When Liu Hui returned home that evening, he found Shu Yan sitting angrily at the table. Seeing him arrive, she let out a soft "huff" and turned away, hugging her arms, pointedly ignoring him. Hu Xian'er, however, offered Liu Hui a wry, pained smile.

"I'm back," Liu Hui said.

Shu Yan suddenly spun around, letting out a loud "Waaah!" before bursting into tears and burying herself in Liu Hui's embrace, clinging to him tightly. Liu Hui instinctively glanced toward Hu Xian'er but dared not raise his hands to comfort the weeping Shu Yan in his arms.

Sobbing, Shu Yan mumbled into his chest, "You brute, Huihui, just sneaking off without a word, making me think I'd never see you again! Do you have any idea how much I missed you?"

Liu Hui sighed helplessly. "Yanyan, I just went to work. You two were sleeping so soundly this morning that I didn't want to wake either of you."

Shu Yan tilted her head up, her eyes swimming with tears. "Huihui, you have to promise me, you will never abandon me again."

Liu Hui spared a glance for Hu Xian'er, who rolled her eyes at him. He resignedly said, "Fine, I promise, I will never abandon you."

Hearing Liu Hui's assurance, Shu Yan's spirits instantly lifted. With a touch of bashfulness, she stepped out of his embrace. "Huihui, now that you're back, I'll serve dinner." With that, she cheerfully retreated to the kitchen and brought out the meal that had been prepared long ago.

Hu Xian'er seized the opportunity to pull Liu Hui into the study.

"Xian'er, what's wrong?" Liu Hui asked, his heart feeling guilty.

"What's wrong? You heartless fiend!" Hu Xian'er suddenly clamped down hard on Liu Hui's ear, refusing to let go.

Liu Hui's ear throbbed in pain, yet he dared not cry out loudly. He pleaded, "My dearest wife, let go quickly, or you'll pull my ear clean off—it won't grow back, you know..."

Hu Xian'er twisted his ear once more before releasing him, saying, "Water Buffalo, look at the mess you’ve made!" Liu Hui grumbled gloomily, "Xian'er, this wasn't something I wanted to see. She just appeared out of nowhere! And she even knows all those secrets between Shu Yan and me. I'm still trying to figure out what's going on here myself!"

Hu Xian'er spoke with sober earnestness. "Water Buffalo, haven't you noticed that this Shu Yan's behavior is a little strange?"

Liu Hui thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I do feel something odd. Even though she knows everything that happened between me and Shu Yan, I have a very strange feeling—I feel like she isn't the real Shu Yan."

Hu Xian'er frowned too. "I've noticed strange things as well. You once told me Shu Yan was a generous, thoughtful girl who always considered others. And because she worked in society, she had considerable worldly experience. But from my observations today, this 'Shu Yan' at home seems to know nothing beyond your romantic entanglement."

Liu Hui said, "She mentioned she doesn't know why she's become like this. Wait, do you think it could be this: when Shu Yan died back then, her soul transferred into this young girl’s body? And due to some unexplained change, this soul transfer wasn't entirely successful, resulting in the fusion of this girl's soul and Shu Yan's soul? Then Shu Yan lost her worldly experience but gained the girl's innocence?"

Since both Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er had lived two lives, they readily believed in concepts like souls, reincarnation, and possession. The only reason Liu Hui hadn't immediately suggested this girl was Shu Yan's reincarnation was that her age didn't match the time of Shu Yan's death.

Hu Xian'er countered, "Even if this girl is possessed by Shu Yan's soul, what about your Anqi? What's her story? Didn't you say she was the real Shu Yan?"

Liu Hui looked troubled. "I really don't know about that either! I initially thought Anqi was Shu Yan returned from the dead, because every sign suggested it. But Anqi hasn't recalled a single memory of Shu Yan over the years. And now, this 'Shu Yan' who has appeared has Shu Yan's memories, yet she is nothing like Shu Yan."

Hu Xian'er pondered for a moment before asking, "So, how do you plan to treat the Shu Yan here at home?"

Liu Hui shook his head. "Xian'er, I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Hu Xian'er sounded uneasy. "You aren't thinking of bringing this Shu Yan home too, are you?"

Liu Hui quickly clarified, "How could I think that, Xian'er? Even if I loved Shu Yan once, that's in the past. Aren't I with you now?"

Hu Xian'er scoffed coldly. "If that’s the case, then how do you explain being with Anqi?"

Liu Hui felt awkward. "Well, the situation was a bit… special…"

Just as Hu Xian'er was about to press further, Shu Yan called out that dinner was served, rushing Liu Hui to eat. The two were forced to end their conversation, leave the study, and begin their meal.

