Chapter 4 - 3: Golden Lock!

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Golden Lock!

Liu Zimo quickly calmed down.

The reason a Superpower was called a Superpower was that it defied logic and allowed people to achieve the impossible.

With the advent of the Demon Calamity, no small number of lucky individuals among humanity had awakened Superpowers. Liu Zimo had even encountered abilities like the Mind Reading Technique and Telepathy before.

He just never expected that, one day, he would awaken a similar ability himself.

"The President Jiang that Liu Siqi was thinking about must be Jiang Tianxiong!" Liu Zimo thought. "I remember that thirty years ago, right after I woke up in the hospital from being beaten by Jiang Shijie, Jiang Tianxiong came to visit me in person. He offered a million yuan to settle the matter privately."

Thinking of Jiang Tianxiong naturally brought back memories of their first meeting thirty years ago, when Liu Zimo was lying in this very hospital bed facing the boss of the Jiang Group.

He had to admit that while Jiang Shijie was an absolute scumbag—arrogant, domineering, and completely full of himself—his father, Jiang Tianxiong, was truly a figure to be reckoned with.

To keep Jiang Shijie out of prison and prevent him from having a criminal record, the president of the group had not only apologized in person but also offered a massive sum of one million yuan to appease Liu Zimo’s anger.

However, Liu Zimo had been young and hot-blooded at the time. Unable to let go of his resentment, he not only rejected the compensation but also threatened to sue until the bitter end and make Jiang Shijie rot in jail. This thoroughly offended Jiang Tianxiong.

The result of that decision was predictable. Jiang Shijie got off scot-free. Instead, Liu Zimo was framed for attempted rape. Despite his severe, unhealed injuries, the court sentenced him to three years in prison, effective immediately.

Ironically, it was exactly because he was locked away in a heavily guarded prison that Liu Zimo managed to avoid the first wave of Demon Beast attacks when the Demon Calamity struck, miraculously surviving.

His father, Liu Yi, and his younger brother, Liu Zihao, were not so fortunate. They both perished on the very first day of the Demon Calamity.

SMACK!

Liu Yi slapped his son on the shoulder, jolting Liu Zimo out of his memories.

"Son, what are you spacing out for?" Liu Yi scolded. "Dr. Liu is your lifesaver! Don’t be so rude. We’ll do exactly as Dr. Liu says and get a full body checkup. We’ll only leave the hospital once we’re sure everything is fine. That’ll put our minds at ease, right?"

Liu Yi made the decision for his son on the spot. Since they didn’t have to pay for it anyway, it would be a waste not to get examined.

Liu Zimo opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, as he saw Jiang Tianxiong’s figure appear outside the ward’s door.

To Liu Zimo’s immense surprise, at the very moment he saw Jiang Tianxiong, he also noticed a Golden Lock hovering above the man’s head, gleaming with a brilliant golden light!

It was actually golden!

So dazzling! So tempting!

An overwhelming urge to lock this Golden Lock surged within Liu Zimo’s heart.

As Jiang Tianxiong drew closer, the impulse grew even stronger.

"Lock it! Lock it!"

CLICK!

A crisp sound rang out. The Golden Lock above Jiang Tianxiong’s head instantly snapped shut, and the burning desire and urgency in Liu Zimo’s heart vanished just as quickly.

At the same time, a melodious notification chime echoed in his ears:

[Binding successful! Your Good Brother Jiang Tianxiong is now online. Currently available binding slots: (2/3)]

"It locked!" Liu Zimo thought. "This Jiang Tianxiong actually became my ’Good Brother’ too!"

His mind stirred as he gained a deeper understanding of his Superpower.

It turned out that as long as the target was within a certain distance, his Superpower could be activated simply by his intent.

More importantly, the Superpower activated completely silently. Neither the target nor anyone nearby would notice a thing.

It seemed that he was the only one who could hear the click of the lock and the notification chime.

How profoundly mysterious!

[Your Good Brother Jiang Tianxiong has amassed wealth through a stroke of luck, triggering the ’Heaven-Stealing’ Talent Attribute. The fortune is divided equally. You receive half of his accumulated wealth: RMB +10,000.]

[Your Good Brother Jiang Tianxiong has amassed wealth through a stroke of luck, triggering the ’Heaven-Stealing’ Talent Attribute. The fortune is divided equally. You receive half of his accumulated wealth: RMB +10,000.]

"..."

The moment he bound Jiang Tianxiong, continuous notifications of shared fortunes began ringing in Liu Zimo’s ears.

On average, roughly ten thousand yuan was credited to him every three seconds.

"With a money-making speed like this, he truly lives up to his title as the founder of the Jiang Group!" Liu Zimo marveled inwardly.

With this kind of financial firepower, it was no wonder Jiang Tianxiong would rapidly rise to prominence during the ensuing calamity, becoming one of Sanyuan City’s big three titans alongside the government.

