Another late night.
Just after sunset, Blood Mandala arrived—several hours earlier than usual.
Maybe the "treatments" had been far more effective than even she realized. Over the past few days, she'd been showing up earlier and earlier, like a diligent patient who couldn't wait for her next dose of medicine.
Unfortunately for her, tonight Veil didn't have time.
He could only tell her the truth: for now, he couldn't continue the treatment.
Blood Mandala said nothing. She simply turned on her heel and left.
But just before she disappeared into the darkness, she glanced back at Veil. The murderous glint that usually lit up her eyes had softened slightly, leaving behind a hint of grievance—like a child being unfairly denied dessert.
"Ding! Blood Mandala's emotions have fluctuated. Congratulations, Host, you've gained 1,000 Villain Points."
"Ding! Caden Voss's Luck Points have decreased by 500. Congratulations, Host, you've gained 10,000 Villain Points."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for intercepting a Child of Destiny's opportunity. Reward: 1x Lucky Encounter Talisman."
The system notifications rang out in his mind one after another, leaving Veil feeling surprisingly sentimental.
When he had time for her, Blood Mandala came every day, so eager she was practically wagging her tail. Now that he was busy? She immediately turned cold and left without a second thought.
Women really were the greatest liars.
Luckily, at least she left him with 1,000 Villain Points. Otherwise, he would've felt completely ripped off.
Opening the system's income panel, Veil was pleasantly surprised to find that the rewards had improved. Before, when a Child of Destiny lost Luck Points, he would receive a tenfold return. Now?
Twentyfold!
Caden Voss had lost 500 Luck Points, and Veil had raked in a neat 10,000 Villain Points!
If Roy was like a sheep grazing in the backyard, then Caden Voss was a runaway sheep that hadn't been sheared in years—one carrying an absurd amount of wool, just waiting for Veil to harvest.
And harvest he would. Generously.
Grinning, Veil continued browsing and quickly found a new item in his system inventory: a vivid red talisman, glowing faintly.
He selected it to check the description.
[Lucky Encounter Talisman]: A one-time use item. After activation, the Host will randomly encounter a Daughter of Destiny, initiating events that gradually build affection.
"Ding! Would you like to use the Lucky Encounter Talisman?"
"Yes," Veil answered without hesitation.
The talisman dissolved into countless threads of crimson light and melted into his body.
He looked himself over.
No changes. No sparkling aura. No new muscles. No halo of destiny.
But Veil trusted the system's work. If anything, he was more curious now.
Who would it be?
Which Daughter of Destiny would he bump into?
Unable to suppress his excitement, Veil casually strolled out of the villa.
Tonight, Kai was stationed nearby. Seeing Veil step out, he hurried over.
"Young Master, where are you heading? Shall I bring the car?"
"No need," Veil waved him off. "Just taking a walk. If you've got nothing else to do, go buy me two electric massagers—the kind that takes six batteries. No, eight! Big ones."
Kai, already numb to Veil's strange requests, simply nodded and jogged off without a word.
Veil shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered down the dimly lit street.
He hadn't even walked far when he heard it—a desperate cry from a nearby alley.
"Help! Somebody help!"
Veil stopped dead in his tracks.
No way. Already?!
He stared toward the dark alley, feeling half-amused, half-incredulous.
As expected of a system-made talisman—instant random event trigger, just like a template protagonist encounter.
Chuckling under his breath, he walked toward the source of the commotion.
In the alley, a group of punks with dyed hair and cheap chains had cornered a woman. Their greasy grins and disgusting catcalls filled the air.
The woman stood against the wall, clearly trying to stay calm. She wore a slim white T-shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt, sheer black stockings, and sharp black heels. A classic office lady look—but on her, it was stunning.
And perched on her nose—
Crimson glasses.
Veil's eyes lit up.
Lyra.
It had to be her.
The crimson glasses, the composed air, the breathtaking figure wrapped in professional attire—no one else fit the description.
Bang!
Without hesitation, Veil launched a kick at one of the punks, sending him flying.
Before the others could react, he picked them off one by one—efficient, brutal, clean.
Not lethal. Just painful enough to keep them from getting up anytime soon.
