The Tycoon Patriarch

"You're bleeding from the nose," Zero reminded her through the earpiece.

Tu Ran touched her nose in a daze, wiping a smear of blood onto the back of her hand.

She tilted her head back. Zero had already called over a waiter, who handed her a wet towel, a pill, and a cup of hot water.

"Fast-acting coagulant," Zero said.

Tu Ran took the towel but refused the pill.

With her Adamantine Body, the bleeding stopped quickly. After wiping the blood from her face and hands, she said, "Ability Recognition has physical limits too. I identified too many abilities just now, and my body's energy is spent. I can't look anymore."

She'd never encountered this many people with abilities all at once before—only occasionally identifying one or two individuals, never experiencing any physical discomfort. So she'd always assumed this ability had no bodily limits.

After recklessly scanning so many just now, her Adamantine Body couldn't replenish the lost energy fast enough, hence the nosebleed. This was another symptom she'd developed besides collapsing from exhaustion.

"Can you control the switch for Ability Recognition?"

Tu Ran gave a wry smile. "No."

"But it's fine. Ability Recognition only activates when I stare at someone with abilities, so I'll just keep my eyes on people without them."

"Alright. You've seen more than enough. Rest."

Zero went offline, but didn't remove the personnel profiles from her visor, so Tu Ran's gaze drifted among the people she'd observed earlier.

Everyone present was part of the Federation's powerful elite, but the true apex of the Federation's pyramid had yet to appear.

Like the heads of the three major conglomerate families.

Important people always made their entrance last. Near eight o'clock, Tu Ran finally spotted the Xie Family, one of the three major conglomerates, arriving.

She guessed that this group, like Stephen Wells, hadn't consumed any inner cores, so she scrutinized them openly.

The Xie Family patriarch led the way. His figure was slightly paunchy, but his features still hinted at the handsomeness of his youth. He smiled and nodded cordially to others—unexpectedly approachable, a stark contrast to the image Tu Ran had conjured.

Xie Xu always walked around looking like a hundred billion people in the Federation owed him money, and Xie Zhao was perpetually stern and unsmiling. She'd assumed everyone in the Xie family was like that, yet their father was the complete opposite.

Tu Ran double-checked the data on her visor, confirming she hadn't misidentified anyone: it really was the Xie family patriarch, Xie Xieao.

Beside Xie Xieao, a middle-aged woman held his arm. She wore a silver gown, understated yet radiating luxury, dignified and elegant without losing grace.

She was Xie Xieao's wife, Wu Yun.

Behind the two of them followed Xie Xu, Xie Zhao, and a man Tu Ran had never seen before, whose features bore some resemblance to the patriarch.

The visor's data identified him as Xie Heng, the eldest of the Xie siblings. His mother was Wu Yun, and the Wu family was also one of the ten major conglomerates. Wu Yun was the eldest daughter of the Wu family, so Xie Heng was naturally the next patriarch of the Xie family.

Xie Zhao was second, his mother also the eldest daughter of some conglomerate family, but this family's influence was far inferior to the Wu family behind Xie Heng's mother. Thus, he had no shot at the next patriarch position.

Xie Xu was third. His mother came from an ordinary Federation citizen family. She was brilliant, and through her own efforts got into the Federation's top university. She later became the director of the Research Institute, caught Xie Xieao's eye, and died three years after giving birth to Xie Xu, cause of death unknown.

Xie Xu's intelligence was likely inherited from his mother. Without any maternal family backing, Xie Xu likewise couldn't inherit the patriarch seat.

If one asked why Xie Xieao had three wives in a Federation that practiced monogamy, one would have to once again emphasize how federal law held no sway over the conglomerates.

They could take as many wives as they wanted, and it was all legal. For instance, the Pang family patriarch from several generations back had as many as eleven wives.

The Inspection Department turned a blind eye to such matters. The vast majority of ordinary citizens never came into contact with the conglomerates, so they didn't know and didn't comment. The few who did know didn't dare stir up trouble by gossiping, and even the media didn't dare speak up.

After these members of the Xie family entered, the people scattered across the banquet swarmed over, surrounding them.

Xie Xieao and his wife, along with Xie Heng and Xie Zhao, handled the scene with composure. Xie Xu, however, slipped expressionlessly out of the crowd and sat down somewhere less populated.

Perhaps aware of his reclusive nature, or knowing he had zero chances at the patriarch position, no one approached him. He sat there alone in silence the whole time.

Fully armed on the third floor, Tu Ran watched him for a long time, made sure she'd read all the information on her visor, then averted her gaze back to the entrance.

The Wells family had arrived.

Compared to the bustle of the Xie family patriarch's five-member household, the Wells family patriarch came alone, accompanied only by a white-haired old man—Andre.

Stephen Wells had inherited the family business not long ago and was still young. His father had been devoted to one woman—Stephen's mother—and had only one child, so inheriting was a matter of course.

After Stephen came in, many people crowded around him. Stephen kept a cold face, his responses to everyone tepid—neither overly familiar nor rude—while Andre beside him handled polite pleasantries.

Almost imperceptibly, Stephen's gaze drifted toward the third floor where Tu Ran stood.

Their eyes met in midair. Tu Ran looked away expressionlessly, staring elsewhere, as if she didn't know him.

The Pang family's main branch arrived right after Stephen Wells.

The Pang family was another big household, with sons and daughters, and the patriarch brought three wives alone.

Tu Ran scanned them one by one—none had abilities.

Just as Xie Xu had said, these people wouldn't risk their lives consuming inner cores for anything.

Everyone was present, so the banquet naturally began. Though it started over an hour late, no one objected, since the three groups that arrived last were the ones no one dared provoke.

Tu Ran stood ramrod straight, gun in hand, nearly blending into the railing of the third floor. No one noticed her. She was just an ordinary guard, fulfilling her duty to protect the safety of this banquet.

"I'm so sorry, sir. Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Downstairs, a waiter accidentally spilled a glass of wine all over Stephen Wells's suit. The waiter trembled in fear, clumsily trying to wipe the stain off Stephen.

People who'd been about to toast Stephen stood frozen in place.

Stephen's displeasure was plain on his face as he pushed the waiter's hand away. "Take me to change clothes."

"Yes, this way please." The waiter nodded hastily and led the way.