"I feel like I've heard this name somewhere," Xiao Ming rubbed his forehead lightly, but after thinking for a while, he couldn't recall.

Curiously, she asked, "I can't see clearly because of your hood... Can you take it off so I can see?"

"Sure, just a moment," Xu Fang got up and walked towards the bathroom.

Xiao Ming couldn't possibly remember who Xu Fang was. Since the death of Ye Huai, Xu Fang's "Setting" had collapsed, to the point that Xu Fang himself couldn't remember what he used to look like.

There is a type of sadness called being forgotten, and Xu Fang was the person forgotten by the world. Just imagine waking up one day and your friends and family no longer remember who you are. This feeling of being abandoned would be extremely painful.

Ordinary people might feel sadness and sorrow because of this, but not Xu Fang. He didn't have the amygdala, the orbitofrontal cortex, or the insula, neural regions that generate emotions. This allowed him to remain rational at all times, without experiencing joy, anger, grief, or fear.

Is rationality not good? It is very bad.

For example, if he were the Xu Fang from the past, he would undoubtedly be excited to see Xiao Ming again after a long time.

But now, Xu Fang didn't feel any joy, only a sense of inevitability. This was the expected result of a successful plan. Rationality even told him to prioritize resolving the matter with that author.

This is not a good sign...

When Xu Fang reached the bathroom door, Luobing had just finished washing his face and walked out. When he saw Xu Fang, Luobing couldn't help but tremble and quickly stepped aside, still scared from what happened earlier.

Xu Fang approached the faucet and took some clean water in his palm. He plucked out the white light spots from the water, turning them into thin "lenses," which he then stuck onto his eyes.

During the previous battle with Guest, his clothes, including his contact lenses, had been burned to ashes. There was no way to protect the outer garments with the energy shield, as it could only stick to the surface of the skin.

Xu Fang didn't know if artificial contact lenses could prevent mental contamination.

"Luobing, come here and look into my eyes," Xu Fang took off his hood and looked at Luobing.

"Hmm?" Luobing and Xu Fang locked eyes for a few seconds, both looking puzzled.

"It seems to be working well," Xu Fang reassured himself.

It seemed that the Devil's Eye only caused mental contamination in direct gaze. Once there was a transparent solid barrier, the effect would disappear.

Even Xu Fang couldn't completely immunize himself from his own gaze, which is why he avoided looking directly at mirrors...

If just two eyes could have such an effect, one can imagine what it would be like if Guest's evolved sixty-six eyes were all staring at him at the same time.

Xu Fang returned to the living room and sat in front of Xiao Ming this time, facing her astonished gaze calmly, while Luobing took a seat as far away from Xu Fang as possible.

Xiao Ming felt puzzled. She was familiar with the name "Xu Fang," but his appearance was very unfamiliar. According to reason, anyone who saw her would be deeply impressed.

After locking eyes with Xiao Ming for a moment, Xu Fang finally averted his gaze.

"The ghost you mentioned has been eliminated. What's left are just some finishing touches. Once those are taken care of, I'll leave and won't disturb your lives."

"Do you know where my father went? Is his disappearance related to the ghosts?" Xiao Ming asked the question she had been concerned about.

"Luo Qingyuan was possessed by a ghost, so it's highly likely that he is dead. If the police investigate properly, they should be able to find the body soon."

"Dead..."

After hearing about Bai Wenqiu's suicide and Luo Qingyuan's disappearance from Luobing earlier, Xiao Ming had a faint premonition. But when she heard the truth, she still felt extremely sad.

Her relatives used to mock her as an illegitimate child, while her father treated her with indifference, offering no explanations, comfort, or defense. As a result, she grew to dislike her father, thinking he lacked love and care. Only later did she gradually understand that her father had been compensating her in his own way.

Whenever she wanted money, Luo Qingyuan would give her a large sum. When she wanted to leave home, Luo Qingyuan allowed her to go to the distant city of K to study. When she fell ill and turned into a girl, Luo Qingyuan left his company to accompany her to the United States for medical treatment...

However, her last relative had also left her.Luobing let out a sigh, feeling even heavier in his heart.

"It's my fault, I'm late. Please accept my condolences." Xu Fang said softly.

"It's not your fault. I'm grateful for your help. Is there anything you want? Do you need money?" Luoxiaoming wiped his eyes.

"I'm not really interested in money. If I need anything, I'll ask Luobing. He's much wealthier than you." Xu Fang nodded in agreement. "If you want money, feel free to ask me. No need to be polite."

"In that case, I want one billion RMB in cash. Can you provide that?" Xu Fang looked at Luobing, seemingly unapologetic.

"Um... when do you need it?"

"Tomorrow." Xu Fang deliberately set a short deadline.

"Can I use something else as collateral?"

"No, I only want cash. Can't you provide it? I did some research. Juchuan Group is worth at least 5 billion USD, right? And you own 30% of the shares. You also have several properties in S city. For you, one billion is just a drop in the bucket, isn't it?" Xu Fang said.

Luobing looked bitter. "Even if it's in the bank, it's not guaranteed that we have that much cash. Capital and assets are different. Converting assets into cash takes time."

"Alright, I'll give you three days. No need to transfer it abroad, just keep the money in S city."

"Can we have a few more days?"

"No, only three days. Can't you do it?"

"I can, I can." Luobing quickly agreed as Xu Fang's gaze turned hostile.

"How are you planning to do it? Tell me the details." Xu Fang leaned back on the couch, crossing his legs.

If someone else wore only a raincoat-like clothing and imitated Xu Fang's posture, it would likely be indecent. However, because of the invisibility cloak, everything concealed became pitch black, so outsiders couldn't see anything.

Of course, Luobing and Xiaoming had no intention of peeping. One dared not to imagine, and the other didn't even have that awareness.

