Chapter 288: Middle East

Three weeks later.

Middle East.

The desert wind swept across a sprawling fortified compound.

Armored vehicles.

Concrete barriers.

Watchtowers.

Satellite equipment.

Private aircraft.

Weapons crates.

Dozens of mercenaries.

And hanging above the main command building...

A black flag.

A silver wolf’s head at its center.

Black Wolf.

Reborn.

Stronger.

Richer.

More organized than before.

Lu Chen stood on the balcony overlooking everything.

His arms rested against the railing.

Below...

Men trained.

Vehicles moved.

Contracts arrived every day.

War Wolf’s name had returned.

No.

It had grown.

He had taken dangerous contracts other companies refused.

Protected convoys through war zones.

Destroyed pirate camps.

Rescued hostages.

Eliminated armed groups.

Recovered stolen weapons.

And every victory brought another group beneath his banner.

Thirty men became fifty.

Fifty became eighty.

Eighty became one hundred and twenty.

Then...

More.

Viper stepped onto the balcony.

"Two hundred and fourteen."

Lu Chen glanced over.

"What?"

"Active personnel."

Viper handed him a tablet.

"Another thirty-seven waiting for background checks."

Lu Chen looked through the information.

Experienced.

Special forces veterans.

Former contractors.

Mercenaries.

Cultivators.

Some weak.

Several strong.

One...

Peak Inner Core Realm.

Lu Chen nodded.

"Accept the best."

Viper smiled.

"You’re becoming selective."

"I can afford to."

That answer...

Was true.

Black Wolf had money now.

Influence.

Weapons.

Aircraft.

Contacts.

Contracts.

Lu Chen had something else too.

Power.

He clenched his fist.

Qi gathered.

Different from before.

Denser.

More violent.

After Tianbei Mountain...

He had failed to obtain the Heavenly Wolf Inheritance.

Shen Tian had taken it.

All of it.

But protagonists were protagonists.

Another opportunity appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

Battlefields.

Ancient ruins.

A dying cultivator.

A hidden technique.

A Spirit Vein beneath an abandoned military installation.

One opportunity became five.

And slowly...

Lu Chen rebuilt.

Viper looked toward him.

"You’ve changed."

Lu Chen remained silent.

"Stronger."

Silence.

"Colder."

Lu Chen looked over.

"Is that a problem?"

Viper smiled.

"Not for me."

Lu Chen looked back toward the compound.

Then...

His phone vibrated.

A message.

A report from China.

Shen Tian.

His eyes sharpened.

He opened it.

Photographs.

Shen Tian attending a charity banquet.

Rose beside him.

Another photograph.

Lin Yue leaving dinner with him.

Another.

Gu Qingya smiling while Shen Tian leaned against her office desk.

Another.

Tang Meilin beside him at a corporate event.

Another.

Chi Lingxi holding his arm.

Lu Chen’s expression darkened.

Viper watched.

"Still obsessed."

Lu Chen locked the phone.

"Careful."

"Am I wrong?"

Lu Chen’s eyes became cold.

Viper shrugged.

"You’re building an empire."

"Yet every time his name appears..."

He smiled.

"...you stop looking like a king."

Silence.

Lu Chen turned.

"What do I look like?"

Viper’s smile widened.

"A man who lost."

BOOM!

Lu Chen’s Qi exploded.

The balcony cracked.

Viper didn’t move.

Lu Chen stared at him.

Then...

Slowly...

His aura disappeared.

"Not for long."

He looked toward the horizon.

"I’m going back."

Viper’s expression changed.

"China?"

"Yes."

"When?"

Lu Chen’s eyes became cold.

"Soon."

. . .

Thousands of kilometers away...

Shen Tian sat inside the Shen Family estate.

Late afternoon sunlight poured through enormous windows.

His jacket was gone.

Sleeves rolled slightly.

Rose sat beside him.

Lin Yue across from him.

