Situation

"What do you intend to offer in exchange?" Wang Yiyang remained unmoved. He struggled to steady his expression, forcing himself to better embody the persona of a group director.

Although he was dying to fire off a barrage of questions, he had to remain composed, hesitant to commit, reserved, and profound.

These were the essential traits of a qualified director and head of the Security Department.

"The K-Crystal Serum you have always wanted. How about that?" Kesatirein replied in a soft voice.

"..." Wang Yiyang felt a chill in his heart. He understood what the man meant.

According to the information in his mind, Kesatirein was not as gentle or mild-mannered as he appeared.

He had been warned by the group's board of directors multiple times for conducting human experiments with pharmaceuticals.

Yet, his brilliance lay in his ability to turn danger into safety every time, easily extricating himself from the Federation's official scrutiny.

Even when exposed, he would simply adopt a new identity and begin a fresh round of experiments.

Therefore, the true purpose behind his request for an elite escort was... highly suspicious.

The K-Crystal Serum was the latest research achievement from the R&D Department, touted to comprehensively enhance all aspects of human physical quality while extending one's lifespan.

It was only because it was still in the further stages of development that no finished product existed.

He hadn't expected that this fellow Kesatirein had actually completed it long ago, merely choosing not to announce it.

Seeming to read Wang Yiyang's thoughts, Kesatirein smiled. "I am about to announce it at the board meeting. Tell me, if I truly put the K-Crystal Serum on the table as a bargaining chip, who will the next chairman be?"

After a moment of silence, Wang Yiyang nodded.

"Fine, I can dispatch a team of elites to you, but I want more than just the K-Crystal Serum. I need your support for my troubles."

"Heh, I can only offer you a bit of help from the sidelines at most," Kesatirein said with a shake of his head.

He had no desire to wade into muddy waters; the troubles of the Security Department were far more severe than his own. If it were merely a matter of backing the wrong faction or clashing with the incoming chairman, that would be light.

But Wang Yiyang's troubles were far more complex than that.

"That won't do. My most elite forces must be used where they are needed most," Wang Yiyang said in a low tone, beginning to haggle.

Although he had been refused, Kesatirein knew that this was merely a negotiation of terms; Wang Yiyang had effectively already agreed.

A moment later, Wang Yiyang opened the door and stepped out of the car, walking calmly back toward the restaurant.

Kesatirein's subordinates were still lingering in the vicinity, but scattered among the onlookers, several individuals had appeared out of nowhere.

While these people appeared to be mere bystanders, in reality, hidden lines of sight were already locked onto the vital points of all of Kesatirein's men.

With a single command from Wang Yiyang, the area would instantly transform into a battlefield between the two factions.

The blond man with the slicked-back hair at the head of the group bowed slightly to Wang Yiyang once more before waving his hand.

The surrounding bald, burly men quickly retreated, boarding the sedans that had pulled up behind them.

Soon, led by Kesatirein's vehicle, the entire motorcade vanished at the end of the street.

Wang Yiyang watched the motorcade depart, feeling a sense of relief, yet simultaneously plagued by deep suspicion.

Suspicion regarding the trouble hidden behind this identity.

Forget it. Since he came seeking cooperation, I won't worry about him for now. I'll resolve the case involving my grandfather first.

After this incident, he had no heart left for eating or drinking.

During their earlier chat, Kesatirein's car had silently taken a detour, so after stepping out, Wang Yiyang had to walk a few extra steps to return to the restaurant.

"Director." A young woman with long red hair approached him from the side, her expression urgent, and spoke in a hushed tone.

Wang Yiyang raised a hand slightly, stopping her from continuing.

"There was a sudden traffic jam outside; I saw it. It must have been Kesatirein's arrangement. I don't blame you," he said gently.

The red-haired woman lowered her head quickly.

"Thank you for your understanding!"

"Have everyone withdraw and disperse. Also, send a standard vehicle over; have Jian come to my location shortly."

"Yes."

After giving his orders and watching the red-haired woman depart quickly, Wang Yiyang slowly returned to the restaurant.

The series of events just now had occurred very suddenly.

However, due to the follow-up handling and cover provided by his subordinates, few people in the restaurant had seen him get into the car to speak with Kesatirein.

The fact that the other party had been so high-profile, seemingly indifferent to being seen, left Wang Yiyang with lingering doubts.

He soon returned to the private room.

Wang Yiyang acted as if nothing had happened, making no mention of the earlier incident. The others at the table, seeing his silence, were not tactless enough to ask.

Everyone continued to eat, drink, chat, and boast.

The sudden turn of events left everyone with a lingering sense of confusion.

Before long, the private room door opened again. An Yuxi, who had previously gone to the restroom, returned, closed the door nonchalantly, and sat back in her seat.

After some more eating and drinking, Wang Yiyang finally stood up, toasted everyone, and offered a few parting words.

The meal finally came to an end.

The lunch had taken nearly two hours, and it was almost time to head back to work.

Wang Yiyang exchanged phone numbers with everyone. Standing in front of the restaurant, he hailed taxis to send them off one by one.

Since they were all heading back to the company, they squeezed together, and three taxis sufficed.

