harry. Even Ethan, who had just gotten up, stood dumbfounded. They could not comprehend why someone like Felix had such strong backing from the Saphira
Felix took a sip of his beer before asking, "Do you really think this was a coincidence? If the Saphira family wanted to visit me, they could have done it anytime. Why specifically now?"Although he was unsure about Barack's background, Felix knew the situation was not as simple as it appeared. Seeing his expression, George decided not to pursue the topic further."Oh, by the way, Malcolm is a direct descendant of the Crayden family. He's also one of Lady Nala's suitors," George mentioned. "He's actually one of those powerful pursuers Mr. Gibson warned about earlier."The implication was clear—George wanted Felix to be careful. Felix merely nodded, as Nala's romantic affairs were not his concern.Nonetheless, he figured Malcolm would likely let the Ethan incident slide after the Saphira family's intervention. After all, it was simply not worth the trouble.An hour later, as they were leaving, the elevator stopped one floor down. Felix could not help but be shocked when he notice
Felix could swear he was not seeing things. Xena sat on his couch, with two glasses and a bottle of wine on the coffee table before her."Your life seems quite fun," Xena remarked, her initial smile instantly fading as her eyes fixed on Wendy in Felix's arms. Felix glanced down, finally realizing the gravity of the situation."Xena, I—" he started, but she cut him off, "No need to explain. I clearly came at a bad time. Don't worry. I'll use the front door next time."Felix inwardly cursed at this massive misunderstanding. He called out, "Xena, please let me explain! This is Wendy Kinsley—you must know who she is. She had too much to drink, and I don't know where she stays, so I—"However, his words trailed off as Xena had already vanished through the door.Looking at the wine bottle on the table, Felix felt incredibly frustrated. It was obvious Xena had found her own way into his villa to surprise him and probably have a heart-to-heart conversation.Instead of strengthening the
With Xena already being so forward, Felix saw no reason to hold back. He swept her up in his arms and rushed upstairs at lightning speed.…When Felix awoke the following day, he could hardly believe how easily things had progressed with Xena, especially without having to deal with Curtis. He quickly checked his body, but his face fell as he made a shocking discovery."How is this possible?" he muttered, noticing that Madam Spring's mark was still clearly visible.As a thought struck him, he turned to look at the woman beside him, who had just rolled over to face him. He gasped in shock, exclaiming, "Averill?"Lying next to him was not Xena at all, but Averill. At the sound of her name, Averill opened her eyes, blinking innocently."Oh, seems like the illusion spell wore off right on schedule," she said casually. Felix was speechless. With Averill's level of power, there was no way he could have detected her disguise.Averill sat up and playfully tilted Felix's chin toward h
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was
"Can you cooperate now?" Felix asked calmly.Lina snapped back to her senses, her face burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll fully cooperate from now on."Sure enough, seeing the richest man's daughter completely fold made the rest of the group abandon any rebellious thoughts. Whatever frustration they had been feeling vanished instantly.Once they were settled, Felix began examining them closely. This was not just a casual observation. He activated his Spirit Eye, a skill from the Phaeron Codex that allowed him to see into a person's soul.After reaching Higher Spirit Realm, Felix had gained access to this ability, but he had never actually used it to inspect a Malevolent Phantom before. Still, he was sure of one thing—their souls would look nothing like normal humans'.So, checking with Spirit Sight was a far more reliable method than looking at whether someone's wounds were healing.When Felix finished scanning all nine people, he froze, completely s
A few minutes later, Felix stepped into the restroom that had been sealed off. It was a fully enclosed space, with no windows—just a single ventilation fan. That meant there was only one entrance and exit.He examined the body sitting upright on the toilet in one of the stalls. The man's head was resting gently against the tiled wall. His pants were already pulled back up and fastened, clearly indicating he had finished using the restroom. More importantly, it was obvious no one had touched or tampered with the body.Felix commented, "No need to call in forensics. There are no external wounds, and his internal organs are completely intact. We can also rule out heart failure or brain hemorrhages. This wasn't caused by any natural condition."With his medical background, it only took Felix a glance to determine the truth.Johann replied, "Yes, sir. But then… what now? Should we interrogate those nine people?"The closer they got to confirming Malevolent Phantoms were involved, the
Felix said, "Go ahead, Delilah. Zara's in your hands now—take care of her on the road.""Don't worry," Delilah replied.Once Zara was gone, Felix stood there for a moment, feeling a weight settle over his chest. She had already been through so much just surviving the ordeal of Twinshade Body, and he had promised himself—without saying a word—that he would make sure she never suffered like that again.However, no one could have predicted the sudden arrival of the Malevolent Phantoms. That was a nightmare nobody could escape, and only by ending it would they have the right to even dream of a peaceful life.…That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, Felix was having dinner with Luna at a quiet restaurant, and Paul had joined them, too."Thank you, Mr. Zeller. Holden is awake and doing surprisingly well," Paul said, raising his glass.He was genuinely grateful. Even the doctors had called it a miracle. Holden had a severed artery and was transported across a long distance
"Mr. Hoffman?" Felix muttered. No wonder Delilah had shown up in person."Why didn't Mr. Hoffman just call me?" he asked.Delilah shrugged, raising both hands. "Because it's not convenient. If you make one choice, I can report back and be done with it, saving everyone the time."Felix nodded, finally curious about this big choice. Then, Delilah asked, "Zara, the one with Twinshade Body, came to see you, didn't she?"That caught Felix off guard. "How do you know about that?"Delilah rolled her eyes with a little smirk. If one of her fans saw her like this, they would probably faint from the shock.She explained, "It's not like I'm psychic. Mr. Hoffman told me. Ever since you left Martial City and came back, he's had Ophelia keeping an eye on Zara the whole time, so of course he knows."Ophelia? That explained why he had not seen her around since coming back. "So, what's the choice Mr. Hoffman wants me to make? Is it really about Zara?"Delilah nodded firmly. "Exactly. Mr. Hoff
Donna said, "Felix, Specter's the kind of guy who'll stop at nothing. I'll hold back and observe for now, but if you really prove you've got what it takes, I'll act like I never even saw that woman."…Later, Zara was resting her chin in both palms with a sweet, innocent smile on her face. She hummed, "Mhm!"Felix let out a groan and rubbed his face. "Don't just say 'mhm'! Did you even understand what I just told you?"After piecing together everything Donna had said, Felix laid it all out for Zara. Since Specter could strike at any time and Zara still did not know what Malevolent Phantoms even were, he figured she needed to hear it all."Of course I understood. Relax, honey. I'm not stupid," Zara replied casually. Since she got it, Felix finally let himself relax, too. A weight lifted off his chest, and for the first time in a while, he really looked at Zara's flawless face. He thought, "Yeah—there's no way I can hold back anymore."He said, "Let's take care of something… imp
Felix finally snapped out of it. Just moments ago, Donna had looked so grim, claiming something big was about to happen. Yet now, after her whole speech, it was all about the benefits of Zara being a Hollow Soul.Donna said, "Hollow Soul has a unique trait. If consumed, it can greatly boost your chances of success.""Consumed?" That one word made Felix's face darken instantly. "Success in what exactly?"Donna had tried to be vague, but there was no way Felix did not get the implication. To put it bluntly, she was talking about eating Zara's soul."Whether you're stuck at a plateau in your cultivation, your soul is mutating, or you're trying to master powerful soul-based techniques—offensive or defensive—if it's soul-related, Hollow Soul can drastically increase your chances of success."Felix's expression shifted as something came rushing back to him. Billy had once told him that when the Mystical Explosive Orb absorbed enough soul essence to reach capacity, it could be used to re