A surge of intense fear flooded the middle-aged man, making him want to scream. Before him, the hatch erupted in a blinding flash of electric light; several chains of lightning instantly wrapped around him, blasting him backward.

The middle-aged man’s body slammed heavily into the "Casket" scanner, sending both him and the "Casket" tumbling backward. The electrical snakes also lashed out at the "Casket," causing its various components to explode and shatter. Although the Empire’s equipment relied on light paths rather than circuits, electrical current caused equally severe damage to those light paths.

All this happened in an instant. The middle-aged man and the "Casket" violently struck the opposite wall of the sealed chamber. The walls of the secret room were immensely hard. The "Casket" was smashed into fragments against the wall. As for the middle-aged man, due to hitting his head coupled with the jolt from the electricity, he instantly lost consciousness, collapsing in the corner with his eyes rolled back.

Only then did Little Bergen feel true fear. His legs trembled like sieves, and he mumbled, "Don't hurt me, don't kill me..."

With a sharp thud, the door to the secret room automatically sealed behind Yang Ying.

Yang Ying approached him, raising one hand. Electrical sparks danced in his palm, poised to press down on Little Bergen’s head. Suddenly, the hand stopped mid-air. Yang Ying changed his mind.

Killing both of them might not resolve the matter. Several people had seen him enter the bar. Moreover, he had purchased three ID cards from the middle-aged man. He didn't know if the man had mentioned this to anyone else. Letting them die inexplicably in this secret room was unwise.

With that thought, the electric sparks in Yang Ying's hand transformed into a dim, yellowish glow. He slapped his hand out, sending the light directly into Little Bergen’s mind.

Little Bergen, an ordinary person devoid of mental strength, could not withstand this sublime technique of mental control. In the blink of an eye, he was controlled by Yang Ying, his fearful expression replaced by one of complete nonchalance.

Stepping over the mess on the floor, Yang Ying walked to the fallen body of the middle-aged man. When he struck just now, he hadn't used his full power. After the electrical blow, the man was not dead; faint but distinct life signs still remained in his body.

"Decent vitality. Good thing I only used a casual strike; this person can be saved."

Before saving him, however, he needed to remove potential future problems. Yang Ying raised his hand and released a stream of dim, yellowish light, shooting it into the middle-aged man’s brain to cast his mental control. Since the man was already unconscious, the difficulty of control was not much greater than that of Little Bergen.

After successfully controlling the middle-aged man’s mind as well, Yang Ying waved his hand again, scattering a dense, pure white light that enveloped the man. This white light appeared remarkably gentle and sacred; under its illumination, the middle-aged man's injuries recovered at a visible rate.

Initially, the middle-aged man bore large patches of burns scorched by lightning, his charred skin faintly showing traces of blood. But after a few breaths, the blood color receded, the blackened skin automatically shed, and new skin formed beneath.

This power was precisely the Holy Light of Christ, which, on Earth, was only known among the Holy Light Knights. However, Yang Ying had touched upon the mysteries of the Holy Light through a cross-sword he acquired by chance.

Cultivating the Holy Light required first planting the seed of the Holy Light. For this reason, Yang Ying had previously abandoned the path of the Holy Light. But now, as a peak master of the Third Level, standing higher and seeing farther, it wasn't impossible for him to use certain methods to simulate the power of the Holy Light—though it would naturally be a notch weaker than the genuine article.

Yang Ying had to admit that the Holy Light, when used for healing, truly possessed unique advantages and yielded remarkable results. Even his simulated pseudo-Holy Light was no worse than the other healing spells he knew.

Soon, the middle-aged man’s injuries were mostly healed. He suddenly opened his eyes. As soon as he woke, Yang Ying withdrew the Holy Light and said, "Get up."

With the mental control successful, Yang Ying's words were commands to the middle-aged man. He immediately scrambled up from the floor and respectfully addressed him as "Master."

By this time, only about twenty seconds had passed since Yang Ying entered the secret room. Those outside who heard the commotion in the room were only just rushing to the door.

...

Soon, frantic knocking echoed from outside. The middle-aged man's subordinates were inquiring what had happened. Yang Ying used telepathy to command the man: "Tell them it's nothing, tell them to leave."

The middle-aged man nodded, went to the door, and loudly rebuffed those outside.

Once everyone outside had retreated, Yang Ying turned to Little Bergen. "You said you kept copies of the three ID card data? Go and destroy them. Eliminate all evidence."

"Yes, Master." Little Bergen approached the shattered 'casket,' picking up the pieces from the ground. He frowned after a look. "Master, the optical brain unit of the scanner is completely smashed into fragments. I stored all the duplicate data here, and now it’s lost."

"Are you certain?" Yang Ying asked.

