Otherworld Girl Development Guide

Tentacles below their mouths swept towards them, enveloping them layer by layer and then squeezing inwards. Amidst the sounds of flesh and bone being crushed and deformed, the tentacles twisted the two civilians into deformed pretzel shapes. Then, the tentacles began to absorb the organic matter rising from the civilians, and their internal organs, which had been dormant and exhausted for a long time, began to gradually resume functioning.

Then it swallowed the Radiant Crystal... I don't know if it was just my imagination, but after obtaining the Radiant Crystal, the demon's body seemed to have a fluorescent halo.

"Sir...we have no way to obtain civilians, and these two are from out of town."

"It's alright, that's enough. Let's go... We don't need to do anything else. The hungry demon will find food on its own, and I don't need to tell you where the most food is, do I?"

The old man wore a gentlemanly smile. The cult was no longer what it used to be, but like the Great Ying Empire on Earth, it could still be a troublemaker, for example, occasionally coming out to disgust people.

Chapter 249 Protracted War

"Let's go, Tio..."

The following evening, Zhou Mingrui stood at the door, facing a woman dressed in a black dress that revealed her long, fair legs, and wearing a white trench coat.

"Ah."

Theo walked quickly to Zhou Mingrui's side, took his arm, and softened his expression, a hint of pleasure appearing in his amber eyes.

(=￣ω￣=)?(=￣ω￣=)

"Tio, Old Zhou will accompany Lingdang to meet her parents first~"

"That's just because Lingdang's house is closer. Today, Lao Zhou is with Tio, and Lingdang is waiting for us to come back at home."

Bell: ╭(╯^╰)╮

......

Bell and Theo started arguing in the NT chat room.

Alice stood to the side, squinting her eyes. Mr. Zhou accompanies his friends to visit their parents every year... A strange emotion flashed in her azure eyes.

"Then we're leaving."

After leaving the house, Zhou Mingrui and Tio sat in the back seat of the magic car... Zhou Mingrui had lived with them for so long that he had long since figured out their temperaments, and when it comes to raising children, you can't favor one over the other.

Theo sat in the back seat, a hint of nervousness on his face.

Zhou Mingrui reached out and patted her head. Theo squinted her eyes, just like a little kitten.

"You've been home so many times, but you still can't get used to it?"

"Well... for Tio, it's just about going to see his parents, but my home isn't there. My home is where Old Zhou... and Bell are."

For Tio, the Prato couple were just her parents, but they didn't give her the warmth of a home. The ones who truly made her feel the concept of home were Lao Zhou and Lingdang.

"Is that so? Then let's leave after we finish eating."

"Okay~" Theo's lips curled up, completely unlike his usual emotionless self.

Through long-term contact, Zhou Mingrui learned that Tio was not actually heartless; it was just that the cult's long-term human experiments had affected the emotional areas of Tio's brain, making him unsure how to express his feelings.

The human body is a wonderful thing; it is both fragile and strong. Tio's damaged brain is gradually recovering. Although he can't be like a normal person, he is gradually able to express his feelings more accurately.

"Old Zhou, how about we go check out the Missy Theme Park across the river tonight?"

"Of course, but we're going to Missy Theme Park the day after tomorrow."

"Hmm, I heard there's a limited edition Misty body pillow!"

For some reason, Zhou Mingrui felt that Theo's eyes would light up every time she talked about Misi; she really, really liked Misi.

Soon, the car arrived at the Prato couple's villa. Like the Haivas couple, Zhou Mingrui was also their business partner, and they warmly welcomed him.

Zhou Mingrui wasn't as enthusiastic towards the Pratos as the Hayvass, but Tio was unusually proactive, trying to improve the relationship between Zhou and his parents.

After dinner, Zhou Mingrui led Tio to say goodbye to the Prato couple.

"Then, Mr. Zhou, we're entrusting our daughter to you."

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Tio."

Thank you so much!

After leaving the Prato couple's apartment, as previously agreed, Zhou Mingrui and Tio arrived at the shore and looked across at the newly developed Misi Water Theme Park.

The giant Ferris wheel was slowly rotating, and Theo stared wide-eyed at the Misi pattern made of LED lights on it.

