"Name?"
"Huai Shi."
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Age?"
"Twenty."
On a bright and breezy afternoon beneath clear skies, this was the checkpoint before boarding.
After confirming the final details, the staff member politely returned his documents. "Sorry, sir. Verification procedures have been rather cumbersome lately."
"It's fine. I'm used to it."
The young man picked up his luggage and smiled as he said goodbye. "Thanks for your hard work."
"Just doing my job." The staff member nodded. "Have a pleasant trip."
At those words, the young man's expression seemed to become somewhat complicated. In the end, he merely shrugged slightly. "Let's hope so."
Before long, his figure disappeared beyond the checkpoint.
He looked strangely familiar.
Where had he seen him before?
It took the staff member a long while to snap out of staring at that retreating back. Seeing the impatient people waiting behind him, he hurriedly smiled apologetically and sped up the procedures.
Only when the long line was gradually coming to an end did the man who had been sitting on a bench reading the newspaper rise unhurriedly, walk to the checkpoint, and hand over his ticket.
At the sight of the ticket for the royal suite on the very top floor of the luxury cruise ship, the staff member put on his most enthusiastic smile.
"Welcome aboard the Turquoise, Mr. Leonid. On behalf of Tanba Shipping, welcome. I hope you won't mind these procedures."
"It's all for safety, after all."
Andre waved amiably. Under the staff member's guidance, he completed fingerprint and facial recognition. At one point, he inserted a finger into a rather strange device and felt a slight prick, as though it had drawn a little blood.
Such complicated procedures were somewhat unfamiliar even to someone like him, a workaholic who was constantly flying around on business.