Chapter Five: An Unexpected Fatherhood?

"Not a bad renovation," Guo Lang mused, stroking his chin as he slipped through the window and entered the room. He surveyed his surroundings: the interior was reminiscent of the Nordic style from Planet D—simple, serene, dominated by the omnipresent black and white, accented with sleek, futuristic furniture and bursts of green from carefully chosen plants. It suited Guo Lang’s taste perfectly. He was satisfied; once he dealt with the original owner, this place would be his.

Just as he was thinking about it, he heard movement downstairs. His heightened agility lent him a keen sense of perception, allowing him to catch the sound of footsteps—light, tentative, likely a child. Curious, he crept downstairs.

There, before his eyes, was a little girl, perhaps only five or six years old. Unlike his own chubby sister Xiaoting, this child was petite and doll-like, with golden, naturally curly hair and large brown eyes, like a living porcelain doll.

She was standing on tiptoe, expertly handling the kitchen appliances—a food processor, a blending knife, a rolling pin. On the table were flour, sugar, salt, butter, ice water, vodka, cherries, lemon juice, and cornstarch. She was making a fruit pie!

Whose child was this, so clever and skilled at such a young age? He himself hadn’t even learned to make fried rice until he was in the ninth grade!

Watching the earnest, adorable girl, Guo Lang hesitated. Damn, this was going to be difficult with a child involved. Ideally, he’d hoped for a paunchy nouveau riche—like those coal barons from the Central Asia District of Planet D—someone who’d even have a mistress tucked away in this villa. He’d take care of the fat man, and then... well, the possibilities were endless.

Instead, he’d stumbled into a scene of familial warmth. Such a lovely little girl surely had parents who cherished her. In light of that, Guo Lang was unwilling to seize the home. Maybe he should look for another target.

"Master, it seems only the little girl is at home. She’s an easy mark!" Xiao Tao’s voice echoed in his mind.

Guo Lang hesitated—not out of sentimentality, but principle. Everyone has their bottom line, and his was clear. "Do I look like that kind of person?" he retorted righteously.

"Master, in this alternate world, you must learn to be ruthless, or you won't survive!"

“Ruthless, my ass!” Guo Lang rolled his eyes. "Back where I'm from, anyone who harms a little girl is lower than an animal! You wouldn’t understand!"

As they argued, the phone rang downstairs. The little girl paused her work and skipped to the coffee table to answer. "Hello, Mommy!"

"Sweetheart, have you been good at home? Not getting into trouble?" Although Guo Lang was upstairs, his heightened perception allowed him to catch snatches of the conversation.

"I’ve been very good! Mommy, when will you come home?" the little girl replied sweetly.

“Master, she’s even mimicking the cute way of speaking! Quick, get rid of her and seize the resources!” Xiao Tao urged, puffed with indignation.

"Shut up!" Guo Lang ignored his companion, moving closer to eavesdrop.

"Later, go buy some seafood. Someone brought special sauces from Winterland. Tonight, we’ll have Winter cuisine. By the way, is there enough money on your card?"

"Plenty..." the little girl replied adorably. "The two hundred thousand you put in last time is still there."

"Two hundred thousand?" Guo Lang blinked, confused. "What’s the cost of living like here?"

Xiao Tao replied, "According to my information, the Rosa Federation is the world’s largest economy. The financial environment is healthy, currency value is high—about like your Central Asia District on Planet D fifteen years ago!"

"Fifteen years ago?" Guo Lang fell silent, recalling when a bowl of noodles cost only one yuan and twenty thousand would buy a house. What did two hundred thousand mean here?

"Bye, Mommy!" The little girl seemed to have finished her call. She hung up and turned to continue her cherry lattice pie, only to see a black-clad figure looming—no, a cold, intimidating presence staring at her.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked innocently.

Face dark, Guo Lang finally introduced himself in a heavy tone, "Wang Sicong."

He did not feel the least bit guilty using that name; that pest had always deserved a beating in his previous life. Such a shameless act—robbing a little girl—was right up his alley. Having convinced himself, Guo Lang was about to demand the bank card and password when he noticed that the fear on the girl's delicate face vanished, replaced by excitement and nervous anticipation.

Stunned, Guo Lang wondered if his new appearance was so enchanting that he could now charm young girls. Damn, this Nightblood lineage is impressive, he thought.

"Are you... my new daddy?"

"Uh..." Though there was no wind, Guo Lang was left in a state of utter confusion. "New... daddy?"