"First, we can mortgage the properties to obtain small loans from multiple banks. Second, we can borrow money from friends, especially those we often cooperate with. Lastly, we can divide the shares, and I will personally vouch for the lower-tier shares to sell them quickly to friends and acquaintances... These are the three main approaches we can take. It should be barely enough for three days."

"I still have over 20 million in my account..." Xiaoming said.

"It won't work. Anything over 200,000 requires an early appointment. The larger the withdrawal amount, the longer the appointment time. Three days is not enough, and I don't need your help." Luobing glanced at Xiaoming, seemingly mocking her ignorance.

After saying that, Luobing looked at Xu Fang. "Are you satisfied with this plan? If so, I'll start preparing."

"No need to prepare. I was just asking. I've already said that I'm not interested in money."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fang couldn't help but sigh. In the beginning, when he became an author, he almost risked his life for one billion. But now, there was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in front of him, yet he had no desire for it.

Xu Fang just wanted to test Luobing.

After all, many second-generation rich characters in online novels were arrogant and tyrannical. They had no brains and only knew how to spend money. They often appeared as antagonists to the protagonists. Xu Fang wanted to see if Luobing was that kind of person, and so far, he seemed normal.

Based on the number of white light dots, Luobing seemed physically healthy. He apparently had no bad habits such as drug use, smoking, or drinking. He also had some muscular build, probably occasionally worked out.

Apart from being mean to Xiaoming and being cowardly, Xu Fang didn't have much opinion about this brother-in-law.

"Alright." Luobing felt uneasy when Xu Fang didn't want money. It meant there were other intentions, which were more dangerous than simple greed.

As the evening approached, the room gradually darkened. Xu Fang asked Luobing to turn on the light and said, "Let's move on to the next topic. Luoxiaoming, take out the thing in your pocket and show it to me."

"In my pocket? Oh, is it this?" Xiaoming remembered something and took out the iron box from her pocket.

"You haven't thrown this thing away yet?" Luobing looked disgusted.

The box was light, probably made of aluminum alloy. Xu Fang opened it and carefully examined the stone inside.From an ordinary person's perspective, this stone looks plain and unremarkable, not like something valuable. But under the gaze of the demon eye, the inside of the stone is completely visible.

Energy, there is a lot of energy.

These white dots of light move in the stone in a regular pattern, presenting a marvelous order, as if they have been endowed with magic.

Order, representing power.

Due to entropy increase, the white dots of light usually move in a random manner, like molecules in the air. Even precise instruments can only forcefully push a large group of dots from one direction to another to perform work. There is no microscopic engraving of magic patterns on the particle level.

Gussy could also forcibly stuff many white dots of light into a stone, but it cannot make these energies operate autonomously. As a result, the light dots in the stone turn into thermal energy and dissipate into the air.

Could this be something made by extraterrestrials? When customer service is opened, be sure to ask Horror Novel Web, maybe it knows something.

"Have you guys touched this stone?" Xu Fang looked at Luo Bing and Xiao Ming.

Both of them shook their heads simultaneously.

"But before us, several police officers touched this stone. Is it dangerous?"

"I'm not sure, this is also the first time I've seen this thing."

This stone piqued Xu Fang's curiosity. What exactly is its use? Is it naturally formed or man-made? Why hasn't the energy inside dissipated?

Xu Fang thought for a moment and placed his hand on the stone, while also being prepared for any accidents.

The stone was cool, like ice.

Suddenly, without any warning, infinite information poured into Xu Fang's mind as soon as it made contact. The scene before Xu Fang's eyes gradually overlapped with another scene.

He was not panicked, because his consciousness remained clear, without any discomfort. It seemed that this stone only wanted to transmit information.

The surrounding world changed. In the distance, there were vast blue walls that extended to the end. Looking towards the distance along the end, Xu Fang saw the boundless starry sky.

Having just "toured" the middle layer, Xu Fang naturally knew where he was. This was the position of Earth's atmosphere.

When he withdrew his gaze, Xu Fang made a new discovery.

He saw thousands of fleets, arranged in an orderly manner, forming beautiful three-dimensional formations against the backdrop of the blue Earth.

The scene switched again. This time, the orderly fleets were scattered by a tremendous force. Cannon fire and dazzling lights spread throughout the universe.

The fleets encountered enemies, a group of various-sized spherical creatures that surrounded the fleets. These creatures moved at extremely fast speeds, surrounded by energy fields.

Once they were shattered by the fleets' cannon fire, their bodies turned into energy and merged into the energy field. Soon after, they resurrected and charged back into the battlefield, fiercely colliding with the surface of the warships' electromagnetic shields.

Although the fleets initially had the advantage in firepower, the spherical creatures couldn't be completely eliminated. Gradually, the number of fleets decreased, resulting in defeat. Several of the largest warships broke through the encirclement and fled into the distance.

The spherical creatures pursued relentlessly, setting up energy fields in space while releasing energy from their bodies.

The scene paused on the surface of the Earth, and Xu Fang saw the connected continental plates.

Eventually, the world fell into complete darkness.

...

This was a battle that only existed in science fiction movies. Xu Fang watched it with a sense of confusion, vaguely feeling that these things seemed to have really happened. And those terrible spherical creatures, why do they look so familiar?

"Xu Fang?"

"...Xu Fang? Are you okay?"

Xu Fang snapped back to reality and realized that there were two pairs of eyes looking at him, one on the left and one on the right, mixed with curiosity and confusion.

"I'm fine. Was I daydreaming just now? How long has it been?"

Xu Fang looked down at the stone in his hand, and there was little energy left inside."After half a minute, you just stood there."

Little Ming scratched his head and asked, "Did you remember something?"

Xu Fang fell into contemplation. "I saw a...memory? The meaning is unknown."