"Certain," Bergen replied with utter confidence. "Even if the fragments could be pieced together, that last burst of current would have certainly destroyed the storage structure of the optical brain. Any information left inside is utterly wiped out; no technique could restore it."

"Good." Yang Ying then turned to the middle-aged man. "Besides you, who else knows the data on these three ID cards?"

"No one else," the middle-aged man answered. "Only Little Bergen and I knew about this."

"Excellent," Yang Ying confirmed. "You and Little Bergen must forget everything about this matter. Do not speak of it to anyone. This place is a mess; you two figure out how to explain it, but under no circumstances can it implicate me. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Master," the middle-aged man and Little Bergen replied in unison.

After confirming the security of the information, Yang Ying took the Ancient Luminous Grass back from the middle-aged man, then ordered the man to transfer every bit of available capital he could muster into the three ID card accounts before he felt satisfied.

Not just satisfied, but somewhat thrilled. The middle-aged man had recently taken on two money laundering jobs, meaning the total accessible funds reached a staggering six and a half million Imperial Credits!

In the True Human Empire, the purchasing power of the Imperial Credit was immense. A luxury airship equipped with a space-jumping function cost about that much.

Yang Ying understood that such a massive expenditure would inevitably bring the middle-aged man enormous trouble. But why not?

The middle-aged man's betrayal, once discovered by the affected parties, meant losing his life no matter where he was. Yang Ying allowing him to live a few more days was already the height of benevolence; letting him take the blame and die now could be considered making use of his final value.

To prevent any trace leading back to Yang Ying’s three accounts after the incident, Little Bergen exerted himself to create extensive cover operations. The funds circulated across hundreds of planets, enough to blind any investigating agency, even by the standard of Landon’s experience residing in Yang Ying's mind, this level of security was sufficient.

...

At least during his stay in the Empire, the origins of this money were unlikely to be discovered. Even if they were, it would only mean changing his identity again; after all, the three existing identities were fabricated to begin with.

Each of the three ID card accounts held just over two million Imperial Credits. The funds Yang Ying required for the next stage of his plan were now completely in place.

Having finished everything, Yang Ying reactivated his cloaking field and left the bar.

Before leaving, he had issued final orders to the middle-aged man and Little Bergen: after he departed, they were to delay discussions about this money for as long as possible. When they could no longer stall, they should find an opportunity to flee. That way, when the defrauded clients and the powers behind the bar discovered the missing funds, their attention would focus on these two fugitives.

By that time, Yang Ying himself would be vanished into the vast heavens, leaving no trace to be found.

Leaving the bar, Yang Ying headed straight for the Interstellar Gate Plaza. Red Cloud Star was merely the starting point of his journey in the Empire, and during the three days waiting for the ID cards, he had already planned his next target. Now, he could not wait a moment longer.

Glacier Star was the most developed planet in this star sector, and the Glacier Central Academy on the planet was the best institution in the entire region. Information gathered from public terminals indicated that this academy boasted advanced hardware and software. More importantly, they possessed the qualifications to procure various restricted raw materials and reagents.

The materials needed to synthesize top-tier gene activation elixirs could all be acquired at the Glacier Central Academy.

In front of the Interstellar Gate Plaza, Yang Ying suddenly recalled that he still lacked a personal optical computer—an indispensable tool for any citizen of the Atlantean Empire for travel. It was the key to enjoying ubiquitous network service spanning half the galaxy.

Yang Ying searched briefly near the Interstellar Gate Plaza and quickly found a shop selling optical computers. The holographic billboard outside the shop displayed various dazzling models. The optical computers were made into forms resembling common daily objects, making them convenient to use and carry.

Entering the shop, he found himself in a hall spanning two to three thousand square meters, dotted with hundreds of counters. Things only seen in science fiction worlds were everywhere.

Light, here, seemed like a delectable dish. A spectrum of colorful lights outlined exquisitely detailed pictures, perfectly complemented by harmonious, wonderful music. The seamless combination offered the viewer a transcendent enjoyment, akin to a paradise on earth.

Yang Ying approached a counter, where a robot with large eyes greeted him: "Greetings, esteemed guest. I am Counter Robot Unit 605. I am here to serve you wholeheartedly. What may I assist you with?"

Yang Ying discussed his need for a personal optical computer with the robot and realized the intelligence level of the Empire’s robots far surpassed the development level of robots on Earth, Flynn, or even Singer. These robots barely seemed like machines; they resembled silicon-based life forms more closely.

This was the first time Yang Ying had encountered such intelligent robots, but he suppressed his admiration well, having prepared for such contingencies.

Besides, the Orion Arm was not without silicon-based life forms. Among the high-level civilizations in the Orion Arm, the second-ranked and most technologically advanced race, the Cycro, were silicon-based life forms! For the continuation of the story, please visit [website/platform name]. More chapters are available. Support the author, support genuine reading!