After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

The night breeze on the terrace was slightly cool. Lin Ping's fingertip held a wisp of golden true energy suspended in mid-air, steadily locking onto the restless soul-controlling chip in Alu's room.

The chip's malevolent energy was restless, constantly transmitting the coordinates of the soul outwards. Clearly, Xiaoyuer had already activated remote binding and was just waiting for the right moment to completely control Alu's mind and actions.

Lin Ping's eyes were cold, and he had already made up his mind.

Keeping this chip is a potential threat, but destroying it rashly would alert the smaller players and cause a commotion. The only truly ingenious solution is to switch it out with a different chip, thus outsmarting the opponent.

He moved swiftly and silently slipped into Alu's room.

Alu lay on the bed with her eyes closed and her breathing even, but a lingering gloom and listlessness remained between her brows. Her soul was imprisoned, and she was unable to fall into a deep sleep.

Lin Ping slowly approached the bedside, about to bend down and brush aside the long hair at the back of her neck to remove the chip.

Suddenly, very light footsteps came from outside the door.

The door was gently pushed open, and Adele walked in carrying a cup of warm, calming herbal medicine.

She was worried about Alu, who was in a daze, so she came over late at night to take care of her. When she looked up, she saw Lin Ping standing by the bed and froze on the spot.

"Sir? What were you doing in Aru's room so late at night?"

Adele asked softly, her eyes filled with doubt and wariness.

Lin Ping didn't turn around, his tone calm and indifferent: "Come and see, Alu's problem isn't about being frightened."

As he finished speaking, he raised his hand and gently brushed aside Alu's long, black hair at the back of her neck.

A tiny, dark red light flickered faintly through her fair skin, revealing a strange chip embedded in her meridian. Strands of blood-red malevolent energy traveled along the meridian, silently eroding Alu's soul.

Adele's pupils contracted sharply, and she nearly dropped the medicine in her hand, gasping for breath.

"What...what is this?!"

She finally understood why Alu had become a completely different person after her return—her eyes were vacant, her reactions were slow, and her movements were stiff.

It wasn't because he was frightened at all; someone secretly implanted an evil object and manipulated his soul!

"It was Xiaoyuer who did it!" Adele whispered, both angry and anxious, her eyes instantly reddening. "They're so vicious, secretly trying to harm Alu!"

Lin Ping said calmly, "Stay calm and don't make a sound. If we alert those outside, all our efforts will be in vain."

Adele quickly composed herself, carefully supporting the sleeping Alu and gently holding her neck to make it easier for Lin Ping to make his move.

Lin Ping condensed a wisp of pure and clean golden true energy at his fingertips, gently enveloping the evil aura surrounding the chip.

The golden true energy peeled away the layers of adhesions in the meridians without harming Aru's physical body, precisely locking onto the soul-controlling chip.

There was a soft "click".

The dark red crystal chip was completely peeled off, detached from the skin and flesh, and quietly floated on Lin Ping's fingertip, the remaining blood-red aura still writhing unwillingly.

Adele breathed a long sigh of relief, her face full of worry: "Sir, the chip has been removed. What should we do next? It's too dangerous to keep it."

"I'll handle it."

Lin Ping casually put away the chip, his tone calm and confident.

It would be a shame to destroy it completely. Since Xiaoyuer has gone to great lengths to plant a backup plan, he will make good use of it and give her a big gift in return.

After settling the sleeping Alu, Lin Ping signaled Ade to stay and look after her. He then vanished from the manor without a sound and headed straight for the deep forest behind the mountain.

The mountains and forests were silent in the dead of night, and birds and beasts lay dormant.

Before long, Lin Ping spotted a wild boar weighing over 300 pounds resting in a clearing deep in the dense forest. It had thick skin, a strong physique, and a robust breathing.

Lin Ping landed lightly, casually binding the wild boar's meridians, rendering it unable to struggle or move.

He took out the dark red soul-controlling chip from his fingertip, activated his true energy, and precisely inserted it into the flesh under the back of the wild boar's neck.

