"Understood. I'll arrange supplies for the Avengers," Jian said with a nod.
Wang Yiyang nodded and narrowed his eyes in thought. Gewen was known to be the sort of man who never acted without something to gain. He had come all the way here, most likely hoping to use his three powerful bodyguards to bolster the forces here—and do something under the table.
So what was his real purpose in coming?
There weren't any troublesome armed factions here.
And Wang Yiyang was still, on the surface, a director of Meixing Group, in charge of its forces here.
Even if it came to the group's affairs, Gewen had no authority over them. Besides, the only formidable people he had were the three at his side. There was no way he could make a move against Wang Yiyang, the security minister.
The three men were too well-known to conceal their identities and move about freely.
"He definitely has some sort of agenda." Wang Yiyang furrowed his brow.
He pressed the Bio-chip in his arm, opened the holographic display, and began reviewing all the latest intelligence.
Time passed.
Soon, his eyes lit up as he spotted a piece of news in the intelligence feed.
"On March 30, the Federation Special Operations Team's Third Squad, consisting of 120 people, will escort the newly developed Annihilator Suit from Meixing Group through Yingxing City to the elite weapons exhibition at the Nolan City Weapons Museum.
"Team leaders: Xu Shaojun and Hao Wen. Standard equipment for the Special Operations Team: Cryo-Laser, Deer Thruster, Canticle 734 Force Field Generator."
"...How capable are the Federation Special Operations Teams in actual combat?" Wang Yiyang asked suddenly.
"Special Operations Teams are quite strong in actual combat. They're made up of elite operatives selected from the special forces. They generally handle the protection of important people and things," Jian replied promptly.
He didn't know why his boss had suddenly asked, but there was no harm in answering honestly.
"How do they compare to you?"
"I've never fought one, but I could handle one or two. Any more than that..." Jian smiled. "If I don't have to worry about firearms, I can take on three! I've sparred with the Special Forces before. They're strong."
"Is that because of your younger brother?"
"Yeah."
Wang Yiyang thought for a moment, about to ask something else, when his phone suddenly vibrated.
He glanced down. It was his dad, Wang Songhai.
He looked at Jian beside him and tilted his head.
Jian understood at once and hurried into another room to wait.
Only after he'd left did Wang Yiyang pick up the phone and answer.
"Hey, Dad. What's up? Didn't you just call a few days ago?"
A hearty laugh came from the other end.
"Haha, I've got good news, of course! Didn't you say your salary was seven thousand last time? Am I remembering right?"
"Yeah... Why would I lie to you?" The conversation had leaped so abruptly from plotting and schemes to his seven-thousand salary that Wang Yiyang found the change of subject jarring.
"Well, I saw on Meixing's official recruitment page that the basic salary for their cybersecurity department is eight thousand, plus a year-end bonus! You little brat, were you deliberately lying to your old man?" Wang Songhai gave a couple of mocking chuckles.
"...Is that so? Maybe I'm still on probation... I'm not sure what's going on." Wang Yiyang was speechless. He'd never expected his dad to go check Meixing's job listings himself.
He was busy all day. How would he have time to pay attention to little things like that? The cybersecurity department was just a branch under his Security Department.
He decided he'd have them lower the advertised salary to seven thousand later.
"Forget that. Do you remember what I told you last time?" Wang Songhai continued.
"What?" Wang Yiyang had a bad feeling.
"That daughter of my colleague's I told you about. You know, your Uncle Xie's daughter. She just graduated, and yesterday she passed the civil service exam for the customs service. She came in second out of everyone who took it.
"Now that she's got some free time, I thought I'd arrange for the two of you to meet. Your Uncle Xie thinks it's a good idea too." Wang Songhai sounded extremely eager.
"...I don't think so... My career's only just getting started. I feel like I still have room to grow at Meixing. Isn't it too early to look for a girlfriend? I want to wait until my career's going better and my prospects are better, then find someone with equally good prospects..."
Wang Yiyang had prepared his excuse long ago.
"Bullshit! Your Uncle Xie's daughter is better educated than you, young and pretty, and she has a good personality.
"Listen to me. Lock her down now. She'll appreciate in value way faster than your career! If you wait until you're ready to find someone, there'll be a whole crowd of men chasing after her, and you won't stand a chance!" Wang Songhai immediately flew into a rage.
"...Dad... Aren't you worrying about this a little too soon?" Wang Yiyang was exhausted.
Just ten minutes ago, he'd felt he was starting to develop the bearing of a leader. Now, one phone call from his dad had wiped it all away.
Wang Songhai was the very definition of a mood killer.
"Too soon, my ass! When you were little, you used to shit and piss the bed, then pick it up and stuff it in your mouth. Your Uncle Xie was the first one to catch you!
"If it weren't for him, you'd have been the first man in our hometown to eat his own shit and piss! He didn't even mind how filthy you were, so quit your damn whining!"
