Master of Monster Synthesis

Three days later, Quan Zhqing sent a hundred Constant Star Energy Crystals to Qin Shou's house.

Not long after, Fang Bao's so-called second uncle, Fang Fu, also came bearing "generous gifts" on behalf of the Fang family to Qin Shou's home.

Sitting on the sofa, Qin Shou swiped his fingers across the virtual interface, organizing the hunting data for King Ghidorah submitted by various corporate factions to convert them into points.

Across from him, Fang Fu wore a beaming smile, placing a Space Wristwatch on the table.

"Hahaha, Student Qin Shou, this is a modest token of appreciation from our Fang family. Please accept it with a smile."

Qin Shou merely glanced at the Space Wristwatch on the table before turning his attention back to his work.

"What does Mr. Fang mean by this?" he asked flatly.

Seeing this, Fang Fu explained, "Student Qin Shou, please don't misunderstand. Our Fengshen Group doesn't aim to put you in a difficult position regarding the development rights of Dragon Island. This is just a personal gesture from me."

"A gift without merit is difficult to accept. Mr. Fang, just speak your mind!"

Qin Shou felt disappointed—turns out this wasn't a bribe, and he'd gotten excited for nothing.

After a moment of thought, Fang Fu finally spoke: "Well, I heard Student Qin Shou has a good relationship with our Little Treasure. I was wondering if you know where he is these days? Our family is quite worried about him."

Qin Shou raised an eyebrow. "Little Treasure? You mean Fang Bao?"

Fang Fu smiled and nodded. "That's right, Fang Bao. If Student Qin Shou can tell us his whereabouts, we'll offer an additional gift of 500 pounds of Cosmic Meteorite Gold, as a token of sincerity."

He pushed the Space Wristwatch on the table toward Qin Shou.

Qin Shou stroked his chin, calculating in his mind.

Three years ago, during his first time venturing outside the city to hunt monsters, he acquired his first Mecha thanks to Fang Bao being pursued by someone—an incident from which he greatly benefited.

And the mastermind behind that seemed to be Fang Bao's second uncle.

At the time, Qin Shou lacked the strength and had no intention of meddling in the Fang family's inner conflict, so he'd put the matter out of his mind.

Later, after returning from Monster Planet, he heard about Fang Bao's disappearance, which he found mildly surprising.

Fang Bao possessed the Giant Stone Statue, and Qin Shou knew the guy wouldn't have any real problems, so he didn't dwell on it.

But now Fang Fu had come bearing lavish gifts to inquire about Fang Bao's whereabouts...

What did he know?

No, the secret of the Giant Stone Statue was impossible for the Fang family to uncover.

In other words, Fang Fu was likely just guessing—or might have other reasons entirely.

With that in mind, Qin Shou calmly pushed the Space Wristwatch back across the table.

"Sorry, Mr. Fang. I've heard about Fang Bao's situation too, but I'm also searching for him. I don't know where he might be." He shook his head with a sigh.

The saying "the aged grow shrewd" fit Fang Fu perfectly—there was no hiding the perfunctory tone on Qin Shou's face.

Still, Fang Fu maintained his smile, his words carrying hidden meaning: "If Student Qin Shou truly doesn't know Fang Bao's whereabouts, I won't insist. But this 500 pounds of Cosmic Meteorite Gold—please accept it as a gesture of friendship."

Friendship?

Qin Shou's mouth curved slightly upward—turns out that's what this is about.

"Mr. Fang, as a friend, is there anything you need help with?"

Seeing Qin Shou's reaction, Fang Fu's smile grew wider, though inwardly he held disdain.

This kid was exactly as rumored—loyal to money rather than people.

"Haha, Student Qin Shou, it wouldn't be appropriate to call it a favor. I simply hope that when it comes to matters about Fang Bao, you won't make things difficult for us. That would be ideal."

Qin Shou seemed to think this over. "Oh... So that's Mr. Fang's intention. I understand, I understand."

Then, his tone shifted, and his eyes lit up with a glint of insight.

"But Mr. Fang also knows Fang Bao and I are like brothers—we're as close as they come. If I were to act this way, people might start stabbing me in the back, accusing me behind closed doors."

Fang Fu had a sinking feeling—the guy was about to cause trouble again.

"What would it take for Student Qin Shou to agree to sit this one out?" he probed testily.

Qin Shou raised a brow. "It's simple—just add more money."

Fang Fu's cheek twitched slightly—he'd expected this answer.

"What does Student Qin Shou want?"

Qin Shou raised a finger. "Very simple—one Second-level Breakthrough Potion, one Third-level Breakthrough Potion, and one Level 4 Breakthrough Potion."

"No problem!" Fang Fu agreed surprisingly fast.

The Second-level and Third-level Breakthrough Potions weren't particularly valuable. As for the Level 4 Breakthrough Potion, a bit of pooling resources among the family elders would suffice to obtain one.

As long as Qin Shou, backed by the mighty Qin Long, didn't intervene, everything would work out.

He didn't believe Qin Shou wanted those potions for himself—who didn't know that Qin Shou's cultivation talent far surpassed the ordinary?

Across from him, Qin Shou smiled, stood up, and extended his right hand.

"Pleasure doing business."

"Pleasure doing business."

The two shook hands, their faces adorned with amicable smiles.

...

After sending Fang Fu off, Qin Shou casually stored away the 500 pounds of Cosmic Meteorite Gold and activated the virtual interface on his Communicator.

[Fang Haotian]

[Strength: Unbreakable Realm Ninth Star]

[Talent Ability: Unknown]

[Position: Fengshen Group Chairman]

[Children: Fang Datong, Fang Fu, Fang Chao, Fang Heng...]

Qin Shou searched online for information on Fengshen Group's chairman but found no irregularities.

"Galatron, search for classified records on Fang Haotian."

"Beep... Commencing search..."

"Beep... Search complete..."

"Fang Haotian, chairman of Fengshen Group. Strength: Unbreakable Realm Ninth Star. Talent Ability: Nuclear Explosion, capable of converting Talent Energy into nuclear energy for large-scale destruction. Far surpasses ordinary Talent Abilities in power.

Due to the indiscriminate nature of Nuclear Explosion attacks, Fang Haotian rose to prominence through countless battles, accumulating severe internal injuries over time. His body is gradually showing signs of collapse..."

After hearing all this, Qin Shou finally understood the reason for Fang Bao and his father's decline.

The old man could no longer manage affairs, and the issue of succession had become urgent. As a result, the underqualified Fang Datong was marginalized and sent to a city like West City to idle away his time.