"Mishi... such a big Mishi!"

"Tio, why do you like Misi so much?"

Although Zhou Mingrui had long known that Theo had special feelings for Misi, he had never asked about it.

"Because...when I was captured, the only thing I had with me was a small Missie doll, and it kept me company during that time..."

"I'm sorry..." Zhou Mingrui said softly, reminding Tio of those painful memories.

“No…” Theo shook his head gently, stepped forward and hugged Zhou Mingrui, pressing his head against his chest: “…I have found the most precious Misi.”

A hint of tenderness flashed in Zhou Mingrui's eyes. He reached out and placed his hand on Theo's head, saying softly, "It's all in the past. Let those memories be buried deep in your heart and gradually digested as nourishment for happiness."

"Ok!"

Zhou Mingrui glanced down at Theo, who was clinging to him tightly. She was like a child who had just finished reading a ghost story, craving warmth to fight her inner fear.

A cold wind blew by, and Zhou Mingrui draped his open coat over Theo. The warmth made Theo let out a kitten-like whimper, but Old Zhou didn't notice that Theo's cheeks were slightly flushed.

Meanwhile, in the hotel's private room, Lingdang suddenly frowned.

"What's wrong, bell?" Alice asked, tilting her head.

"It's nothing, I just feel like something bad is going to happen... Let's continue discussing this."

"Hmm... our battle to protect Lao Zhou is a protracted war! Don't worry, I'll help you!" Alice said seriously. "First, we need to find a way to further reduce Ellie's contact with Lao Zhou!"

"Then, we'll seize the opportunity to make Old Zhou understand who is the most suitable person for him!"

Bell nodded, then looked at Alice seriously: "Your name is Old Zhou now, right?"

"Ahem...it was just a slip of the tongue."

A private room on a high floor at the Krobel Hotel.

The diplomatic team from Shangqiu is making intensive preparations for tomorrow's signing of the "Shangqiu Cooperation Organization Treaty - Krobel Memorandum".

In other words, if multiple countries sign the terms tomorrow, the treaty will come into effect, marking the fact that the Klobel Autonomous Oblast Special Economic Zone is now protected by international law!

When the time comes, anyone who doesn't abide by the treaty and tries to do something outside the rules will be sanctioned by all the signatory countries. This at least ensures that some countries won't take risks, provided that the other party's leader is a normal person.

At that time, countries will invest in Krobel, and the international situation will become more stable, with stability guaranteed for at least the next fifty years.

A treaty guaranteeing 50 years of regional stability is well worth it! Shangqiu only has to pay a mere Mira!

In this way, Shangqiu can free up its resources and focus its main attention on the Abyss Sea. It can also get other countries to provide supporting services for Shangqiu's low-end manufacturing industry, thereby reducing Shangqiu's own production costs and strengthening bilateral relations.

After all, building a low-end manufacturing supply chain is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It's better to let the indigenous people do it, which can also boost the economy, as long as their products meet the quality standards.

I, Rabbit, am determined to dig up the grating stones in the sea! Nobody can stop me, Rabbit says so!

Chapter 250 Conspiracy in the Shadows

Krober is beautiful at night, but it also has its share of dark corners, such as the back alley. However, since the Hongxing Chamber of Commerce moved in, the security in the back alley has greatly improved.

In order to cope with the growing Hongxing Chamber of Commerce, the Rubach Chamber of Commerce, formerly the largest chamber of commerce in Krobel, had to standardize and formalize itself, because their president, Marconi, realized that a disorganized chamber of commerce could not compete with Hongxing.

Whether through normal or extraordinary means, the reformed Rubacher Chamber of Commerce began to concentrate its manpower on the entertainment and tourism industries, since Hung Hing seemed to have no interest in these two sectors.

However, the Hung Hing Chamber of Commerce was more interested in maintaining the security of the back alley. At least there were far fewer petty thieves. Thieves caught by the Hung Hing Chamber of Commerce would be "educated," for example, thrown into a place of heavy physical labor for a day, or chosen to do volunteer work on the street.

"We've received intelligence that Chan Ho-nam..."

After Chicken entered Chan Ho-nam's office, he said with a solemn expression, "...Mayor Doyle's secretary, Nest, once met Councilor Hart."