"...Dad, I'm an adult now... Could you stop bringing up stuff from when I was little?" Wang Yiyang said helplessly.
He was always bringing that up. Did Director Wang, Minister Wang, not deserve to save face?
"Fine, fine. The place is Xinxinge BBQ Restaurant, where we ate together last time. It's at seven tonight. I've already made the reservation, so make sure you get there.
"I'm telling you, if you don't listen to me and insist on going against your old man, I'll beat you till you jump when you get home!"
Click.
The call ended...
Wang Yiyang put down his phone, speechless.
Dudu.
A text message came right after. It was from his dad too.
"Her name is Xie Yishu. She'll be wearing a black shirt and jeans, and she has brown hair. You'll recognize her.
"Time: 7:30 tonight. Place: Xinxinge BBQ Restaurant. Don't forget! Make sure you dress well!" —Dad, Wang Songhai
Wang Yiyang looked down at the message and sighed helplessly.
He'd just finished negotiating with the Avengers, and now he had to deal with this. He'd thought he might finally get a bit of rest... but no.
He picked up the documents, thinking he could at least organize his thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus on them.
His head was full of his dad's shouting.
Good thing he'd told his grandfather to keep things confidential. Otherwise, his dad would probably have lined up one blind date after another for him by now.
What a headache.
He was only twenty-six... and already facing this terrifying situation.
"Boss?" Jian cautiously poked his head out from the doorway of the room in the distance.
"Go check on the Limit Martial Artists from the Yanhu Sect. If they're ready, bring them to see me." Wang Yiyang waved weakly.
"When would you like them to come?"
"Within an hour." Wang Yiyang checked the time. It was 7:31.
"Understood." Jian snapped to attention and replied in Eresa. Then he hurried off.
Judging by his expression, he might have overheard Wang Yiyang's phone conversation with his dad...
Wang Yiyang was speechless. He leaned back against the sofa, not wanting to say a word.
After Jian left, the entire hall fell silent.
The air was a little cool, with a faint smell of fresh renovations.
Wang Yiyang sat there for a while, then got up and opened all the windows, letting the outside air flow in.
He'd been rushing around constantly lately and hadn't been getting enough rest. He'd even had nightmares.
Wang Yiyang felt like he'd lost weight.
He noticed a scale in the corner and walked over, taking off his shoes before stepping on it.
The white scale had a gray digital display. As soon as he stepped on it, it spoke.
"Your weight is 71.1 kilograms. Your height is 179 centimeters. Your rating is standard. Please maintain your current condition." The flat mechanical female voice echoed through the empty living room.
Wang Yiyang put his shoes back on.
"That doesn't make sense. How did I gain two pounds?" He was at a loss.
After weighing himself, he suddenly felt he had nothing to do again.
He crouched beside the sofa and practiced the Tasdak Symbol Hypnosis for a while. But he'd already mastered the technique, so getting more familiar with it only helped him practice drawing the hypnosis symbols.
The rest was pointless.
He'd taken care of the Avengers for now.
He'd sent people to monitor Gewen, and the people under his chip control were protecting his grandfather.
He'd also sent Zhong Can out on a test mission. After all, they still needed to carefully assess what level of mission he could handle.
Being strong wasn't enough to guarantee success on many missions.
Sitting on the sofa, Wang Yiyang suddenly realized he had nothing to do.
"I'll order something to eat." He thought about it, then suddenly remembered he hadn't eaten breakfast.
Early in the morning, after finishing his talks with the Avengers, he'd driven straight back. All the shops along the way had still been closed, so he hadn't eaten anything.
Wang Yiyang picked up his phone, opened a food delivery app, and began browsing.
Soon, he ordered Sour and Spicy Chariot Hotpot, extra spicy. His mouth watering, he stretched out on the sofa to wait for the food.
Since there was still time, he turned on the television and switched to Channel 3, which was showing lively music programs with all kinds of singing and dancing.
Channel 3 was broadcasting a huge space-themed musical party, its stage awash in flashing lights.
A whole crowd of singers stood on the ocean-blue stage, taking turns singing. Below them, countless glow sticks and illuminated signs flew everywhere.
The noisy music and pounding beat came through the television, lifting Wang Yiyang's mood.
Ever since he'd broken free of the hypnotic dream last time, he'd started to enjoy lively environments.
Even now, alone at home, he had to turn on the television and crank up the volume, filling the entire room with voices and music before he felt comfortable.
Time passed.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Wang Yiyang came back to himself amid the noisy music.
He picked up the remote from the table and pointed it at the door, pressing a button.
Click. The door unlocked.
Jian walked in with five men and women dressed in white tracksuits. They entered quietly and stopped in front of him.
"Boss, I've brought them," Jian said, standing to one side.
Wang Yiyang nodded slightly and looked over the five experimental martial artists sent by the Yanhu Sect, one after another.
Though they came from the Yanhu Sect, they were actually down-and-out martial artists who couldn't afford their own medical expenses.
Before you continue