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Yan Yuting shrugged, "I can't control that."
Jiang Shiyi replied calmly, "Pass."
Xu Jintang chuckled and threw out all the cards in his hand, "A straight."
She spread her arms wide. "I won."
Yan Yuting sighed, "Sigh, I've lost almost as much money gambling this night as I've lost all year. Luckily, I won a little from my bets."
With a pained expression, she tapped into the communicator's screen and transferred one thousand star coins to Xu Jintang.
Jiang Shiyi clearly didn't care about the small amount of money. After quickly transferring the funds, a fighting spirit ignited in her eyes. "Let's do it again."
After advancing to the semi-finals of the competition, Xu Jintang and his friends wanted to relax, so they all had a lot of fun today, and the cheerful atmosphere lasted until late at night.
After yawning three times in a row, Xu Jintang finally waved his hand and said, "No, I'm too sleepy. Let's go to sleep."
Yan Yuting kept nodding and saying, "Go to sleep, go to sleep."
Seeing that both of them were too sleepy to keep their eyes open, Jiang Shiyi got up and put away the cards. "Okay, goodnight."
The girls' group quickly dispersed and went back to their rooms to prepare for sleep.
The two boys, Song Tianqi, were clearly very excited and didn't feel sleepy at all until the early hours of the morning.
The next morning, as dawn was breaking.
Song Tianqi and Xue Zhongqi finished their game and went back to their rooms to sleep.
As the sun gradually rose, and it reached its zenith, Xu Jintang finally got out of bed, got out of bed, and drew back the curtains. Sunlight streamed onto her body, and she stretched comfortably.
"Buzz..." The communicator vibrated.
Xu Jintang turned around and went back to the living room. He bent down and tapped the communicator's screen. It was an unfamiliar number.
She thought carefully for a while, but couldn't recall the number.
He simply died.
Not long after he was defeated, the other side attacked again.
Xu Jintang then answered the phone, "Who is this?"
A gentle female voice came from the other end. "Hello, are you Ms. Qian Duoduo? I'm a staff member at the Federation Ordnance and Equipment Depot. Our leader thinks highly of you. Do you have some free time recently? Would it be convenient for us to have a meal together?"
Xu Jintang was stunned for a few seconds.
Federation Ordnance and Equipment Depot?
How did you get my contact information?
The staff member patiently replied, "This is the contact information we obtained from the organizers of the Inscription Master Competition you participated in recently."
Xu Jintang frowned slightly. "So what exactly do you want from me?"
"Actually, our leader is very interested in the Tracking Inscription you created and would like to invite you for tea to discuss potential collaboration on Tracking Inscription."
The staff member was quite direct.
Xu Jintang immediately realized what was going on.
So they came for her Tracking Inscription.
She touched her chin and began to plan.
The Ordnance and Equipment Depot is specifically designed to supply the military with magical weapons and various military supplies. It is one of the wealthiest institutions within the Federation's various systems, making it a "big fat sheep."
"Okay, send me the location for tea. Today would be best, as I might not be available later."
The staff member quickly replied, "Okay, I'll get back to my supervisor right away."
Not long after the call ended, the other party sent over the address of the teahouse.
The time is approximately 2 PM today.
Xu Jintang noted down the restaurant address, turned off the communication screen, and turned to leave the room.
As I went downstairs, a rich aroma of milk wafted from the restaurant.
Xu Jintang was drawn into the restaurant and, sure enough, saw a two-tiered cake placed in the center of the table.
Just then, Ruan Tao brought in the other dishes. Upon seeing Xu Jintang, she immediately said, "You've come at the perfect time. This cake was specially prepared to celebrate your advancement to the top four."
Xu Jintang bent down to take a closer look and saw the words "Congratulations to the Mask Squad for advancing to the semi-finals" printed on the cake.
"Can I have a bite first?" Xu Jintang chuckled, looking at Ruan Tao expectantly.
Ruan Tao immediately shooed her aside, "Go away. The cake needs to be cut together once everyone is here."
Xu Jintang sighed softly and could only step aside to wait for others.
A short while later, Yan Yuting and Jiang Shiyi came downstairs one after the other.
But Xue Zhongqi and Song Tianqi must have stayed up too late yesterday, because there was still no movement from their room.
Xu Jintang glanced at Yan Yuting, then gestured with his chin, "Go and call them."
Yan Yuting rolled up his sleeves, turned and stepped onto the stairs, took a deep breath, and then burst out. "Song! Tian! Qi!"
"Xue! Zhong! Qi!"
Two consecutive roars from a shrew immediately woke the two people who were still asleep.
"Damn it!" After getting up, Song Tianqi glanced at the time and saw that it was almost noon, so he quickly jumped out of bed.
Xue Zhongqi was the slowest to come downstairs. Perhaps because he cared about his image, his hairstyle was clearly styled and looked neat and sophisticated when he came downstairs, and his casual sweatshirt gave off a fashionable and sunny vibe.
