Chapter 109

Chapter 109

At dawn, the deep black of night was softened by the awakening light, painting the sky a faint indigo.

Thirty thousand feet up, the morning sun cast dappled gold across the drifting clouds.

Along the cloud edges, pale amber hues rolled like waves, forming golden arcs.

Samuel leaned quietly on the sofa, the little one sound asleep on his lap. He had William fetch a blanket to drape over the child. When the plane hit turbulence, he held the little one steady, preventing the jolts from waking them.

He hadn't had a proper night's sleep in a long time, yet he was surprisingly alert. After emptying an entire bottle of whiskey, the alcohol was slowly taking hold.

William silently approached, taking the empty bottle and placing a fresh one within reach.

He keenly sensed that his superior was in a good mood.

"William," Samuel said lazily, sipping his drink, his voice relaxed, "bring another glass. Have some with me."

"No, sir. I’ll be driving later," William quickly replied.

Samuel tsked. "A pity. This whiskey is quite good."

Was it the drink that was good, or was it his superior’s mood?

William pondered silently.

"William..."

His superior spoke again, and William immediately focused. "Yes, sir."

Samuel narrowed his eyes, raising a hand to caress the little one's cheek as they slept soundly. The child seemed to sense it, nuzzling deeper into his palm. After a moment, Samuel mused, "The little one thinks I’m a good person. Do you understand what that means?"

William saw how much his superior cared for the child and dared not speculate. "Please enlighten me, sir."

"We can’t let the little one know... what we do."

Samuel ran a hand through his hair. In the dim light, William could only see his superior’s silhouette from the shoulders down, unable to discern his expression—yet he felt the sharp intensity of his gaze.

Having once lost and then regained the child, Samuel absolutely could not bear to lose them again. If the little one believed he was a good person, then he would be one. This was by no means deception; it was simply that the child was new to him, and if they learned what he did, they might form unnecessary prejudices.

He didn’t want any distance between them. Once the little one grew to rely on him, revealing everything would be perfectly acceptable.

William immediately lowered his head. "Understood."

***

Averis.

As the plane entered Averis airspace, it began its descent from cruising altitude.

The weather in Averis was splendid, the sky a pristine, clear blue. Luo Ci, now fully awake, sat on Samuel’s lap, being fed breakfast.

Plump shrimp meat sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, garnished with pickled gherkins and finely chopped parsley, offered a rich yet refreshing flavor.

Luo Ci, still half-asleep, chewed slowly, cheeks bulging, as he curiously gazed out the window.

William took a call, then approached to report, "Sir, the people from the Red Mill have been brought in."

Samuel replied, "I’ll handle it once we arrive."

Luo Ci’s ears perked up. "What’s the Red Mill?"

It sounded like some strange factory.

William wasn’t sure how to explain.

Samuel wiped the little one’s messy mouth with a napkin and explained casually, "It’s not a place for you, little one."

The Red Mill was a place of terror for most underground factions—Samuel’s execution site. Those who crossed him were taken there, and no one who entered ever came out alive. Rumor had it even their bones were ground to dust, hence the name "Red Mill."

Most had heard of it, but none knew its exact location.

Luo Ci pouted.

If Samuel said so, he definitely wouldn’t take him there.

He turned back to the window.

As the plane slowly descended, Averis’ landscape became clearly visible—from above, it resembled an ever-expanding series of concentric circles.

The inner rings were dense with skyscrapers, a bustling modern metropolis, while the outer rings were abandoned old towns and industrial zones, with factories spewing endless smoke from towering chimneys.

It looked a little like the city he’d dreamed of.

Averis bordered the Morton Strait. Luo Ci noticed many fishermen harvesting shellfish in the shallows, baskets brimming with bluish-purple shells that looked like beautiful raw gemstones.

Seeing the little one press his nose to the window, propping his chin in his hand, eyes full of curiosity, Samuel explained, "Averis’ earliest industry was oyster harvesting. These indigo oysters are found only along its coastline and are highly sought after worldwide. ‘Averis’ itself means ‘purple oyster’ in the local dialect. Every major corporation here today started with oyster harvesting."

Luo Ci tilted his head. "Did you harvest oysters too, big brother?"

"Of course," Samuel said.

When he was younger, he’d worked many different jobs.

Contrary to rumors, he hadn’t been appointed a minor leader by his father as soon as he came of age.

Among his father’s many sons, his background made him the least favored. From the age of fourteen, when he could fend for himself, he started at the bottom of the organization.

No one knew he was the leader’s son. He’d done almost every grunt job—including harvesting oysters.

Now, of course, the XT Group had long abandoned those unprofitable, messy operations.

Luo Ci’s eyes widened with understanding. So his big brother had been an oyster harvester... No wonder Uncle William was so big—it must have been from all the physical labor.

Frowning, he thought guiltily, *Big brother works so hard to earn money, and here I am being picky, refusing to eat parsley. How thoughtless of me.*

With a stubborn pout, he mentally prepared himself, then picked up his small fork and shoved all the remaining parsley into his mouth.

