326-330

Chapter 326: A Relatively Lucky Half-Life 

After Denton left the gun shop, he felt annoyed and uneasy. 

"Damn it, I messed up with something like this... I messed up with something like this!" 

He slammed the steering wheel twice, cursing himself mentally: "I'm so stupid... How can I avenge Elizabeth when I'm this stupid?" 

Actually, at that moment, he wanted to slap himself twice more, but he was about to return to the hospital to see Elizabeth, so it was best not to show any signs on his face. 

Denton rubbed his face, smoothing out the marks from where he'd hit himself at the gun shop, then drove his car out of the alley. 

"At least I still got a good number of handguns and bullets," he thought to himself. "These are enough for me to carry out my plan, or rather, even without these things, I'd still have to do it." 

The black van circled through Central City, weaving through streets. After fifteen minutes of circling, Denton confirmed there were no tailing vehicles and then drove to Central City Hospital. 

He carried a bag of pastries upstairs. Just yesterday, due to his long-term unemployment, Elizabeth had been transferred from the ICU to a regular ward, and his savings were depleted. 

Denton's emotions were complex. He didn't know how to feel about it. He felt guilty for not being able to protect his wife, but Elizabeth saw things differently. 

"I don't have much time, Denton," she said. "I don't want to die in the ICU." 

"It's too quiet in there, no one talks, no one sings, and I can't see you... It's better if I'm in a regular ward. You can stay by my bedside, sing to me, and bring me pastries." 

He didn't say anything, only felt ashamed. He hadn't been able to save either his life's work or his life's companion. 

"When he was young, he was just an ordinary bookworm. When he grew up, he liked biological science, so he successfully completed his doctorate and became a researcher." 

Sunlight streamed through the window into the hospital room, shining warmly on the hospital bed. 

The person on the bed was telling Cody her story. 

"That's when I met him. If I think about it carefully, I don't think I've walked with him for too long, until now—maybe only a decade or so?" 

The black-haired woman lay on the bed, reminiscing and speaking, and as she spoke, she seemed to drift off. 

"A decade or so isn't long?" 

Cody casually handed her a chocolate: "Special blend, want to try?" 

"Thanks, Old Ma." 

Elizabeth smiled as she unwrapped the chocolate: "A decade or so is so short. I actually wanted to be with him for a few more decades... too bad I wasn't lucky." 

After speaking, she peered around the room and the hallway before putting the chocolate in her mouth. 

--- 

"It's been so long since I've had this," she explained quietly while chewing on the liquor-filled chocolate. "When I was in the ICU, the doctors wouldn't let me eat anything, but now that I'm out, I can secretly eat." 

"When you get home, just tell Denton to buy them for you," Cody shrugged, stood up, and bid farewell: "See you next time. Remember to buy my pastries." 

"If I see you again, I'll definitely buy them." Elizabeth smiled: "Old Ma, can you turn on the TV? I want to watch the news." 

"Sure." 

As Denton went upstairs, Cody was adjusting the news channel in the hospital room. 

"Oh, great, it's Denton," he said happily. "Come quickly, I can't figure out your channels. Your wife wants to watch the news." 

He wasn't lying. In fact, for a while, Cody hadn't even watched much TV. Computers and mobile phones were his most common sources of information—he hadn't bothered with remote controls or channel guides at all. 

"Old Ma? How are you—" 

Denton's words were cut off, his eyes already filled with intense vigilance. Meeting Old Ma at the gun shop was already quite a coincidence, and now meeting him again at the hospital, where he had even found Elizabeth's room directly, made Denton nervous. 

If he had ill intentions, Elizabeth would become his best leverage. 

"Did he follow me? Or does he actually know what I did today? Did he investigate me? Was he sent by someone?" 

Fortunately, Elizabeth spoke at that moment. 

"Denton, you're back? Old Ma came to the hospital to deliver pastries today, and I happened to see him, so I forced him to chat for a while and extorted a few pastries." 

"It wasn't really forced or extorted," Cody shrugged. "Business can be done anytime. I'm not in that much of a hurry." 

Denton took the remote, conveniently switched to Central City News, and then said to Elizabeth, "Elizabeth, wait a moment, I'll pay him for the pastries." 

"Oh, okay." 

"Denton, it's just a few pastries, no need for—" 

"Don't speak yet, I have something to ask you." 

