The members of the Dark Society returned to Europe in two separate flights, with Liu Lei continuing his journey alongside Christopher. The asteroid crystal was entrusted to Christopher for safekeeping, and upon their return to Europe, he would personally hand it over to the president. The thought of the benefits he would gain from this transaction seemed to excite the three-hundred-year-old mage, who eagerly regaled Liu Lei with stories of his castle in the Austrian mountains, his vineyard and winery in the French countryside, and his horse ranch in the English countryside. These tales aligned perfectly with Liu Lei's tastes, though they also stirred nostalgic thoughts of his youthful "dreams," a faint homesickness creeping into what had otherwise been a pleasant journey.
When the plane landed in Paris, a group of Christopher's subordinates were already waiting to greet them. It seemed that the old mage held significant power within the Dark Society, Liu Lei mused to himself. The air was filled with praise and congratulations for the old mage's triumphant return. Yet, Christopher, recalling the near-death experience, wore a grim expression and remained silent. Upon reaching the mage's villa in the outskirts, Christopher arranged for Liu Lei to settle in, instructing his subordinates and servants to offer Liu Lei every possible "convenience." After exchanging a few pleasantries, he hurried off. Liu Lei knew that Christopher was heading to meet the president, so he said nothing further and settled into his temporary home.
It wasn't until the following evening that the old mage returned. That night, he invited Liu Lei to dinner and served wine from his personal winery. After tasting it, Liu Lei felt a deep envy and secretly plotted what he could offer to win the old mage's favor in exchange for the winery and vineyard. The next day, Christopher accompanied Liu Lei on a luxurious tour of Paris. Though Liu Lei had been in North America for twelve years, he had never seen anything quite like this—the products of fast-food culture were nothing compared to the thousand-year-old cultural richness of Europe. By the end of the day, Liu Lei felt thoroughly satisfied, appreciating the trip immensely.
The driver, clad in a blue uniform, drove along a quiet suburban road leading to Christopher's villa. This stretch of road was peaceful, with few cars, and the scenery was beautiful, shaded by lush trees. As Liu Lei and Christopher admired the landscape from the car, the vehicle gradually came to a stop.
"What's going on?" Christopher asked the driver.
"Sir, there's been an accident up ahead. The road is blocked," the driver replied.
Liu Lei and Christopher got out of the car and approached the scene. Two cars had apparently collided head-on, each sliding far across the road, leaving the surface in disarray. As they drew closer to the wreckage, the asphalt suddenly erupted, and a sharp sword tip pierced through Christopher's right foot with a sickening hiss. The old mage let out a cry of agony and collapsed to the ground. Just as this happened, the road in front of them exploded, and a figure soared into the air, swinging a sword aimed at the fallen dark mage.
With a swift motion, Christopher cast a "Dark Shield," which absorbed the blow, but the sword shattered the shield into fragments. The assailant, however, was sent flying back by the rebound force.
A figure stepped forward from the side of the road, clapping its hands. "Well done, Hashimoto. Your ninjutsu truly excels, striking with precision!"
The attacker, clad entirely in black with only his eyes visible, remained silent.
"Ninja? Japanese?" Liu Lei wondered to himself.
Christopher, grimacing in pain, called out, "Cardon? Is that you?"
"Indeed, it's me," Cardon replied with a smirk. "Who would have thought that the famed socialite, Christopher, would be the one most likely to become the thirteenth member of the Dark Council?"
Christopher, puzzled, asked, "Why didn't you act when we were in New York?"
"Because, despite your wounded state, you were still a formidable force. With only Hashimoto and myself, we didn't stand a chance against all of you."
"Don't you fear being seen by ordinary people on this road?" Christopher questioned.
"You needn't worry," Cardon said, pointing behind them, then to his own rear. "Both behind you and behind me, there have been accidents. No one will arrive for quite some time."
Christopher realized that Cardon and Hashimoto clearly didn't know Liu Lei's true power. After all, only the Church and the Dark Society had seen it that night, and the Church's news likely hadn't spread that quickly. Once again, Liu Lei's strength would be required.
