Chapter 9 Heterochromia

Exerting his unique power consumed far less than his original power, and it was the lifeline that had allowed him to survive up until now. It was precisely because of the Cyber Eye's capabilities that Chaoyang decided to hold the first trial of Paradise aboard the Heart of the Ocean cruise ship. A few simple emails sent out through the Caribbean Company system created a secret gathering open only to the wealthy. Despite sending out seven letters, only four individuals attended, but he believed it wouldn't be long before news of Paradise would spread throughout the entire upper echelon.

At the same time, while browsing through Joe James's email, Chaoyang naturally detected traces of the international police investigation. Initially, he didn't take it seriously, since after all, all the personas were fictitious, and he wasn't worried about being traced back to himself. However, after striking a deal with Judy, he realized this could be an opportunity, which is why he decided to send the email directly to the Asian branch's inbox.

Considering various factors, Chaoyang concluded that the investigator would definitely take the bait. Although the result was roughly what he had expected, the process had deviated slightly—he hadn't anticipated that the casually made email animation and PowerPoint registration form would become a small flaw that was picked up on.

"Perhaps it's time I truly established a logistics department for Paradise," Chaoyang contemplated. He now had over four million US dollars at his disposal, with traceable and legal sources. Some of his previous conceptual designs, once lingering at the wishful thinking stage, now finally had the capital to be implemented.

Of course, he knew that this part of the business must be handled with extreme caution.

The more traces left in the world, the greater the risk of exposure.

For now, his greatest advantage was secrecy. Demon powers might seem unbelievable, but in a direct confrontation, he was no stronger than an ordinary person, so maintaining the mystery of his identity was a necessary move.

The good news was that he had also harvested wishing power on this side.

After withdrawing from the asynchronous world, Chaoyang made an unexpected discovery: the first batch of players who participated in the Paradise game had, after satisfying their thirst for excitement, also provided him with some wishing power. To put a number on it, roughly fifty. While this paled in comparison to his gains from the other side, it was undoubtedly a good omen. Considering that his past efforts on Earth had not yielded so much wishing power, and this time an average of over ten points per person was contributed, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of fate.

Clearly, this was definitely related to the fact that the four individuals had entered the asynchronous world.

And fifty wishing powers were enough for him to create a doppelgänger that could exist for half a day.

Plus, Earth lacked those bizarre and unpredictable beings, so overall safety was still far better than in the asynchronous world.

"Bang bang bang!"

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks interrupted Chaoyang's contemplation.

He stood up, looked towards the hallway, and the knocking not only didn't stop but became even more incessant, "Wild Group delivery! Boss, your order has arrived!"

Chaoyang rolled his eyes involuntarily. He walked to the door and opened it, "I'm coming, I'm coming, why the rush?"

"I've got several more deliveries to make, not like you, boss—" he glanced at the pile of takeout boxes and household trash accumulating like a small hill by the door, "you just have to reach out and take the delivery. Look, not late—"

As he was completing the delivery, he seemed to want to mutter a couple more words but suddenly fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Chaoyang frowned.

This was an old residential area, and the hallway lighting was somewhat dim. Right at the boundary between light and shadow, he saw a hint of fear suddenly appear on the delivery person's face. If it wasn't for the man's overly abrupt pause, he wouldn't have noticed this subtle change.

"Heh, boss, you into cosplaying now, huh? That makeup is done quite well," the delivery guy quickly returned to normal. He shook his head as if mocking himself and walked down the stairs, "Next time, open the door earlier, eh!"

Cosplay? What kind of act was this?

Confused, Chaoyang closed the door and after pondering for a moment, went into the bathroom.

Turning on the light, he looked at himself in the mirror and felt his hair stand on end.

His right eye was no longer the original crystalline sphere, but a mass of tightly coiled black lines!

Crack!

Chaoyang instinctively covered his eye.

His vision immediately narrowed by half.

He slowly moved his hand away and peered at his right eye again. This time... he saw an unadorned flesh eye, the iris blackish-brown, the white of the eye slightly bloodshot—normal to the point of being unremarkable.