Samuel and William had just finished speaking when they turned to see the little one’s tiny face scrunched up, cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.

"William, get some warm water," Samuel said, arching a brow. "Didn’t the little one dislike parsley?"

Luo Ci chugged the water, then beamed, nuzzling his soft cheek into Samuel’s neck. "No way! I’m not picky at all!"

Samuel patted his head. "Good boy."

Suddenly, Luo Ci noticed something unusual outside the window. Pressing against the glass, he spotted faint flames in the distance, crackling like a fireworks factory had exploded. He smooshed his face against the pane, worried. "Something seems to be happening over there..."

Averis was notorious as a city of crime. Before Samuel took over, it averaged over a dozen violent crimes daily.

Most were turf wars between underground factions.

Residents who grew up in Averis had long been used to it.

Walking down the street only to have someone suddenly pull out a lethal weapon and open fire was a common occurrence for them.

Now, order in Averis had improved significantly. Underground factions operating in the city would report to Samuel before taking any action.

Samuel knew exactly what was happening over there. "It's nothing, just someone lighting fireworks... it’s an Averis tradition."

Fireworks in broad daylight?

Luo Ci's little head was filled with immense confusion.

How very strange...

***

Samuel didn’t have a fixed residence.

But in terms of the safest estate, it was the high-level villa located in New Bernis.

It had a private runway for temporary takeoffs and landings of private jets.

The villa was surrounded by dense forests within a two-kilometer radius, ensuring excellent privacy.

As soon as they arrived, Luo Ci used the virtual terminal Samuel had given him to contact Karl. Learning that the little one was safe and well-treated by Samuel, Karl was even more relieved.

Samuel was extremely busy with work, flying more than driving. No matter how much Luo Ci pleaded or threw tantrums, Samuel wouldn’t take him to work.

So, with nothing else to do, Luo Ci often played with his virtual terminal. Their terminals were synced—his was essentially a sub-account to Samuel’s, allowing him to log into *Alpha Lord* using Samuel’s account.

Playing games on a virtual tablet felt completely different from being fully immersed in the game.

After Luo Ci disappeared from the game, the playable character reverted to the bedridden older brother (the lord). The recent updates had also introduced many new features. Looking down at the manor where he had lived for months from a bird's-eye view felt a bit unfamiliar.

Another thing he wasn’t used to was the dozen bodyguards Samuel had assigned to accompany him at all times. Even when he sat on the sofa, swinging his little legs and playing with the virtual tablet, the guards stood right behind him, shadowing him.

Every day, all he had to do was lounge around on the sofa, and the bodyguards would bring food and drinks right to him. They even carried him around when he walked, treating him like a fragile treasure.

It was excessive protection.

The little one sighed, his head drooping.

The bodyguards immediately tensed up. "Is the young master feeling upset?"

"No," Luo Ci shook his head. It wasn’t that he was unhappy—just not used to it. Back when he was the young lord, he was always on the go. Now, suddenly having nothing to do felt a bit strange. And also...

"I really miss big brother..."

A bodyguard quickly asked, "Should we connect a call for the young master? The master would be very happy to hear from you."

Luo Ci thought for a moment, then sighed again. "Never mind."

Samuel was already so busy with his oyster business—he shouldn’t bother him.

Even though the little one didn’t call, his words were reported straight to Samuel immediately.

Samuel had just finished important meetings.

Dusting off his sleeve, his gaze shifted slowly. "The little one said he missed me?"

William: "Yes."

"Tell the plane to be on standby."

"Are you flying back to Averis?" William glanced at the sun setting over the barren mountains. "It’s almost dark. Perhaps stay at a local hotel for the night."

Samuel: "No need. There’s a little one waiting for me at home, isn’t there?"

After nearly four hours of flight, Samuel returned to the high-level villa in New Bernis.

Usually, when he stepped inside, he was greeted by chilly, empty silence.

But this time, the living room was glowing with warm, dim light.

Now, he wasn’t alone anymore.

Samuel deeply felt this realization. He rolled up his sleeves, folding them just enough to cover the reddish-brown marks.

Luo Ci had fallen asleep while playing with his virtual tablet and only woke up at the sound of movement in the living room. Rubbing his eyes with small, pale hands, he buried his face into the familiar embrace and nuzzled into it, his voice soft and sweet with affection: "I like it..."

As he snuggled closer, he caught a faint metallic scent. But the scent was so light that after a confused sniff, he wondered if he imagined it. The little one quickly forgot about it, wrapping his arms tightly around Samuel’s waist, beaming with joy.

Luo Ci lifted his sleepy head. "It’s so late... I thought a bad guy had come in..."

"Were you scared?" Samuel lowered his head, looking at the little one’s round eyes. "I’ll assign you more bodyguards."

"No," the little one shook his head vigorously. After a moment of thought, he said, "We don’t need that many people."

"We do."

Samuel gently kissed the top of the little one’s head.

"Because..."

You are my most precious treasure.