"Play your head off!" I mimicked my father's tone, tapping Li Qi's forehead. "Look what you've become, are you still a normal woman? Of all my wives, none are like you. You must change, you must change, or starting tomorrow, I won't speak to you."

Li Qi remained silent, nestling obediently against my arm in my embrace. Occasionally, she would grimace and touch the whip marks on her backside. I examined the area; the marks were mainly concentrated on her rear and thighs. A few were quite deep, but none had broken the skin. My control over the force was decent, but if I let her tempt me again, I was bound to become psychologically twisted sooner or later.

I gently massaged Li Qi’s buttocks and thighs. "Go to sleep now. Rest at home tomorrow, and don't play too rough in the future. And don't provoke me."

Li Qi was indeed obedient; she nodded, held me, and drifted off to sleep. It seemed her supposed insomnia was gone. After a beating like that, who would have the mood for sleeplessness?

After covering Li Qi with a blanket, I sat down at her desk. Directly facing me was a large world map. The humiliation inflicted upon the Great Dragon Nation in modern times was immense. Once a proud, plump rooster, it had been pecked and gouged until it now lacked limbs and a mouth. When I was in the military, I harbored grand dreams of riding high, charging across battlefields, defending the homeland, and reclaiming lost territories. Now that I possessed the capability, why shouldn't I act on those dreams?

The strength of the Army, Navy, and Air Force was continuously growing. Although the surface fleet was practically non-existent, the capabilities of the Jinxing-class submarine carrier were astonishing, allowing for temporary control of the surface domain in the short term. However, as Country M's surface fleet capabilities strengthened, the necessity for cruiser and destroyer escorts would grow. At that point, relying solely on the bases beneath the Okinawa Trough would prove insufficient, as those surface fleets would have extreme difficulty reaching bases at a depth of 3,000 meters.

Where should a naval base be established? Conducting such activities openly within the Great Dragon Nation would surely invite suspicion from nations around the world. Establishing one overseas lacked suitable territory. After scrutinizing the map, my gaze finally settled on the Nansha (Spratly) Islands.

The political situation there was complex. Ostensibly, it was the maritime territory of the Great Dragon Nation, but in reality, the majority of the reefs and islands were controlled by other nations. The sea lanes in this area were also hazardous due to countless hidden reefs, requiring extreme caution when navigating. Yet, this region was the gateway to the Strait of Malacca. Passing through the Strait required passage through this area. Establishing a naval base here would not only allow us to curb the smaller nations that had seized our islands but also guard the gateway to Malacca, all while having the mainland of the Motherland at our back. It was truly an excellent location.

After careful observation of the map, I decided to make Wan’an Tan (Vanguard Bank) the first target. This island was currently controlled by Vietnam. I only needed to lease the island from the Great Dragon Nation under the guise of some international corporation. From there, the matter would be entirely separate from the Great Dragon Nation's government. First, I would expel the Vietnamese personnel from the island, then slowly bring in cruisers under a justifiable pretext. Once the first foothold was secured, expansion to surrounding reefs would be possible.

How to finalize the lease contract—that would require consulting the Chairman. Simultaneously, the Navy needed increased staffing, especially soldiers capable of piloting cruisers; we couldn't build them only to have no one who could operate them. It seemed military spending would increase again.

Heh. After a good beating, my mind truly felt sharper. Many things I hadn't considered before were now coming to light. The Nansha islands were rich in resources; perhaps we could settle there eventually, occasionally taking the whole family for a swim in the sea. All those bastards who encroached on my territory would just have to get lost!

I detailed the plan on my phone and sent it to the group chat containing the several women at home. I wasn't practicing autocratic rule; although they obeyed my every word, seeking everyone's opinion was still necessary.

With nothing else to do, I rummaged carelessly through Li Qi's desk. Among the clothes, the variety was overwhelming—all were super perverse styles of underwear. Of course, I also spotted the kind of pasties Ouyang Qing wore; they were indeed alluring and sexy. As for thongs, Li Qi's sizes surpassed Ouyang Qing’s by more than a little.

I picked a few up to examine. Normal thongs should have a wider front piece to cover the forest, but Li Qi's styles were all just a single string in the front and back—no real difference between wearing them or not. There was also a rather fun type of revealing top; it looked like a small black vest, but it had two holes precisely where the breasts were. When worn, the breasts were tightly squeezed out of the openings, giving an explosive look. It was an absolute visual feast.