In the hospital hallway, Denton spoke to Cody in a low voice: "Are you really here to deliver pastries?" 

"If I can deliver to a gun shop, why can't I deliver to a hospital? It's normal for my craft to get orders anywhere, right?" 

"Then did you tell Elizabeth about me working at the gun shop?" 

"No, why? Are you hiding going there from her?" 

"I... I'm afraid she'll worry. Anyway, just don't mention it." 

"That's easy." 

The two quickly finished their brief discussion. Cody returned to the hospital room to say goodbye to Denton and Elizabeth, then went downstairs and left. 

Meanwhile, Denton was peeling an apple for Elizabeth by her bedside. 

"Denton, aren't you going to the lab this afternoon?" 

"...I snuck out for a bit to see you." 

"You've been sneaking out too many times lately." Elizabeth's pretty eyebrows furrowed. "I'm right here; I'm not going to grow legs and run away." 

"It's okay," Denton forced a smile at her. "You're more important." 

Elizabeth reached out and touched Denton's face, wanting to say something, but then her attention was drawn to the news on the television. 

"This morning, a fire broke out in a residential building. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the entire structure. Currently, the fire has been extinguished by firefighters, and the police are searching for the cause of the fire. Fortunately, no one was injured in this blaze." 

"It's worth noting that a young girl and several men and women at the scene repeatedly emphasized that they were instantly rescued from the fire by a red lightning bolt. However, others outside the fire scene did not seem to have witnessed this strange red lightning. Currently, we can only conclude that this was due to a lack of oxygen inside the fire, causing collective hallucinations among some individuals." 

"Red lightning..." 

Denton, peeling the apple, glanced at the news and thought silently, "Could it be someone else like me? Just with different abilities?" 

As it turns out, Denton's mind was indeed much sharper than Clyde's. 

And the news broadcast on television continued. 

"Now for our next story—this one is about a gun shop." 

Denton's heart suddenly tensed. 

Chapter 327: We Unite  

"This morning, a gun shop reported to the police that someone had robbed firearms from their store. Central City Police Department immediately responded and arrived at the scene as quickly as possible." 

"Elizabeth, there's nothing interesting on the news," Denton suddenly said. "I'll change the channel for you." 

"? But I really want to watch the news still... " 

Elizabeth protested while secretly tucking the remote control into her blanket. 

Denton's mouth twitched. At that moment, Elizabeth made him want to laugh, but looking at the TV, he also felt like crying. 

The news anchor couldn't see the couple's interaction; he continued to calmly read his script. 

"After investigation, the owner finally admitted that it was his own mistake. Due to a customer's overly fierce appearance, he mistakenly took this customer for a robber. This police report was a false alarm, and the police did not find any traces of gunfights or brawls in the store." 

"Currently, the store owner has been fined five thousand dollars. Central City Police Department reminds everyone that reporting a crime is a very serious matter. Please do not make false reports for pranks or curiosity. If the situation is severe, the person making the report will face a hefty fine, and in serious cases, criminal penalties." 

"Now, for our next news story..." 

Elizabeth looked at Denton beside her. He was staring at the TV screen, his face showing some confusion, some bewilderment, and also some surprise. 

"Mr. Denton, don't get too engrossed," she couldn't help but laugh. "You just said it was boring." 

Denton didn't know how to answer; his mind was now filled with doubts. 

"Why didn't that store owner tell the police the truth? Instead, he took a five-thousand-dollar fine? Doesn't he want to recover his losses?" 

"Fear of retaliation? Or was someone silencing him?" 

He couldn't figure it out, but at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least Elizabeth wouldn't know about his crime. 

The feeling of doubt lingered, but Denton couldn't find an answer. He decided that after he had done what he needed to do, he would go and ask the gun shop owner. 

"Elizabeth," he said, "I'll have to leave in a while." 

"That's more like it," Elizabeth extended her hand. "A hug before you go." 

"I'll leave later." 

"Can't I have a hug now?" 

"Yes, yes..." 

After the hug, Denton's gaze lingered on his wife's face for a moment. He noticed something strange. 

"Elizabeth, are you looking better?" 

"Hmm? Am I?" 

"Ugh, what a mushy couple." 

Cody closed his phone and rubbed his arms, getting goosebumps: "I shouldn't have watched them interact. A bit more and they'd start making out." 

"Boss, where are we going now, meow?" Dincat asked. 

