Chapter 9 — I'll Make the Wolf King Pay in This Life

"Are you reading too many online novels?"

"Where is security? Why are people like this allowed in here?"

"So young, and yet already insane."

The entire auditorium erupted in laughter. Chi Loc Minh did not move. An Cuu Uyen stirred within her sleeve.

"Are you ready?" it asked.

"I am."

The snake slithered out from her sleeve. The black serpent, only half a meter long, coiled around her arm and slowly raised its head. Its vertical, golden pupils swept across the room. The laughter died instantly. Because of the pressure—the Primal Pressure of the Ten Thousand Beasts. From this tiny snake, a crushing aura exploded, utterly disproportionate to its size. Every beast-person in the hall, whether they had assumed human form or not, felt an irresistible tremor rising from the deepest depths of their bloodlines. Their knees grew weak. The first to collapse was an old man with white hair in the corner. His eyes widened, his body shook, and his lips trembled as he uttered a title that had not been spoken in thirty thousand years.

"God... God Sovereign..."

Then came the second, the third, the tenth. Every beast-person in the hall, regardless of species or status, dropped to their knees like puppets with severed strings. The human tycoons looked at those around them falling to the floor, exchanging pale, terrified glances. The fat man who had laughed the loudest moments ago slumped in his chair, his trousers slowly darkening with a wet stain. The microphone in the moderator's hand hit the floor with a hollow, jarring thud.

An Cuu Uyen withdrew its gaze. The pressure dissipated. It tilted its head, glancing at Chi Loc Minh as if to ask: Is that enough?

The corners of Chi Loc Minh's mouth curved upward. It was enough. She spoke again, her tone flat, as if discussing the most mundane of affairs.

"Now then, whoever holds the ledgers for Crimson Moon—bring them forward."

Chapter 9: Crimson Moon Headquarters, Supreme Meeting Room.

Chi Loc Minh sat at the head of a long table crafted from priceless ebony. An Cuu Uyen curled up on the table's surface, resting its head upon its own coils, resembling a statue of black jade. Seated opposite her were the five Elders of Crimson Moon. All were ancient beast-people who had lived for hundreds of years. At this moment, their aged faces shared a single expression: a complex mixture of shock, reverence, and utter disbelief.

"God Sovereign," the white-haired elder at the far left spoke first, his voice still trembling. "Forgive our presumption. After you fell thirty thousand years ago, we spent every moment searching for your fragments. But we never imagined... that you would return in this form."

The tip of An Cuu Uyen's tail tapped lightly against the table. "I did not expect to wake up in a human boarding house, either."

The eyes of the five elders turned in unison toward Chi Loc Minh. This human woman. Young. Far too young. She did not look like the sort of person who would be associated with the God of Ten Thousand Beasts.

"And she is?" an elder with hawkish eyes asked.

"The one who signed the contract with me," An Cuu Uyen said without hesitation. "And the first person to serve as my proxy since my return."

It paused. Chi Loc Minh tilted her head, waiting for it to finish.

The snake continued, "My official representative."

Representative. The five elders exchanged looks. The God of Ten Thousand Beasts never managed affairs directly, but to let a human handle them? This arrangement was unprecedented, but what the God commanded was holy law.

"Understood," the white-haired elder bowed. "Miss Chi, since our inception, the total assets of Crimson Moon..." He opened a file. "As of this month, our global assets, converted into human currency, total approximately 680 billion dollars. We operate in five core sectors: minerals, energy, military industry, medicine, and finance, spanning 72 countries and territories. Our staff—including both beast-people and human partners—total 470,000."

Chi Loc Minh’s expression remained unchanged, but her fingers gripped tightly beneath the table. 680 billion dollars. 470,000 lives. This was the legacy of An Cuu Uyen, and it was now in her hands.

"Starting today," Chi Loc Minh said, her voice steady, "all operations of Crimson Moon shall continue as usual. The five elders will continue to manage daily affairs. I will not interfere with the specific business dealings." The five elders exhaled in relief. "However, there are three things that must be executed immediately."

"Please, speak."

"First, all mining departments of Crimson Moon must set aside the highest-purity rare treasures every month to be prioritized for the God Sovereign’s recovery."

"Yes."

"Second, launch a global search for the remaining fragments of the God of Ten Thousand Beasts. I still have missing shards that must be recovered, one by one."

The elders looked at each other. The white-haired elder hesitated. "God Sovereign, to our knowledge, seven fragments have been confirmed. Three were just recovered from the Wolf King, Le Hanh. The other four are located at..."

"Where?" Chi Loc Minh asked.

"One with the White Bear King in the Arctic ice fields. One with the Mermaid clan in the deep trenches of the East Sea. One with the Lion clan on the African plains. The final one... its location is unknown."

Chi Loc Minh glanced at An Cuu Uyen, who nodded slightly.

"Third," Chi Loc Minh turned back, "Issue a warrant for the arrest of the Wolf clan's Le Hanh."

The five elders froze. "Miss Chi, Le Hanh is the King of the Wolf clan. He wields immense influence within the beast-person world—"

"He stole the God Sovereign’s fragments to enhance himself and betrayed the highest faith of the beast-person world," Chi Loc Minh’s voice allowed for no dissent. "According to your laws, what is the penalty for this?"

The white-haired elder’s face changed. "It is the crime of blasphemy against the Divine," he said, his voice sinking. "The highest penalty is... to be torn apart by the ten thousand beasts."

"Then follow the law," Chi Loc Minh stood up. "Issue the warrant today."

The five elders were silent for three seconds before bowing in unison. "As you command."

Exiting the meeting room, only Chi Loc Minh and An Cuu Uyen remained in the hallway. The snake draped over her shoulder, its tail trailing down her back.

"The way you acted just now," An Cuu Uyen remarked, "does not look like someone who bought a snake for one dollar."

"I now have fifteen percent of a rare earth mine's profits and power of attorney over 680 billion dollars," Chi Loc Minh stepped into the elevator. "I am no longer poor."

"All of that belongs to me."

"Indeed. It is yours," Chi Loc Minh pressed the button for the ground floor. "But you are currently a half-meter-long snake. You have no hands to sign papers, no feet to press a gas pedal, and you cannot even operate a computer."

"..."

"Therefore, you need me."

The snake was silent for a long time. "Chi Loc Minh."

"Hmm?"

"You are the most ruthless human negotiator I have ever met."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"I was not complimenting you."

The elevator doors opened. Chi Loc Minh stepped out into the sunlight. Her phone rang. An unknown number. She answered.

"Chi Loc Minh." It was the voice of Chi Oanh. But it was different from before. No anger, no shrill tone. Only absolute, paralyzing fear.

"Le Hanh has come for me." Chi Oanh’s voice trembled uncontrollably. "He said... he said he would use me to find you. He’s mad. He’s completely insane. He smashed down my front door. Mom and Dad are terrified. Chi Loc Minh, what on earth did you do to him?!"

Chi Loc Minh stood on the busy street, watching the traffic flow by.

"Chi Oanh."

"What?!"

"In my previous life, when I was pushed off that building, I felt exactly that same terror."

The line went silent.

"Now you know what that feels like."