"President Jiang, what brings you inside?"

Seeing Jiang Tianxiong, Liu Siqi’s expression shifted slightly. He hurried forward to greet him and was just about to explain the situation when Jiang Tianxiong waved a hand to interrupt him.

"You must be Liu, right?" Jiang Tianxiong said. "I am Jiang Tianxiong, Jiang Shijie’s father. I’m here today to apologize to you on Shijie’s behalf!"

Jiang Tianxiong walked straight up to Liu Zimo, his tone brimming with regret. "Shijie is ignorant and doesn’t know his own strength. He has caused you a great deal of suffering, Liu!"

As he spoke, Jiang Tianxiong beckoned with his hand. The female secretary following behind him quickly pulled a check from her bag and presented it.

"Liu, this one million yuan is my way of making amends for Shijie. Furthermore, all of your medical expenses here at the hospital will be completely on me!" Jiang Tianxiong continued. "I only hope you can be magnanimous, Liu, and forgive Shijie this one time. I can guarantee that the little brat will never dare to trouble you again!"

It was exactly the same as thirty years ago.

There was none of the overbearing arrogance or condescension one might expect. Jiang Tianxiong’s attitude was incredibly sincere and amicable.

Perhaps in his eyes, any problem that could be solved with money wasn’t really a problem at all.

Besides, to him, a million yuan was just the amount of wealth he could generate in a minute or two. It was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

If Liu Zimo hadn’t been so relentlessly stubborn back then, refusing mediation at all costs and insisting on sending Jiang Shijie to prison, Jiang Tianxiong might not have even bothered using any underhanded tactics against the Liu Family father and son.

Liu Zimo didn’t immediately reach out to take the check. Instead, he quietly observed Jiang Tianxiong.

Sure enough.

He soon heard Jiang Tianxiong’s inner thoughts.

Jiang Tianxiong thought, "Why is this kid looking at me? Does he think it’s too little, or does he simply not want to accept the check?

"A million might not be much, but for a working-class household like the Liu Family, it should be an astronomical figure.

"Could he be another hot-headed fool who would rather refuse the money and fight our Jiang Family to the bitter end?

"Tsk, young people nowadays. Every single one of them is arrogant and prideful. Having never experienced the cruel beatings of society, they don’t yet understand the true charm of money.

"Fortunately, I’ve already bribed that girl, Zhao Yan, and found a scapegoat for Shijie. If this Liu Zimo really doesn’t know what’s good for him, then he can’t blame me for being ruthless!

"Sigh, that little brat Shijie was completely spoiled rotten by his mother! It was one thing when he messed around in the past, but this time, he actually beat someone to the brink of death. And to make matters worse, someone secretly filmed it and uploaded it to the internet. What a massive headache!

"It’s only because this kid in front of me was lucky enough to be saved in time by Liu Siqi. Otherwise, if someone had actually died, I wouldn’t be able to cover this up even if I tried!

"Then again, this kid was clearly severely injured before. How is he already able to get out of bed after just one night? Since when did Liu Siqi’s medical skills become so brilliant?

"Or could it be that this kid is just like those few employees at the company and has awakened some kind of ability?

"If that’s really the case, I’ll have to be a bit more careful..."

Jiang Tianxiong’s thoughts continued to churn, completely unaware that his inner musings were already being transmitted, completely unfiltered, straight into Liu Zimo’s ears.

"I can feel your sincerity, President Jiang. I will accept this check, and the grudge between your son and me can be written off." Liu Zimo reached out to take the check and said softly, "However, the prerequisite is that Jiang Shijie and your Jiang Group will never come looking for trouble with me or my family again. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what I might do!"

For Liu Zimo, the most important thing right now was to rapidly improve his strength so that he would have enough power to protect his family when the calamity struck.

As for getting revenge, he was in no immediate rush.

Hearing this, Jiang Tianxiong’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but look up at Liu Zimo.

Jiang Tianxiong thought, "This kid sounds incredibly confident. It looks like he really has awakened some kind of Superpower!

"However, he’s still a bit too naive.

"No matter how strong a Superpower is, it has its limits. It is far inferior to orthodox Martial Dao cultivation. The Jiang Group’s security team aren’t a bunch of pushovers; I’m not afraid of him causing any real trouble."

Thinking of this, Jiang Tianxiong revealed a smile and said loudly, "Rest assured, Liu. No one will ever trouble you over this matter again. I, Jiang Tianxiong, give you my word!"

"I hope so!" Liu Zimo replied with a smile.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Tianxiong to not only know about the existence of Superpowers but also have employees in his company who had awakened early.

However, Jiang Tianxiong’s perspective was ultimately limited. The development and utilization of Superpowers would experience a meteoric rise over the next thirty years, proving to be not the least bit inferior to the Martial Dao.

Thirty years later, the lethal force displayed on the battlefield by some Superpower Users would be on par with that of Grandmasters or even Saint Level Martial Artists.