On the cruise ship, Wang Xu stared somberly at the broad-shouldered man before him. This trip to Hai Xing Ya had one purpose: collect the sea monsters and complete the assignment. The person in charge had been cooperative enough to set aside enough sea monsters for him.

At least, until a call came down from above, telling Wang Xu to hand them over to this group of elites instead. Just like that, he'd made the whole trip for nothing and wasted a full day.

Still, facing a row of men in suits with guns, Wang Xu bowed slightly and reported, "All the sea monsters are accounted for. Not one missing."

The man in the suit said, "Good. Check them."

The others opened the cases and went through the contents. "No issues."

The man in the suit nodded at Wang Xu. "Good. Thank you for the trouble. We'll take it from here."

The group left soon after.

Wang Xu sighed deeply as he watched them go. "Us small-time officials can't even compare to the personal servants of those elites."

These family shoulders would be called household slaves in another era.

The man beside him nodded. "We can only grind and hope to reach that level someday."

"Forget it. In this society, what right do people like us have to be elites? Those seats had been held by the great houses of the Seven Martial Stars for centuries."

"Ha. Guess we'd need the whole world to turn upside down."

Wang Xu said quietly, "I'd rather it didn't. If the world turned upside down, people like us would be the first to go."

The life he had now was already enough. At least compared to Li Yan, Qi Yuan, and those old classmates, he was doing alright. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"These elites really do have too much time. Sea monsters are very nasty. Why are they taking them home to eat? Aren't they afraid of getting sick?"

***

Time slipped by and evening fell.

Wu Qi gazed at the crowd in the distance, disappointment in her eyes. She tried every trick she knew today, but it was all for nothing.

The small actress stared at Qi Yuan and Kang Huan, envy quietly burning.

Her manager sauntered over, teasing her, "So, failed?"

A hint of resignation flashed in Wu Qi's eyes. "Mhm."

Her manager said from what sounded like a hard-learned lesson, "Such men have seen everything. As glamorous as we are, we’re just a bit of seasoning to such people. Can never compare to women enhanced by gene modification, I guess."

Wu Qi's gaze steeled. "No. I refuse to keep living like this."

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan looked at the man in the suit, saying mildly, "You've been drinking. If you drive me, that's drunk driving. If the traffic officer catches you, you're looking at a cell."

He wasn’t about to let it slide as safe road habits saved lives.

Yet the man in the suit didn’t even blink. "It's fine, we have credentials. Drunk driving laws only apply to civilians."

Kang Huan shot the man with a sharp look, then stepped forward smoothly. "I'll drive."

He has no tact whatsoever! Who argues back at Mr. Qi? If Mr. Qi wants a sober driver, there would be a sober driver. I have not been drinking. Simple.

Qi Yuan nodded. "Mhm. Alright."

Kang Huan personally took the wheel and drove Qi Yuan home. Four vehicles followed behind. Those cars were loaded with medicinal herbs and the sea monsters collected aboard the Hai Xing Ya.

After a while, Kang Huan said, "These herbs and sea monsters take up a lot of space. And they're not exactly clean, there is a bit of a smell, too. As it happens, a friend of mine owns a property in your complex, Mr. Qi. Why don't I have it transferred to you? Otherwise, the sea monster stench might foul up your home."

Kang Huan had moved on to gifting real estate. A full day's conversation had only deepened his sense that Qi Yuan was something he couldn't fathom.

Qi Yuan glanced at him. "Sure."

Kang Huan felt a quiet swell of satisfaction. Sometimes, a gift that actually landed was its own reward.

The light ahead turned red and the car stopped.

Qi Yuan asked, "Is this car bulletproof?"

Kang Huan paused. "We're in the city, so we’re safe. And no, the car isn’t bulletproof."

Qi Yuan smiled. "Safe? Then why is someone pointing a sniper rifle at me?"

"What?!"

A sharp crack split the air.

Kang Huan recognized the sound immediately. A Tiger Type-1 sniper rifle, known as the King of Snipers. It could punch through two centimeters of steel plate from a thousand meters out. A soldier juiced up on the latest gene serum wouldn't survive a direct hit. And someone had just fired that at Qi Yuan!

Expecting the worst, Kang Huan turned to look at Qi Yuan, only to see him sitting exactly where he’d been. The cultivator held the large bullet between his fingers like a coin, unharmed.

Kang Huan stared dumbfounded. Is this something a human being could do? That round traveled at three times the speed of sound!

Then, he remembered something. Qi Yuan hadn't been boasting about the ten thousand men. He'd been stating a fact.

With a relaxed, carefree smile, Qi Yuan looked at the bullet in his fingers.

"Lucky I broke through a bit more today on the ship, or this shot would've been a genuine nuisance." He tilted his head. "Heh. Didn't expect this many villains in this game. I've been keeping such a low profile, treating this like a casual playthrough, yet there are still bad guys coming after me. Is someone actually trying to flip this into a war game?"

Kang Huan's thoughts were racing. Today had gone nothing like he'd expected. Someone had used a sniper rifle on his guest, right under his nose. He was furious but at the same time, there was a cold, creeping dread. This meant the other party had shown him no regard whatsoever.

In Tianyue City, the people who didn't respect a full-fledged viscount were few. Whoever was behind this had a powerful background.

Qi Yuan said, "Give me a minute. I'll be right back."

Kang Huan steadied himself. "Be careful, Mr. Qi. If things go sideways, my men and I will get you out. We can leave Tianyue City and head to Xinyang City. That's my home ground."

Qi Yuan smiled and replied casually, "In this world, the ones who should be running are my enemies."