After the man who delivered the message left, the door closed again.

Jiang Zheyu scrambled up from the sofa. She changed out of the thin, cool clothes and back into her normal short-sleeved shirt and pants.

She was anything but calm now.

’The boss is here?’

’It’s obvious who that is.’

Of all the times for Si Yu to show up, he had to come just as she was preparing to escape.

Jiang Zheyu’s heart went cold. She had tried to run, so Si Yu definitely knew. He must know she had just been playing along and putting on an act before.

’But it wasn’t entirely an act,’ she thought. ’After all, Si Yu is so handsome. I do like his face, his skills in bed, that mouth of his that says one thing but means another, and that love he’s sinking into without even realizing it...’

’Even though I’ll never give him a home, I really did love him in bed.’

That’s what Jiang Zheyu thought to herself, but she would never dare say it to Si Yu.

She remembered the miserable fate of the female lead in the novel after she was caught trying to escape: a pitch-black room without a sliver of light, a cold iron cage, vicious drugs...

Jiang Zheyu sighed. If only Si Yu could accept her having other Beast Husbands. But that man was determined to monopolize her, and she could never abandon Su Yan.

Besides, even if Si Yu could accept her having other Beast Husbands, he could never be with Jiang Zheyu openly.

Si Yu and Su Yan’s positions were fundamentally irreconcilable. On top of that, Si Yu was wanted by the Empire. The two of them could never be on the same side.

Under the Empire’s laws, Si Yu would only ever be sentenced to death.

That was why he could never be with Jiang Zheyu out in the open.

He could only drag Jiang Zheyu down into this endless darkness with him.

But Jiang Zheyu was unwilling. Her only choice was to run. She had to get back to Su Yan’s side.

Jiang Zheyu considered the possibility of Si Yu becoming her Beast Husband. The only way was the one from the novel: he would have to give away his entire fortune to the Empire, change his identity to live as someone else, and lead his former subordinates deep into the Zerg Race’s lair. Only after suffering massive casualties could he earn a clean slate and be with the female lead.

However, all of that was a compromise Si Yu made only after a long, drawn-out, love-hate game of chase and escape with the protagonist.

Jiang Zheyu didn’t know if he would do the same for her as he did for the female lead—give away his fortune and risk his life for a chance to stand by her side openly.

She shook her head. ’It’s useless to think so much. Right now, there’s no way Si Yu would do that for me.’

Jiang Zheyu thought about what the Beastman had said earlier—that all the Beast Slaves were to be brought to the square. Her head started to ache.

She was controlling Xiang Wei right now, but her control only worked within a ten-meter radius. The moment Xiang Wei moved more than ten meters away from her, she would lose control.

Another thing giving her a headache was that she didn’t know Xiang Wei at all.

She had no idea how Xiang Wei was supposed to gather the other Beastmen, or what he was supposed to do after gathering them.

’I can only control people, not read their memories. If I show even the slightest flaw, I’m done for.’

If she released her spiritual control over Xiang Wei now, the first thing he would probably do upon waking up is try to kill her.

Jiang Zheyu was now caught in a dilemma.

’Si Yu really is my nemesis.’

Jiang Zheyu glanced at the time. It was only five in the afternoon. The Beastmen would be called to the square after their work shift ended. She gritted her teeth. She couldn’t just wait around any longer.

She would make Xiang Wei take her out right now.

But after taking a step, she paused. She was only about fifty points of Beastification Value away from reaching the S+++ Spiritual Power Level.

’Si Yu’s highest Spiritual Power Level also seems to be S+++. If I can just reach the S+++ Spiritual Power Level, I might have a chance of controlling him, right?’

This team leader right here seemed to have a Beastification Value of just over fifty.

Jiang Zheyu made a snap decision. She would purify these fifty-something points of Beastification Value first and break through to the S+++ level in one go.

"System, I remember you saying that once I reach S+++ spiritual power, I’ll be stronger than any Male Beastman, right?" Jiang Zheyu asked the system, not forgetting her question even as she grabbed at the black aura.

"Naturally. The S+++ level is the highest Spiritual Power Level in this world," the system replied confidently. "And Host’s S+++ Spiritual Power Level will be even stronger than others of the same level! Host, you will become the strongest spiritual power user in the entire interstellar space!"

The system’s words made Jiang Zheyu’s blood boil with excitement. "Then will I be able to control Si Yu easily?"

The system seemed to glitch for a moment, then it said slowly, "If the target is unprepared, Host will naturally be able to control them successfully."

Of course, if the person was on guard and had already erected a defensive wall of spiritual power, it would be very difficult to control them instantly.

After Jiang Zheyu finished quickly grabbing the black aura,

Name: Jiang Zheyu

Gender: Female

Current Spiritual Power Value: S+++ (3036/4000)

Points: 502

She had broken through to S+++ spiritual power. She no longer had to do the system’s daily task of dealing with five points of Beastification Value.

"Congratulations, Host, on successfully reaching the S+++ Spiritual Power Level!" The congratulatory sound of small fireworks went POP POP POP in Jiang Zheyu’s ears.

"So if there are no more tasks, does that mean no more point rewards?" Jiang Zheyu quickly asked in her mind.

"From now on, all Beastification Value and Healing Value will be converted into points," the system explained.

Jiang Zheyu looked at her Spiritual Power Level panel and asked in confusion, "Why did the number after the Spiritual Power Level change to 4000? Can my Spiritual Power Level keep increasing? Didn’t you say S+++ was the highest level in this world?"

"The S+++ Spiritual Power Level is only the highest level in *this world*. It is not the highest level for *Host’s* spiritual power," the system said leisurely. "The system has said it before: as long as Host continuously purifies Beastification Value, you can become the strongest spiritual power user in this world. Controlling an S+++ Beastman will be no problem at all! Even if an S+++ Beastman erects a spiritual power defensive wall, Host will be able to control him with ease!"

Jiang Zheyu’s heart began to race at the grand promise the system was painting for her.

The system really knew all the tricks. When it realized Jiang Zheyu was lazy and didn’t particularly enjoy purifying Beastification Value, it gave her daily tasks with punishments for failure, forcing her to work hard.

Once Jiang Zheyu slowly started to experience the benefits of purifying Beastification Value, she began to do it diligently of her own accord.

And Jiang Zheyu was indeed tempted. She didn’t want to become the "strongest," but she wanted to have the power to say no when others tried to bully her.

She wanted the ability to save herself when a Beastman tried to force himself on her.

Her S+++ spiritual power was already the highest level in this world, but it wasn’t enough to easily and instantly control a defending Beastman between S and S+++ level. Controlling a defending Beastman of the same level as her was even more difficult.