"First, let's get things straight," Cody replied. "I just went upstairs and saw that alcohol can only significantly alleviate Elizabeth's condition. She won't die for now—but items that remove abnormal statuses and system life recovery can't permanently cure her illness." 

"This kind of congenital, inborn, genetically caused disease seems to be considered part of their original life form—Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, and Solomon Grundy were all like this. They can only be treated temporarily, not fully cured." 

"Boss, what should we do, meow?" 

"She needs a heart transplant." 

At this point, Cody patted his motorcycle: "Sanbengzi, tell me about Denton's research." 

"Denton Black, a genius in biology and medicine. After completing his doctorate early, he met his wife and then joined the medical department of Stagg Enterprises to begin his research work." 

"His primary project was cell cloning and organ transplantation. It had great prospects, and the project progressed relatively smoothly. He basically overcame all difficulties by working day and night in the lab with his team, tackling them little by little." 

"The answer is right there on the surface..." Cody sighed: "That's why his mental state was so unstable before, that's why he said things like 'Only I can save Elizabeth,' and that's why he said I could see him on TV or in the newspaper." 

He picked up his phone and clicked on the link he saw this morning. The big headline he had seen earlier stood out so prominently. 

Simon Stagg's Central City Annual Best Contribution Award Ceremony to Be Held Soon 

"Now, everyone knows that Simon Stagg, this 'genius scientist' and 'genius entrepreneur,' completed this research. No one knows the name of the little researcher, Denton Black." 

"Denton Black was dismissed by Stagg Enterprises last month. The research patents and property rights related to human cell cloning and organ transplantation have been registered. Now, they entirely belong to Simon Stagg." 

"So, the matter is very simple here," Cody summarized: "Denton originally wanted to use his research to save his wife after completing it, but Simon Stagg usurped his results and kicked him directly out of the company." 

"My only curiosity is, does he really not understand how much a genius can help a company? Or is it simply short-sightedness coupled with greed?" 

Sanbengzi immediately responded: "Searching... Search complete. Simon Stagg, owner of Stagg Enterprises. According to his personal electronic file, this big boss has been involved in over two hundred lawsuits to date, most of which concern property rights and patent copyrights. The plaintiffs almost all worked for Stagg Enterprises." 

"My goodness... It seems he's simply both stupid and evil—how did a guy like that survive until today?" 

"Due to Stagg Enterprises' well-established legal team and ample funding, most of these cases were lost. The patents brought tens of billions in profit to Stagg Enterprises. Simon's most recent case's plaintiff was precisely Denton Black." 

"According to surveillance footage, the desperate Black's last experimental subject before leaving the company was himself." 

"Classic," Cody commented. "It's the same with Man-Bat, and Mr. Freeze. Scientist experiments—accident mutation—becomes a villain; I suspect the comic editorial department has formed some kind of path dependence now." 

"Old Ma, you need to make up your mind quickly. We don't have much time." 

"I know what you mean. By this afternoon, Denton will most likely go after Stagg for revenge." Cody thought for a moment: "Stagg deserves to die, but Denton can't be the one to do it, or Elizabeth will become a widow." 

"You want to do it yourself?" 

"We'll talk about that later—can you find evidence of Denton's case online?" 

"Evidence is easy to find, but Denton probably won't win this lawsuit." 

"Who said he's fighting it alone?" Cody said. "Find loopholes and evidence from Stagg's past infringement cases as well." 

"We unite." 

Chapter 328: One of the Safest Safe Houses 

Gathering evidence and contacting victims would still take a few days, but Simon Stagg's award ceremony was scheduled for this afternoon. 

Cody raised his hand and checked his pink Peppa Pig watch: "The gun store and hospital business took quite a while... It's 1 PM now. What time is Stagg's Annual Best Contribution Award ceremony?" 

San Bengzi replied instantly: "3 PM." 

"Plenty of time. Let's head to Stagg Tower first, then I'll cook up a couple of dishes for Da Mao." 

"Long live, Boss nya!" 

Cody hopped on his motorcycle, Da Mao jumped onto his head, and San Bengzi, riding like the wind, arrived at the foot of a tall building. 

He wondered if all major corporate headquarters liked to put on a show with their architecture. Stagg Industries Tower looked like a glass Rubik's Cube with an uneven surface, asymmetrical and irregular. However, because it was all glass and the design was quite innovative, it didn't look bad. 

