The Situation

"What are you planning to trade for it?" Wang Yiyang remained unmoved. He struggled to keep his expression steady, to better fit the role of a group director.

As much as he wanted to fire off a barrage of questions, he needed to be composed, not make promises lightly, and remain reserved and inscrutable.

Those were the qualities expected of a director and head of security.

"The K-Crystal Serum you've always wanted. How does that sound?" Kesatirein replied softly.

"..." Wang Yiyang's heart tightened. He understood what the other man was getting at.

According to the information in his mind, Kesatirein was nothing like the mild-mannered, unassuming man he appeared to be.

He had been reprimanded by the group's board of directors several times for conducting human trials of drugs.

What was impressive was that he had managed to wriggle out of trouble every time, and had even easily escaped consequences from the Federation authorities.

Even when his actions were exposed,

he had done no more than assume a new identity and carry on with another round of experiments.

So now, when the other man requested an elite escort, his true purpose... was cause for suspicion.

The K-Crystal Serum was the latest research achievement from the group's R&D Department. It was said to improve every aspect of a person's physical capabilities and even extend their lifespan.

But it was still undergoing further development, so no finished product had been completed.

Who would have thought Kesati had already finished it? He'd simply kept it under wraps.

As if he'd seen what Wang Yiyang was thinking, Kesati smiled. "I was just about to announce it at the board meeting. If I really put the K-Crystal Serum on the table as a bargaining chip, who do you think would get the chairman's seat next time?"

After a moment's silence, Wang Yiyang nodded.

"Fine. I can send an elite team to escort you, but I want more than the K-Crystal Serum. I need your support with my troubles."

"Heh. At most, I can offer you a little help from the sidelines," Kesati said with a smile and a shake of his head.

He had no intention of getting involved. The Security Department's troubles were far more serious than his own. If it were only a matter of backing the wrong faction and crossing swords with the soon-to-be chairman, that would be the lesser problem.

But Wang Yiyang's troubles were more complicated than that.

"That won't do. My most elite forces have to be used where they'll matter most." Wang Yiyang's voice turned low as he began to bargain.

Though Kesati had refused, he already knew that from here on, it was only a matter of how much they would agree on. Wang Yiyang had essentially accepted.

A short while later,

Wang Yiyang opened the car door and stepped out, then calmly walked back to the restaurant.

Kesati's men were still nearby, but at some point, a few small groups of onlookers had appeared behind them.

On the surface, they looked like they were just watching the commotion. In truth, hidden lines of aim had already settled on the vital points of every one of Kesati's men.

At a single command from Wang Yiyang, the place would instantly become a battlefield between the two sides.

The blond man with the slicked-back hair bowed slightly to Wang Yiyang once more, then waved his hand.

The bald men nearby withdrew swiftly, climbing into the cars that had pulled up behind them.

Soon, with Kesatirein's vehicle at its head, the entire motorcade disappeared into the distance.

Wang Yiyang watched the vehicles leave. Relief washed over him, but it was soon joined by deep misgivings.

Misgivings about this trouble tied to his hidden identity.

"Forget it. He came looking to cooperate, so I'll leave him be for now. I'll deal with Grandpa's case first."

After what had just happened, he no longer felt like eating or drinking.

During their conversation, Kesati's car had silently made a detour. So after getting out, Wang Yiyang had needed to walk a little farther before reaching the restaurant.

"Minister." A young woman with red hair hurried over from the side, looking anxious. She started to speak in a low voice.

Wang Yiyang raised a hand slightly, stopping her.

"Traffic suddenly got jammed outside. I saw it. It must have been Kesati's doing. It wasn't your fault," he said gently.

The red-haired woman quickly lowered her head.

"Thank you for understanding!"

"Have everyone withdraw and spread out. Also, send over an ordinary car. Have Jian come to my place later."

"Yes."

After giving his instructions, he watched the red-haired woman hurry away, then slowly returned to the restaurant.

The whole series of events had happened very suddenly.

But thanks to his men handling the aftermath and covering for him, hardly anyone in the restaurant had seen him get into the car and talk with Kesati.

The other man had made such a spectacle of himself and seemed not to care who saw. That left Wang Yiyang somewhat uneasy.

He soon returned to the private room.

Wang Yiyang acted as if nothing had happened and didn't bring it up. The others at the table took their cue from him, and no one was tactless enough to ask.

They went back to eating, drinking, chatting, and swapping boasts.

Still, anyone would have been left with questions after such a sudden incident.

Before long, the door opened again. An Yuxi, who had gone to the restroom, returned. She closed the door as if nothing had happened and went back to her seat.

After they had eaten and drunk for a while, Wang Yiyang finally stood up, raised his glass to everyone, and said a few words of farewell.

Only then did the meal finally come to an end.

The meal had taken about two hours. It was almost time to go back to work.

Wang Yiyang exchanged phone numbers with everyone. Then he stood outside the restaurant and arranged cabs to send them off one by one.

They were all going back to the company, so they squeezed together and made do with three cabs.