Gu Qingya occupied another chair.

Tang Meilin was on the couch.

Chi Lingxi sat near Shen Tian with a plate of fruit.

Bai Xue had somehow stolen half of it.

"That’s mine."

Chi Lingxi stared.

Bai Xue chewed.

"No."

"It literally is."

"No evidence."

"I watched you take it!"

"Allegedly."

Chi Lingxi stared.

Then...

Looked toward Shen Tian.

"Do something."

Shen Tian glanced over.

"About?"

"Her!"

Bai Xue immediately moved behind him.

"Protection."

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow.

"You stole her fruit."

"Allegedly."

Chi Lingxi pointed.

"SEE?!"

Rose laughed.

Tang Meilin covered her mouth.

Gu Qingya shook her head.

Lin Yue looked toward Shen Tian.

"Your house is ridiculous."

Shen Tian smiled.

"You keep coming back."

Lin Yue froze.

Rose immediately looked over.

Tang Meilin smiled.

Gu Qingya’s eyebrow rose.

Lin Yue’s cheeks warmed.

"That’s..."

She paused.

Then...

A small smile appeared.

"...fair."

Shen Tian looked toward her.

"Good."

Her cheeks became pinker.

Rose noticed.

Then...

She leaned toward Shen Tian.

"You’re doing that intentionally now."

"What?"

"Making us blush."

Shen Tian looked innocent.

"No."

Every woman answered simultaneously.

"Liar."

Silence.

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

He laughed.

Xu Ning appeared.

Nobody else reacted.

Her expression...

Was serious.

Very serious.

[Host.]

Shen Tian’s smile faded.

Rose noticed immediately.

"You okay?"

He nodded.

"One second."

Xu Ning opened a panel.

Protagonist: Lu Chen

Current Fate Value: 451,000

Shen Tian’s green eyes narrowed.

That...

Was considerably higher than before.

Xu Ning continued.

[His overseas recovery accelerated.]

A list appeared.

Black Wolf Overseas Reconstruction: +34,000

Battlefield Reputation: +21,000

Hidden Spirit Vein: +26,000

Blood Tyrant Combat Scripture: +18,000

Mercenary King Recognition: +14,000

Additional Destiny Recovery: +8,000

Shen Tian stared.

451,000.

Higher than when Lu Chen left China.

Xu Ning crossed her arms.

[I warned you.]

Shen Tian smiled.

[Why are you smiling?]

"Because..."

He slowly stood.

"...he’s finally worth robbing again."

Xu Ning froze.

Then...

Her expression changed.

[Host.]

"Hm?"

[There’s more.]

Another panel appeared.

Major Fate Event Forming

Event: Return of War Wolf

Original Destiny:

Lu Chen returns to China as an internationally renowned mercenary

commander.

Black Wolf expands into Asia.

Lu Chen defeats multiple cultivation families.

Lu Chen publicly challenges Shen Tian.

Gu Qingya becomes endangered during conflict.

Rose and Lin Yue are drawn back into Black Wolf affairs.

Lu Chen obtains Blood Dragon Core.

Projected Fate Value after arc: 620,000

Silence.

Shen Tian’s smile slowly disappeared.

Rose stood.

"Tian?"

He looked toward her.

Her expression became concerned.

He smiled again.

Softer.

"Nothing bad."

Gu Qingya frowned.

"That usually means something bad."

Tang Meilin nodded.

"Definitely."

Shen Tian looked around at them.

Then...

"Lu Chen is coming back."

The room became quiet.

Rose’s expression changed.

Lin Yue’s smile disappeared.

Gu Qingya immediately became cold.

Chi Lingxi frowned.

Bai Xue stopped eating stolen fruit.

Tang Meilin looked toward Shen Tian.

"When?"

"Soon."

Rose slowly exhaled.

"How strong?"

Shen Tian smiled.

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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)

SEND POWESTONES!!!

ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!