"Blind guess this wasn't Stagg's idea either." 

"Correct. The building's designer was involved in one of those two hundred-plus lawsuits." 

"Relying on others has become a habit..." 

The man, cat, and vehicle arrived at an alley outside the building. Da Mao looked around secretively: "Boss, no one's around nya." 

"Perfect." 

Cody took out a thin piece of wallpaper and gently placed it on the wall. The paper sensed the flat surface and immediately unrolled, flattening itself and sticking tightly to the wall. 

The pattern on the paper was a large door, about two meters high and one meter wide. Once the wallpaper was flat, the door pattern instantly came to life, with delicate wood grain on the panels and the bright gleam of a metal handle, as if you could reach out and touch it. 

So Cody really did reach out. He pulled the doorknob and opened the door. 

"San Bengzi, are you coming in?" 

"I haven't finished my energy cube yet." 

"Then leave a part of yourself outside to disguise and keep watch." 

"No problem." 

Da Mao jumped directly from Cody's head into the doorway. Cody followed closely, and San Bengzi, transforming into motorcycle form, was the last to enter. Before going in, one of its motorcycle handlebars automatically detached and fell to the ground. 

Click!—the door closed. Only the striking wooden door wallpaper remained on the alley wall. The motorcycle handlebar immediately began to differentiate into countless fine, microscopic particles of powder, automatically moving upwards along the base of the wall, adhering to the surface of the wallpaper. It completely covered the paper's pattern, then changed color to match the texture and color of the wall. 

Even if someone genuinely walked through the alley, or even felt this section of the wall with their hand, this thin, less than one-fifth of a millimeter, smoothly transitioned small protrusion at the edges of the wall would not attract any attention. 

This was why Cody abandoned the idea of using the warehouse as a safe house—because he had a better option. 

Wallpaper House (Small-scale, Residential Style) Price: 300,000 USD Asset Points Note: Think it's too cheap? This is a product from Doraemon's future intergalactic colonial era. When spatial resources are no longer scarce, most of the wallpaper house's price is actually just for the spatial folding technology used. Note 2: This room comes with basic furniture and appliances, but its power supply requires additional payment—or you can provide your own energy source. 

"Autobots are just too versatile," Cody, walking inside, looked at the surveillance footage from outside on his phone and couldn't help but exclaim: "Nanobots are virtually indistinguishable from omnipotent." 

"Only a small part of me is made of nanobots," San Bengzi replied. "Without skeletal support, if I were entirely made of nanobots, our combat effectiveness in large forms would not be guaranteed; there would be significant weaknesses." 

"It's enough." 

San Bengzi looked up. Since Cody bought this item a short while ago, this was the first time she had been inside this door. 

Inside the door was a relatively spacious area, roughly the size of a typical one-hundred-square-meter residence. Furniture and decorations were all present: kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom—and aside from not having a television, appliances like a stove, refrigerator, water heater, and air conditioner were all there. 

"Honestly, I strongly suspect this invention was used in their world to deal with nuclear war." 

"Boss, it's time to cook nya." 

"...Cody looked at the highly intelligent Da Mao and couldn't resist roughly rubbing its face, then directly tossing it into the kitchen. 

"Greedy little thing, go practice your cooking!" 

"Boss, this isn't what we agreed on nya..." 

Da Mao, looking disappointed, used its small round hands to pick up a spatula and went to the refrigerator to get vegetables. 

Cody ignored its clumsy acting and opened the system store's storage location: "Next is San Bengzi's energy cube..." 

He pulled out a regular, square, purple energy cube container from the system (though San Bengzi insisted it was pink, Cody stuck to his opinion). Its material was transparent and smooth, but not glass. In fact, it wasn't any Earth material; it was a native Cybertronian product. 

San Bengzi immediately transformed from motorcycle to a light humanoid form. Her eyes shining, she reached out and took the container, flipped open its lid, and poured all the purple liquid inside into her mouth. 

That's right, the energy cube was just a container; the purple liquid energy inside was the real thing, which is why the energy cubes glowed purple. 

Glug glug glug—she looked like a drunkard chugging from a bottle. 

"Take it easy," Cody rolled his eyes, then walked towards the small machine in the center of the room: "That whole energy cube should last you at least a year. If I hadn't bought one for you before, I would never have thought robots could get drunk in my life—good thing you don't act crazy when you're drunk, otherwise I'd really have to control you." 

