Global Asset: Rebirth Of The Ruthless Scholar
Chapter 1: The Logistics of Terror
The Forbidden City was no longer just a project; it was a living, breathing organism. Deep in the command hub, Xun Long was staring at a global heat map. While the West was screaming for help, he was focused on the "Dead Zones." These were areas where the Rifts had completely consumed the local population. To the world, these were tragedies. To Xun Long, they were vacant real estate with untapped mana resources.
"Master, the European Coalition is sending a fleet to the Arabian Sea," Li Mei reported in Russian. She was now wearing a sleek, obsidian-weave suit that acted as a secondary skin, augmenting her speed. "They claim they are here to 'secure international waters,' but our Venom Agency drones show they are carrying experimental mana-disruptors."
Xun Long didn't even look up from his calculations. He was currently writing a new theorem in Mandarin on a transparent glass screen. "They want to disrupt the anchor I've built in Multan. They think if they break the anchor, the mana will flow back to them. They don't understand that I didn't just anchor the mana; I chained it."
He turned to the console and entered a sequence in French. "Li Mei, activate the 'Sea-Blight' protocol. I don't want a single ship to reach the coast. Use the captured Hero DNA to fuel the coastal rifts. Let the monsters do the work for us. We are scholars, after all. Why waste our own ammunition when the abyss is so hungry?"
The brutality of his decision was silent. Thousands of sailors would die without ever seeing their enemy. Xun Long's silver eye remained cold. He wasn't a soldier; he was a manager of extinction.
Chapter 2: The Academic Guillotine
Despite the mounting global war, Xun Long insisted on holding his weekly "Sovereign Lecture" at the Multan Institute. The students, now the elite intellectual core of the new world, sat in terrifying silence as he walked to the podium. Among them were spies from the Chinese Ministry, trying to figure out how much of the "National Asset" was still under their control.
Xun Long began writing an equation in Urdu on the holographic board. It was a formula for "Soul-Partitioning"—the act of dividing one's consciousness to control multiple dungeon classes.
"Most of you think intelligence is about memory," he said in English, his voice echoing with an unnatural resonance. "It isn't. Intelligence is the ability to process pain into data. If you cannot handle the mental feedback of the rift, you are useless to me."
He pointed to a student in the third row, a brilliant physicist from Beijing. "You. You've been sending encrypted packets to the General every night. One chance. That is what I gave everyone when they entered this city. You used your chance to become a rat."
Before the student could speak, Xun Long snapped his fingers. The air around the student's desk crystallized into a solid block of violet mana, crushing the young man instantly into a red mist. The other students didn't scream; they knew better.
"The lesson for today," Xun Long continued in French, as if nothing had happened, "is the structural integrity of biological containers under high-pressure mana. Please take notes. There will be a practical exam tonight in the sub-level tunnels."
Chapter 3: The Venom Agency's Ghost War
The Venom Intelligence Agency had now evolved into a spectral force. They weren't just hacking bank accounts; they were hacking the sensory perceptions of global leaders. In the underground server rooms of the Iron-Yard, the air was freezing to keep the mana-computers from melting.
"Master, the Third Elder's remaining loyalists in the United Kingdom have gone underground," the Lead Operative reported in Mandarin. "They are attempting to summon a 'Greater Demon' using a ritual they found in the forbidden archives."
Xun Long leaned back in his throne, his golden eye pulsing. "A ritual? They are trying to fight me with religion? How pathetic."
He ordered the agency to initiate the "Schizophrenia Protocol." Using the world's satellite network, they beamed a specific frequency into the minds of the cultists. Within hours, the loyalists weren't fighting Xun Long; they were tearing each other apart, convinced their comrades were demons.
"Brutality doesn't always require a blade," Xun Long whispered to Li Mei in Urdu. "Sometimes, it just requires the right frequency. The human mind is a fragile variable. Once you find the denominator, the whole equation collapses."
The Venom Agency watched through hidden cameras as the last of the Xun Clan's old guard eliminated themselves. The "Ultimate Villain" didn't even have to leave his chair to win a war.
