The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 138 Counter-Provocation

Lei Qingya's tone was calm and even gentle, but to others, especially Shen Liwen, it was more piercing than any boast.

Perhaps Shen Liwen's nonchalant attitude touched a nerve, for he suddenly turned his attention to Shen Zhaoming, "Shen Zhaoming, you saw your father and me here, but you were only concerned with hiding here eating. You forgot the basic courtesy of greeting us? Where is your manners?"

Shen Zhaoming slowly and deliberately forked a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, his movements elegant and impeccable. He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, clearly not wanting to have any interaction with the other person.

The disregard for his words further enraged Shen Liwen. He leaned forward slightly and said, "In terms of not understanding the bigger picture, you are exactly the same as your mother. If she had only been able to understand the hardships a man faces when he is working hard outside and knew how to humble herself, she wouldn't have ended up being kicked out of the house."

Shen Liwen stared at Shen Zhaoming's hand holding the knife and fork, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He continued, "Everything in the Shen family now and in the future belongs only to me. You can't even inherit a single star coin."

Despite the banquet hall being extremely spacious, this is a relatively quiet buffet dining area where many successful guests will stop briefly to enjoy some delicate snacks or drinks.

Shen Liwen was clearly also concerned about this, and he spoke his malicious provocation quickly and urgently, keeping his voice very low, as if afraid that even a single word would drift into the ears of others and expose his inherent vulgarity, narrow-mindedness, and fear.

It must be said that Shen Liwen understands Shen Zhaoming very well and knows how to provoke him.

But that was the Shen Zhaoming of the past. The old Shen Zhaoming would lose his temper whenever Shen Liwen mentioned his mother and grandfather, like a water buffalo with suddenly red eyes.

Although Shen Zhaoming was also angered, he calmly took off the glasses on his nose.

The instant the lens left my eyes, a very faint blue light flashed in my eyes, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.

The outline of Shen Liwen's entire body changed instantly in Shen Zhaoming's eyes. Countless fine data streams appeared out of thin air like a waterfall, covering and enveloping Shen Liwen's entire body, analyzing him so thoroughly that he had nowhere to hide.

Shen Zhaoming spoke, his voice not loud, but with a penetrating power that seemed to see through everything, "Yes, when it comes to endurance, how can we compare to you? You are clearly older than me, yet you are registered as my younger brother. Only you and your mother could have such a capacity for bearing humiliation."

Shen Liwen's breathing suddenly became rapid, and she subconsciously looked away.

This subtle, instinctive reaction was enough to show that he was not at peace inside.

Shen Zhaoming had no intention of giving up. His gaze, like a precise scanner, slowly moved down and landed on Shen Liwen's waist and abdomen, which were covered by an expensive dress.

"Without me as a role model to 'spur' you on, you've really fallen to a low level. Your once-proud abs are now just an unsightly bulge. Does that old man surnamed Shen know how idle you usually are?"

Shen Zhaoming scoffed, "You keep talking about being a white hunter, but you've messed up even the basics of web hunting. Smart Computing One is a biological AI, not an idiot. It won't tolerate your incompetence like your parents. If you continue to be so lazy and negligent, you might not even be able to keep your web hunting qualification."

Although it sounded like they were acting in Shen Liwen's best interests, everyone could see that Shen Liwen's expression had turned ferocious.

Shen Zhaoming smiled slightly, "As someone who has successfully 'landed' and has a stable position in the Star Alliance, let me give you a piece of advice. You will always only be fit to follow behind me and pick up what I leave behind."

Lian Xinyi and the others, who were already used to Shen Zhaoming's sharp tongue, simply watched silently, without the slightest ripple in their hearts.

After being poisoned for so long, I don't feel much anymore.

However, for Shen Liwen, who was used to Shen Zhaoming's silence and concession, this was indeed the first time in his life that he had so truly experienced the "malice" in Shen Zhaoming's words.

Overwhelmed by immense humiliation, he lost his composure. "You..." Shen Liwen let out a low, hoarse roar, his hand reaching for Shen Zhaoming's hair.

He wanted to tear off that calm facade and make Shen Zhaoming pay the price.

His hand was still in mid-air when it was swiftly slapped away.

"Snapped."

The crisp sound was particularly abrupt. Shen Liwen felt a sharp pain and numbness in her wrist, and her entire arm was shaken to the side.

He couldn't see who made the move until he saw Lian Xinyi, who had stood up at some point.