"Burp, 'drunk' is your human term," San Bengzi's voice was already a bit wobbly: "We call this, burp! Overcharged... causing temporary short circuits... in the brain's neural pathways!" 

After saying this, San Bengzi collapsed onto the floor, emitting soft, even snores. 

Sparks occasionally popped and crackled on her body. 

"No," Cody looked at San Bengzi on the floor and deadpanned, "I'm pretty sure this is called being drunk." 

He reached behind him and took another pink cube from the small machine, then put San Bengzi's empty container and the solar charging battery from her vehicle into the machine. 

The machine silently restarted. The energy within the battery was continuously converted into concentrated purple high-energy liquid, filling one-tenth of the cube. 

Single-Serving Energy Cube Production Device (Earth-Specialized Modified Type, Convertible: Chemical Energy, Electrical Energy, Internal Energy, Thermal Energy, and other Earth Energies) Price: 200,000 USD Asset Points Note: Comes with a high-efficiency solar charging battery device upon purchase. Note 2: Energy cubes are highly compatible, high-quality energy sources that can power most electronic devices. 

Chapter 329: Plans Go Awry 

Originally, the single-serving energy cube production device was already on Cody's planned purchase list. Although it had been mentioned before that San Bengzi could get by on Earth's energy, occasionally buying an energy cube for her to improve her life would last a year. 

However, in high-intensity combat, San Bengzi's energy would still be rapidly depleted. After all, the energy consumption of a roughly half-ton tricycle is certainly a bit different from that of a robot with superior computing power and a transformed weight of tens of tons. 

As for why her physical size changes so drastically after transformation, Cody wasn't sure. He once asked San Bengzi this question, and her reply was: "Transformation elements are not Earth elements. We don't understand what you're rambling about with the law of conservation of mass." 

In short, there's no need to understand everything about Transformers. 

Upon seeing that the lowest-tier wallpaper house required its own power supply, Cody simply put the energy production device inside the wallpaper house. Conveniently, San Bengzi could use her solar panel exterior to collect power every day while vending. After charging, she could put it into the machine to convert it into energy cubes, which would then serve as the energy storage for both San Bengzi and the room. 

If Cody ever needed other electronic devices requiring significant power in the future, energy cubes could also serve as a universal power source. 

Cody picked up his phone again. Although San Bengzi was "out," the nanobots outside the door were still faithfully performing their disguise, vigilance, and monitoring duties, which made him feel very secure. 

Just then, Da Mao's voice came from the kitchen. 

"Boss, boss, I can't find the seasonings nya." 

"Ugh, you silly Da Mao..." 

Cody turned and entered the kitchen: "Next time I'll get you a cat-friendly spice rack." 

The time came to 2:30 PM. Denton left Elizabeth's hospital room and walked out of Central City Hospital. 

"If I'm lucky enough this time..." he thought, "I can make the whole incident look like a simple robbery gone wrong, and I won't be discovered." 

"It definitely won't be discovered," he thought. "It definitely won't. I still need to spend what little time is left with Elizabeth." 

He could have actually gone after Stagg after Elizabeth's passing, but in reality, a glimmer of hope still lingered in his heart. If Stagg died, he might still have a chance to reclaim his experimental patent results from the Stagg Corporation, which would be in disarray, with plummeting stock prices and desperate to quell any trouble. 

For Elizabeth, it was a hope for life; for him, he had to race against time. 

He took a taxi to a building near Stagg Tower, entered the building, and descended a surveillance-free staircase to the underground parking lot—where a black minivan was parked. 

As a quick-witted scientist, Denton had, of course, meticulously planned his day's criminal itinerary. After robbing the gun store that morning, he had driven the black minivan near Stagg Tower, preparing for the assassination that afternoon. 

"One, two... twelve fully loaded guns, twenty-four spare magazines." 

After carefully counting his hidden firearms and ammunition in the deserted parking lot, Denton immediately put on his hood, donned his jacket and pants, then started the car and drove out. 

The time was 2:57 PM. The taxi from the hospital had encountered a slight traffic jam, causing a two-minute delay from his original plan. However, Denton hadn't intended to enter early anyway. It was best to let everyone planning to attend the award ceremony enter first, so his minivan could avoid public eyes and drive into the back alley next to Stagg Tower. 

When he reached his intended position, his watch read exactly 3:00 PM. 