What surprised Wang Yiyang, however, was that An Yuxi seemed quite drunk; she leaned dizzily against the restaurant counter, unable to stand steadily.

Xie Xiaodan and Xia Ying had intended to help her back, but she flatly refused, claiming she was about to be late for work.

Two other male colleagues who volunteered, thinking they were close enough to her to stay and keep her company, were also politely declined and sent away.

The young woman insisted on returning on her own, yet she was so unsteady against the counter that she couldn't even get moving.

Her face was flushed, and she sat dizzily on the sofa to the right of the counter, looking completely overwhelmed by the alcohol.

"Are you alright?"

Although Wang Yiyang was busy and needed to return, she was his colleague after all, and she had gotten drunk at a meal he hosted. He couldn't just ignore her.

"I'm fine, just had too much to drink and feel dizzy," An Yuxi said, covering her head. "Brother Yang, you go ahead. I'm fine."

The more she acted this way, the less Wang Yiyang felt he could leave.

"How about this: you rest for a while, and I'll take you back to the company separately in a bit." Wang Yiyang checked the time.

An Yuxi felt a surge of joy, knowing her goal had been achieved.

When she had snuck out to the restroom earlier, she had already asked the restaurant staff about the scene involving the blond man with the slicked-back hair.

Although she didn't know exactly what level Wang Yiyang was at, she figured it couldn't be low.

That was why she had thought to create an opportunity for one-on-one contact with him.

After all, in the setting of the group meal earlier, she wouldn't have made any progress even if she had interacted with him.

But if she were to get drunk and feel unwell from the meal, then out of a sense of responsibility, Wang Yiyang, as the host, would inevitably end up in this exact situation of one-on-one contact.

An Yuxi weighed the situation in her heart.

She wasn't necessarily interested in Wang Yiyang; she just wanted to try and make contact to see if she could expand her social circle and her options.

If she could use Wang Yiyang to access his circle, that would be even better.

During the meal, she had quietly become much closer with Xia Ying, and now with Wang Yiyang, the purpose of this lunch had been largely fulfilled.

Wang Yiyang had no idea this woman had so many hidden thoughts.

He sat down nearby and waited for over half an hour. Once he saw that An Yuxi was feeling slightly better, he hailed a taxi and sent her off.

During that time, the two chatted casually, and their relationship became a bit more familiar—a step further than being complete strangers at the office.

In truth, if he weren't busy with other matters, Wang Yiyang wouldn't have minded getting closer to a pretty girl like An Yuxi.

It was just that the situation was special, and he couldn't afford to be distracted.

After sending An Yuxi off, Wang Yiyang nodded slightly toward the side.

Soon, someone in the shadows received the signal, and in less than half a minute, a sleek, black, bulletproof luxury limousine pulled up slowly in front of him.

The burly man driving the car quickly stepped out, handed the keys to Wang Yiyang, and departed immediately.

Wang Yiyang had long wanted to try driving himself, and since the opportunity had presented itself, he didn't stand on ceremony.

He hadn't had the money to buy a car before, but now that he had the means, he certainly had to give it a try.

After driving for a while and satisfying his craving, Wang Yiyang quickly pulled over, swapped to a low-profile, ordinary taxi, and headed toward his rental apartment.

Over there, Jian was already waiting with the latest interrogation results.

Before his grandfather's incident, Wang Yiyang's life was very simple.

He went to work every day, watched movies or played virtual games during his lunch break, and continued working in the afternoon.

For dinner, he would usually go to a small eatery with colleagues or return to his rental to eat cheap fried rice or noodles.

At night, he would read novels, play computer games, or go out for a stroll and buy some snacks to satisfy his cravings.

If there was a good TV series or anime, he might focus on binge-watching it at night. He never touched variety shows.

Sometimes, on a whim, feeling that he was wasting his time, Wang Yiyang would wake up and try to find some advanced professional textbooks to study for a day or two.

And then, he would revert to his old ways.

Of course, that was all life before the incident.

Without parents to supervise him, no wife or children to be responsible for, and only a handful of friends, Wang Yiyang's life seemed dull and monotonous, yet he found joy in it himself.

But now...

He took a taxi back to his rented apartment.

Wang Yiyang had thought about a lot along the way; the hidden identity provided by that thing which looked like a system had brought him an unprecedented, massive shock.

Money, power, status.

In an instant, everything he had previously pursued, dreamed of, and should have had was now his.

Yet, he still felt a sense of hollowness and lightheadedness in his heart.

Because he knew that although his identity had indeed changed, in essence, he was just an ordinary white-collar worker. If he were truly expected to manage the massive Mister Security Department, he lacked the capability.

With the help of the chip, he could translate the Eresa Language within Mister at any time and could understand and speak a few simple phrases in Eresa Language; this was already the limit of what he could achieve for now.

And once a major incident occurred in the security department, he feared the only thing he could do would be to scramble in a panic, completely at a loss.

He got out of the taxi.

Wang Yiyang stood in front of the old, small building where he rented his apartment. He looked up at the window of the room he rented.

No matter what, I will use this identity to thoroughly resolve the case regarding Grandfather first!

He made up his mind, stopped overthinking, and stepped into the stairwell of the apartment building.