After Picking Up the Rival Boss, It Smells Really Good - Chapter 3

The wind howled across the barren, fissured stone ground. The vast earth bore no vegetation, stretching for thousands of miles in a gloomy black that felt suffocatingly oppressive.

A faint light leaked through the dark clouds, becoming the only sign of life in this space. The next moment, heavier clouds pressed down, and that glimmer of light was also concealed.

“All physical indicators and functions are normal.” Bai Xianzhe glanced at the data and recorded the important items. “But his Mental Sea is unstable, likely due to taking forbidden drugs. It’s not a major issue.”

“You know that’s not what I’m asking.” Qin Gou looked toward the examination room, where Lu Lian sat with closed eyes behind the frosted glass door. Only his upright silhouette was faintly visible. “There’s a scar on his chest. Is his Core Inhibitor located there?”

“That’s the anomaly I wanted to discuss.” A momentary question arose in Bai Xianzhe’s mind, how did Qin Gou know about his chest. Shaking his head, he focused on the matter at hand. “You know my Forbidden Core Ability is detection. The moment he entered, I sensed an immense Mental Sea pressure. But when I looked up, that pressure suddenly vanished. It was definitely not my imagination!”

“During the examination just now, I couldn’t detect the location of his Core Inhibitor either. His Mental Sea directly rejected my intrusion.”

Qin Gou tapped his fingers. “So you don’t know where his Core Inhibitor is either?”

Bai Xianzhe shook his head with a bitter smile. “Illegally intruding into a Mental Sea is against the law to begin with. I could only attempt a covert intrusion, but he must have detected it. It’s just…”

Qin Gou raised an eyebrow.

“It’s just that I consider my intrusion ability quite proficient. Unless it’s a Forbidden Core Ability below A-rank, no one should detect the intrusion so easily.” Bai Xianzhe paused his note-taking, looking thoughtfully at Qin Gou. “Forget Gorgona Island even in the entire Pelat City, A-rank and above Forbidden Core Abilities are few and far between. Qin Gou, where did you find this character?”

Three hundred years after humanity experienced the helium flash, some survivors migrated to Noah-β063 Habitable Star, establishing a post-stellar civilization centered around Pelat City, the Main City.

Whether due to nuclear radiation or natural evolution during interstellar exile, some humans awakened Forbidden Core Abilities. Those who possessed Nuclear Inhibitors not only had stronger physiques but, more importantly, possessed a Mental Sea. The Mental Sea was highly compatible with cosmic mechas, enabling better control of mecha ships for interstellar travel and combat. Higher-level Mental Seas could suppress lower-level ones, creating an Alpha Wolf effect to lead humans in battle.

Undoubtedly, during the interstellar exile, high-level Nuclear Inhibitor Possessors played a pivotal role, allowing the dying embers of humanity to reignite. After the birth of post-stellar civilization, these individuals naturally stood at the pinnacle of power, forming vast monopolistic families.

Although high-level forbidden core ability users were more likely to give birth to similarly high-level offspring, the inheritance of Nuclear Inhibitors seemed uncertain. Cases of A-rank forbidden core ability users giving birth to D-rank children were common, and the emergence of high-level forbidden core ability users among civilians was no longer an exception.

The lofty families could not bear the decline of their genes and feared even more the questioning of their power. The dragon slayers had turned into dragons, and in the darkness, the flowers of evil quietly bloomed. Biotechnology targeting Forbidden Core Abilities began to be secretly developed, and the Experimental Subjects they needed were naturally extracted from the common people. One such method was the invasion of the Mental Sea using the Red Potion to seize the Forbidden Core.

However, this approach not only failed to reverse the decline of the great families but also led to a dwindling number of Forbidden Core Ability users among the common people. Currently, registered Forbidden Core Ability users on Noah-β063 Habitable Star accounted for only three percent of the population, and S-class and above Forbidden Core Ability users could be counted on one hand.

To some extent, even Bai Xianzhe, a B-class Forbidden Core Ability user born among commoners, could be considered a child of fortune.

At present, there was only one registered S-class Forbidden Core Ability user on the entire Noah-β063 Habitable Star Lu Lian, the supreme ruler of “Uralos.”

And at this moment, he was sitting obediently in the examination room.

Qin Gou glanced up at Lu Lian, seemingly sensing something. Lu Lian turned his head, his gray eyes meeting Qin Gou’s gaze through the frosted glass.

“You asked me if his Forbidden Core is near the scar on his chest. Do you think…?”

Qin Gou avoided Lu Lian’s gaze and turned away expressionlessly. “After all, wasn’t there someone claiming to be able to transplant Forbidden Cores ten years ago?”

Bai Xianzhe shook his head. “Most in the academic world believe it was nothing more than an arrogant lie.”

“Is that so?”Qin Gou lowered his head thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the long, hideous scar hidden beneath his blue sweatshirt.” “A deal with the devil, who wouldn’t be tempted?”

With a “beep,” the Pupil Membrane recognition succeeded, and the door swung open. The interior was arranged as an ordinary small apartment, generally tidy and bright, though a few jackets were casually tossed on the living room sofa.

“The guest rooms have been cleaned. Please make do for now, Young Master Lu. I’m rarely home,” Qin Gou said, pointing inside. “This area is relatively safe, but I’d advise you to limit your movements. There are quite a few spies watching me nearby I wouldn’t want to implicate you. Don’t you agree?”

Lu Lian replied expressionlessly, “Thank you for your concern, Young Master Qin.”

“Alright then, I have matters to attend to and must take my leave. If you need anything, call me. You should have seen my phone number this morning.” Not wanting to linger, Qin Gou waved his hand and closed the door behind him.