What was that just now? A hallucination?

In his post-awakening consciousness, there was not even a mention about this part...

For the moment, Chaoyang found himself at a loss.

However, since others could see it, it was definitely not a mere misperception. Luckily, the dim light in the stairwell made the delivery person mistake it for something like colored contacts.

Chaoyang spent another half an hour in front of the mirror, but that peculiar pupil did not appear again.

It seems that the situation just now was only an accident.

Damn, that was really cyber.

Chaoyang sighed softly.

This place clearly wasn't suitable for him to stay any longer, even if the delivery person hadn't gotten a clear look at his face, but who could guarantee that they wouldn't suddenly remember and feel extremely odd about it?

Since he had found a new way to survive, he rarely stayed in the same place for more than half a month; renting had become the norm. Even though he had just returned from abroad a few days ago and had only just rented this house, if it was time to go, he had to leave. Fortunately, he was now much better off than before, with plenty of cash in hand, so he didn't need to fret over the several months' rent he had prepaid.

But Chaoyang didn't understand why this situation had only suddenly appeared now when he had used his ability many times before? Could this also be an effect of traveling between two worlds?

From a safety standpoint, he should clarify the reason before making his next move, but time waits for no one, and he not only faces the restraints of a contract but also the continuous consumption of wishing power that wouldn't give him a break.

Besides, he was currently unable to sever ties with the other world.

The substantial gap in wishing power meant that he had to frequently travel between the two places.

Chaoyang took out his cell phone, opened a prepared e-mail, and hit the send button.

A string of characters under his ability's control climbed onto the main net, streaking across the world like flowing light—

A new round of Paradise game was about to begin.

...

In a high-end bar in Jiang City,

Shimmering neon lights cast people in hues of red and blue, the rapid tempo of music filled the eardrums, and in these magnificent changes of light and shadow, men and women clung together, each hunting their own prey. Compared with those lower-priced bars outside, there wasn't much difference here, except the drinks were pricier, the entry system was more exclusive, and the girls coming in were younger and prettier.

Zhou Zhi was a regular here, or rather, the wealthy young masters of Jiang City treated this place as their gathering spot, a fine choice for either hunting for beauties or killing time. Zhou Zhi used to be keen on this, but today was a bit different, for the first time he found the dynamic music somewhat jarring, irritating to the ears, and the invited Internet celebrities and influencers could no longer pique his interest.

"Zhou Bro, what do you think of the girl in purple?"

"Heard she's from out of town, has quite a following online."

"So what, if Zhou Bro makes a move, he's sure to get her."

The people around him flattered in succession. This was also the starting ritual of the "game", where they would select an exceptional target and then wager on who the target would fall into the hands of. Zhou Zhi had participated many times and ended up the winner a few times; to him, the outcome was unimportant, it was the process that was most enjoyable.

"Count me out, not interested today," However, this time, he did not take the bait.

"What's up? Not in the mood?"

"If you're not going for it, I will," another companion winked at him.

Zhou Zhi waved his hand, signaling to do as he pleased.

"I get it, there's serious business to talk about today, that's why Zhou Bro is not interested."

"Oh, it's about the club thing, right?" someone chimed in immediately, "I heard young master Zhao is coming later? I'm not qualified to join in, so I'll just have to watch from the sidelines."

Zhou Zhi didn't confirm or deny this, but only he knew the real reason. Now, whenever he closed his eyes, his mind would replay that scene—

The towering horse charging at him, both falling into the foul-smelling mire; the dagger slicing open his belly, as if his abdomen had suddenly become much lighter; but even in his dying moments, he could not take his eyes off Mingzi, fighting with the enemy, with an indescribable beauty in her every move and gesture. Even when a sharp sword split her throat, her piercing gaze was still chilling.

Turning back to look at these lightly dressed, coquettish women, he only felt tasteless.

No, not just the women.

In the past, the himself who lingered here was just as insipid as chewing wax, wasn't he?