I finally found Li Qi's diary. It was rare for a girl her age not to keep a diary. My main goal was to find the root cause of Li Qi's pathological mindset. Although this kind of activity was stimulating, no one could tolerate such torment indefinitely. Healing her was the priority.

Flipping through the earlier entries yielded no useful material; it was mostly like a dull daily account. But from the day we met at the library, the diary entries changed. Between the lines, one could sense that a pebble had been dropped into Li Qi's otherwise placid emotional lake, sending ripples outward. Initially, the entries were filled with resentment. Li Qi hated me for violating her dignity and breaching her ironclad rules, so she intended to punish me. However, one failed punishment after another drove Li Qi to near hysteria. She was practically a tigress ready to rage, her mind filled only with ways to defeat me and crush me underfoot.

But the next page showed a change in tone. Besides still being angry, there was now an element of questioning. She had likely dug up some of my background information, leading her to become curious about me.

Many later entries expressed contradictory feelings—one moment suggesting she should kill me, the next questioning my identity incessantly. This continued until the incident in our dormitory when I pinned her down and scolded her. In her diary, she wrote that she suddenly found that feeling strange; she craved further action from me, even becoming impatient.

That very night, I beat her half to death, yet her mood while writing the diary was one of intense excitement. She had completely accepted herself as my woman, even imagining their future life together, complete with grand plans for elaborate torture.

I dared not read further. Perhaps Li Qi had become deeply attached to this feeling of pain. Even treatment from a psychiatrist might prove ineffective. Only she could pull herself back, but currently, she had no intention of turning around. In her own words, the experience of bliss had only just begun; the road ahead was long.

What should I do? Should I continue playing this game with her? As long as I was there to watch over her, there shouldn't be any problem, right? She craved pain, so I would give it to her. It was like someone who loved fatty meat—if you made them eat it for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand meals, they would eventually grow sick of it. Then she would naturally come to her senses.

Even though my mind was occupied with plans for great healing and saving, my hands involuntarily opened a collection of torture videos. People have two sides; either the East wind prevails over the West wind, or vice versa. It seemed my own perverse psychology was slowly being cultivated. The road ahead was still long.

Suddenly, a sense of imminent danger washed over my entire body. This feeling was not new to me. With practiced expertise, I sprang up, grabbed the [Note: Character name obscured by asterisks in original text] Li Qi, and dove under the bed.

Bang, bang, bang—the window glass shattered in rapid succession, and the sound of bedding being struck echoed dully. Li Qi awoke, her voice laced with panic: "What is it, Zhao Qian?"

I whispered, "Don't speak. Hide here; I'll go check."

Li Qi pointed to an inconspicuous button near the edge of the bed. "Press that. The bodyguards will be here soon."

I pressed it and told Li Qi, "Have them protect you. I'm going after the attackers."

With that, I leaped out through the shattered windowpane, scanning the surroundings. Three dark figures leaped into the distant night sky. They had struck and missed, immediately retreating. They weren't amateurs.

I pushed my speed to the limit, setting off at a sprint to pursue them. The four of us exited the capital city—three ahead, one behind. The three in front must have sensed pursuit, as their speed increased, and the duration of their leaps increased, allowing them to stay airborne longer. Eventually, they were practically flying in mid-air, just like me!

They truly were masters! The distance was closing. One of the three ahead suddenly broke off to intercept me. We faced each other without a word. Bang, bang, bang—a volley of bullets shot toward me.

To save time, I charged directly toward the man in black, weathering the bullets. He clearly hadn't anticipated this move, but his reflexes were quick. He emptied his gun in one burst, then hurled it at me. In his other hand, a flash of steel appeared—a dagger struck at me simultaneously.

He was a highly trained assassin; his sequence of movements was flawless. However, he overlooked one crucial fact: if I wasn't afraid of bullets, why would I fear a dagger? So, he died. I smashed his skull in with a single punch. I had no time for pleasantries; I immediately pushed off the ground and continued my pursuit.