The door slammed shut, but Lu Lian didn’t bother to look back. He surveyed the surroundings, then walked over and opened the guest room door. The furnishings inside were simple but complete, far from being perfunctory.

Of course, it would have been better if there hadn’t been a micro camera embedded beside the wall clock.

Lu Lian offered no comment and returned to the living room. After a moment of thought, he opened the refrigerator.

It was empty, save for a few cans of beer lined up in the corner.

Lu Lian closed the refrigerator expressionlessly, put on a mask, and headed out.

He walked unhurriedly along the street, where vendors’ cries filled the air. In a way, if one ignored the gray transactions, Gorgona Island possessed a vitality as tenacious as Weeds.

As he approached “Weeds,” he discreetly glanced toward a corner, where a fair-faced blond boy was sitting on a street bench, sipping a soda through a straw.

Lu Lian turned her head to see a brown, flower-faced stray dog wagging its tail and snuffling through garbage beside a street bench. She tugged at the collar of her hoodie, a faint curve lifting the corner of her lips.

Jiang Zhuo stared at the positioning signal on the screen. Just as it neared “Weeds,” the little red dot suddenly stopped moving. After hovering in place for a moment, it abruptly began moving at an extremely rapid pace.

“Gotta admit, this guy can really run,” Jiang Zhuo remarked while manipulating the display. “But boss, weren’t we supposed to help him? Why are we surveilling him instead? Is he really one of us or not?”

Qin Gou spun his keychain idly, offering no clear answer to the question: “Just keep your eyes on the screen. Let me know if anything seems off.”

“Got it.” Jiang Zhuo flashed an OK sign. “But judging by his route… is he heading to the garbage dump?”

Hearing this, Qin Gou lifted his eyelids to glance at the display, then suddenly furrowed his brow deeply.

As dusk fell, Eden casually tossed his drink can onto the ground. The aluminum can traced a graceful parabolic arc before rolling into the bushes. He jumped down from the chair and trudged slowly into the alley behind him.

He wasn’t particularly eager to return. Having failed to close any deals for half a month, he knew the old cyclops wouldn’t give him a warm welcome. Eden closed his eyes briefly, recalling yesterday’s promising target that had been within reach until someone interfered and ruined everything.

He cursed under his breath, spitting several times as if trying to expel the bad luck clinging to him.

The alley grew deeper and more labyrinthine as he progressed. Fortunately, Eden knew these paths intimately. After several turns, he arrived at a dimly lit inner alley.

A massive shadow fell over him.

“Boss.” Eden shrank back nervously.

A tall, somewhat portly middle-aged man with yellow curly hair stood before him. Dressed in a brown leather jacket, he sported a thick yellow beard and heterochromatic eyes the left blue, the right concealed beneath a matching brown leather eye patch. In his right hand, he gripped a cane, using it both to see and to walk.

“Hmm?” A hoarse, heavy voice reached Eden’s ears. “It seems you’ve returned empty-handed again.”

Eden swallowed hard. “There was a good mark almost in the bag, but then someone pulled a Shen Gongbao move and”

Tap. The cane suddenly struck the ground, cutting Eden off mid-sentence. He didn’t dare breathe another word. The middle-aged man abruptly looked past Eden and let out a raspy chuckle: “Ha, Eden. Not only did you fail your mission, but you’ve brought along a little mouse too.”

He tapped his cane on the ground once more. Simultaneously, an overwhelming Mental Sea pressure surged forth like a violent tidal wave.

“Ugh…” Eden collapsed to his knees in agony. The damn old man never hesitated to unleash his Mental Sea pressure, completely disregarding how it affected ordinary people like him.

Yet, there was no reaction from behind Eden. Finally taken aback, the middle-aged man looked over. For someone to remain unaffected under an S-class Mental Sea pressure suppression, there was only one possibility.

“Caberry, it seems losing an eye still didn’t teach you to remember past lessons.” From the darkness emerged a gray-haired man wearing a gray hoodie and a face mask, his steps calm and measured as if the immense mental pressure meant nothing to him. “Revealing your trump card so casually isn’t a good habit.”

“It’s you!” The middle-aged man’s raspy voice dragged out, laced with concealed fury and a trace of barely perceptible fear. “Weren’t you dead? The plane crash.”

“It appears you’ve maintained the good habit of following the news.” Lu Lian’s voice carried no warmth. “But since you still have time for news, I assume you haven’t forgotten your agreement with the Lu family.”

Caberry paused, then withdrew the notebook to his side, heaving a long sigh. “I’ve grown old, many things have become unclear.”

“Really?” Behind the mask, Lu Lian’s expression remained unreadable as he said, “But perhaps you still remember that illegitimate son you sent to live incognito in Perat City. He now appears to be working as an administrative secretary at Biyi Culture. Few know this company is one of Uralos’ subsidiaries.”

“You…” As Caberry’s mental fluctuations surged, the Mental Sea violently convulsed, causing Eden who knelt on the ground to writhe in agony. Yet no one paid him any attention as Caberry asked through gritted teeth, “What exactly do you want?”

Lu Lian tilted his head slightly, seeming to smile. Simultaneously, an utterly terrifying Mental Sea emanated from him – ash-black energy carrying dreadful power that could undoubtedly obliterate an ordinary person or even low-level Mental Sea possessors instantly. Yet this power remained tightly constrained around Lu Lian as if imprisoned in a cage, demonstrating that more frightening than the power itself was its master’s absolute control over it. Step by step, Lu Lian advanced. Though his movements appeared leisurely, each footfall weighed heavily on Caberry’s heart like a thousand-pound burden. To his horror, Caberry realized he didn’t even dare to retreat.

Finally, Lu Lian stopped before him. Caberry heard the icy voice whisper in his ear like a demon’s murmur: “I’ve come to reclaim the ‘Apple’ that belongs to Uralos.”