"Not yet," he thought. "Stagg's speech won't start at exactly 3:00. I'll wait another eight minutes. He still has to mingle with those high-society people; he won't leave directly at 3:10." 

At 3:08 PM, Denton checked his watch, split into five duplicates, each holding a handgun. 

They also tucked a handgun into their waistbands and carried spare magazines in their pockets. The six figures, carrying large bags, quickly ran out of the minivan and entered Stagg Tower. 

"There are six exits in the venue." As he ran, Denton recalled the detailed map of the venue and the security point design: "Each of us will control one exit to prevent anyone from escaping halfway. We'll make it look like a robbery. After killing Stagg, we'll run back to the car from the exit nearest the back alley." 

"Stagg must die." 

"Speaking of which, I find my own story quite legendary." 

In the lobby of Stagg Tower, a man's voice echoed from the microphone, sounding quite proud. 

"I was once just an introverted, shy, and inarticulate freshman at Central City University, but now, I can proudly stand here before you—to accept this Annual Best Contribution Award." 

The white-haired man in his sixties stood on the podium, holding his honorary trophy, sharply dressed in a suit. He spoke enthusiastically, delivering a speech about his legendary life to the crowd below. He looked every bit the successful individual, the elite of high society—and, of course, he genuinely was a successful individual. 

Both his expensive suit and the vast Stagg Corporation undoubtedly transformed into a dazzling halo, adding immense persuasiveness to his speech and even imbuing him with a touch of legend. 

The high-society individuals in the audience, whether corporate executives, government officials, or children of the elite, were all dressed in top-tier suits, wearing expensive watches and carrying designer bags, listening to Stagg's speech. Their faces were filled with smiles of agreement, they clapped and sighed, finding it marvelous, as if resonating with the enterprise magnate's speech on some level of shared elite success. 

"In any case, I am incredibly grateful to receive this honor," Stagg continued. "And for me, the true glory is knowing that my research work in organ transplantation can give people a second chance at life." 

"Thank you, esteemed guests, for attending. Today, I am profoundly grateful." 

The moment Stagg finished his speech, the crowd of applauding and fawning individuals swarmed him. These were the elites eager to forge connections and collaborations, all eyeing the immense profits within this research. 

At the edge of the crowd, Barry Allen, also in a suit, stood with Iris. However, they didn't push forward, partly because they couldn't compete with the wealthy and influential crowd, and partly because they were merely observers, attending as science enthusiasts. 

Just then, Stagg's bodyguard whispered something in his ear, which brought a look of delight to Stagg's face. 

"Really? That pharmaceutical giant wants to collaborate with me?" 

"Yes." 

"Get the car ready, we're leaving now." 

The bodyguard's expression subtly shifted. 

"What about the socializing?" 

"When there's a wolf to collaborate with, why bother with these little flies attracted by the scent?" 

Chapter 330: Barry's Down Again  

"Excuse me, Mr. Stagg?" 

As Stagg and his head of security politely declined other people's invitations to chat and hurried towards the exit of the venue, a female voice suddenly came from nearby. 

He turned his head and saw a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes speaking to him. Her demeanor was quite polite, and she spoke like a student: "Mr. Stagg, I'd like to ask if you could possibly guide me with my thesis?" 

Stagg's eyes quickly scanned her up and down, not stopping his steps. Her attire seemed unremarkable, neither stunning nor revealing. She genuinely appeared to want guidance on her thesis, so he wasn't interested. 

Firstly, he wasn't really qualified to guide her, and secondly, he had no interest in wasting his time. 

Iris's young and pretty face did pique his interest slightly, but then he reconsidered. For someone of his wealth, there were already countless people subtly and overtly flattering him. Among them were many attractive women of various backgrounds and ages. His private life had always been colorful, and the endings always involved paying them off and dismissing them cleanly. 

This student in front of him didn't seem like she would be easily dismissed. 

"I'm sorry, Miss." 

He waved her off, dismissing her inquiry, and walked out through the emergency exit with his head of security. 

"Alright..." Iris sighed. She and Barry, who was beside her, now realized that this prominent entrepreneur didn't seem to be the approachable type: "Since you don't have time, I'll just write whatever I want about your speech in my thesis." 

Although Iris's idea was clever, in a few days, she would find that plans never keep up with changes. Her thesis would most likely have to replace Stagg's name entirely. 

Coincidentally, half a minute after Stagg left Stagg Tower in his car, Denton rushed to the venue with his gun. 

