Chapter 62: Expansion and Intrusive Thoughts

The sound of heavy gunfire, stone-shattering impacts, and rising plumes of smoke from the Baek Family Estate couldn’t be contained by high perimeter walls—not when the estate sat right on the edge of S City’s bustling suburban district.

Coming less than twenty-four hours after the high-profile mercenary ambush at the city bypass, the second incident sent shockwaves straight through the internet.

[S-City Local Breaking News]

"Explosions and automatic gunfire reported near the Baek Family Main Estate. Emergency services and militarized police barricades have completely sealed off the district. Officials urge citizens to stay indoors..."

[Trending Topic: #SCityEstateAttack #BaekFamily #Terrorists]

User_Alpha99: Is S City turning into a war zone?! Two heavy firefights in under 24 hours?! What the hell is police security doing?!

Gamer_Vibe: Did anyone see the viral video clip taken from the high-rise apartment block? That looked like a straight-up action movie. The sound of shooting didn’t stop!

Corporate_Watcher: The Baek Family’s stock is going to take a massive hit tomorrow morning. First the bypass ambush, now an outright assault on their ancestral estate? Crazy! Is this how those high-class people dispute happening?!

Urban_Observer: My friend lives three streets away and said the gunfire was just like in those lawless countries. This is why top families shouldn’t be allowed to stay in our city!!

While news outlets speculated and social media erupted in chaotic debates during the day, the Baek Family spent the time quietly cleaning up debris, securing the captive mercenaries, and locking down media statements under strict corporate non-disclosure agreements.

Behind closed doors, several prominent political figures who held secret contacts with the mercenaries spoke in hushed, tense tones.

"Can’t you pressure the authorities to release those mercenaries?!"

"Impossible," the second politician replied, shaking his head grimly. "If it were just the Baek Family alone, I could perhaps persuade some high-ranking officials and the police commissioner. But both the Nam and Jin Families were dragged into this. They won’t let those mercenaries walk free under any circumstances."

"Sigh... I’m worried Babylon will target our city for revenge because of this arrest. That’s the only reason I brought up releasing them! But it seems our leverage is useless."

That was the exact predicament gripping the upper administration and city authorities. They were terrified of the Babylon Organization, yet they couldn’t afford to manipulate the system—not when rival political factions were watching their every move, ready to pounce.

Furthermore, the citizens of S City were already furious. Regardless of their dislike for the elite high-ranking families, the public would never tolerate seeing violent criminals involved in an urban firefight released without strict judicial procedure.

Meanwhile, deep within a dense forest of the Starfall Federation, a small, solitary house shone brightly under the midnight darkness.

The cottage was merely a surface camouflage. Beneath it lay a massive underground bunker—a seven-story subterranean fortress.

It was the executive headquarters of the Babylon Organization.

"The operation failed," one of the higher-ups spoke, his voice dripping with mockery around the long conference table. "We don’t even need to wait for a report from our field agents; the news outlets are already broadcasting our defeat. How utterly hilarious."

"This is going to make our corporate contacts lose faith in us, knowing that even Babylon can fail," another executive said, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the table. "A complete disgrace."

"Did the client have anything to say about this?!" a third higher-up asked, directing his question toward the far end of the long table, where the leader of the organization sat.

The Chairwoman of Babylon, Carla Mislaine, was a striking beauty with long, sleek blonde hair and a slender figure encased in a tailored silver suit. Resting her chin on her crossed hands, her cold eyes slowly swept across the table, observing the panicked executives.

"The client... demanded that we take responsibility for the failure," Carla said calmly.

"What do you mean?!"

"They demanded that Babylon submit under their management."

"What a crazy bastard!"

"Tsk! Just another arrogant fool biting off far more than he can chew."

"What did you tell them, Chairwoman?!"

"Nothing grand," Carla replied smoothly. "I simply refunded their payment in double and offered one free contract in the future. However, I warned them that if they insisted on trying to acquire Babylon, we wouldn’t hesitate to wage an all-out war in broad daylight, even if it led to mutual destruction. That was enough to make them step back. Regardless, the financial compensation was massive—and this single failure has hurt our brand to its core."

Hearing her words, the room fell into a grim silence. The executives realized in that moment that they were no longer viewed as the invincible, untouchable syndicate of the past.

"What about the squad members who were captured?" an executive asked. "Should we cut our losses and abandon them? They’re useless now—our very first operational failure."

"There is no need to make a hasty decision just yet," Chairwoman Carla declared, her tone heavy with commanding authority over the dozens of high-ranking members. "I will deploy elite reconnaissance units to investigate what truly happened in S City. Only then will we determine whether to extract them or discard them. For now, the probe takes priority. We need to know what—or who—was capable of handing Babylon its first defeat."

