Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Morning.

Luo Ci, clad in white ghost-themed pajamas, rubbed his eyes as he emerged from the bedroom.

Yesterday was Halloween, and Luo Ci had dressed as a little ghost. The white ghost pajamas were hooded, oversized, and resembled a cloak. The little one had to roll up the sleeves twice just to reveal his chubby hands, while the overly long hem dragged on the floor, making him look like a soft, adorable sticky rice dumpling.

The bodyguards approached with trays, placing breakfast on the table.

"Did the little master sleep well?" Sang Xi asked.

Luo Ci yawned sleepily, "Mm-hmm..."

He wasn't in Newbonis City now, but on a small island within the Green Isles Archipelago.

This area enjoyed a tropical climate year-round, with white sandy beaches and palm trees as its most common scenery. Samuel had invested heavily here to develop tourism, building casinos and hotels, even undertaking land reclamation projects to connect the eighty islands of the Green Isles Archipelago with bridges and roads. The largest island had its area doubled through land reclamation, becoming the largest artificial island.

When Luo Ci first arrived, he was so stunned he froze. He had always thought Samuel's job was merely oyster fishing—he never imagined Samuel was this wealthy.

The island was dotted with large-scale clubs, casinos, and high-end hotels. The hotels were grand and luxurious, some over a hundred stories tall, with dedicated helipads. From the panoramic windows, one could easily take in the stunning vista of the white sandy bay.

According to Sang Xi, the island was set to open later this year.

Luo Ci was the first to stay there.

But no matter how beautiful a place was, staying too long eventually made it boring. The artificial island was excessively large, yet the people Luo Ci saw daily were extremely limited—just the bodyguards.

Luo Ci sat on the large sofa, chin in hand, using his small fork to push food around his plate.

Light filtered through the thick clouds and fell on the glass windows. The wall-mounted TV played the daily news, the anchor speaking in a sweet, professional tone:

"Recently, Henry Thompson, the incumbent chairman of the parliamentary committee, announced the end of his 47-year political career, stating he will hand over the reins to his successor..."

He missed Samuel so much...

The TV was mostly just for background noise; Luo Ci wasn’t really listening.

Last night, Halloween, he had hugged his little pillow and waited by the fireplace all evening, only to fall asleep late without seeing Samuel.

"Did something happen to big brother...?" Luo Ci had kept quiet for days but finally couldn’t help asking.

"The master simply has urgent work to handle recently," Sang Xi said, patting the little one’s head before motioning to the bodyguards to clear the plates and bring out dessert. Luo Ci felt Sang Xi had grown more affectionate towards him—he used to speak very little, but now he seemed to enjoy taking care of him more and more.

Noticing the little one’s recent lack of appetite, the chef had specially prepared an appetizing dessert. The crisp sugar shell cracked open with a bite, releasing the blended fragrance of spun sugar threads and lemon juice.

The creative pastry had been baked as one large piece, but to make it easier for the little one to chew, the chef had cut it into small, bite-sized pieces before serving.

Luo Ci rested his chin on his hand, slowly chewing the dessert.

The bodyguards watching from behind couldn’t help but smile fondly, their hearts melting like butter.

Spending time with the little one was deeply comforting—it felt like both body and soul were being healed.

"Lemon..." Luo Ci pursed his lips. Truthfully, he was picky; he loved the taste of lemon but couldn’t stand even a tiny bit of lemon pulp. Once, when the lemon juice hadn’t been filtered completely, the sourness made his whole face pucker up.

Only Samuel knew about this. After that incident, there was never unfiltered lemon pulp again—not even in desserts.

Why was he thinking about Samuel again... Luo Ci gave a small shake of his head and turned his gaze outside. There must have been a downpour last night—typical of tropical weather, swinging between bright sunshine and torrential rains.

Morning dew clung to the broad leaves of banana plants. Agave and canna lilies stood out brighter after the night’s storm, while moss and papergrass had spread right up onto the steps.

Seeing the little one looking downcast, Sang Xi said, "Little master, actually, the master came by last night..."

Samuel had arrived in the dead of night, when the little one was curled up sound asleep on the sofa.

Sang Xi had been instructed not to mention Samuel’s visit, but seeing the little one so downcast, he couldn’t help but spill the beans.

Luo Ci's eyes widened in surprise, lifting his little face in confusion. "Really...?"

No wonder he had caught a whiff of something pleasant when he woke up.

So it hadn’t been his imagination after all.

...

Meanwhile, far across the ocean, someone else was seething over Samuel.

A luxury car cruised smoothly along the highway, carrying Thompson, who had just finished wrapping up his term and was now heading from the office to his private residence.

