Super Metropolis

Han Su suppressed his anger as he went downstairs, only to see a flashy red sports car parked in the cramped alley below. "Give me one reason not to kill you."

"Whoa, you're this mad? Then you must've been busy working on your craft when I called?"

"...Stick your neck out here!"

"Bro, I was wrong... I heard someone was causing trouble for you again?"

Han Su gave Xu Ji a surprised look before getting into his car. Xu Ji immediately leaned over, his expression grave.

"My dad's Assistant called me. My family's security department picked up a bounty online targeting you. They figured some idiots might come looking for trouble, and since I'm close to you, they were worried it might affect me, so they specifically warned me."

Han Su was surprised. "And you still came to find me in the middle of the night?"

"I was worried you'd be in trouble. Of course I had to come right away."

"Perfect timing, then. Come out and have some fun with me tonight. I'll introduce you to a friend. He's doing pretty well around Qinggang City. Once you know him, a lot fewer people will dare mess with you."

"There are plenty of people in Azure Harbor making money through shady side hustles, but they're all low-level. They barely fear my dad's name, but the second they hear his name, they're scared stiff."

"Hm?"

Han Su looked at Xu Ji in mild surprise.

Back then, Xu Family's Young Master had also been one of the children kidnapped in the Kidnapping Case.

But after Han Su rescued him, the entire world had forgotten that he had ever been kidnapped. Or rather, in this current world, his kidnapping had never happened at all.

Still, that Kidnapping Case had made many of Qinggang's wealthy and noble families intensely vigilant. They had all strengthened protection for their children, and Xu Ji's family was naturally no exception. In fact, theirs was among the most thorough.

Ten years had now passed. Though they were no longer as tense as before, the security department established specifically to protect him still remained.

On the surface, he could do whatever he wanted without even a single attendant following him around, yet a security team was constantly monitoring him.

But that security department had actually been monitoring information related to him as well?

For normal parents, if they thought he was dangerous, wouldn't they simply make their son cut ties with him?

As for Xu Ji's offer to help, Han Su did not refuse.

In fact, Xu Ji had already helped him quite a lot at school. Their relationship was so solid that whenever someone wanted to do something to Han Su, they had to consider Xu Ji's presence.

Take someone like the Chairman of Magic Box Group, for example, who came to school to find him every so often.

If not for Xu Ji, plenty of people would probably have been delighted to help the Chairman of Magic Box Group properly persuade him.

Thinking of those irritating private detectives, Han Su pondered for a moment. "Would he be willing to help me?"

"Not help?"

Xu Ji sneered. "That depends on whose favor it is. If he refuses to help you, then he can forget about getting Western Continent cellar-aged red wine and South Continent imported cigars from me ever again."

Han Su did not expose him.

The rich young masters of Qinggang City all liked hanging out with Xu Ji, and every one of them happened to have some small favor they needed Xu Ji's help with.

For instance, certain wines could only be obtained through Xu Ji, while certain Qinggang City professors could only be introduced by Xu Ji.

They would ask Xu Ji for help, and Xu Ji would happen to be able to do them that favor. Afterward, they would happen to treat him to a meal in thanks. Over time, their relationships naturally grew close.

The downside of this was that Xu Ji often felt that he was extremely important.

"Let's go!"

"Awesome."

Having been rejected too many times, Xu Ji was ecstatic over Han Su's rare straightforward agreement. He slapped Han Su hard on the back. "See? You've finally agreed to fall from grace."

"Don't worry, this friend of mine is the most generous spender. It's his birthday tonight, and he said he wanted to make it lively. He called in hundreds of beautiful women—mature ladies, cute girls, Ultraman, all sorts. Everyone can get ten."

"They might not compare to the precision and tenderness of your own handiwork, but the real warmth should be enough to make do."

"..."

Han Su was speechless.

How could someone perfectly combine two contradictory traits—being rich and being a loser?

With the way this guy acted, why was he so rich...

And why was someone as respectable as him so poor, while also getting tangled up in so much bullshit?

After picking up Han Su, Xu Ji drove along the intercity expressway. After more than an hour, they finally reached the outskirts.

In this world, hyper-prosperous commerce had given rise to countless supercities.

Cities with populations of twenty or thirty million were common. There were supposedly even super metropolises with populations exceeding a hundred million, or even several hundred million. These exceptional cities drained the surrounding regions of people and industry, leaving vast stretches of towns barren and decayed.

Nowadays, aside from places with specialized industries and certain reclusive groups, towns and villages had largely fallen into ruin. Only people without identities wandered there, surviving through smuggling or farming.

