Chapter 73: The Blocker
She now had time, and the breakfasts she made were more meticulous and varied.
No longer like before, when she would hurriedly cook some oatmeal and toast every morning, reheating leftovers from the evening, and that was breakfast for the whole family.
A news item on his phone caught Marcus's attention:
"A full-scale conflict has broken out in the Middle East, with suspected targets being members of extremist groups. The conflict has already caused numerous civilian casualties, and several major powers, including the United States, the European Union, and China, have intervened in negotiations."
That's what the news said, but how many people were there in these extremist groups? At most, they could carry out terrorist attacks; how could they possibly have the capability to wage a full-scale war?
Marcus checked the comments section, and sure enough, it was already exploding.
[JohnnyMac: What kind of joke is this? Are they fighting against thin air?]
[MovieBuff89: I feel that if it were extremists, why would they need to send anyone? Based on the ratio, each member would need to defeat thousands to achieve victory. (laughing emoji)]
[AZhang: The comment above is hilarious, but didn't you guys notice that the shadow in the video really looks strange? Could something else be going on? (Screenshot)]
[ForeverSkeptic: You've read too many conspiracy theories. Maybe they're just conducting military exercises. After all, geopolitics is not something ordinary people understand.]
Marcus scrolled down, seeing 999+ comments, most of which expressed disbelief about the official narrative.
"Breakfast's ready, have some coffee to start your day." His mother's voice came from the kitchen.
Marcus turned off his phone and went into the kitchen to help bring the dishes to the table.
After the meal, Marcus packed his luggage and drove to Pinewood.
This town is nestled at the base of a mountain, surrounded by verdant hills and winding streams. A thin mist hangs in the air. The town has only fifty or sixty houses, all built decades ago, inhabited by elderly people.
A third of the houses are empty, because the elderly residents have passed away, and their children live elsewhere.
A young man in a t-shirt was already waiting at the roadside. Seeing Marcus's car, he quickly walked over to greet him.
After confirming he had found the right person, Marcus followed him to tour the cabin. The overall architectural style was rustic, built with wood and stone, combined with modern elements.
It was classic yet contemporary, and the surrounding environment was quiet, with only the sound of the creek and birdsong, accompanied by wisps of smoke rising from a few chimneys.
Behind them were cliffs, and the only accessible road was the town's maintained path. The young man said he had paid for all the repairs, but unfortunately, the area hadn't developed tourism.
The cabin was fully equipped with furniture and other amenities, and the young man had even installed satellite internet. Everything was well-prepared, including various appliances.
Marcus was very satisfied with everything. The young man was eager to recoup his losses and knew that this kind of place wouldn't be easy to sell. After they reached an agreement, Marcus entrusted the paperwork to a real estate agent.
His time was far more valuable than the commission; these days, he didn't bother with mundane matters involving ordinary monetary transactions.
Marcus took down the old sign. He had already contacted people to install security cameras along the entire property and had prepared the innermost room as a bedroom.
He brought only bedding and went to the cliff in the backyard, where there was a natural cave. This cave, enclosed by a wall, was over a hundred yards deep and included a winding path. The young man had used it as a natural storage room; items stored inside stayed fresh, and it maintained a comfortable temperature year-round.
At the far end of the cave were two rooms he had built, originally intended as a unique guest experience, but unfortunately, there were no customers.
Marcus opened the gate of the cave and entered. After choosing one room as his actual bedroom and locking the door, he went to his personal room in the Crossroads and began training.
Regarding combat skills, Marcus hadn't encountered a suitable story world, so he only roughly learned some fighting techniques from videos; many moves were actually useless to him.
For example, some defensive techniques are completely ineffective against opponents of similar strength to Marcus. Defense is less effective than a direct counter-attack, and those with lower strength are simply sent flying with a single punch.
Against stronger opponents, even defending is useless; these techniques are only useful when the opponent is evenly matched.
Therefore, Marcus focuses more on training his ability to compress and control psychic energy. This ability, derived from the mind and capable of touching the supernatural, is crucial in the world of horror movies.
If he could flexibly manipulate his psychic energy—for example, sliding it from his shoulder to his fist as he punches, amplifying the thrust—wouldn't that mean he could inflict more impact damage on supernatural entities?
Marcus practiced until 8 PM, exhausting most of his energy before lying down to recover.
Around dawn, Marcus opened his eyes and looked at the Venus flytrap in his Life Box.
The Venus flytrap had grown to 10 feet tall and as thick as a thigh, seemingly growing continuously due to its plant characteristics.
Marcus activated his ability and began absorbing it.
A faint energy surged into his body, and the Venus flytrap visibly withered by half, yet it stirred and slowly recovered.
Looking at the Venus flytrap in his Life Box, he decided to rename it; after all, this thing could no longer be considered a normal Venus flytrap.
Since Tomie's body resembled human flesh, Marcus decided to call it "Flesh Vine."
He was now cultivating it, sustainable energy development. If we were to consider it as training, he had achieved self-sufficiency.
Marcus glanced at the time; it was almost 1 PM. With a thought, he disappeared from his bedroom and arrived at Crossroads Plaza.
Stepping on the plaza's floor, which seemed to be solidified darkness, he walked to his trading post.
Marcus saw a young woman in casual clothes sitting cross-legged on his sign, watching something on a device and eating snacks. There couldn't be internet in Crossroads Plaza; she was probably watching downloaded content.
Her entire body completely covered the three-foot-square sign.
Her build, estimated by normal standards, was substantial.
Marcus looked at the scene before him, slightly displeased.
Although this indicated the other party might be interested in his Soul Plant, this direct blocking was clearly detrimental to competition, potentially preventing him from getting a fair price.
Logically, this public trading area had its own rules, and such blatant occupation of the sign was prohibited.
Yet the other party had done it openly, suggesting they had backing.
Marcus simply pretended to be browsing the stalls, glancing at the signs before leisurely walking over to the Crimson Society's booth.
Claire was still at her post, having just seen off a customer.
"Hey, you're here. Judging by your unhurried manner, have you already completed the story? Are those items still working?"
(End of Chapter)
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