Five duplicates plus the original body—six people entered six different emergency exits. As he quietly observed the venue from an unnoticed entrance, he was surprised to find that he couldn't see Stagg. 

"Strange, where did he go?" 

He double-checked repeatedly but still couldn't find Stagg. He looked at his watch; it was barely nine past three. 

Denton was an employee of Stagg Enterprises, and he knew Stagg's habits well. That old man always loved socializing with the elite; there was no way he'd leave this early... So he had to be either in the crowd or in the restroom. 

With that thought, Denton immediately pulled out his handgun, ready to enter and "rob"—once Stagg appeared, he would pretend to be an emotional robber and shoot him in the head. 

However, his phone suddenly made a sound—a call inexplicably connected automatically. 

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" 

Denton cursed internally. The gun shop robbery in the morning had already gone awry, but at least there were no consequences. If something went wrong at this crucial moment, Stagg would escape. 

However, Elizabeth's voice came through the phone, which made Denton hesitate before hanging up. 

"Don't go, Denton," the familiar female voice said through the phone. "Stagg has already left." 

These words struck Denton's mind like a thunderbolt. In that instant, he thought of many things. 

"Did Elizabeth lie to me?" 

"Does she know what I went to do?" 

"Why does she know Stagg left?" 

His most familiar confidante suddenly turned into a mysterious figure, seemingly knowing everything about him. This stark contrast sent a chill down Denton's spine, giving him goosebumps. Fortunately, Elizabeth's voice continued, interrupting his wild thoughts. 

"Don't be confused. I'm not Elizabeth. I just hacked into your phone and used a voice changer to talk to you." 

Hearing this, Denton carefully checked the caller ID. The name was indeed not Elizabeth, but "Unknown Number." 

"Then who are you, and what do you want?" 

"I want to remind you that you don't need to do anything today. Retreat early to avoid unnecessarily incurring another charge." 

"You know I'm going after Stagg?" 

"Of course I know. If you weren't planning to go after Stagg, I wouldn't have contacted you." 

Hearing this, Denton frowned. He somewhat guessed what the other party meant. 

"You want to use me to deal with him?" 

"Wrong. We already wanted to deal with him. You just happen to be able to help us, which is why we found you." 

"'We'?" 

"Simple initial data has already been uploaded to your phone. You'll understand when you see it—now, retreat immediately." 

Beep—beep— 

The call was disconnected. 

Denton was skeptical. He took one last careful look inside the venue. It was now 3:12 PM, and Stagg's figure indeed had not appeared in the hall. 

He dialed another number on his phone, but the phone on the other end gave a continuous busy signal. All of this indicated that it was time to retreat. 

"Damn it..." He gritted his teeth and put the safety on his handgun. 

Unfortunately, he had already lingered at the entrance for too long. 

"Hey! You over there! Who are you! What do you want!" 

A security guard from the venue happened to come to the entrance. He spotted Denton, who was holding a gun and wearing a mask, and naturally shouted a warning while reaching for his own weapon. 

Denton cursed his luck under his breath, slammed the door shut, and at the same time, all five duplicates and the original body synchronized their movements, sprinting toward the back exit. 

"What's going on?" 

Barry, still inside the venue, turned to look back. He saw the security guard pull open the door and chase after someone. He immediately realized something was happening, so he also instantly turned into a blur of lightning and ran out after them. 

His speed was much faster than the security guard's. In an instant, Barry arrived in the back alley and saw six masked men in black getting into a car—then his legs gave out, and he collapsed against the nearby wall. 

"What... what happened to me?" 

Barry didn't have time to think deeply before his vision went black, and his brain quickly lost consciousness. 

At this moment, a gap opened in the nearby wall, and Cody's head and a cat's head stealthily peeked out. 

"Boss, he seems to have fainted, meow? Should I still jump out and tap his knee, meow?" 

"No need... He passed out just in time," Cody thought. "Too bad. I wanted to see if the cat's speed was seven times that of a human." 

He took the liquor-filled chocolate from Barry's hand, casually put it in his mouth, then turned back to peel off the wallpaper, disappearing into the back alley with Dincat and Sanbengzi. 

Meanwhile, inside the van, Denton looked in the rearview mirror and saw that the security guard hadn't caught up. He then let one of his duplicates drive while he opened the new file that had suddenly appeared on his phone.