The chip instantly adhered to the bloodline and took root firmly. The original soul coordinates that were locked onto Alu were completely replaced by the soul fluctuations of the wild boar.

After finishing everything, Lin Ping removed the restraints, letting the wild boar shake its head and continue to sleep in the forest, before quietly turning back to the manor.

The entire process was seamless and unnoticed by anyone.

A night passes in the blink of an eye.

At the Illuminati stronghold on the back mountain, Little Fish sat in the main seat, his fingertips constantly urging the mechanical right arm, the blood-red patterns shimmering with light.

A sinister smirk played on her lips, her eyes filled with anticipation.

After a night of restoring its power, the Soul Control Chip has become completely stable, and tonight is the time to close the net.

She intends to manipulate Alu, sneaking into Lin Ping's room late at night to launch a surprise attack, working from the inside to completely disrupt Lin Ping's entire plan.

"Tonight, I'll see how you, Lin Ping, protect everyone around you!"

Little Fish formed a hand seal, channeling all his spiritual power into the chip's remote link, and shouted sharply, "Move! Return to the base immediately upon my command!"

According to her plan, Aru would be mentally controlled but not in control of herself, and would immediately go to the Illuminati stronghold alone to report for duty.

The soul connection was established instantly!

Outside the outpost, a sudden, heavy rumbling sound echoed from deep within the mountains and forests, causing branches to tremble and dust to fly.

Xiaoyuer's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stared intently at the door, waiting for the controlled Alu to appear.

The next moment!

A giant wild boar weighing 300 pounds, with its bloodshot eyes, charged wildly into the Illuminati's main hall following the instructions of the chip!

Boom!

The massive beast slammed into the pillar in the hall, causing the entire hall to tremble violently and all the tables, chairs, and ritual implements to be overturned.

Driven by malevolent energy, the wild boar went berserk, rampaging through the hall and roaring deafeningly.

Caught off guard, the group of Illuminati monks and modified assassins were instantly knocked over, screaming in agony.

The entire place was a mess, a complete disaster.

The smug smile on Xiaoyuer's face froze instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and he was completely stunned.

"W-Why is it a wild boar?!"

She frantically activated her divine soul commands, but the chip only returned heavy animalistic breathing and a violent, wild aura.

The ultimate chess piece, originally intended to manipulate Alu and overturn the manor's layout, was secretly replaced by Lin Ping and transformed into a beast that could destroy the nest and ruin the palace!

The soul-controlling chip she painstakingly crafted and the meticulously planned deadly contingency plan she devised turned into a colossal joke overnight!

Wild boars rampaged through the temple, wreaking havoc on half of the Illuminati stronghold, leaving mechanical parts and malevolent magical artifacts scattered all over the ground.

Little Fish was so angry that he trembled all over. His mechanical right arm flashed red light, and his ferocity exploded completely.

"Lin Ping!!"

A furious roar, filled with clenched teeth, echoed throughout the entire outpost on the back mountain, brimming with boundless hatred.

She finally realized what was happening.

From stealing the lotus in Tianshan and bearing the infamy, to Alu being captured and seemingly being on the defensive, Lin Ping was not falling into the trap at all. He was watching the show from the beginning and using the tricks against him!

All his schemes and backup plans were seen through and manipulated by him!

Meanwhile, inside a side room of the Lin family manor.

Alu slowly opened her eyes, her mind clear and lucid, her eyes bright and lively, completely regaining her former straightforward and bold demeanor, without a trace of dullness or woodenness.

She felt completely relaxed, and the cold, oppressive restraints on her soul vanished entirely.

Adele stayed by her bedside, and seeing that she had recovered, she finally felt completely relieved.

Under the eaves of the courtyard, Lin Ping stood with his hands behind his back, watching the chaotic roars of beasts and the furious killing intent faintly coming from the direction of the back mountain, a faint cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Little Fish thought he had the upper hand at every step, that he was using public opinion to manipulate people's minds, and that he had secretly planted a traitor.

Little did she know, all her trump cards were already under his control.

In the shadows, at the bedroom window.

The fake Shen Aoxue stood quietly, her eyes filled with dark clouds.