The atmosphere in the car was tense.

The driver cautiously glanced in the rearview mirror. The spacious backseat held a white-haired old man in a tailored suit, his hair slicked back.

This was the former Chairman Thompson, a man who had once wielded immense power in politics.

From the moment he entered the car, he had been communicating with a covert intelligence agency via a secure line. "Still no leads on the location?"

The screen showed only a blurred figure.

The blurred figure shook its head. "It’s difficult... Ever since the plane left the vacation castle, our surveillance devices went dark. Samuel likely noticed our operation."

"..." Thompson swore under his breath in dialect.

Truthfully, he had always looked down on those from underground factions, writing them off as nothing but violent thugs with brute strength.

But now, out of office, he was beginning to feel powerless.

It was like the first time he’d discovered a white hair—he plucked it out, only for more to keep coming uncontrollably.

He had money—lots of it—but couldn’t hire any decent underground forces to work for him. No one was willing to risk angering Samuel for an old man with nothing but wealth.

That damned bastard Samuel had seized his painting, and now he couldn’t even find a way to get it back.

He was out of options.

Hearing that Samuel doted on a certain little Omega, he had planned to kidnap the boy and force Samuel to return what was rightfully his.

But that cunning bastard had hidden the little Omega away first.

"What about the tracker? Can’t the tracker locate him?"

"The tracker’s last signal was over the Camblatian Ocean, but Samuel owns over a thousand islands there. Unless we search every single one, it’s impossible."

Thompson fell silent. "..."

Even he knew that was unrealistic.

Not only would it take too much time and effort, but it might also expose his painting scandal to the world. Thompson had always maintained a clean, upright image—one he valued above all else. That was why, even while in office, he hadn’t used public authority to openly investigate the matter.

Because once the investigation begins, the illegal means by which he acquired the painting would also come to light.

The public would undoubtedly focus solely on his wrongdoing and rake him over the coals.

After all, people are already accustomed to the nature of underground factions, but for someone like him—who has always maintained a spotless reputation—to be exposed for accepting so many bribes would mean the collapse of the image he spent his entire life building.

It seems he has no choice but to abandon his plan to go after the Omega.

"Moreover, your current situation isn’t safe either. You’ve repeatedly opposed Samuel, and he will surely come after you."

Chairman Thompson fell silent for a moment, his old eyes gleaming slyly. "Yes… you’re right. I need to hide first."

The next day, Thompson posted on social media that he would be vacationing on an island nation in South Africa.

News media staked out the airport, capturing footage of him showing up, waving off well-wishers, and boarding a flight to the South African island nation.

…

When Luo Ci opened his eyes, the sun had already begun to set. He rubbed his sleepy eyes slowly and sat up, his hair sticking up in all directions.

He glanced blankly at the wall-mounted TV, where news about Chairman Thompson was still playing, but there was no mention of Samuel.

Sang Xi knocked on the door and asked if he wanted afternoon tea.

Luo Ci poked his round belly—it was full, not hungry at all—so he declined.

He wriggled back under the covers, curling into a little ball, and scrolled through the virtual screen inside.

Thanks to his persistent efforts, his territory had gradually flourished, with the town expanding several times over and prosperity shooting up the ranks. Due to the undead buff, he had even defended his city for over a thousand days in endless mode, currently sitting at #1 on the leaderboard.

Perhaps because he used to live there, he could once spend entire days watching the little characters go about their lives inside. But lately, for some reason, he just couldn’t get into it.

So after completing a few quests, he closed the game.

Lying in bed and thinking for a while, he flipped onto his side and pulled up his contacts, which only listed names like Samuel, William, and Sang Xi.

He sent Samuel a sticker of a chubby bunny peeking out.

But the next second, he bit his lip, hesitating—Sang Xi said Samuel was busy, so wouldn’t messaging him be annoying him?

After agonizing for a bit, his little hand slowly moved to the sticker, intending to recall it.

[Too late—couldn’t take it back.]

Luo Ci’s cheeks puffed out in a pout: "...How could this happen?"

Soon, a matching sticker of a chubby bunny with a little tuft was sent back.

Luo Ci’s eyes instantly lit up, and he tapped out eagerly, "Are you busy?"

In the vast conference room, William stood behind Samuel. He watched as Samuel, upon receiving the sticker, propped his chin on his hand, thinking, then gestured to a nearby board member to ask how to reply with a similar sticker. The board member explained the steps to him.

As Samuel tapped through the screen, a smile curled his lips when he received the kid’s reply:

"Not busy."