Many children born in cities might never visit the outskirts in their entire lives. They grew up in forests of steel, then died there.

But children from wealthy families like Xu Ji often escaped the city instead, seeking out novel entertainment in these sparsely populated places.

At the end of a remote highway overgrown with weeds, all kinds of unrecognizable luxury cars were already parked in rows. Burning waste-oil barrels and hanging high-powered lights illuminated the area with dazzling brightness.

Countless young men and women dressed either in outrageous outfits or refined, sexy attire had gathered there. Under the blinding lights, the outskirts looked like a nightclub.

Han Su got out and looked around. Sure enough, Xu Ji had been bullshitting again. Same old habit.

Where were the hundreds of beautiful young women who looked like celebrities...

There were clearly only a few dozen.

Nor could every man there possibly get ten. By Han Su's rough estimate, getting two each would already be pretty good.

"Why did you bring him again?"

The moment Xu Ji arrived, people friendly with him came over to greet him.

One of them wore a dark blue casual suit. Han Su had seen him before. His name was Zhang He, tonight's birthday boy and the "underground big shot" Xu Ji had specifically wanted to introduce to him.

He was also very rich, but unlike Xu Ji's other friends, who only knew how to spend money, this man was clearly a rich young master who wielded considerable Factions in Qinggang City's underground world.

At the mention of Young Master Zhang, plenty of street punks would have their legs go weak.

"So you went back to pick him up?"

That Young Master Zhang walked over with a glass of champagne in hand. His gaze swept over Han Su, and after casually asking the question, he gave Han Su a polite but distant nod. "Go find something to eat first. I need to talk to Xu Ji."

His tone somewhat treated Han Su like an errand boy he could order around.

Han Su did not mind. He merely nodded and went to find food, but Xu Ji's expression instantly changed.

At several canvas tables and chairs set up nearby, Han Su saw plenty of food. Most of it was simple fare like pizza and grilled meat, while people farther away were grilling sizzling, grease-dripping steaks over fire barrels.

There were rows upon rows of alcohol and unfamiliar drinks. Without coming here himself, Han Su would never have known that children from wealthy families usually ate this kind of stuff too.

As he casually picked up pieces of grilled meat to eat, Han Su examined the surroundings.

In the circles where rich people played, nobody really worried about losing things or having them stolen. Changed clothes, watches, cameras, laptops, and the like had simply been tossed aside nearby.

Han Su casually picked up a camera resting on the hood of a car, turned it on, zoomed in, and aimed it toward Xu Ji.

Using the camera display, he watched the lip movements of the two people who had walked off to the side.

His eyesight was excellent. Though he could not miraculously read every single word through lip-reading, he could roughly make out the content of their conversation.

Xu Ji looked displeased as he lost his temper at Young Master Zhang in the blue suit. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I've told you plenty of times, Han Su is my brother. We've been through life and death together. He isn't one of those lackeys behind you."

"I told you in advance that I would bring him this time. The way you spoke to him made me very uncomfortable. It felt worse than if you'd insulted my dad."

"If you insult my dad, I can at least respect you for having guts. But giving my brother attitude right in front of me—are you trying to embarrass me? If there's a next time, we won't be in the same circle anymore."

"..."

Zhang He did not seem upset. Instead, he gave a cool smile. "I know you two are close, but frankly speaking, he isn't on the same level as us. What's the point of dragging an outsider into our circle every time?"

Xu Ji sneered and looked at him seriously. "Only people who expect others to help them with something choose their friends based on status."

"I'm not like you. I don't need to fight seven or eight siblings for the family inheritance, nor do I expect my friends to help me with anything."

"So I hang out with whoever I like."

"..."

Those words were extremely blunt, yet Zhang He actually smiled. He suddenly said, "Fair enough. If we really want to distinguish things that carefully, we're merely rich people, while your family has status."

"Still, you don't need to be angry with me. Maybe after this birthday, I truly won't have another chance to hang out with you."

Xu Ji was momentarily stunned. "Why?"

All this time, he had always been the one who decided not to hang out with others. He had never seen someone decide not to hang out with him.

Zhang He smiled.

Unlike the faint arrogance on his face when speaking to Han Su, the air he projected around Xu Ji was tolerant and gentle, as if he had no temper at all. "Recently, I decided I don't want to be a playboy hanging around Qinggang's underground world anymore. I'm washing my hands of it."

"?"

Xu Ji was stunned. "Can't you help my brother with one small favor before washing your hands of it?"

"..."

Zhang He said, "You just said you didn't expect other people to help you with anything..."

Xu Ji said, "Do I look like I belong to a class that needs to care that much about saving face?"