Cardon and Hashimoto slowly approached Christopher. "Your head is worth three million dollars on the Church's bounty list, Master Christopher," Cardon taunted.
Liu Lei suddenly interrupted, "Christopher, I had no idea you were worth so much! Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Cardon frowned. "Boy, stop pretending the old man is so benevolent. If you want to survive, stay out of this. When it's over, I'll help you erase this memory." He thought Liu Lei was merely a social acquaintance of Christopher's.
"Is that so..." Liu Lei smiled wickedly. A surge of dark energy erupted from him, and he blurred into motion, launching himself toward Hashimoto. With a single punch, he shattered Hashimoto's katana. His second punch landed squarely in Hashimoto's chest, causing him to crumple to the ground, breathless.
Cardon, roaring in fury, drew his massive sword and charged at Liu Lei. The vampire dodged effortlessly, taunting, "Is this all the Japanese can do? Hiding and ambushing, that's the extent of your skills!" With unbelievable speed and power, Liu Lei swiftly defeated the ranked seventh hunter, Hashimoto, before the man had a chance to execute his sword techniques or ninjutsu. Liu Lei, however, had misjudged his words, forgetting that he too had launched a sneak attack.
After evading several strikes from Cardon, Liu Lei assessed the man's potential. Standing at six feet three inches with powerful muscles, impressive explosiveness, and agility, Cardon seemed ideal for training as a high-level necromancer. Liu Lei silently decided to abandon the "Nine Heavens Thunder Fire Curse" and instead began preparing the "Seven Souls Binding Formation."
Cardon relentlessly swung his massive sword, carving deep furrows into the road with his sword energy. Liu Lei, using this moment, quickly set up flags around the area to activate the formation. He lured Cardon into the trap, and with a decisive strike to the ground, activated the formation.
Cardon's ferocious assault suddenly halted, his body frozen in place. Struggling with great effort, his veins bulging, he found himself powerless to break free. Liu Lei, smiling, walked into the formation and struck Cardon's heart with a single, lethal blow.
With Cardon's corpse in hand, Liu Lei envisioned combining Chinese zombie techniques with necromancy to create a new generation of undead warriors. His plan was to first resurrect the corpse using necromantic rituals, then enhance the body with the method used against him by Feng. After reinforcing the corpse's physical form, Liu Lei intended to circulate internal energy, forming a cycle within the body. With the addition of continuous dark magic enhancements, he hoped one day to create a creature as powerful as the Grim Reaper's Servants. What should he call it? A mutated necromancer or mutated zombie? Perhaps "Spirit Corpse" would be more fitting.
However, Liu Lei understood that while the Spirit Corpse would represent a significant innovation, it still lacked a soul. Though it was a great leap forward, it was far from the "immortality" that the old mage sought.
Later, Liu Lei ventured out to purchase some medicinal herbs. However, he struggled to find Chinese medicine in Paris. After an entire day with little success, he resorted to online shopping, ordering through a domestic supplier to have the herbs sent to him. The supplier informed him that the rare herbs would take at least a month to procure. After transferring another payment, they assured him they would make every effort to fulfill the order within a week, and Liu Lei paid the remaining balance.
直到上网后,刘磊才想起自己的公司已经荒废很久了. 查看账户,他发现一切都运转正常. 他目前经营着一家大型服装连锁店,拥有自己的品牌 "雅林",这曾是他在中国的公司名称. 出国前,他把公司低价卖给了秦韵怡的公司,算是对女孩和她们失去的记忆的一种补偿. 前任总经理江峰被低价迷惑了,但没过多久,他就收到了一家海外公司的高薪邀请. 到了国外,他才知道新雇主就是自己的老东家,虽然他还不能完全理解刘磊为什么要把公司卖得这么便宜. 但随着时间的推移,江枫逐渐习惯了刘磊的管理风格,不到半年,他的离开就不再引起任何意外. 公司继续顺利运营. 刘磊给江风发了一封邮件,确认他还活着,然后关上了电脑.