The Banquet

Hans and David were both dressed in the Federation's formal uniform, the outfit of choice for most men attending important occasions. Aside from differences in fabric and decoration that reflected their wealth, the styles were largely the same.

Bertha, on Hans's arm, wore a tight-fitting gown and a necklace that glittered brilliantly, giving her an air of elegance and opulence.

Edie was too young to attend a banquet of this caliber.

The New Year's Eve banquet was being held at the Steer Hotel. The Peilan City government had booked an entire floor, which showed just how much importance it attached to the event.

When David stepped out of the hover car and saw the Steer Hotel, the first person who came to mind was Amos, the hotel's security chief. Though Amos was dead, the fact that he had monitored David proved he had been involved in the attempt to kill him.

So had the Steer Hotel been involved as well? Was the man behind Amos an important figure at the hotel?

One question after another surfaced in David's mind. He sensed the Shadow Servant hovering several meters above him. With its ability to detect danger, and given the caliber of tonight's banquet, he didn't need to worry about his safety.

He had had the Shadow Servant for nearly ten days. At first, when he shared its sight and hearing, he couldn't control his own body. Now he could easily look around through its eyes without disrupting his own movements.

There was no need for an inspection as he entered the Steer Hotel. The multiple scanning devices automatically collected the Identity Bracelet information of everyone who came in. Anyone without permission to approach the banquet would be escorted away by the guards at once.

"David, go find some friends to talk to. I'll come find you later," Hans said quietly after they entered the banquet hall.

David nodded. He could tell that Hans didn't hold as low a position as his predecessor's memories had led him to believe. Everyone in the hall who saw Hans bowed to greet him, and some even gave him a Federation military salute.

Hans had to mingle with these people. He knew David didn't enjoy that sort of socializing, so he planned to introduce him only to the people who mattered.

David parted from Hans and Bertha. He didn't head for the area where the young people had gathered, since he had no friends there.

When it came to socializing, his predecessor had taken things to an extreme. His deteriorating relationship with Hans had led him to avoid all social activities. The young people of similar age in the city might as well have had no connection to him at all.

That was a relief to David. He had his predecessor's memories, but this world still felt unfamiliar, especially with such powerful enemies lurking about. They kept him from ever feeling safe. Whenever he saw a stranger, he couldn't help wondering if they had been sent by his enemies to get close to him.

He took a glass of natural fruit juice from a passing waiter, sipped it, then headed for an empty corner.

As he slowly drank his juice, David connected to the Shadow Servant and sent it down through the floor.

A while later, he casually moved a dozen meters to one side. On the floor below, out of sight of everyone, the Shadow Servant was searching the rooms one by one for something.

Before coming, he had used Skynet to find a map of the Steer Hotel. Only the luxurious banquet hall on the second floor would serve as the venue for the city government's New Year's Eve banquet, while the first floor had a security room.

What was in the security room? The Steer Hotel's Security Optical Computer, of course. David wanted to find its location, then use some special means to obtain information about the hotel.

"Hey, how are you? I don't think I've seen you before." A friendly voice interrupted David's thoughts.

David looked up. A burly young man stood before him, holding a glass of red wine.

The young man was also wearing the Federation's formal uniform. The outfit looked dashing on David, but on him it gave the impression of armor.

"Hello, I'm David Kerr!" David smiled and raised his glass of juice in greeting.

"I'm Myron." Myron raised his glass of red wine in introduction, then seemed to realize something and exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, your surname is Kerr. You're Hans Kerr's eldest son, the one everyone talks about?"

"If there isn't another David Kerr, then I suppose I am," David said with a shrug, resigned to being a legend.

"You're keeping away from those noisy people over there, so I'm guessing you don't like socializing either. We're alike!" Myron said quietly, pointing toward a group of young people chatting with several young women.

David glanced at the overly familiar Myron. He didn't look like someone who disliked socializing at all. If anything, he seemed to have sought David out on purpose.

"David, I'm telling the truth. If I hadn't heard that a big shot was coming tonight, I wouldn't have attended this sort of banquet!" Myron continued when he saw David didn't believe him.

"A big shot?" David looked at Myron, wondering what sort of person he meant.

After all, tonight's New Year's Eve banquet wasn't an ordinary affair. Every senior official in Peilan City would be there, and the rest of the guests would feel honored to have been invited. It was fair to say the banquet brought together all of Peilan City's elite.

As David and Myron talked, the hall suddenly fell silent.

David and Myron both looked toward the banquet's stage. Several officials, some of whom looked familiar to David, had just come out.

"Whoosh!" Applause broke out as all the guests welcomed the officials.

"Thank you all for attending the New Year's Eve banquet!" one of the officials said with a smile, waving. His voice was transmitted automatically to the hall's speakers through his Identity Bracelet.

Though David's predecessor had been rather cut off from the outside world, he still recognized the official giving the speech. It was Mayor Bernard of Peilan City.

"Myron, where's the big shot you mentioned?" David asked quietly as he listened to Mayor Bernard's speech.

"Big shots are always discreet," Myron replied softly. He was also searching the hall with his eyes, trying to spot his target.

David paid him no mind and turned his attention back to the Shadow Servant. It couldn't stray more than ten meters from him, making the search more difficult.

On top of that, the pictures he had found on Skynet had no scale, so he couldn't tell exactly where to stand above the security room.

He quietly moved a few steps to the side. The Shadow Servant passed through another wall, and a surveillance wall appeared before it.

The surveillance wall was divided into nearly a hundred small windows, each displaying a different camera feed.

Only two security staff members sat in front of the surveillance wall. With the Smart System's help, they only needed to pay attention when the Security System issued an alert. They didn't have to judge every screen with their own eyes.

David's target wasn't the surveillance wall, but the cabinet beside it, locked behind a security lock.

Even if Edna, the Electronic Warfare Specialist, were still alive, she wouldn't be able to hack into the Security Optical Computer without being detected. Electronic Warfare Specialists had an offensive specialty: overwhelming systems with signals and forcing their way in.

But doing that in a city was practically asking to die. Any forced attack would inevitably trigger Skynet's pursuit.

A hotel this large wasn't like David's home, which could be sealed off with a signal jammer.

David was different. The Shadow Servant's invisibility and ability to pass through solid objects let him make far better use of his Electronic Warfare skills. That was why he dared to think about hacking into the Steer Hotel's Security Optical Computer even while attending the New Year's Eve banquet.

Mayor Bernard was still speaking. Meanwhile, the Shadow Servant slipped soundlessly through the cabinet, which could only be opened with the Steer Hotel's highest-level authorization.

A Light Brain stood before the Shadow Servant, reaching David's height. Seeing its model, he couldn't help thinking, They sure spared no expense!

The hotel's Security Optical Computer was a small server-grade Light Brain, the sort that could even serve as a ship's Main Light Brain. Its value ran into the millions, showing just how seriously the Steer Hotel took security.