As everything unfolded through the chaos of the butterfly effect, a certain shopkeeper was living a remarkably relaxed morning.

"Hehe. Now this is what you call a relaxed job," Donape muttered to himself, taking a slow, satisfying sip of Obsidian Roast Coffee behind the counter right after flipping the opening sign on the doors of Origins VR Cafe.

[CURRENT TIME] 08:05 AM Monday

[BUSINESS STATUS] OPEN FOR BUSINESS

- Monday to Friday: 08:00 AM - 10:00 PM

- Saturday & Sunday: 08:00 AM - 08:00 PM

[AVAILABLE PRODUCTS]

- VR Capsule Activation: FREE

- Hourly Playtime: 20 BC

- Games:

[The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts] – 80 BC Activation

[Counter-Injustice: Global Retaliation] – 120 BC Activation

[The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts 2] - 125 BC Activation *(Requires main story completion of Part 1)

[Magic Academy: First Semester] - 200 BC Activation

- Food & Beverage (No Takeaway!):

[Origins Fountain Water] – 15 BC (Limit: 1/day)

[Spirit-Clearing Dew] - 75 BC (Limit: 1/day)

[Obsidian Roast Coffee] - 50 BC (Limit: 1/day)

[Celestial Sparkle Sprite] - 16 BC (Limit: 1/day)

[Spirit-Infused Noodle] - 30 BC (Limit: 1/day)

[Ethereal Mana Sandwich] - 23 BC (Limit: 1/day)

[Spicy Meat Buns] - 35 BC (Limit: 2/day)

[Crispy Salted Chips] - 15 BC (Limit: 1/day)

Looking at the expanded menu on the digital screen above the counter, Donape grinned broadly.

"Now this is a real cafe. Who gives a damn if it’s expensive for them? It’s completely free for me! Hehehe."

Beyond the new food and drinks, he was most eager to dive into the two brand-new games. Reading through their descriptions, his eyes gleamed with the prospect of growing even stronger than he was now.

"The Heavenly Cloud Sect style is powerful, sure, but it’s getting boring," Donape mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if Season 2 lets players defect from the Heavenly Cloud Sect? Man, I really want to join the Mount Hua Sect!"

He paused, leaning against the counter as he scrolled his eyes through the screen.

"Wait, this second new game is all about magic... Does that mean Qi and Mana are going to clash?! Dammit! There are so many rewards from this update, I don’t even know what to focus on first!"

Donape let out a slightly frustrated laugh, genuinely overwhelmed. He hadn’t expected the rewards for leveling the Origins VR Cafe to Level 3 to be this massive. He looked out across the spacious main floor housing 50 VR Capsules—a spatial expansion masterpiece.

From the outside, the former warehouse building looked completely unchanged in size and width, but inside, it felt like a sprawling futuristic lounge.

[Mortal, you seem to be in a joyful mood. Should the Great Me grant you an additional incentive?!]

"Yeah, sure!" Donape exclaimed with pure, unfeigned delight.

’Who cares about the pain for now?’ Donape thought to himself, grinning. ’Sooner or later, I’ll be powerful enough to handle whatever penalty it throws at me—and finally retaliate against this Tyrannical System!’

However, the System paused.

[...]

Taken aback by Donape’s completely nonchalant attitude, the System hesitated over whether to unleash the Divine Lightning. But if it didn’t strike now, it worried the only slave it had would think the System was a joke.

[Initiating: Divine Lightning!]

ZAP! ZAP!

A blinding bolt of materialized lightning struck Donape dead center.

His body convulsed violently as his vision flickered erratically. His limbs stretched, twisted, and snapped back into place like a glitching cartoon character, feeling as though they were about to tear off completely.

The pain was utterly excruciating—yet through the entire electrocution, Donape’s wide grin never faltered.

[...]

Utterly baffled by Donape’s unhinged antics, the System decided to vanish into silence, worried it might catch a bad influence from the stupid human.

Meanwhile, Donape dragged himself back up to his feet. Ignoring the lingering sparks on his skin, he grabbed a bowl of Spirit-Infused Noodles and a cold bottle of Origins Fountain Water to prepare his ultimate breakfast combo.

’Fuck, that still hurts like hell!’ Donape winced, rubbing his sore shoulders. ’But it’s a sacrifice for the greater good! Hehehe... In the future, I’ll be able to fly like a god, throw cataclysmic fireballs, and bring chaos upon—’

Donape froze mid-thought, his eyes widening in sudden realization.

’Wait a minute... Did I just think about causing indiscriminate destruction? What the hell?! No, no, no! My brain is getting corrupted by that shitty lightning! This System is a terrible influence on my moral compass. I’m not some villainous monster. I’m a good Samaritan! Right... a totally innocent, law-abiding shopkeeper.’