What surprised Wang Yiyang was that An Yuxi seemed a little drunk. She was leaning woozily against the restaurant counter, barely able to stand.

Xie Xiaodan and Xia Ying had planned to help her get back, but An Yuxi insisted she was about to be late for work and managed to push them away.

Two male coworkers had also volunteered to stay with her, thinking they were close enough to her, but she politely turned them down and sent them off too.

She said she would go back on her own, but as she leaned against the counter, she couldn't seem to get up.

Her cheeks were flushed, and she sat woozily on the sofa to the right of the counter, looking like she couldn't hold her liquor.

"How are you feeling?"

Wang Yiyang had things to do and was in a hurry to get back, but she was his coworker, and she'd gotten drunk at the meal he'd treated her to. He couldn't just leave without checking on her.

"I'm fine. I just drank too much, and I'm dizzy," An Yuxi said quietly, holding her head. "You go ahead, Brother Yang. I'm fine."

The more she insisted she was fine, the harder it was for Wang Yiyang to leave.

"How about you rest here for a while? I'll take you back to the company myself in a bit." Wang Yiyang checked the time.

An Yuxi felt a surge of delight. Her plan had worked.

She'd slipped out to use the restroom earlier and asked one of the restaurant's servers about the commotion involving the blond man with slicked-back hair.

Although she hadn't seen what level Wang Yiyang was on, she figured it couldn't be low.

So she'd decided to create a chance to spend some time alone with him.

After all, if she only interacted with Wang Yiyang in a group setting like the dinner, nothing would come of it.

But if she got drunk at the meal and felt unwell, then out of a sense of responsibility, Wang Yiyang, as the one who'd treated everyone, would naturally end up alone with her, just as he was now.

An Yuxi thought it over.

It wasn't that she was attracted to Wang Yiyang. She just wanted to see if she could get to know him and widen her circle of contacts and options.

If she could get to know his circle through him, that would be even better.

During dinner, she'd already quietly gotten much closer to Xia Ying. Add Wang Yiyang to the mix, and she'd basically achieved what she'd set out to do at this meal.

Wang Yiyang had no idea how many little schemes the woman had in mind.

He sat down nearby too and waited for over half an hour. When An Yuxi seemed to be feeling a little better, he called her a cab and sent her off.

They chatted casually during that time, and they'd gotten to know each other a little better. They were no longer complete strangers at work.

If he hadn't been busy with other things, Wang Yiyang wouldn't have minded getting to know a pretty girl like An Yuxi better.

But the circumstances were unusual, and he couldn't afford to get distracted right now.

After sending An Yuxi off, Wang Yiyang gave a slight nod to someone nearby.

Someone in the shadows received the signal. In less than half a minute, a long, luxurious black armored car with a body polished to a mirror shine slowly pulled up in front of him.

The muscular man who'd been driving got out quickly, handed Wang Yiyang the car keys, then left at once.

Wang Yiyang had long wanted to try driving himself, and since he had the chance, he didn't hesitate.

He hadn't had the money to buy a car before. Now that he could afford one, he had to give it a try.

He drove for a while, enjoying himself, then quickly got out and discreetly switched to an ordinary cab, heading for his rented apartment.

Jian had already brought the latest interrogation results and was waiting there.

Before his grandfather got into trouble, Wang Yiyang's life had been simple.

Every day, he went to work, watched a movie or played virtual games during his lunch break, then went back to work in the afternoon.

He usually had dinner with his coworkers at a small restaurant, or ate cheap fried rice or noodles back in his rented apartment.

In the evenings, he read novels, played computer games, or went out for a stroll and bought snacks to satisfy his cravings.

If there was a good TV drama or anime, he might spend the evening binge-watching it. He never touched variety shows.

Sometimes, on a whim, he'd feel he was wasting his life. Wang Yiyang would then suddenly get motivated, find some advanced study materials in his field, and study for a day or two.

Then he'd go right back to his old ways.

Of course, that had all been before the incident.

With no parents to keep him in check, no wife or children to be responsible for, and only a few friends, Wang Yiyang's life seemed dull and monotonous. But he'd been perfectly content with it.

But now...

He rode back to his rented apartment.

He'd thought about a lot on the way. The thing that looked like a system had given him a hidden identity, and it had hit him harder than anything ever had.

Money, power, status.

In an instant, he'd gained everything he'd once pursued, dreamed of, and thought he should have.

But he still felt strangely unsteady, as if floating.

Because he knew that although his identity had indeed changed, in reality, he was just an ordinary office worker. If he really had to manage the vast Mister Security Department, he didn't have the ability.

With the help of the chip, he could translate Eresa Language on the fly within Mister, understand it, and speak a few simple phrases. That was the limit of what he could do right now.

If something major happened in the Security Department, the only thing he'd be able to do was panic and be at a loss.

After getting out of the cab,

Wang Yiyang stood in front of the old apartment building. He looked up at the window of the place he rented.

"Whatever happens, I'll use this identity to settle Grandpa's case once and for all!"

He steeled himself, stopped thinking about it, and walked into the stairwell.