Chapter Six: On the Eve of the Outbreak

Inside the villa, the young mother and her daughter enjoyed a warm dinner together. The little girl’s mother, Laura, was evidently a high-level professional. Even though she had changed into her pajamas upon returning home, her sharp, career-woman aura was unmistakable. Women from the Rosa Federation bore a resemblance to the Latin beauties from a previous life—tall, with defined features, a beauty that was striking yet tangible, easily stirring a man’s desire. Like her daughter, Laura’s eyes were a cool shade of gray.

“Why are you so happy today, sweetheart?” Laura asked, amused by her daughter’s beaming face. The little one had been bouncing around all evening, and Laura, who knew her well, doubted that their winter meal alone could have caused such joy.

“I’m happy because the food is delicious!” the little girl replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Really?” Laura looked skeptical, but the girl’s performance was flawless, betraying no hint of guilt. Laura hesitated but ultimately decided not to press further. She knew she hadn’t been a perfect mother. After winning custody of her daughter from her ex-husband, she hadn’t managed to become the devoted parent she’d envisioned. Renowned as a CEO in the business world, she was constantly being headhunted by major corporations. Driven to realize her own potential, she changed jobs nearly every two years, leaving her daughter’s life in constant flux.

Her daughter had become rather eccentric, struggling to get along with children her age. Laura’s work meant she was often late picking her up from preschool, drawing repeated complaints from teachers. If things continued this way, her ex-husband would undoubtedly petition the court once more for custody, arguing that she couldn’t provide a proper environment for their child. So, after moving to this new city, Laura had simply kept her daughter at home, opting not to enroll her in preschool again.

This arrangement had lasted for two years. While the villa was a safe enough haven, the neighbors were cold and distant. With so little contact with others, her daughter had grown peculiarly mature, teaching herself to use the internet and often cooking her own meals. It was touching, but as a mother, Laura couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Thus, she indulged her daughter’s whims. She had no intention of prying into the child’s secrets. Watching her little girl’s face smeared with sauce, Laura laughed, gently wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Why are you eating so fast? This isn’t how you’re supposed to enjoy it.”

Winter cuisine was all about atmosphere. The dishes themselves were light and served in small portions, meant to be savored slowly, sometimes stretching a meal for hours. The food was crafted with exquisite care—delicate, beautiful, bursting with flavor, and presented in fine dishes. Proper etiquette was essential; it wasn’t like the usual Federation fast food. The little girl had learned the rituals from online videos, once imitating them perfectly. But tonight, she was eating like an unruly child, which, to Laura’s surprise, made her happier. Children should be children, after all. Her daughter’s earlier precociousness, while impressive, had always left her with a pang of inexplicable sadness.

“Mama, can I take my food to my room? I want to eat while I’m on the computer,” the little girl pleaded.

“Hm?” Laura frowned. Her daughter had never had such bad habits before. But seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Laura relented with a sigh, “Alright, but don’t make a mess in your room. And don’t spend so much time online.”

“Okay, Mama!” the girl cheered, hugging Laura and planting a kiss on her cheek, leaving a trail of sauce behind. Laura glared at her in mock annoyance, but the little one had already loaded up a plate, wobbling toward the stairs.

“This child…” Laura mused, glancing at the engagement ring on her finger with a sigh. Perhaps she should speed up the process. She didn’t care much for the man, but her child deserved a good environment—and a father.

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Upstairs, hidden away in the little girl’s room, Guo Lang was absorbed in the latest Federation news. He quickly picked out the most crucial updates: First, Professor Kessler from the Federation’s Wilson Institute of Technology had extracted a mysterious element from the body of a deep-sea fish, now called X-Element. It could effectively neutralize cancerous cells in the human body. StarSource Group had purchased the patent and developed a powerful anti-cancer drug, vastly superior to the Federation’s latest bio-cell therapy, capable of permanently curing early and mid-stage cancer, and even offering significant benefits for advanced cases. StarSource Group had also produced a preventive vaccine based on the element, greatly reducing the risk of cancer.

This story had broken yesterday, and the drug was being released today. Guo Lang did some quick calculations. If the plan was to use this vaccine to draw in the maximum number of people, then the virus crafted by the undead would likely have an incubation period of about a week. That gave him just enough time to prepare, but only just. He had to survive the initial wave before he could take advantage of the chaos. Guo Lang knew this was a passive position, but there was little he could do.