During dinner, Shu Yan beamed, piling food onto Liu Hui’s plate with enthusiasm. Every dish she chose was one of the few Shu Yan used to love when they were together. Although Liu Hui, after his memories were sealed, no longer particularly favored those dishes, watching Shu Yan care so much for him brought back the feeling that this "Shu Yan" was indeed the woman he once loved.

When it was time for bed that night, Shu Yan looked at Liu Hui with an air of wounded melancholy. Unfortunately, Hu Xian'er granted them no further opportunity. She firmly pulled Shu Yan into her own room, tossing Liu Hui into the guest room alone.

And so, an unexpected Shu Yan entered the world shared by Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er, leading to a bizarre cohabitation of three under one roof.

Three days later, Liu Hui could bear it no longer and summoned Desheng to inquire about the situation with Shu Yan.

"Desheng, any concrete news?" Liu Hui asked. The last few days, with Shu Yan causing chaos, had given him a splitting headache, driving him close to madness.

"Boss, I apologize, we still haven't obtained any information," Desheng said with renewed shame.

"What's going on? Is investigating a person's background that difficult?" Liu Hui asked, displeased.

Desheng explained, "Boss, we have searched all the household registration files for 'Star City,' but we haven't found any data that perfectly matches this girl. We also screened everyone who has entered 'Star City' in the last two years and haven't found anyone similar to her. We have now widened the search scope to look for clues about this girl worldwide, hoping to get useful intelligence."

Liu Hui murmured gloomily, "Can a weak, delicate girl with no martial arts skills possibly arrive in the heavily guarded 'Star City' alone?"

Desheng stated honestly, "Theoretically, no, that should be impossible."

Liu Hui sighed. "Then how do you think this girl appeared in 'Star City'?"

Desheng admitted plainly, "Boss, I don't know."

Liu Hui felt frustrated. "If you don't know, then keep investigating. You must figure out this girl's identity."

Desheng bowed low. "Boss, we will continue to work diligently."

Liu Hui secretly tested several people around him using the mind-reading artifact from his storage space. He found the artifact worked perfectly, showing no malfunctions, confirming his device was fine.

Upon returning home, Liu Hui covertly used the mind-reading artifact on the "Shu Yan" in his house several times, but each attempt failed; he simply could not read her inner thoughts. This confirmed one thing for Liu Hui: his artifact wasn't broken; rather, for some reason he didn't understand, it failed specifically when reading Shu Yan's mind.

The more he couldn't know what Shu Yan was thinking, the more desperate he became to know. This was because, over the past few days, the "Shu Yan" at home had begun acting more and more like the real Shu Yan. The innocence and social unfamiliarity she possessed were slowly vanishing. This worried both Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er, leaving them distraught over how to deal with this sudden girl claiming to be Shu Yan.

Furthermore, Liu Hui dared not bring this "Shu Yan" before Anqi, fearing major problems if they discovered each other's true identities.

While Liu Hui was hesitant to act against this "Shu Yan," the girl relentlessly pursued him, causing him immense distress. The relationship between Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er, which had just normalized, was completely stalled by the presence of this strange girl; their private world had been utterly disrupted.

Every time Liu Hui suggested preparing a separate apartment for Shu Yan outside the city so she could move out, Shu Yan would become heartbroken, often protesting with hunger strikes, leaving Liu Hui helpless against her. Strangely, Hu Xian'er held no resentment toward Shu Yan; she even persuaded Liu Hui several times to let Shu Yan stay. This left Liu Hui deeply conflicted.

And so, amidst Liu Hui's ongoing turmoil, the year 2017 drew to a close in "Star City."

In 2017, "Star City" achieved even greater milestones. Although the massive revenue from oil sales was gone this year, Star City's original industries gained momentum. Coupled with the full-scale success of electric vehicles, the income from the newly launched, globally monopolized "Medicine," and the revenue from the four major beverage series, the total income for "Star City" in 2017 reached ten trillion Star Currency, counting the GDP generated by its various sectors.

This enormous income was achieved despite losing last year's six trillion Star Currency from oil sales, which proved that "Star City" truly possessed the second-largest economic power in the world. It was no longer an era reliant on just one or two products for success.

Now, "Star City's" products flooded the entire globe—from pharmaceuticals to health supplements, cosmetics, fine goods, beverages, disease treatment, hospitals, desalination, cheap electricity, and electric cars. "Star City" had established a complete industrial chain, no longer fearful of setbacks caused by fluctuations in the international market.

In contrast, the US GDP experienced a decline in 2017, reaching only fourteen trillion USD. Therefore, even with the loss of its huge oil revenue, the gap between "Star City" and the United States had not widened; in fact, it was narrowing. Financial experts worldwide already predicted the possibility of "Star City" taking over the mantle of the world's leading economic power, as the American economy was steadily receding while "Star City's" economy continued its rapid ascent. Surpassing the US was only a matter of time.

