Chapter 290: The Villain Takes Rose Out On A Date

[Ding!]

Black Wolf Personnel Route collapsed.

Fate stolen: 37,000

Current Fate Value: 383,000

. . .

That night...

Shen Tian took Rose to dinner.

Because apparently...

Destroying a protagonist’s organization didn’t mean canceling

reservations.

Rose stared across the table.

"You’re unbelievable."

Shen Tian cut into his steak.

"What?"

"You ruined half his company before lunch."

"Closer to sixty percent."

"Then took me to dinner."

"Reservations are difficult here."

Rose laughed.

Then...

Her expression softened.

"You really can separate it."

"Separate what?"

"That side of you."

She gestured vaguely.

"The..."

She searched.

"Terrifying villain."

Shen Tian smiled.

"Terrifying?"

"A little."

He leaned forward.

Rose immediately became aware of the distance between them.

Then...

His voice softened.

"Are you scared of me?"

She stared into his green eyes.

"No."

No hesitation.

Shen Tian paused.

Rose continued.

"I’ve seen what you do to enemies."

"I’ve also seen what you do to people you care about."

Her cheeks warmed.

"And..."

She smiled.

"...I know which side I’m on."

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

His fingers moved across the table.

Rose looked down.

His hand rested beside hers.

She slowly intertwined their fingers.

Her face became pink.

"Still..."

She smiled.

"...you’re a bastard."

"Fair."

. . .

The following morning...

Lu Chen received another blow.

Viper disappeared.

Completely.

No warning.

No message.

Nothing.

Then...

Evidence appeared.

Financial transfers.

Secret communications.

Black Wolf routes.

Xue Long.

Viper had been manipulating him.

Using him.

Feeding his hatred.

Lu Chen stared at the files.

His hands shook.

"No."

He scrolled.

More.

"No..."

Xue Long had funded portions of his comeback.

Several victories had been engineered.

Enemy intelligence had been intentionally leaked.

Contracts manipulated.

His great recovery...

Not entirely his.

Lu Chen’s face became pale.

Then...

A video opened.

Viper.

Recorded days earlier.

"If you’re seeing this..."

He smiled.

"...Shen Tian found everything."

Lu Chen froze.

Viper continued.

"I wondered which monster would win."

A pause.

"Turns out..."

His smile became bitter.

"...I backed the wrong one."

The video ended.

Silence.

Then...

[Ding!]

Lu Chen’s Overseas Recovery Foundation exposed as manipulated.

Destiny Confidence shattered.

Fate stolen: 42,000

Current Fate Value: 341,000

Xu Ning stared at the notification.

[That one hurt.]

Shen Tian stood on a rooftop overlooking the city.

"Good."

Rose stood beside him.

Lin Yue behind them.

Rose glanced toward Shen Tian.

"You wanted him to know."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Shen Tian looked toward Black Wolf’s compound in the distance.

"Because taking his organization isn’t enough."

His green eyes became cold.

"I want him to understand..."

"...that the comeback he was so proud of wasn’t even entirely his."

Lin Yue stared.

"That’s cruel."

Shen Tian looked toward her.

Then...

His expression softened.

"Does it bother you?"

Lin Yue thought.

A long time.

Then...

"No."

She looked toward the distant compound.

"Not after everything he’s done."

Shen Tian smiled.

Lin Yue immediately pointed.

"Don’t look pleased."

"You approved."

"I did not say I approved."

"You said it doesn’t bother you."

"Different."

Shen Tian stepped closer.

Lin Yue froze slightly.

"Very different?"

Her cheeks warmed.

"Yes."

He leaned slightly closer.

"How different?"

Lin Yue’s face turned pink.

Rose stared.

"Oh, come on."

Lin Yue immediately stepped back.

"Stop."

Shen Tian smiled.

Rose crossed her arms.

"You become unbearable around pretty women."

Shen Tian looked toward her.

"Pretty?"

Rose froze.

Then...

Realized.

Her cheeks warmed.

"You know what I meant."

"Do I?"

"Shut up."

Lin Yue laughed.

. . .

Black Wolf headquarters.

Lu Chen sat alone.

341,000 Fate.

Still enormous.

Still a protagonist.

Still dangerous.

The world wasn’t finished with him.

And almost immediately...

It tried again.

A message appeared on an encrypted terminal.

Coordinates.

Ancient ruins.

Blood Dragon Core.

Lu Chen stared.

His breathing changed.

Power.

A chance.

One last opportunity.

He stood.

. . .

Xu Ning’s eyes widened.

[Host.]

Shen Tian looked toward her.

[Blood Dragon Core event triggered.]

A panel opened.

Associated Fate: 75,000

If Lu Chen obtains Blood Dragon Core:

Cultivation breakthrough probability: 100%

Fate recovery projected: +60,000

Shen Tian smiled.

"Location?"

Xu Ning gave coordinates.

Rose immediately recognized the expression.

"You’re going."

"Yes."

Lin Yue stood.

"This is it?"

Shen Tian stared at the panel.

Then...

His expression became cold.

"Yes."

. . .

The ruins lay beneath an abandoned desert fortress.

Lu Chen arrived first.

Alone.

He didn’t trust anyone anymore.

Not Viper.

Not Black Wolf.

Not allies.

Nobody.

He descended underground.

Deeper.

Deeper.

Until...

He found it.

A gigantic underground temple.

At its center...

A crimson dragon core floated above an altar.

Lu Chen stared.

His eyes widened.

Power radiated from it.

Enough.

Enough to change everything.

His lips slowly curved.

"Finally."

He stepped forward.

Then...

Footsteps.

Lu Chen froze.

No.

Not again.

He slowly turned.

Shen Tian walked from the darkness.

Alone.

Rose and Lin Yue had remained outside.

This...

Wasn’t their fight.

Lu Chen stared.

Then...

Something inside him broke.

Not rage.

Not shouting.

Not disbelief.

Just...

Acceptance.

"You."

Shen Tian stopped.

"Me."

Lu Chen looked toward the Blood Dragon Core.

Then back.

"How?"

Shen Tian smiled.

"You know how this works by now."

Lu Chen’s fists tightened.

"You’re going to take it."

"Yes."

"No speech?"

"No."

"No lecture?"

"Not today."

Lu Chen stared.

Shen Tian’s green eyes became cold.

"I’m done teaching you."

Silence.

That sentence...

Was worse than mockery.

Lu Chen’s Qi exploded.

The temple shook.

"You think you’ve won?"

Shen Tian stared.

"I have."

"I’M STILL HERE!"

"Temporarily."

Lu Chen froze.

Then...

His killing intent exploded.

"SHEN TIAN!"

He charged.

BOOOOOOM!

Their fists collided.

The temple shook.

Lu Chen had grown stronger.

Much stronger.

Shen Tian immediately felt it.

His eyebrow rose.

Lu Chen saw.

A smile appeared.

"Surprised?"

"A little."

Lu Chen attacked.

Punch.

Blocked.

Kick.

Shen Tian moved.

Elbow.

Blocked.

Lu Chen rotated.

Palm.

BOOM!

Shen Tian slid backward.

Lu Chen laughed.

"LOOK AT YOU!"

He attacked again.

"YOU’RE MOVING!"

Shen Tian blocked.

Lu Chen punched.

Blocked.

Again.

Again.

Again.

"THREE WEEKS!"

BOOM!

"THAT’S ALL I NEEDED!"

Shen Tian ducked.

Lu Chen’s fist shattered stone.

He spun.

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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)

SEND POWESTONES!!!

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