Chapter 137: Mourning the Last Shred of Family Affection

Deep in the night, silence reigned.

Du Fang returned to his apartment in the residential complex. The entire building had become remarkably quiet; he could no longer hear the sound of the children jumping rope upstairs in the middle of the night, nor the bickering of the couple downstairs. This stillness left him feeling somewhat unsettled.

He took a shower and prepared two bowls of instant noodles—one for Luo Luo, his sister-in-law, and little piggy Qiqi to share, and one for himself. The three of them sat in the living room, slurping their noodles. Whatever else might be said, while instant noodles were hardly a gourmet feast, they tasted surprisingly good after such a long time.

With his stomach warmed, Du Fang leaned back against his chair in comfort. His entire body felt cozy and languid. As he focused, a light radiated from his eyes, and a translucent interface shimmered onto his retinas.

...

Happy Family
Head of Household: Du Fang
Age: 20
Dream Spirit: 50,000
Items: Aunt’s Playing Cards, Aunt’s Tea Leaves, Sister-in-law’s Pen
Skills: Chaos Blade, Red-Clad State (Available), Little Piggy Qiqi (Available), Air Manipulation (Available)
Members: Luo Luo (Daughter), Ya Ya (Wife, 10% completeness), Su Su (Sister-in-law), (Connection lost), (Connection lost)...
Mission: Strive for family reunion and domestic happiness; please locate the missing family members.

...

There were few changes on the interface. The only notable difference was the increase in Dream Spirit energy, which had surged to 50,000 points—equivalent to 5,000 energy units. This placed him firmly in the mid-tier of high-level Dream Walkers. Du Fang was surprised to find he had reached this level without even realizing it.

When Dream Spirit strength reaches 10,000 energy units, it signifies the "City-Crossing" rank. A City-Crossing Dream Walker could be considered part of the upper echelons of the profession. Thinking of this, Du Fang felt a flicker of joy. The steady, gradual improvement of his strength was his greatest satisfaction.

"This time, I didn't summon that will within me, nor did I experience a Dream Disaster, yet my Dream Spirit strength still increased. What was the cause?"

After the initial excitement, Du Fang began to reflect on why his power had grown. He concluded that absorbing the "Fireworks" seemed to facilitate his growth. His eyes lit up at the thought, and he felt a sudden impulse to storm the headquarters of the God Core Organization and plunder every last firework they possessed.

"I must pay the God Core Organization a visit. After all, they have set their sights on me—or rather, on my family. They have repeatedly sent powerful individuals after us with malicious intent; this cannot end well."

Du Fang pondered. A clash with the God Core Organization was inevitable. According to Dr. Lin, this organization was incredibly formidable. Even though a Nation-Destroying priest had died this time, Du Fang could not afford to relax. After all, a Nation-Destroying priest was not their strongest asset.

"The foundations of this organization are unfathomable. They capture Fallen Gods, extract their power, and have conducted deep research into them. I cannot see through their true strength at all."

In the dead of night, as Du Fang calmed his mind to think, he gradually realized the gravity of the situation. He felt a sense of urgency. Although he trusted in the strength of Luo Luo and his sister-in-law, he had no idea what to expect when facing an organization as powerful as God Core.

"I must do my best to grow stronger. After all, God Core is an organization specifically designed to target Fallen Gods. If they claim Luo Luo and Su Su are Fallen Gods, what if they possess special methods to deal with them?"

"If I can increase my strength even by a fraction, it might provide unexpected help. I must become stronger."

Du Fang took a deep breath. Thinking about it now, the pressure of dismantling the God Core Organization was immense. A growing sense of crisis took hold. He did not rest; instead, he began to analyze the recent battle. The first half of the night was spent reviewing the conflict, examining how Qiqi and Luo Luo utilized their powers, and organizing the spoils of war to bolster his own capabilities.

During the second half of the night, Du Fang took out a blank sheet of paper and began to draw his sister-in-law. Practice makes perfect—it was the final stubborn resilience of a soul-artist.

...

Across the ocean, at the top of the world’s tallest building, the Federal Dream Walker Tower!

Before a floor-to-ceiling window, a burly man stood with his hands behind his back. A scar ran across his face, and a fierce, predatory aura radiated from his very bones. He looked down through the glass at the dazzling federal city, and as he gazed at a corner of the metropolis, the muscles on his cheeks twitched involuntarily.

That corner of the city had changed drastically over the years. Many low-rise buildings had been razed, replaced by towering structures that scraped the sky. The place where he and his brother once played football had long since vanished. Though the physical traces of time had been erased, the memories remained, however blurred they had become.

Behind him, the room door was pushed open. A figure was dragged in, stumbling, and thrown to the floor. The man was covered in blood, his face bruised and swollen, his body riddled with wounds. Su Hao curled up, limbs trembling, looking utterly wretched.

"Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!" Su Hao shrieked in terror. "I have something I need to ask Karl."

The Federal Dream Walker who had dragged Su Hao in puffed on a cigar, wearing a mocking grin. "Senior Karl, this guy just entered the Federation, so I grabbed him for you. His mercenary squad, the one your brother Kamon was in, accepted this man's commission to go to the Great Xia... and ended up completely wiped out. Every last one of them died."

"Ask him whatever you want."

The burly man at the window turned slowly. The ferocity on his face was like that of a snarling, starving wolf. After the man with the cigar left, the room fell silent.

"So, you are Su Hao... and you dared to return to the Federation?"

Karl looked at Su Hao with indifference. To him, an ordinary human without a shred of Dream Spirit was no different from an ant on the ground. "Did you cause my brother's death?"

"It wasn't me... I just paid to hire him for a minor task! Don't kill me, I came to the Federation to hire you..." Su Hao stammered.

Karl stepped on Su Hao’s head. "Hire me? Are you worthy? Besides, all your assets have been frozen. What will you use to hire me? Your life? Is your dog's life worth hiring a Nation-level Dream Walker?"

Karl sneered. Su Hao trembled with increasing frequency, his eyes filled with bottomless terror. The composure and ease he once possessed were gone. He had looked down on Dream Walkers, believing that money could buy him anything. But now, he truly tasted the nature of power and understood why the status of a Dream Walker was so lofty. He, a mere mortal, was incomparable to them. No matter how much money he had, in the face of a truly powerful Dream Walker, he felt his life could be snuffed out at any moment. No wonder Old Man Su had always warned him to hold power in awe.

"I have already asked the Great Xia Dream Walker Association headquarters about my brother's death, and they refused to give me an explanation." Karl stared at Su Hao, reached down, grabbed him by the hair, and lifted his head slowly. "If the Great Xia Association won't provide answers, no matter. I, Karl, will go and demand them myself."

Rumble!

The environment around Karl seemed to shift in an instant. A frigid chill permeated the air, as if it had been frozen for a century.

"You will act as my employer and take me into Jiangling City in the Great Xia. You will lead me to find that squad called 'Wildfire'! I will make this 'Wildfire' squad pay for my brother's life... as a sacrifice to the last bit of family I have left."