Dusting off his hands, Veil turned to the woman, flashing a reassuring smile.
"You alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"I'm fine. Thank you." Lyra adjusted her crimson glasses with a graceful hand. Her voice was gentle, though there was a slight tremble in it.
She smiled apologetically. "I'd actually called the police earlier, when I noticed them following me. I pretended to be chatting with a friend and slipped my location into the conversation. I screamed just to draw attention, hoping they wouldn't act recklessly.
I didn't expect someone like you to show up… let alone take care of them so easily."
Calm, intelligent, elegant.
Veil was practically dazzled. In the original storyline, Lyra had been like a goddess—untouchable, radiant, admired by all.
Their meeting back then hadn't been particularly dramatic. He had simply acted as an escort for a few days. If not for tonight's intervention, she probably would have handled the situation on her own without much incident.
Still, a good first impression was never a bad thing.
And the Lucky Encounter Talisman wasn't a one-time trigger—it was just the beginning.
"That's good," Veil said casually. "I'll stay here with you for a bit."
He leaned casually against the wall, sneaking glances at Lyra's stunning profile.
He had spent days racking his brain on how to get close to her.
Who would've thought the system would just toss her straight into his lap?
Talk about hitting the jackpot.
Woop woop!
A few minutes later, sirens wailed down the street.
A patrol car pulled up, and several uniformed officers quickly hopped out. Among them was a woman in a deep blue uniform.
Tall, poised, beautiful—with a figure that could make a monk reconsider his vows.
Veil's eyes narrowed slightly.
He recognized her instantly.
Harvey.
Even without the photos Kai had collected, even if he had only glanced for half a second, he could tell—this woman was definitely Harvey, another Daughter of Destiny.
So not only had he encountered Lyra…
He had also bumped into Harvey.
All in one night.
Veil's grin widened slightly.
Had the Lucky Encounter Talisman... critically hit?
Soon after, accompanied by the wailing of police sirens, Veil and Lyra were both taken to the police station.
However, they were separated when it came to giving their statements.
Lyra remained in the main hall, voluntarily recounting the details of the incident and explaining how she had called the police.
The officer recording her statement couldn't help but occasionally give her a thumbs-up, visibly impressed by her quick thinking and cleverness.
Veil, on the other hand, was taken away by Harvey to a small, dimly lit interrogation room.
Inside, there was only a simple wooden table and a glaringly bright desk lamp.
Harvey sat across from him, aiming the lamp directly at Veil's eyes, a small notepad in her hand.
Her striking features were set in a stern, unsmiling expression as she began reciting his background,
"Veil. Twenty-five years old. From Luxhaven City. Recently moved to Veyport City..."
After rattling off a string of facts, her tone suddenly turned cold as she demanded,
"Were you present at the scene when the homicide occurred on the mountain a few days ago?"
Veil raised an eyebrow.
He knew Harvey was a righteous cop, but he hadn't expected her to know about what had happened on the mountain.
Surprised as he was, he wasn't afraid.
Instead, he chuckled and shot back,
"Miss, are you sure you're not confused? I just risked my life saving someone today, and now you're questioning me about something completely unrelated?
You've already figured out who I am—what else do you need?
Wasn't that mountain case already closed?"
Harvey let out a cold laugh.
"A clash between assassins? You think everyone at our precinct is an idiot? The bloodstains and the number of injuries and deaths at the scene were way beyond what was reported.Not to mention, the Black Dragon Society's private hospital has been flooded with wounded patients these past few days—there's no way that's unrelated!"
She narrowed her eyes sharply.
"Veil, I know your background. I know Kai is your man.But some things—once done wrong—have consequences.You will pay the price.It doesn't matter who you are or whose son you are."
Veil widened his eyes dramatically, pretending to be shocked.
"No way, no way, don't tell me you're planning to throw me in jail?"
"Be serious! No one's joking here!" Harvey snapped, her stern face clouded with anger.
She absolutely hated spoiled rich kids who acted like the world revolved around them.
Her deep sense of justice, her drive to untangle complicated cases, all stemmed from a personal tragedy she had experienced in her childhood—
a memory that made her particularly harsh and relentless when dealing with suspects.