Chapter 4: The Bloodline's Hunger
Deep in the foundations of the Forbidden City, the Sleeping God was stirring. The ground beneath Multan began to vibrate at a frequency that made the birds fall from the sky. Xun Long stood in the center of the Artery, his shirt removed, revealing a chest covered in glowing golden runes.
The God-Tier Bloodline was no longer just a power; it was a physical hunger. He could feel the essence of the "Heroes" he had captured in Volume 7 being digested by his cells.
"It's not enough," he roared in a language that sounded like a mixture of Russian and the ancient tongue of the Abyss.
A massive blast of golden energy erupted from his body, creating a crater fifty meters deep. The shockwave was so powerful it temporarily disabled the city's dome. For a split second, Xun Long's body turned transparent, revealing a skeleton made of pure, white light.
[Divine Bloodline Integration: 18% Complete.]
[New Trait Unlocked: Absolute Erasure.]
Xun Long fell to his knees, his silver eye bleeding. "Li Mei... I can see them. The beings from the outer realm. They are laughing. They think this world is a playground."
He stood up, his face contorting into a mask of pure, ruthless ambition. "They think they are the players and I am the piece. They are wrong. I am the one who will burn the board."
Chapter 5: The Subjugation of the General
The General from Beijing arrived in Multan via a high-speed transport, his face pale. He had seen the "Sea-Blight" report. He had seen the disappearance of the European fleet. He was no longer there to give orders; he was there to beg for his life.
Xun Long met him in the central tower, looking out over the modernized landscape of Multan. The city looked like a vision of the year 3000, built atop the bones of the year 2026.
"Student Xun... Long," the General stammered in Mandarin. "The Ministry is... concerned. You have declared a private war against the West. You are putting China at risk."
Xun Long turned around, his golden eye fixing on the General. "China is safe because I allow it to be safe. The West is dying because I have decided they are no longer necessary for the next season of this world."
He walked toward the General, the air around him becoming so heavy the General was forced to his knees. "You didn't protect me because you liked me. You protected me because you wanted a weapon. Well, General, the weapon has a mind of its own now."
In a display of absolute dominance, Xun Long forced the General to sign a "Sovereign Treaty," effectively handing over the command of the Chinese Special Mana Units to the Iron-Yard. The "National Asset" had officially become the "National Master."
Chapter 6: The Infiltration of the Shadow Realm
The Dungeons were no longer just rooms; they were starting to merge with the physical world. In the outskirts of Multan, a "Shadow Forest" had begun to grow—trees made of black glass and leaves that whispered in French.
Xun Long decided to enter the forest personally to test his new Absolute Erasure trait. He didn't take the Omega Detail. He went alone. Within the forest, he was surrounded by "Specters"—A-Rank monsters that could phase through physical matter.
"One chance," he whispered in Urdu. "Leave this dimension, or be erased from existence."
The Specters attacked. Xun Long didn't dodge. He simply raised his hand, and a wave of "Anti-Mana" swept through the forest. The Specters didn't die; they ceased to have ever existed. The memories of them, the mana they carried, even the space they occupied vanished.
The forest became a silent, empty void. Xun Long looked at his hand, a cold smile on his lips. "Practical intelligence. Why fight a monster when you can delete the concept of the monster?"
This was the level of power he needed for Season 2. He was no longer a villain of Earth; he was becoming a villain of the Multiverse.
Chapter 7: The Overture of the Ultimate Villain
By the end of Volume 8, Xun Long had secured the entire Eastern Hemisphere. The "Forbidden City" of Multan was the heart of a new global empire. The government in Beijing was a puppet, the Western fleets were at the bottom of the ocean, and the Xun Clan was a memory.
Xun Long stood at the highest point of the city, Li Mei standing three steps behind him. The sky was no longer violet or red; it was a deep, ominous black, sparkling with stars that weren't part of the Milky Way.
"The 100 chapters are coming to a close soon, Li Mei," Xun Long said in English. "The struggle with humans is boring. I want the gods. I want the outer realm."
Suddenly, a massive rift opened in the sky, and a giant eye—larger than the city itself—peered down at Multan. It was a being from the Outer Realm.
Xun Long didn't kneel. He didn't hide. He raised his middle finger to the sky and laughed, a sound that resonated in every language he knew. "Look all you want. I'm coming for your throne next."