This momentary pause significantly widened the gap between us, forcing me to accelerate again. Due to the extreme speed, I had no idea where I currently was. My phone was left on Li Qi's desk, making global positioning impossible. Fortunately, my training hadn't been in vain; I was closing in on the two remaining figures ahead. I had never encountered assassins capable of supersonic speed before; such people could not be allowed to live in the world, as they would inevitably become a scourge. Thus, no matter how far they fled, I had to eliminate them.

The three ahead flew in sequence, looking more like a scene from a movie. It was a good thing it wasn't daytime, or people below would think they were seeing ghosts. Suddenly, the speed of the two ahead gradually slowed. Were they planning a final showdown?

The speed of the three dropped steadily. Strangely, they could still hover, while I, forced to reduce my speed due to increased gravity, had to run frantically close to the ground. Could they violate the laws of gravity like Li Tieniu?

"Who are you? How could the Great Dragon Nation possess a master like you?" The two finally stopped their movement, suspended in mid-air, and questioned me.

It was only then that I clearly saw them. It wasn't a violation of gravity at all; both of them had machines strapped to their backs. The one whose skull I had caved in hadn't been paying attention, but now that we were engaging in dialogue, I noticed it.

"And who are you, sneaking around and wearing masks? Are you so ugly you resemble pigs and are ashamed to be seen?"

The other replied, "Your power is immense, but we are not weak either. Two against one, perhaps we should just call it even?"

"That won't do," I retorted. "You've seen my face, but I don't know what you look like. That's an unfair disadvantage. No deal."

The two exchanged silent communication and didn't reply. The guns they had lowered suddenly spat fire, bullets raining down on me. They clearly didn't know how their comrade died if they resorted to such a foolish tactic for a surprise attack.

I raised my hand to deflect several bullets aimed at my eyes, then leaped up and swung my fist at the machines on their backs. The two activated some switch; I heard a humming sound, and their bodies shot upward slightly, nullifying my attack.

I couldn't remain airborne for long. Landing on the ground, I casually picked up a few stones and threw them as if shooting birds. The two had excellent eyesight and maneuvered the humming machines left and right to dodge. I kept throwing stones, and they kept evading. Suddenly, two smoking objects flew toward my head. I quickly smacked them away with two stones.

Boom! Two loud explosions echoed in the sky. Those smoking objects were high-explosive grenades. The blast wave sent the two figures tumbling several times in the air. Having exhausted their options, their bodies instantly tensed, and then they shot off into the distance, accelerating with surprising swiftness.

In truth, the previous chase had drained a considerable amount of my energy. Lately, I constantly felt my stamina was somewhat lacking. It wasn't this bad even when I went to the Yokosuka Air Base from Mingdao. Am I truly getting old?

The three chased and fought. If my body weren't feeling weak, I would have eliminated them ten times over by now. But no matter how tired I was, I couldn't give up. Not only had we fought for so long, but more importantly, my identity was exposed. If I let them escape, the consequences would be endless.

The two ran while shouting, "Are you really aiming for mutual destruction?"

I answered from behind, "No, I intend to kill you."

The two suddenly spun around without warning and lunged at me: "Fine, if you won't let us go, we'll die together!"

They were delivering themselves right to me. I reached out and grabbed one. I expected some kind of bullet, dagger, or grenade attack, but instead, I heard a loud crack-crackle sound from the machine on their back, immediately followed by a violent explosion—its intensity far exceeded the grenades from before.

My body should have been able to withstand the shockwave, but unexpectedly, my stamina plummeted abruptly. I remembered when I first entered the Hope spaceship; my physical fitness tests were unstable, fluctuating wildly. I had initially attributed it to incomplete evolution. Later, when I exerted myself to block a missile and save Yi Xiaorou, my physical condition fluctuated again. This time felt similar to those two occasions. When stamina drops, resistance to impact naturally plummets. The massive shockwave launched me hundreds of meters into the air. My clothes, shoes, and pants were all blown to shreds. My vision flashed with golden light, my brain was chaotic, and my body was covered in sticky, wet human flesh. Those two guys were blown to smithereens; they were utterly ruthless.

I could no longer control my body, nor did I know where I was falling. Even if it were hell below, I had no choice. My brain was like a crashed computer, my consciousness fading. Pity me, the great Emperor of Desire, who was about to be taken down by three unknown assassins. Heavens, what about my beautiful wives back home?

I must live. I have to survive! Wives, don't worry; I'll be home soon...