"You think you're so great just because your dad's a planetary governor in the Star Alliance? Look around, this is the main planet, not some backwater place like yours..."

"Brother Shen, calm down, calm down! A lot of people are watching, be mindful of your image and the occasion!" The henchman behind him immediately tugged at his sleeve, successfully extinguishing Shen Liwen's anger.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging anger, and tried to relax his facial muscles.

He cannot lose his composure in public.

But the embers of the fire lingered in his chest, and he couldn't swallow his anger.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Su Ninglong next to Shen Zhaoming, and a malicious thought suddenly arose in his mind.

The girl being cared for by Shen Zhaoming seems innocent and harmless; she must be the apple of someone important's eye. If something were to happen to her…

Just as Su Ninglong was happily picking up a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

Here we go again. Is she an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire?
Before Shen Liwen could put his ill intentions into action...

“Shen Liwen, I advise you not to set your dirty plans on Su Ninglong.” Shen Zhaoming warned him not to act rashly: “We all know what kind of dirty thoughts you have. If anything happens to her, the first and only person we will look for is you.”

Shen Liwen felt terrible that her whole body had been seen through.

The Shen Zhaoming before him had truly changed; he was no longer someone he could manipulate at will.

This made Shen Liwen feel worse than ever before.

Lei Qingya shook his head and sent a message to Shen Zhaoming under the table: "Why don't you use those photos of his dad? At least it will save you some trouble, and they will be able to focus on dealing with the mistress."

Shen Zhaoming pushed his glasses back to their original position. "No, I'd rather bring that person down completely. Keep the photos for now, and give them to me when the time is right."

A hateful glint flashed behind her glasses. She knew that enduring it would lead to a better outcome, especially given Shen Liwen's verbal attacks.

He seemed as naive as a three-year-old child at that moment.

The tense atmosphere had not yet completely dissipated when the group of wealthy women arrived, and Su Ninglong and Lei Qingya were instantly enveloped by the gentle fragrance.

The strong-willed Alice learned the details of her rescue from Aria and felt deeply grateful to Su Ninglong.

She wore a perfectly bright smile, showing no signs of having recently experienced a mental breakdown.

This socially adept woman can express enthusiasm with ease.

"Ninglong, my little darling, why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Alice's voice was filled with affectionate reproach. "I only found out you were here because Ailiya told me."

As she spoke, she reached out and took Su Ninglong's small, stained hands without any hesitation. "Last time was too rushed, and I didn't have time to thank you and your friends in person."

"No problem, no problem... The gifts you gave have already expressed your feelings enough, no need to thank me again." Su Ninglong couldn't refuse such intimacy; her hands were oily, and it wouldn't do if she accidentally dripped some on their expensive dress. "Hahaha, you're so cute!" Alice whispered, "Ninglong, I want to discuss something with you, do you... do you accept private commissions?"

"I won't answer." Su Ninglong refused; she had her own plans.

Alice said regretfully, "Not even considering 500,000 at once?"

"I can't accept this. I have a personal mission recently." Su Ninglong has to operate the fish-lipped robot to carry out the sealing every day, which is not easy. Before coming here, she had also been sealing her divine sense, which consumed a lot of energy.

“I trust you more. If you don’t take the case, my friend will have to entrust it to Star Alliance.”

"Uh-huh."

As things became lively at Su Ninglong's place, Shen Liwen was pushed out of the center of the circle.

Shen Zhaoming became the one being fawned over (just kidding), while Su Ninglong was the one who was popular. However, since Shen Zhaoming happened to be next to her, she also became the object of the attention of the rich girls.

At this moment, Yunfei's bracelet popped up a message, which was from Assistant Yu.

"The Star Police reported that during the emergency sealing operation last night, there was an ambush targeting Master Su Ninglong while the prisoners were being transferred."

"Is Su Ninglong's master alright?"

"It's alright, I'm unharmed."

Assistant Yu witnessed firsthand how the gorilla-headed robot handled emergencies, and she summed it up in one sentence: "Terrifying."

Sparks rained down from the sky, forcing the enemy to flee from cover. The Star Police opened fire to capture them.

Those sparks were extinguished without a trace by the gorilla-headed robot clenching its fist, much like the scene of Su Ninglong refining weapons, making it even more awe-inspiring.

A "performance" only reinforced the belief that Master Su Ninglong was a reclusive spiritualist who was perhaps forced to come out and earn more money in order to mentor his apprentices.

Yun Fei glanced thoughtfully at the girl who was eating and chatting with the rich girls.

