The two women's faces turned pale.

Without hesitation, Daisy raised the gun and fired at James Lone. Bang!

Unfortunately, her speed was far too slow for James Lone.

He didn't dodge or evade, merely activated his phase shift ability. The bullet passed straight through his body, leaving a bullet hole in the wall behind him.

James Lone remained calm, watching her with not even a blink of an eye. "Oh no, you missed. Want to try again?"

Salena was even more infuriated. "Idiot! How could you miss from this close? Kill him already!"

Daisy, annoyed, assumed she had simply missed her shot. Though she had never fired a gun before, the distance of five or six meters was far too close for her to miss.

Confident, she fired three more rounds.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

James Lone remained unharmed, while the wall behind him bore three more bullet marks.

This time, the two women finally realized something was wrong. At such close range, how could they possibly miss every shot?

One bullet had even hit the exact spot directly behind James Lone's back!

Daisy's hands began to tremble. "Y-you... what are you?! A ghost or a human?"

Salena looked at James Lone in disbelief. Even if Daisy had missed, how could this man remain so calm, as if he already knew he wouldn't be hit?

Unless...

He wasn't human! He was a ghost!

The two women, having never encountered an ability user, immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Before the network went down, they had seen videos of ability users online, but they dismissed them as tricks and theatrics.

James Lone downed the rest of his champagne in one gulp, leisurely walked over to the two women, and snatched the gun from Daisy's hand.

Daisy didn't even react, frozen in terror as she stared at him. "You're not a ghost! You can touch me!"

James Lone chuckled and said kindly, "Do you want to go on your own, or do you need my help?"

Daisy frantically shook her head, her voice trembling. "No! No! No! I... Ah! It hurts! Let go of me!"

Before she could finish her sentence, James Lone grabbed her by the hair and dragged her toward the elevator.

Using his fingers, he pried open the elevator doors, forcing them apart with little effort. Behind them was the dark, gaping shaft of the elevator, which had stopped working due to the power outage and was stuck at the bottom floor.

Daisy's scalp tingled with fear as she stared into the abyss, letting out a terrified scream. "Spare me! Please, spare me!"

James Lone said nothing. He swung her by the hair and threw her into the elevator shaft.

"Ahhhhh!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Daisy's body slammed into the narrow shaft walls repeatedly, her screams fading quickly.

Moments later, the heavy sound of her body hitting the bottom echoed up.

Thud!

James Lone turned to look at Salena.

Salena trembled under his gaze, collapsing to her knees with a loud thud. "Boss! Boss! Spare me! I'll do anything you want!"

James Lone eyed her with amusement.

Admittedly, this woman had stunning looks and a great figure. Women chosen by a top-tier wealthy man were bound to be exceptional in beauty.

But alas, James Lone had no interest in "public transportation," and this woman was far too ruthless to keep by his side.

"Sorry, I'm not into people who might stab me in the kidneys at night."

Salena froze.

Had this man seen her kill earlier?

Where had he been hiding? Why hadn't she noticed him?

Before she could think further, James Lone grabbed her by the hair and began dragging her toward the elevator shaft.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Salena screamed, her face twisting with panic. "If you kill me, I'll haunt you forever!"

She shrieked and scratched at James Lone's hand, but to him, it felt like little more than a tickle.

Worried only about tearing his sleeves, James Lone slapped her unconscious and tossed her into the elevator shaft.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thud!

Silence fell.

James Lone carefully used his perception to scan the area.

Finally, the satellite pod of the New York Pearl Tower was completely his.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Suspended several hundred meters above the ground, the pod was accessible only by two routes: the elevator shaft and a backup staircase.

James Lone looked down into the deep, dark elevator shaft.

Someone with exceptional skills might be able to climb up.

An idea struck him. From his personal space, he pulled out a heap of junk and threw it into the shaft: old furniture, broken shelves, random cars he had casually stored.

Clang!

Boom!

Minutes later, the bottom of the shaft was packed tight with hundreds of pieces of debris.

James Lone took out a box of nails, scattering them into the shaft.

After a series of metallic clinks, silence returned.

This way, anyone attempting to climb up the shaft would inevitably make noise—unless they, too, could phase shift.

Bloodburst! 500%!

James Lone pulled out several steel bars, jammed them into the elevator doors, and bent them to seal the entrance shut.

Releasing his Bloodburst state, James Lone moved toward the staircase.

It was a spiral staircase leading to the lower floors, with small windows along the walls for natural light.

Peeking down, he saw it stretched into the depths below.

He descended about 100 meters, then pulled a large sledgehammer from his space. With brute force, he smashed the concrete and steel staircase to rubble, letting the pieces fall below.

He spent considerable time destroying over 20 meters of the staircase before dumping more debris and scattering nails to serve as an alarm system. Finally, he sealed the door to the satellite pod with steel bars.

All set!

Now, this pod was entirely isolated in mid-air, a secure refuge belonging solely to James Lone.

Unless someone had unique abilities, no ordinary person could climb up undetected!

After ensuring safety, James Lone scanned the area once more, this time using his eyes to confirm what his perception had already revealed.

Satisfied there were no issues, he set an anchor point in subspace and opened a portal back home.

The women greeted him as he returned.

James Lone announced, "Pack up. We're moving to a safer home."

Passing through the floor, he entered Wot Andrew's room.

Wot Andrew, wearing reading glasses, was examining a newly collected plant. Startled by James Lone's sudden arrival, he asked, "James, Mr. Lone, is something wrong?"

"I'm leaving," James Lone said bluntly. "You'll be living here alone. You can stay on the 33rd floor; the freezers and supplies there are all yours. I'll restock your supplies every three days. If I need medical help, I'll find you."

Wot Andrew was taken aback. "Leaving? So suddenly?"

Panic surged through him.

Without James Lone's protection, how could he defend himself? If another mob of survivors rioted, like before, he'd be doomed without James Lone.

James Lone offered no explanation, merely placing a gun and some boxes of bullets on the table. "These are for self-defense."

Doctors were valuable, worth some investment.

Relieved, Wot Andrew felt immense gratitude toward James Lone.

Before leaving, James Lone added with a meaningful tone, "If you find any black Nephelium, contact me. You'll be rewarded."

Wot Andrew nodded firmly, "Understood. Leave it to me."

James Lone said nothing more. After all, Wot Andrew couldn't hide anything from him.

If James returned and detected "ginger" in Wot Andrew's body, it meant he had secretly consumed an Enlightenment Fruit—such betrayal would result in immediate execution.

But if Wot Andrew handed over any Enlightenment Fruits he found, James Lone wouldn't shortchange him, possibly rewarding him with two fruits.

This way, both parties benefited.

Wot Andrew would gain two abilities, and James Lone would acquire a new fruit.

Returning home, James Lone found the women had already packed.

Everything they wanted to bring was stored in his personal space.

With a swipe of his finger, James Lone opened a portal, the exit set to his subspace anchor at the New York Pearl Tower.

One by one, the women entered the portal.

Finally, James Lone took one last look at the room before stepping through the portal himself, carrying Byakugan and holding a can of soda.