Chan Ho-nam, who was handling government affairs, paused for a moment, looked up at Chicken, and asked, "Is the intelligence accurate?"

“Accurate. The intelligence came from one of our employees who was undergoing ideological reform in class. He used to be a homeless person in the residential area and saw it by chance,” Chicken said seriously.

Upon hearing this, Chen Haonan tapped the table with his index finger. Whether it was true or not, it was worth paying attention to because the information behind it was too great... The most trusted secretary of Mayor Doyle, the top official in Krobel, actually met with Speaker of the Council, Congressman Hart, secretly?

Chen Haonan thought for a moment and said, "This is beyond our control. Let's report it to our superiors. There will be specialists to assess it and develop contingency plans. After all, they are the professionals."

After saying that, Chen Haonan picked up the red phone and dialed the Shangqiu State Security Bureau.

Soon, the intelligence department gathered several intelligence experts and psychology experts, as well as scholars who specialized in studying the relationship between Shangqiu and Krober.

After everyone was seated, the head of the intelligence department said with a serious expression, "We have just received intelligence that Mayor Doyle's secretary, Nester, has met with a councilor!"

With a snap, Nester's information was projected onto the intelligence department's screen. Several experts frowned slightly as they looked at the young-looking secretary.

Secretary Nester himself had a promising future, and no one who could become the mayor's secretary was a fool. He worked for the top leader and also had a personal relationship with the second-in-command.

A qualified secretary would not make such a basic mistake, which means there might be some hidden story behind it, and people's actions always require a motive!

So why did Nestor want to meet with Senator Hart?

The experts present began exchanging opinions and speculating about their motives.

“I remember that Representative Hart has been sidelined from the center of power, haven’t I?” an intelligence expert asked softly.

"Yes, Mayor Doyle's achievements over the past two years, coupled with his policies and the increasingly prosperous economy of Krobel, have garnered the support of many citizens. Some wealthy businessmen who initially supported the council have switched their support to Mayor Doyle after reaping the benefits of doing business with us..."

Scholars specializing in the relationship between Shangqiu and Krober explained the situation in Krober:

"...It's only a matter of time before the council becomes a mere shell of its former self, or even dismantled once it weakens. Mayor Doyle, with his shrewdness, is unlikely to allow the council to continue existing. Before leaving office, he will eliminate all external obstacles for his granddaughter, Miss Ellie, who is also the next mayor, and build a reliable team for her..."

Mayor Doyle is wise and considerate of the citizens, and his political achievements are outstanding. However, he is human, and humans have selfish desires. It's just that this selfishness is normal. Every elder will worry about their younger generation. This is human affection, the most basic love.

"From the worst-case scenario, if Mayor Doyle and his successor, Miss Ellie, were to be in trouble at this time, who would be the biggest beneficiary? So, from the worst-case scenario, they might be plotting a coup, or even a bloody one."

"This will disrupt our plans!"

The intelligence experts present frowned slightly. This would destabilize the stable situation in Kroborte, which was not in line with Shangqiu's next strategy!

Shangqiu's next step is to develop the deep-sea area. This is a strategy for the next 50 years that no individual or organization can stop!

"Don't think that Congressman Hart is incapable of doing it. The parliament he represents is just a mouthpiece for pushing capitalists to the forefront. All the laws and regulations are designed to make it easier for those capitalists to bleed Krober... Anyone who dares to interfere with them should be treated like a convertible from the US."

"After the Doyle family is purged, Representative Hart, who was originally marginalized, will take over as the top leader because of the Krober system. And because Mayor Doyle is gone, no one can compete with him, and the council will absolutely not allow another Mayor Doyle to appear!"

"Then, these greedy capitalists will frantically plunder the wealth that rightfully belongs to all of Krobel into their own pockets, and then, in order to gain even more wealth, they will exploit the citizens of Krobel, even using the police as their tools to suppress the citizens who resist... capitalists, never underestimate their greed."

The political struggles in Krober cannot be judged by appearances alone. After all, given the nature of the councilors and parliament, they do not represent the vast majority of ordinary citizens of Krober, but rather the capitalists!