In 2017, the construction pace within "Star City" continued to accelerate. By year's end, the completed area reached nine hundred square kilometers, with over seven hundred square kilometers ready for use. "Star City" had undeniably become a super-metropolis.

Throughout the past year, the citizens of "Star City" felt their lives had become happier. Compared to other nations, their lives were vastly better. Even international travel required no visas. They noticed the awe that people in foreign lands held for the powerful… Star City… standing behind them.

They now cherished their status as citizens of "Star City" above all else, fearful of accidentally losing it. Consequently, they scrupulously obeyed the laws and regulations within Star City, leading to an atmosphere of harmony. Even the overall social morality level had risen significantly.

Over this year, not only did "Star City" and Liu Hui’s enterprises flourish, but Alexander's Church of Light in the magic plane also saw considerable gains.

After a period of recuperation, the Pompeii Nation finally decided to mobilize. They coordinated with the Church of Light for a pincer attack, swiftly crushing the gathered Elven army of the Xiling Kingdom in a single battle. The two allied forces advanced rapidly, soon capturing the Xiling capital and imprisoning its king, thereby occupying all Xiling territory and officially declaring the kingdom’s demise.

Unfortunately, they failed to capture the first heir to the Xiling throne, who managed to escape to a neighboring country. This heir traveled abroad, weeping and seeking foreign aid to restore the Xiling Kingdom.

However, by then, neither the Pompeii Nation nor the Church of Light paid any mind to the deposed prince. They were busy dividing the spoils. According to their prior agreement, the Pompeii Nation would cede all former Xiling territories adjacent to the Church of Light to Alexander. The human race under Alexander gained a stretch of land situated on the plains, finally allowing them to emerge from the mountains and settle on the flatlands.

Although Alexander decided to relocate the majority of his human forces to this plain, the headquarters of the Church of Light remained within the great canyon. He himself managed the rapidly expanding Church of Light from the canyon, partly to mask the extensive inter-dimensional trades he conducted with Liu Hui, and partly for security reasons.

After a year spent collecting human slaves, the Pompeii Nation provided Alexander with a total of sixty million human beings and thirty million slaves of other races. Upon receiving these humans and slave races, Alexander swiftly used the doctrine of the Church of Light to indoctrinate the new converts, ensuring their immediate allegiance to the Church of Light and their obedience to his command.

Including the human population in the territory gained from Xiling, Alexander now officially governed a total population exceeding 120 million—barely qualifying him to be considered akin to a minor Elven vassal state.

Through this war that extinguished the Xiling Kingdom, both the Pompeii Nation and the Church of Light recognized the immense benefit each provided the other. They immediately adjusted their strategy, abandoning the idea of a quick partnership followed by separation, and instead forming a true alliance. They planned to jointly conquer more territories belonging to Elven vassal states to seize greater advantages and populations.

Alexander transitioned from the mountains to the lands outside, rapidly establishing his foundation in the new world. As his territory expanded, he immediately began collecting Magic Beast Cores on the new lands, trading them to Liu Hui for immense benefits, creating a virtuous cycle of exchange.

In a very short time, Liu Hui received a staggering amount of Magic Beast Cores from Alexander again. This convinced him that, given a little more time to develop, Alexander would surely achieve something earth-shattering in the magical world, bringing him ever greater profits.

Alexander quieted his military efforts, focusing on internal administration, and war temporarily receded from the Church of Light. Meanwhile, the Zerg Zerg and the Protoss ignited hostilities.

Following persistent harassment from the Zerg, the Protoss army finally lost patience. Their commanding officer abandoned the original battle plan and led a premature charge against the Zerg fortifications. The war between the Protoss and the Zerg finally erupted fully; now it depended on which side would laugh last.

Just before the Zerg army clashed with the Protoss forces, they preemptively requested an advance from Liu Hui: two thousand tons of narcotics, all intended for modifying the Zerg commanders to enhance their operational and tactical capabilities.

Liu Hui, considering his long-term interests, agreed to Zerg’s request for the advance.

No matter what, the Zerg ultimately represented his interests. If the Zerg were defeated, it would mean his own profits were damaged, and he might even lose the Zerg as a trading partner—a result Liu Hui could not accept.

However, the Zerg also brought Liu Hui a surprise: they informed him that Little Black’s body had reached maturity and was ready for the final stage of its modification process: the Ultimate Transformation.

Following this, the Zerg traded Liu Hui a massive cache of specialized gene drugs and large quantities of Xik Crystals necessary for Little Black's Ultimate Transformation.

According to the Zerg, after this final modification, Little Black would enter its ultimate state of existence, transforming into a Black Dragon five hundred meters long. Liu Hui believed that once that happened, Little Black would be truly invincible; not even all the nuclear bombs on Earth exploding against it would cause even the slightest injury.