Chapter 200 Each with their own ulterior motives, using someone else to do the dirty work?

Inside a luxurious suite on the top floor of the Global Financial Center.

The door closed with a "click," isolating everything from the outside world.

The fawning smile Zheng Siyuan had been showing Lu Jiaming just a second ago collapsed instantly, replaced by a look of gloom and ruthlessness.

"Damn it, that old fox."

He cursed under his breath and slammed his coat onto the sofa.

That guy Lu Jiaming talked a big game about "not acting rashly..." but to put it bluntly, he was just afraid of death and didn't dare touch that tough nut, Jinghai University.

To count on him to take the initiative and go have a bloody battle with that guy named Su?

It was likely going to be difficult!

Zheng Siyuan walked to the wine cabinet, poured himself half a glass of red wine, and downed it in one go. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the fire in his heart.

And then there's that stupid woman Li Xinran!

"Ptui!"

He spat on the polished floor, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

Did she really think I was some kind of devoted lover?

Before the apocalypse, it was true that he had followed Li Xinran around, exhausting himself to please her.

But that was only for the Li family's resources, a performance specifically for the Li family to see!

Would he give up an entire forest for one nonsensical woman?

Wasn't it all just to use her to surpass his biological brothers and smoothly inherit the family business?

And now, it's the freaking apocalypse. Whether the Li family even still exists is up in the air, and she still thinks she's that pampered young miss surrounded by admirers?

She even made up that lame lie about being bullied by Su Ze to try and provoke me into action?

Ridiculous!

The more Zheng Siyuan thought about it, the more ironic it felt. He couldn't help but laugh softly, a laugh filled with coldness.

From beginning to end, his true goal was only one thing—murder by a borrowed knife!

As long as he could fool Lu Jiaming into leading his men to their deaths, and as long as that guy named Su crippled Lu Jiaming's core combat force, the power structure at the top of the Global Financial Center would collapse instantly!

When that time came, he could take advantage of the void, unite the others who were being suppressed, and swallow the entire faction whole!

Others didn't know Su Ze's background, but he... he knew!

Zheng Siyuan raised his hand and pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

A stream of deep blue virtual data, visible only to him, flashed across the lenses.

[combat power reconnaissance glasses]

[Type: Special Item]

[Effect: Can detect the comprehensive combat power value of a designated target, unless the difference is more than tenfold.]

[Description: Combat power is not the only standard of measurement, but it is a very important one.]

He had snatched this thing from a player on the first day the apocalypse descended.

It was precisely by relying on this item.

That he was able to accurately judge who he could provoke and who he couldn't in the complex power struggles of the Global Financial Center, eventually latching onto Lu Jiaming's thick thigh.

And just this afternoon.

When tens of thousands of people gathered in the plaza at Jinghai University, he was behind a window, using binoculars to lock onto and observe the man standing on the high platform.

[Target: Su Ze]

[basic combat power: 101]

The moment he saw this number, Zheng Siyuan almost crushed the binoculars!

101 points!

And Lu Jiaming's combat power was barely 70 points!

What was even more terrifying was,

He then saw with his own eyes that Su Ze increased his speed by another 20 points,

And then, that so-called "All Hearts as One" Halo Li Xinran mentioned must have taken effect. After the Halo activated, Su Ze's combat power value exploded instantly!

It soared directly to a level that made his heart race just trying to calculate it!

Although that state didn't last long—returning to normal shortly after killing Liao Long.

But a while later, he took another look.

This look almost scared him to death!

Because he saw that Su Ze's basic combat power had soared to 230 points!!

[Personal Attributes: health 40, Strength 20, intelligence 40, Stamina 30, spirit 40, speed 60]

[basic combat power: 230]!

This was 230 points in his normal state! Without any buffs!!

His normal state alone was more than three times that of Lu Jiaming.

How could they even fight?

Fight with their heads?!

So, from the very beginning, he never intended to face Su Ze as an enemy.

As for Li Xinran?

So what if she became Su Ze's woman?

Is his life more important, or is a pre-apocalypse fiancée more important?

It was obvious!

Zheng Siyuan let out a long sigh, feeling that the current situation was incredibly difficult.

With the mountains of Lu Jiaming and his peers pressing down from above, two other major factions watching like tigers in the building, and an outside Su Ze whose combat power was irrationally monstrous...

It was truly a dead end.

"I can only take it one step at a time..."

He murmured to himself, calculating light flickering in the eyes behind his lenses.

"I must find a way to let Su Ze, this knife, slaughter Lu Jiaming... At the same time, I have to find a way to deal with Professor Qin's side; she must have harbored resentment for a long time too..."

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, the data on the lenses clearly displayed.

[Target: Zheng Siyuan]

[basic combat power: 50]

...

Time passed.

When a touch of white broke across the horizon, a cold mechanical prompt echoed in the minds of all players.

[6:00 AM has arrived. Daytime has descended.]

[Notice: All uncleared monsters within the area will re-enter a dormant state.]

The night's clamor and roars seemed to have been put on pause.

The Jinghai University campus returned to an eerie silence once again.

Before long, the doors of the Dormitories opened one after another.

Players walked out in twos and threes. Although their faces still carried a hint of fatigue, they were mostly filled with an unprecedented excitement and confidence.

They headed straight for the huge plaza at the school entrance to converge; it was already a sea of people.

After a night of rest and digestion, the things they learned yesterday had already taken root in their minds.

On the high platform.

Su Ze, Jiang Yuwan, An Lan, and others were already waiting.

Su Ze looked down at the dense crowd below. Over forty thousand players gathered together, forming a massive presence.

Without needing anyone to urge them, they spontaneously found their positions from yesterday and began a new day of skill training.

...

On the other side,

Lu Jiaming was wearing a combat suit.

Looking at those researchers in white lab coats hurrying about, his brow was furrowed tight.

He hesitated for a moment, but eventually, spotting an opportunity, he walked quickly to an independent lab bench.

At the lab bench, a woman wearing a white lab coat, a mask, and goggles was focused on operating the instruments in her hands.

Judging by her figure, she should still be quite young.

Lu Jiaming lowered his voice, his gaze scanning the surroundings to confirm no one was paying attention.

He leaned in and spoke at a volume only the two of them could hear.

"Professor Qin..."