The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM-Chapter 34: The Calm Before the Roar

Tianxu City glittered under the veil of night—calm on the surface, turbulent underneath. From the rooftop of Gallant Tower, Chen Yu stood alone, wind tugging at his coat. Below him, the empire he was building began to take form.

"You've been up here for hours," a voice called from behind.

He turned to see Bai Ruxue stepping out from the rooftop doorway, a soft shawl draped around her shoulders. Her long hair danced in the breeze, her eyes calm yet laced with concern.

"Couldn't sleep," Chen replied.

She stepped beside him. "You rarely do these days."

Chen Yu gave a dry chuckle. "Can't afford to. Not when the city's playing a game of shadows and blood."

Ruxue looked out into the distance. "You've already done so much. The Qin Family is no longer watching from the sidelines. The Win Family is cornered. Even Lin Qianhong couldn't keep up with your pace."

"But it's not over," Chen said quietly. "I can feel something shifting. Like a tide that hasn't hit yet."

Just then, the rooftop door creaked again. Lei Meiyun emerged, holding a steaming cup.

"You could at least come down and eat, if you're going to lose sleep over strategy," she said, handing him the cup. "You're not a machine, you know."

Chen accepted it with a smirk. "Don't tell anyone."

Meiyun rolled her eyes but smiled. The three stood there in silence, the wind howling softly around them. In that moment, Chen Yu realized he wasn't alone in this fight. Not anymore.

But peace, like always, was temporary.

His phone buzzed.

A message. From an unknown number.

[Incoming Threat Detected: Tianxu Sector – Black Channel.]

He narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is the Black Channel?"

Meiyun glanced at the screen and frowned. "That's... a deep-level trade network. Completely off-grid. The kind you don't access unless you're dealing in things people kill for."

"Someone's moving through it," Chen said. "And they're tied to the Win Family."

Ruxue tensed. "We need to act."

"No," Chen said. "We watch first. Whoever's behind this thinks I'm blind. Let them keep thinking that."

Meiyun nodded. "I'll have Shield Security tap into the area. Low-profile scouts only."

"Good."

They headed back downstairs, but tension hung in the air. Something dangerous was coming.

Meanwhile – Unknown Location

In a candlelit chamber carved from cold stone, a cloaked figure stood before a much older man seated in a high-backed wooden chair.

"The boy in Tianxu... Chen Yu. He's making noise," the figure said.

The old man didn't look up. His fingers drummed rhythmically on the armrest.

"So they say. The Chen Family has finally produced a dragon after a hundred years."

The figure shifted uncomfortably. "Should we intervene?"

A pause.

Then came laughter. Deep, amused, and almost pitying.

"Haha... A dragon? Perhaps. But even dragons are newborns before they learn to fly."

The elder leaned forward, eyes flashing beneath heavy lids.

"The Chen Family is still small in the grand scheme of China. Let the boy play. Let him roar in his little city. We do not move yet."

"But if he reaches the core..."

"Then we burn the tree he climbs. For now... leave him."

The figure bowed and vanished into the shadows.

Later That Night – Gallant Villa

Chen Yu stepped into his study, dripping rain from his shoulders. Outside, a storm brewed again.

Inside, warm lights flickered. Ruxue sat cross-legged on the couch, flipping through documents. Meiyun was reviewing reports on a tablet.

"You should both sleep," he said.

"You first," Meiyun replied without looking up.

Ruxue glanced up with a faint smile. "We'll sleep when you stop carrying the world on your back."

Chen chuckled softly, sitting across from them. "I didn't expect either of you to stay when things got this dangerous."

Meiyun's eyes flicked up. "And let you go full warlord without us? Not a chance."

Ruxue added quietly, "I stayed because I care. Not about the power, not about the city... but about you."

For a moment, the tension broke. Just a little. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Chen Yu leaned back, eyes closing for a brief moment. "Then stay close. Because whatever's coming... I might not walk out the same."

Lightning cracked in the distance.

But he didn't flinch.

And far away, the darkness stirred.