Huiren Pharmacy.
The largest pharmaceutical supermarket chain on the entire planet.
"These medicinal herbs are all so expensive!"
Wang Hao pushed his cart through the pharmacy, picking out the herbs he needed. Every single one of the required herbs cost tens of thousands of yuan apiece, and buying them all would set him back at least two million yuan.
"Cultivation really is the most money-guzzling thing there is," Wang Hao sighed. It was no wonder ordinary people could rarely make a name for themselves—the sheer cost of cultivation alone was enough to crush the vast majority of them.
At the same time, a twinge of regret crossed Wang Hao's mind. Why hadn't he squeezed more money out of Lin Tingbai? For someone of Gao Damei's wealth, a few million, even a few tens of millions, was nothing but pocket change.
"Forget it. I'll just make a simplified version of the enhancement potion for now," Wang Hao sighed helplessly. He had originally planned to use a proper enhancement potion to make a breakthrough tonight, but under these circumstances, that hope was all but dashed.
Once Wang Hao had picked out his herbs, he headed to the checkout counter to pay. Just then, Xi Rongxuan walked over with a smile, pulled out his bank card with a suave flourish, and said, "Put it on my card."
Wang Hao took two steps back, his face etched with wariness. "Who are you? Let me tell you something—even though I'm adored by everyone I meet, make flowers bloom at a glance, send cars into tire blowouts with my presence, have always led the fashion tide and never been surpassed, and can charm both men and women alike... I'm not gay. If you're looking to sugar daddy me, you can give up right now."
Xi Rongxuan's mouth twitched. What kind of narcissistic lunatic would spout that much nonsense?
"I'm not gay either. I just want to be friends with you," Xi Rongxuan said, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
Wang Hao gave Xi Rongxuan a long, hard look, then dashed back into the pharmacy at lightning speed. He grabbed every last medicinal herb he still needed, along with two sets of herbs required for the Spiritual Power Surge elixir for Principal Zhongli.
At the sight of this, Xi Rongxuan's mouth twitched again. He had just gained a whole new understanding of just how shameless Wang Hao was. This man was rotten to the core, and the word "shameless" didn't even do him justice—he was downright audacious and unapologetically cheeky.
When Xi Rongxuan watched the scanner ring up a total of 3.98 million yuan, his heart ached like it was being squeezed in a vice.
For all that he was the leader of the Earth branch of the DY Terrorist Organization, this was a Tier 1 planet after all, and the annual operating funds allocated to him by his superiors were strictly limited.
Nearly four million yuan, just swiped away by Wang Hao—that was his entire annual operating budget, gone in an instant.
Even though his heart was bleeding, Xi Rongxuan kept his smile firmly in place, consoling himself that this sum was nothing compared to what he'd gain if he could recruit Wang Hao into the organization.
Once the payment was complete, they walked out of the pharmacy. Wang Hao slung the bag of herbs over his shoulder and headed straight for No. 11 High School.
Xi Rongxuan hurried after him. "Wang Hao, can we have a proper talk now?"
Wang Hao turned around, a look of disgust on his face. "Who the hell are you? I don't even know you. Piss off, and don't let me see you again."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Xi Rongxuan frozen in place, dumbfounded.
"This Wang Hao is really something... he turns his back on people the second he gets what he wants!" Xi Rongxuan stared, slack-jawed, realizing that recruiting Wang Hao into the organization was not going to be easy.
Even so, he had no intention of giving up. After all, he'd already spent so much money—if he quit now, everything would have been for nothing.
But just then, the departing Wang Hao suddenly doubled back, stopping right in front of Xi Rongxuan. "Give me your contact information."
Xi Rongxuan's heart leaped with joy. Could the heavens really be smiling on him? Was he about to recruit Wang Hao into the DY Organization this easily?
Without a moment's hesitation, Xi Rongxuan handed over all his contact details, every last one of them.
Wang Hao pocketed the contact info and waved a hand dismissively. "Alright, you can head back now. Next time I come to buy herbs, I'll be sure to call you. Remember to come and pay for me."
The second the words left Wang Hao's mouth, Xi Rongxuan's face went rigid. That bastard! That shameless, insolent bastard! All this time, he'd just been planning to hit him up for more money next time? How could there be such a brazen, unprincipled man in the world?
Meanwhile, Principal Zhongli, who had been hiding in a nearby corner, couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. That little bastard Wang Hao was truly devious to the core.
He'd been worried that Wang Hao would be tempted by the offer and join the DY Terrorist Organization just like that. Who would have thought he'd instead turned the organization into his own personal ATM?
If this ever got out, the top brass of the DY Organization would probably have Wang Hao beheaded on the spot.
...
It wasn't long before Wang Hao arrived back at No. 11 High School, making a beeline for the laboratory.
The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Mai Mengmeng, the adorable young girl, staring up at him with her big, dewy eyes. Her pretty face slowly flushed bright red, and she tucked her chin down against her chest, too shy to meet his gaze.
"Brother Wang Hao, are you feeling alright?" Mai Mengmeng's soft, timid voice rang out. She'd gone to watch both of his matches earlier, and had noticed that his personality was completely different from before—polar opposites, in fact.
Now she was terrified that something had gone wrong with his head when he'd hit it against the wall last time. Why else would he be acting like this?
Are you feeling alright?
Wang Hao froze for a moment, then gave Mai Mengmeng a careful once-over. Was this young girl hinting at something?
With that thought in mind, he raised an eyebrow and said, "How good my body is, you'll find out perfectly clearly if you come to my place tonight. I promise you'll feel it inside and out, every last bit."
Mai Mengmeng blinked in confusion, lifting her little head to stare at him curiously.
But when she saw that wicked grin on his face, she suddenly remembered what had happened at Xia Weiwei's place a few nights prior.
"Brother Wang Hao, you're so mean!"
Mai Mengmeng covered her flaming red face with her hands and sprinted out of the laboratory.
Wang Hao scratched the back of his head. What was that all about? Had he been too straightforward? That made sense, probably. She'd been dropping hints, and he'd just laid it all out on the table. That was really rude of him. He'd have to be more careful next time.
It was just a shame about the missed opportunity. He hoped that adorable, airheaded young girl would come back and give him another chance later.
"Forget it. Let's focus on making the enhancement potion first." Wang Hao pushed his wandering thoughts aside and set to work, crushing the medicinal herbs, heating them, filtering the mixture, and purifying the extract...
If anyone had seen him at that moment, they would have been frozen in shock by his terrifying hand speed. It had absolutely reached the level expected of a Tier 3 Alchemy Grandmaster...
Sacred Heart Hospital.
The finest large-scale hospital on Earth.
At that moment, in a private hospital room, Lin Tingbai lay on the hospital bed, his empty eyes fixed on the ceiling, his face completely vacant.
"Tingbai, say something! Don't scare your mother like this," Lin Tingbai's mother pleaded, tears streaming down her face like a bursting spring.
Lin Yang, Lin Tingbai's father, took a deep breath and said, "Find that Wang Hao. Kill him."
"Yes."
A deep voice rang out in the room, yet not a single figure could be seen...