-------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the heart of the city where Guo Lang resided, within the opulent Lowell Court Villas, a follower of the Undead—the group that concerned Guo Lang—sat on the central villa’s sofa, conversing with its mistress.

Lowell Court was the most luxurious city-center villa estate in New Newton, the main city of the Rosa Federation. Its residents were the elite—the major shareholders of prominent conglomerates or influential politicians, the very top echelon of the Federation.

At its very center lived Fiona, the largest shareholder and chairwoman of StarSource Group. With a personal fortune in the hundreds of billions, Fiona was one of the most powerful figures in the Federation. Those who knew her understood that her private residence had never welcomed visitors; even the Federation President was received elsewhere. Yet today, three young followers of the Lord of Death had arrived uninvited.

Lowell Court, a symbol of power and wealth, assigned professional bodyguards to every villa—battle-hardened veterans, equal in skill to international mercenaries, each earning a seven-figure salary annually, with the head of security commanding even more.

Fiona had always trusted the security of this estate. While there were terrorists in the Federation, Lowell Court had never suffered a single incident. She could not fathom how these three young men had entered her home.

"Esteemed Ms. Fiona, you haven’t responded to our proposal for days. You don’t answer your phone, nor come to the office. We had no choice but to find you here!" said their leader, a tall, slender youth who looked like a nineteenth-century Englishman—elegant, noble, his eyes tinged with green, not yet patterned but clearly advanced to the next level of evolution.

Another was burly, with rough stubble and occasional green flashes in his eyes; his gaze upon Fiona was openly lecherous. The last, pale-faced, stood unnoticed in a shadowy corner, his features always obscured.

Had Guo Lang been present, he would have been shocked—these three were Undead, but each had evolved differently. Clearly, they had unlocked the Undead’s technology vault and gained systematic evolution plans, putting them far ahead of Guo Lang.

Most Undead chose the mage path, given the high spiritual affinity of their bloodline, but not all did. There were strength- and agility-based professions among them—Black Knights or Phantom Assassins—but becoming a professional was difficult; the first step was to unlock the race’s technology vault.

Unlocking the vault required prerequisites. For instance, Guo Lang’s Nightblood clan needed to plant the seed of a Tree of Life at a base, grow it, and have the little spirits it birthed gather the world’s resources. These weren’t game-like resources—no gold or lumber—but the planet’s own energy. Then, once a Tree of Knowledge was established and populated with researchers, the Nightblood could reconstruct their science, culture, and growth systems, finally unlocking the next genetic evolution.

But harvesting a planet’s energy at will would incur the wrath of its Gaia consciousness, inviting hostility and attack. Military force was required for defense. This world’s technology was not primitive; nuclear weapons existed, and reckless action could draw a missile from a nation’s army. Clearly, these three had found a way around this, likely under some powerful protection, allowing their base to avoid disaster.

"Your intentions puzzle me," Fiona said coolly. As a successful woman who had seen countless high-stakes situations, she remained unflappable even now. "You want to use my influence to release your drug, but only if the state waives inspection. Yet the Federation banned such exemptions twenty years ago. Why insist?"

"Our drug has no issues. You’ve seen proof yourself—wasn’t your breast cancer cured?" the leader replied.

Fiona was unmoved, her tone frosty. "That’s exactly why I’m curious. If there’s nothing wrong with your drug, why fear inspection? I even made you shareholders in StarSource to thank you. Privately, I owe you nothing. If you insist on distribution, I must know why."

The young man stood, offering a flawless noble’s bow. "Madam Chairwoman, we refuse inspection because many ingredients are confidential. You may argue that state safety protocols guarantee secrecy, but as someone in your position, do you believe that?"

"Then why should I help you?"

"Our medicines are not limited to cancer. We have drugs that extend life and slow aging. I believe you’d be interested."

Fiona sneered. "You think I’d believe that?"

"You wore the same expression when you first saw our cancer cure. And yet?"

Fiona hesitated, then fell silent. The allure of longevity was irresistible, even if she suspected their motives. What did those at the summit of power crave, if not more time to enjoy their dominance?

"I want proof of your drug’s effects first."

"Of course!" The young man’s smile was devilish. "But given your history of turning hostile after the fact, I believe we need further assurances."

Fiona grew wary. "What sort of assurances?"

The burly man stepped forward, his gaze lecherous. "For example, a more... intimate relationship."

Fiona glanced over the three, gave a small, provocative smile, and slipped off her jacket, revealing her stunning figure. "All three of you at once?"