Chapter 57

Zhuochuan returned to his body in the modern world, just as he had before. After returning, he checked the time and found it was already morning. He cleaned himself up, ate some food from the fridge, and then went to the living room, opening the window to look at the bustling traffic outside. A great weight had been lifted from his heart, just as it had after the duel. Whether in the new world or the future world, his future was boundless.

With the duel resolved, he now had enough time to deal with some matters, no longer rushing as he had before. Of course, the matters he needed to handle were no longer as simple as striving for fame and fortune. Instead, he needed to prepare for the better accumulation of soul crystals in the future.

The preparation was not complicated. In the modern world, it mainly revolved around soul power. The goal was to make it easy to collect, store indirectly, and extract whenever needed.

Zhuochuan had already thought of two methods. Currently, he could increase his soul power limit by using a large amount of soul power to replenish and then supplement. In the distant future, if he could reconnect with the robot organization and research how to manipulate others' soul power to extract soul crystals, the efficiency of using soul power would be even higher. Both of these methods required him to prepare in the modern world now, to improve the efficiency of using soul power, so he wouldn't have to search for suitable targets and wait each time.

As he watched the people below, who looked like ants scurrying about, Zhuochuan was thinking about these matters when he suddenly heard a noise from the security door.

His modern-world body had also been enhanced by the soul, improving his various attributes and making him very sensitive. The noise from outside was accompanied by voices, and there were two people.

"Big brother, are you sure no one is inside?" one person asked.

"Of course. I've been hanging around here for two days, and no one has come out. Zhuochuan isn't some shut-in. I searched for his information online and found that he went on a trip to the plateau a few days ago. A few foreigners even posted online thanking him for saving their lives, so he must not be back yet," the second person replied.

When Zhuochuan heard the second person's voice, he immediately understood everything. He felt a sudden, inexplicable anger. These people in the modern world dared to covet his things? How dare they! Unconsciously, his mindset was changing. The power level in the new world was much higher than in the modern world. Even an E-class citizen standing above trillions of people could be killed by him in one strike, let alone people in the modern world. If they went to the new world, they wouldn't even compare to a backup citizen, let alone Zhuochuan, who at least had a strong physique.

The second person's voice belonged to the vice president of the medical device company he had previously collaborated with, Mr. Xie. Mr. Xie had been targeting him from the beginning. After verifying the functionality of his software, Zhuochuan could see the envy and jealousy in his eyes. It was clear that Mr. Xie, who understood the actual value of the program, was now planning to steal it.

The program was running on a server in his study, but there was no source code on it. The intruders probably realized this and decided to steal it on-site. To be able to break into his server, they must have had some skills.

After Zhuochuan understood everything, the good mood he had from the new world vanished. He walked to the door with a stern face.

He didn't want to play games with the two people outside. Through the peephole, he saw them both acting nervously, prying the door while checking the surroundings, and they had no weapons. One was Mr. Xie, and the other was a thin, unfamiliar man.

Zhuochuan yanked the door open, and the two were caught off guard, falling inside.

"What are you two doing here?" His tone was low and intimidating, and his eyes flashed with a ferocity he himself didn't realize, like a tiger ready to pounce.

"How are you here?" Mr. Xie recognized Zhuochuan and saw the ferocity in his eyes, which frightened him.

"This is my home, of course I'm here," Zhuochuan grabbed Mr. Xie with his left hand and asked coldly, "And you, Mr. Xie, you came to visit without telling me in advance. Should I welcome you properly?"

As he spoke, Zhuochuan didn't notice that his right hand had formed a claw, ready to punch a hole in the other person's head if they gave a wrong answer, just like he had done to Jie Cheng, who had threatened him.

Mr. Xie felt a chill, not knowing what this "killing aura" was, but his body's instinct made him struggle. However, he found the other person's grip terrifyingly strong. With one left hand, the other person held him up, and even with both hands, he couldn't break free. He was lifted into the air like a chicken, helpless and at the mercy of the other person.

"Big brother, spare me. This was all his idea. I was hired by him. I have nothing to do with this," the thin man, who was even more terrified, pleaded. He was on the ground, unable to get up, and was even kowtowing, but he was still begging for mercy.

The thin man's words snapped Zhuochuan out of his murderous state. This was the modern world, with laws and no provisions for dueling without punishment. Killing them would be easy, but the aftermath would be troublesome. Thinking of this, Zhuochuan subconsciously loosened his right hand.

"Speak! Why did you come to steal from me?" Zhuochuan didn't allow them to argue; the matter was clear.

"Big brother, it wasn't my idea. He said your software could make someone a billionaire. Since you hadn't registered it, if we got the source code and registered it first, we could gain both fame and fortune. That's why we took the risk. He had me break into your server to steal the source code, but when I found none, he had me use the software to locate your home network, and that's how we found this place," the thin man pleaded.

"Come in and sit down!" Zhuochuan ordered. If he had been in his previous state, he might have killed them on the spot. They dared to covet the foundation of his existence in the modern world, that software, which was essential for him to absorb soul power and soon to be used to lay the groundwork for new developments. But now, regaining his clarity, he knew he couldn't do that.

He looked at the two men and thought that reporting them to the police would be simple, but he didn't want to waste his time. As the complainant, he would inevitably have to spend a lot of time on statements, court appearances, and judgments. Wasting so much time on these small fry was unforgivable. Of course, he couldn't let them off easily either.

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