Veil shrugged lazily and uttered a classic scumbag line:
"If that's what you want to believe, then I can't stop you."
Just then, the door to the interrogation room swung open.
It was one of the officers from the precinct—and beside him stood Lyra.
"What's going on? Can't you see I'm in the middle of an interrogation?" Harvey snapped, her voice full of irritation.
The officer lowered his head sheepishly.
He didn't dare admit that he hadn't been able to refuse Lyra's request.
Besides, Lyra had made a reasonable argument—
wanting to see her rescuer wasn't exactly out of line.
Lyra strode into the room in her sharp high heels, a trace of suspicion in her voice.
"Officer, did I hear you say interrogation?"
She looked directly at Harvey and continued,
"Mr. Veil is the man who saved me.
Why are you interrogating him?"
Harvey's tone softened slightly.
"This has nothing to do with you. It's regarding another case.
If you have no further business here, you may leave."
"Leave?" Lyra shook her head and stepped forward, standing firmly beside Veil.
A faint, captivating fragrance drifted into Veil's nose as she moved closer.
Her voice grew sharper, losing any hint of politeness as she locked eyes with Harvey.
"Let me ask you—do you have any evidence that Veil committed a crime?
Or any witnesses who saw him break the law?"
Harvey remained silent.
Lyra pressed further,
"If you have no evidence, what right do you have to interrogate him?
Just because he saved my life and kindly came here to assist with the statement, you think that gives you an excuse to abuse his goodwill?"
"I..." Harvey opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words came out.
She was used to dealing with guilty criminals who would crack under pressure,
but now she was facing a cool-headed Veil and a sharp-tongued, quick-thinking beauty of a professor.
She was at a loss.
Originally, she had only intended to pressure Veil, hoping to scare out some information about the mountain incident.
After all, who else but Veil could command someone like Kai and his group of retired special forces soldiers?
But now—
after getting grilled by Lyra in front of everyone—
there was no way she could justify keeping Veil any longer.
"You're free to go," Harvey said stiffly, waving a hand at Veil.
Though she had temporarily backed off, in her heart, she vowed—
the moment she found real evidence, she would come after Veil again.
Veil hadn't moved yet, but Lyra placed a slender hand firmly on his shoulder and stared Harvey down.
"One more thing," Lyra said calmly but firmly,
"I would like you to apologize to Mr. Veil for your unjust treatment.
If one day, you truly find proof of his wrongdoing,
then I will personally apologize to you in return.
But right now—you owe him an apology."
"Is that really necessary?" the officer beside them said awkwardly, trying to smooth things over.
He had never seen his strict team leader cornered like this before, and he almost felt sorry for her.
But Lyra remained resolute.
"It is necessary.If the police can casually entrap those who offer their help,
it not only tramples on the principles of justice, but also shakes public faith in the entire profession."
Amazing.
Veil sat there, listening, almost wanting to stand up and cheer for Lyra.
Her words were flawless, powerful, and hit right where it hurt.
No wonder she was the famed beauty professor of Veyport City University.
The way she cornered Harvey, leaving her no way to retreat—
it was simply brilliant.
"...I'm sorry," Harvey finally said, coldly, before turning and leaving the room without another word.
Veil watched her graceful figure disappear down the hallway,a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.
From encounter... to hunt.
That was how quickly he had upgraded his plan for Harvey.
You want to play games with me?
Good.
Let's see who wins in the end.
He still had a powerful trump card against Harvey tucked away, untouched.
Stay proud, Officer Harvey, he thought with a dark chuckle.
Let's see how long you can keep that head held high.
"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Veil," Lyra said, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
"I didn't expect things to escalate like this."
Veil quickly shook his head and smiled warmly.
"No, no. It's me who should be apologizing for worrying you."
Even with all her cleverness, Lyra couldn't possibly imagine what Veil was really thinking.
She simply smiled and said,
"Thanks to you, Mr. Veil, I made it through tonight safely.
If it weren't for you, things might have turned out very differently."
She paused before offering,
"How about this—let me treat you to a late-night snack? Maybe... noodles?"
Veil narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You're going to cook them yourself?"