So, is the scene of Su Ninglong summoning a terrifying divine beast a continuation of the same pattern?
As the banquet began, Lei, the organizer of the event, took the stage to deliver a speech. He announced that the proceeds from the variety show would be donated to charity to spiritual individuals suffering from serious illnesses or disabilities, enabling them to stand up again through physical rehabilitation.

This variety show and film event will only showcase the abilities of spiritual practitioners, challenging them with extreme sports that are difficult for ordinary people to complete...

In short, no project will involve the contaminated area. If you want to see the hunters' actions in the contaminated area, you need to go to the viewing room set up by the Star Alliance.

"What's so interesting about that?" Even Xin Yi and the others had finished eating and stood up to digest.

"Imagine an ordinary person rock climbing; they use their hands and feet to slowly incline upwards. But you, like a spider, need no safety measures and reach the top of a 100-meter mountain in two minutes. Isn't that pretty impressive?"

"This program is probably meant to warn ordinary people not to easily offend spiritualists. For the sake of balance, there will definitely be scenes of spiritualists being suppressed." Otherwise, society would become stratified, and the lives of ordinary people would become worthless, which is not something the interstellar government wants to see.

Lian Xinyi imagined herself climbing to a high place in a flash, with someone competing with her, which was quite exciting.

"This world is getting more and more magical." Lian Xinyi still remembers seeing Superman on TV when she was a child and subconsciously wanting to imitate him. At that time, her father said she was being childish.

After he became a spiritualist, his chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) became a reality.

Su Ninglong and others were new faces in the business world, but just by standing there, they inexplicably became a sight to behold, regardless of their appearance.

Outstanding temperament (out of place).

In the bar, groups of net hunters and hunters mingled together, making it hard to tell the difference. But in a banquet hall with thousands of people, the difference would be immediately apparent.

The young ladies who had just been enthusiastically joining the group didn't dare stand with them anymore. The reason was simple: when taking photos together, they looked utterly outshone by the others.

The spiritualists hadn't put on makeup yet.

Arya looked at the photos she had just taken and was on the verge of tears. "Sister, I never want to take another photo with anyone. It's so unfair! Even Xin Yi and Shen Zhaoming are so good-looking, and Lei Lei makes my heart flutter too."

“The best-looking one is this person.” Alice pointed at Xingyuan. She was a woman, and she also had the urge to get plastic surgery after seeing the photo.

"Alice, do you know them? Who are these people?" Two female business owners came over with wine glasses and handed them to Alice and Aria.

They handed out the extra cup they had, and Alice and Arya took it but didn't drink it.

"You don't know who these people are for the events organized by President Lei?"

"We know Lei Qingya and the Lian family's kid, of course, but we haven't met the others."

Alice clinked glasses with them. "Well, we can't say anything about that either, because we don't know much about them, we only know they're from the Star Alliance."

"Why are you so enthusiastic about them if you don't understand them? As far as I know, the Star Alliance members didn't participate in the event, but the Star Radiance Alliance members did appear in the public eye, which is enough to prove that the Star Radiance Alliance has more strength and confidence."

Arya was speechless. For Star Alliance to showcase its strength by participating in entertainment programs was somewhat beneath its dignity.

“Perhaps the Star Alliance and the Star Glory Alliance have different future development directions.” Alice neither refuted nor confirmed, skillfully avoiding comparison between the two. “Your children should be of age by now. Do you plan to let them join the Star Alliance or the Star Glory Alliance?”

Alice's smiling expression made the female boss a little wary, of course, it was Star Alliance.

“Miss Ai, I heard you were sick not long ago, but now it seems that it was all just nonsense. Look how fluent you are.”

"Experience teaches wisdom; one must learn to grow up." With a deft touch, Alice clinked glasses with them again, "Someone's looking for me over there, excuse me."

Arya chuckled, "You're so mean, secretly mocking them for being old and immature."

"They just want to know about future investment directions. We know people in the Star Alliance, and they're trying to get information from us. The interstellar government's regime is very stable, and its military strength is strong enough. Companies that cooperate more deeply with the government will receive larger and more stable investments."

Arya suddenly realized, "Then which alliance will cooperate more deeply, the Star Alliance or the Star Alliance?"

Alice shook her head. "I don't know."

Star Alliance is too low-key; who knows the extent of their cooperation?

"I trust Star Alliance more."

As soon as Alice approached another group of people, she was immediately met with curious stares. She didn't touch the wine in her glass and handed it to a passing robot.