The undead and the Void were technologically advanced, enjoying massive advantages in the early stages of any conflict. In fact, they were widely recognized as the strongest opening factions among the Ten Races, all of whom possessed top-tier technology. Each, however, had their own specializations. For example, Guo Lang’s current faction, the Night, excelled in spatial technology—wormhole jumps, spatial folding, traversing dimensions, and so on. But such technology was nearly useless in the early game, as it required energy sources thousands of times more powerful than nuclear energy just to open a simple wormhole. Large-scale spatial folding needed the resources of countless star systems. Thus, in the early and mid-game, the Night were at a significant disadvantage.

In his previous life, on low-magic worlds like this, whenever the undead or the Void appeared, most could only snatch at their coattails, never dreaming of competing for supremacy. The Night might be considered a strong faction early on, with advantages in individual power and basic units, but against the undead, even survival was far from guaranteed.

“Daddy… what are you looking at?” The little girl approached with a large plate of food and a small bowl of sauce, peering curiously at the computer.

Guo Lang’s face darkened, and he frowned, “I’m not your father. I have nothing to do with that man named Wang!”

What was the situation, really? Guo Lang hardly knew what to say. Alice came from a single-parent family, often left alone because her mother worked so much, forcing her to mature quickly. Recently, though, her mother had gone on a blind date with a young nobleman, and they had become engaged. That scoundrel’s name also happened to be Wang Sicong. The coincidence was so bizarre that Guo Lang was left speechless—was every rich kid in this world named Wang Sicong? It was as if the laws of the universe had been rewritten. He hadn’t come to shoulder this burden, only to pass it off. He had no intention of playing daddy!

“What’s wrong with being my dad?” Alice pouted. “You’d have such a pretty, adorable daughter.”

Guo Lang’s eye twitched. “You’re far from modest, aren’t you?”

“And my mom’s really pretty too! She has great legs, an E-cup chest, super sexy.”

“Really?” Guo Lang raised an eyebrow, then caught himself, “Ugh, don’t try to tempt me. You’re awfully sly for your age. Who taught you these things?”

“So you really don’t want her?”

Guo Lang replied righteously, “Nonsense. Who sells their mom like this? Besides, our sect’s tradition is to inspect the goods before taking responsibility. I’ll check her out in person tonight.”

Alice rolled her eyes in disdain and looked around, “Where’s Peach?”

Guo Lang sighed, dug out the AI sprite, and tossed it to Alice. Peach tried to escape, but the quick-handed Alice snatched it up, gleefully squeezing it into various shapes. The sprite’s exaggerated expressions made Alice giggle nonstop.

Ignoring Peach’s pleading glances, Guo Lang picked up his chopsticks and sampled the winter dish that Alice had brought.

It was reminiscent of D-planet’s Japanese cuisine, just a bit lighter. He tried a piece of arctic clam dipped in sauce and asked, “What’s this sauce? It’s really good.”

Alice beamed, “That’s Hatcho Red Miso. It used to be reserved for the royal court in Winterland. Haven’t you had it before, Daddy?”

Guo Lang paused, then replied heavily, “You don’t understand. In our country, we look down on everything from the Winter Empire. We boycott all their products—except for their adult films.”

“Adult films?” Alice’s eyes widened in innocent curiosity, looking as cute as could be. Guo Lang couldn’t resist pinching her cheek. “You’ll understand when you’re older. By the way, did you order the things I asked for?”

She didn’t seem to mind his familiarity; in fact, she looked pleased, nodding eagerly, “Yep! I ordered bread, bottled water, all kinds of canned goods, chocolate, and dehydrated vegetables. I spent a hundred thousand Federation credits.”

“Good girl!” Guo Lang was so delighted he kissed her, leaving her face smeared with sauce and making Alice giggle with joy.

Looking at the little girl who trusted him so completely, Guo Lang sighed. He hadn’t expected to start his adventure by swindling money from a child. It felt a bit shameful, but his goal was noble!

Having convinced himself, Guo Lang asked without a trace of guilt, “How much money do you have left?”

“Um…” Alice pursed her lips, thinking it over. “A little over eighty thousand.”

“Great!” Guo Lang scanned the online car listings and pointed to one, “This large military armored vehicle looks fantastic. We’ll go buy one tomorrow. Eighty thousand isn’t quite enough—ask your mom for a bit more later!”

“Okay!” Alice’s eyes sparkled as she nodded enthusiastically at the sight of the impressive vehicle.