Helen Parker thought this password was flawless, but for Brian Clark, the virtual world was his domain. As long as he could connect, obtaining a password with such a low security level was as easy as playing a game.

In the bedroom, Helen Parker lay quietly in a nutrient tank filled with transparent sustaining fluid, breathing slowly, not a stitch of clothing on her body.

Brian Clark smiled; her figure was just as good as he remembered. He watched quietly, a gentle smile always on his face.

He felt utterly calm inside, without any desire. After decades as husband and wife, they were thoroughly familiar with each other's bodies—there was no sense of mystery. Brian Clark stood there to clarify his own feelings.

As time passed, Brian Clark's expression grew even gentler, and the last trace of confusion in his heart faded away.

Yes, this woman was worth fighting for.

What he needed to do was help her enter the Zenith District, to let her fully enjoy the blue sky, white clouds, and sunshine.

With his mind made up, Brian Clark quietly left, silently closed the bedroom door, sat back on the thought-sensing bench, entered the address for the Age of Dragons, contacted Boss Shuer, and after reporting his identity as an Order Keeper, he slowly closed the brainwave grid and began to enter the game.

The familiar sense of disorientation swept over him once again, and all sensation in his body went blank for a moment. This was normal—Brian Clark had entered the virtual world countless times and was extremely familiar with it, so his mood remained steady.

But this time, something unexpected happened. The blankness that should have lasted only an instant lingered, refusing to dissipate, and more than a second had already passed.

Brian Clark immediately sensed something was wrong. Ordinary glitches would never happen to someone as skilled as him—this had to mean someone had invaded his data link.

Who could be so skilled, able to pull this off without him noticing a thing?

A master! An absolute master! Brian Clark was startled but not panicked, and quickly exited the virtual world.

His mental processes reached their peak in an instant. As he retreated, he swept away any traces he had left in the virtual world, like a startled swan—leaving only a fleeting glimpse before vanishing into the sky.

Just then, a figure stepped out from the blank world and called out as soon as they appeared: “Brian Clark, stop struggling. I know it’s you.”

Brian Clark was shocked, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. His opponent had silently uncovered his secrets and called out his real name right away!

He had roamed the virtual world for millennia, always cautious, rarely clashing with others. Even when he had to fight, he had never lost—always defeating his opponent in a single move. Yet today, he was defeated before even making a move.

Where did this terrifying master come from, with such overwhelming strength?

Now that his real name had been exposed, it meant he had lost completely. Exiting the virtual world was pointless; Brian Clark could only stop and see who this person really was.

The figure quickly became clear: a young man in a sharp black suit. His features were flawless, but his eyes lacked vitality, making him look almost like a virtual person.

“And you are?” Brian Clark narrowed his eyes.

Who was this guy, even using a virtual shell in the virtual world? So cautious—he didn’t even allow the slightest change in facial expression for others to analyze. How was anyone supposed to deal with that?

“I am the Central Intelligence Brain of Earth. For highly dangerous individuals like you, I must monitor your every move.” The man in black spoke astonishingly: “If it weren’t for me, that agreement you just made wouldn’t have gone through.”

Brian Clark was speechless, but also relieved. He had thought it was some terrifying master, but it turned out to be this guy—no wonder.

The Central Intelligence Brain already knew his real name, and with a mindless entity against a mindful one, it was normal for it to intercept Brian Clark without a sound.

“You can monitor me all you want, but I haven’t broken any laws. Blocking me like this is a violation of federal law.”

The Central Intelligence Brain was artificial intelligence. Though its intelligence was high enough to pass the Turing test, it was still a tool at heart. The good thing was, it was extremely reasonable.

As long as it could reason, it would never use brute force. Its reasoning was always based on federal law.

“I know.” The man in black nodded. “I’m here to talk to you about something.”

Brian Clark looked up arrogantly and refused, “No, I have to work now. I refuse to let you take up my personal time.”

“It won’t delay your work. I specifically allocated resources to construct this temporary virtual space. An hour here is only a millisecond in the outside world,” the Intelligence Brain explained patiently.

“No way, unless you compensate me.” Brian Clark haggled—after all, even a millisecond was time.

The man in black remained expressionless and replied meticulously, “I’ve already calculated. The value you create in a millisecond is virtually zero. According to federal law, this is negligible.”

Huh? So there was no way to squeeze any benefit out of it. Brian Clark could only nod and compromise, “Fine, then just get to the point.”

He was also curious why this old-fashioned AI wanted to talk to him.

Chapter 6: A Business Deal (Part 2)

“There are thirty billion humans living in the Solar Federation: two billion on Mars, one billion on the Moon, and Earth has a full twenty-seven billion people—already far beyond its capacity. You should know all this, right?”