Chapter 187: Chased Out
Maria blushed, remembering her disdain for Jared's impoverished family and her father's insistence that she help him find a job. The mansion's billions cost was a stark contrast to her past judgment.
Meanwhile, Lydia watched Jared's car disappear over the hill, her gaze fixed, paralyzed by shock.
"Chase them all out! Don't let them enter the district again!" Mark bellowed.
The security guards quickly ejected Zayne and the others. Too shocked to accept this, Zayne tried to reach the hilltop to see if Jared was boasting, but after a few baton blows, he left.
Jared arrived at the spotless mansion, the result of Josephine's cleaning crew. She'd hoped to persuade her parents to stay, but he hesitated; they were happily preoccupied with him and Hilda, and might not believe her now.
Jared sat on the sofa, placing a meat reishi mushroom on the table. The mushroom's potent spiritual energy filled him with excitement. These mushrooms were exceedingly rare, and he hoped to achieve a breakthrough by absorbing it. He’d already mastered a perfect training technique; the only missing ingredient was sufficient spiritual energy, scarce on Earth, but concentrated on hilltops. He needed to find another solution.
After some thought, he calmed himself, summoning the Focus Technique. A faint mist enveloped him.
The meat reishi mushroom, as if sensing something, began twisting frantically in its glass bottle, trying to escape. Its efforts were futile. Then, pink gas, emanating from what looked like its eyes, floated towards Jared.
He inhaled deeply. The gas surged into his body, while the mushroom rapidly shriveled, its youthful appearance replaced by wrinkles and dryness. It crumbled into dust, fully absorbed. Jared sat with his eyes closed.
As darkness approached, he opened his eyes. Delighted, he checked his abdomen, but although his spiritual energy had increased, he hadn't leveled up.
Sighing heavily, he left the mansion. Driving his damaged Ford, he headed to a repair shop in Dragon Bay, planning to take a taxi home.
As he waited by the road, a red BMW pulled up. Maria leaned out the window. "Where are you going, Jared? I'll give you a ride."
Jared was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor.
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