Xu Jintang leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and sized up Xue Zhongqi. "Where are you going, all dressed up so handsomely?"
Xue Zhongqi chuckled, tilted his head back slightly, and touched his hair. "Going to a fan meeting. My fans are throwing me a celebration."
"No wonder you dressed so flamboyantly." Yan Yuting clicked her tongue, her expression full of disdain.
Song Tianqi immediately distanced himself from him, raising his hand to swear, "I'm not that kind of person." After explaining, he looked expectantly at Xu Jintang, "Class monitor, when are we going to cut the cake?"
Xu Jintang smiled slightly, "We can start cutting once everyone's here."
Ruan Tao handed the knife to Xu Jintang, "Here, you cut it."
Under the expectant gaze of everyone, Xu Jintang raised the knife and made a cut in the middle of the cake.
The cream coating on the cake was cut open, the jam inside burst open, and an even sweeter aroma spread through the air.
Song Tianqi took a deep breath, a look of rapture on his face. "It smells so good! What kind of jam is this?"
Ruan Tao smiled slightly, "This is jam made from Ten Thousand Fragrance Fruit. Long-term consumption can help strengthen the meridians of those with superpowers and also improve their overall health."
Xu Jintang's vision immediately lit up; was it strengthening his meridians?
This is very useful to her.
The biggest negative effect of overusing the Power of Dragon Blood is damage to the body's meridians.
"Sister Taozi, could you make a little more jam separately?" Xu Jintang asked with a smile, hugging Ruan Tao's arm and shaking it gently.
Ruan Tao clearly found the charm in this tactic and immediately nodded, "Okay, I'll make you something separately another day."
Xu Jintang smiled sweetly, "I love you~"
Soon, the five of them sat down and began to quietly enjoy the victory celebration.
Because Song Tianqi and his companion had stayed up too late last night, they felt sleepy after dinner and went upstairs for a nap.
Yan Yuting and Jiang Shiyi also went back to their rooms for a midday rest.
Xu Jintang timed it perfectly, putting on his disguise mask at 1:30 and leaving home as Qian Duoduo, heading to the Ten Thousand Dragons Teahouse on the Imperial Star Commercial Street in the Federation Star Region.
Ten Thousand Dragons Teahouse is located at the intersection of two pedestrian streets, a prime location that attracts many customers every day who come to drink tea and listen to music.
As soon as Xu Jintang entered the store, a staff member immediately came forward to greet him.
Hello, do you have a reservation?
Xu Jintang gave his name: "It was reserved by a Ms. Lin."
The staff member paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "Are you Ms. Lin Qinglang?"
"Um."
The waiter's smile widened considerably, and he bowed, gesturing for her to come this way. "This way, please. Ms. Lin is a distinguished guest of our teahouse; she has a private room. I'll take you there now."
Xu Jintang began to sigh.
No wonder the leader of the incredibly wealthy Ordnance and Equipment Depot has a private room.
After entering the private room, Xu Jintang went straight to the tea table and sat down.
This spot is near the window, offering a perfect view of the bustling street outside.
A waiter approached with a smile, brought over a pot of tea, and then bent down to light some sandalwood incense.
Before long, Xu Jintang inhaled the faint woody scent.
The flavor is subtle, not pungent, and very relaxing.
Xu Jintang leaned back in his chair and began to wait.
They agreed to meet at 2 PM.
But by 2:10 PM, the other party still hadn't arrived.
Xu Jintang's brows furrowed, and just as his patience was about to run out, a hearty laugh came from outside the door.
Then a woman in military uniform walked in.
Her brows were sharp, revealing a touch of dashing spirit.
"Sorry, sorry. I ran into an old friend on the way and we chatted for a bit. That's why I'm late. I'll punish myself with tea instead of wine." Lin Qinglang began apologizing as soon as he entered.
He walked up to Xu Jintang, picked up his teacup, and immediately drank the tea in one gulp.
Xu Jintang stood up, sized up Lin Qinglang, and replied calmly, "Please sit down."
Noticing that Xu Jintang was in a bad mood, Lin Qinglang cleared his throat and his expression became serious.
"The reason I invited you here today is to discuss a collaboration. The Tracking Inscription you created at the inscription competition was extremely useful to our Ordnance and Equipment Depot, so..."
Xu Jintang raised his hand to interrupt her, "I originally came here with sincerity to discuss cooperation. But I don't really trust partners who aren't punctual."
Lin Qinglang set the time and place. She knew she was supposed to come here at 2 o'clock to discuss cooperation, but she was ten minutes late, which only shows that she didn't take this trip very seriously.
Or perhaps she deliberately arrived late, wanting to give herself a hard time.
Lin Qinglang's words were cut off.
She smiled and admitted frankly, "I did arrive late on purpose."
Lin Qinglang crossed his arms, adopting a very upright demeanor. "We've investigated your background and found that your identity is unknown and your name is fake. Because of this, I am indeed a little wary."