Nanyan Hotel.

  A high-end hotel adjacent to a high school.

  Chen Ye, dressed in casual clothes, entered the building. As soon as he stepped inside, two women with unusual physiques approached him.

  "Hello, please come with us."

  Hmm…

  Why does this feel oddly familiar?

  Whatever.

  Chen Ye followed the two women through the lobby and into an elevator, ascending to the top floor of Nanyan Hotel.

  The top floor was a vast open space, lavishly decorated with dazzling lights. Rows of women in identical uniforms stood rigidly in two long lines.

  Their movements were synchronized like machines, their expressions eerily identical.

  Beyond these women, others bustled about the floor, working ceaselessly as if governed by some unseen rhythm.

  Recalling the hotel’s entrance earlier, even the female staff there had moved with the same mechanical uniformity.

  Now, the entire Nanyan Hotel resembled a colossal beehive.

  And these women? Worker bees.

  But wait—were there any male staff here?

  The answer was obvious.

  No.

  At that moment, the Queen Bee—wearing a white bodycon dress and a fur coat—approached with a smile.

  "Lord Os, your presence honors this humble abode."

  Chen Ye glanced at the surrounding women. "004, have you heard a saying?"

  "Humans die if they work nonstop."

  The Queen Bee blinked. "Oh, you’re concerned about *that*."

  "Rest assured, my employees enjoy ample rest daily. There’s no need to worry. I cherish them as dearly as flowers nourishing a hive."

  ……

  Chen Ye followed the Queen Bee to a round table displaying a 3D model of Beiling City.

  "Is this your so-called ‘gift’?"

  The Queen Bee pointed to a coastal industrial zone on the city’s outskirts.

  "No. *This* is."

  "I thought you might require a larger, utterly secure base. So I purchased all factories and land in the South Bay District."

  "Of course, the transaction succeeded only thanks to the power you bestowed upon me."

  She smirked.

  "You… bought *all* factories and land in South Bay?"

  "Yes. Still too small, I suppose…" she murmured.

  Wait—

  How did she pull this off?

  Dozens of factories and vast tracts of land?

  ……

  Chen Ye pondered the matter all night.

  Not because he reached a conclusion, but because dawn arrived.

  After waking in the suite, breakfast was promptly delivered.

  Yet…

  "The Queen Bee’s abilities deviate far beyond my initial designs."

  Chen Ye had envisioned her as a being capable of spawning unique lifeforms, not manipulating humans via bodily fluids.

  "I’ll collect a blood sample from 004 later. Need to pinpoint where things diverged."

  As he mused, the Queen Bee entered the room. "Lord Os, have you considered my proposal?"

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  Chen Ye nodded. "Proceed with development. Also—"

  "Draw some blood for me."

  "Blood?"

  She blinked.

  ……

  Afternoon.

  Chen Ye descended the hotel stairs carrying a black briefcase. Mid-descent, he brushed past a teenage boy.

  "Hm… What’s this?"

  He whirled around to see the boy walking with a short-haired girl—outwardly normal.

  Yet Chen Ye felt an inexplicable pull.

  It was the instinct of a rat spotting a granary, a vampire finding a blood bank, a troublemaker eyeing a vulnerable wife.

  "**Prime specimen!**"

  Chen Ye’s breathing hitched, but he didn’t approach. Instead, he snapped a photo and sent it to the Fishman.

  "Extract blood from him."

  100 milliliters should suffice.

  ……

  Simultaneously, the Fishman received the call at a food stall.

  "Find a way… to kill him?"

  Hmm…

  "Check, please."

  He slapped damp, crumpled bills on the table.

  The vendor stared at his retreating figure.

  "Who wears a raincoat on a sunny day?"

  ……

  Night fell, dry for once in Beiling City.

  The Fishman prowled streets, periodically checking his phone.

  "Are you certain he’s here, 004?"

  "Positive. The girl with him is one of my larval drones. I track them everywhere."

  "They returned to this school and haven’t moved since," Queen Bee’s voice crackled through the phone.

  "Target: Chu Yang, high school sophomore. My workers report recent bizarre behavior—unexplained physical enhancements, constant talk of ‘games.’ Stay alert."

  The Fishman lowered his phone, facing the school gates.

  "Another damn school."

  He approached, but a security guard emerged from the booth. "Hey! No unauthorized entry!"

  Huh?

  "Old man, know why my grandpa lived past ninety?"

  The guard frowned. "Why?"

  "He minded his own business."

  **CRASH!**

  The Fishman kicked the guardrail to splinters!

  The guard froze, then silently retreated into his booth—only to burst out moments later wielding a steel fork!

  "You think I’m scared? I ruled the streets back in my day!"

  "Even if Mike Tyson showed up, I’d—"

  **SNAP!**

  The Fishman snapped the fork effortlessly. "Half-dead fossil. Why beg for an early grave?"

  The guard spat blood and a tooth, then threw a punch. "I trained in Bajiquan!"

  **THUD!**

  A kick to the chest floored him. "I’m not here for you. Stay down."

  Gasping, the guard clawed upright. "Can’t… let you… harm our students…"

  **CRUNCH!**

  A fist shattered the guard’s nose. He collapsed, unmoving—until a gnarled hand seized the Fishman’s ankle.

  "Students… are… the future…" he wheezed through bloodied lips.

  The Fishman glanced up. A winged girl perched nearby, having torn out surveillance cameras. She flashed a thumbs-up.

  He raised his foot—