Qing Chen solemnly walked out of the Pigeon Cage Building. As soon as he stepped out, a bag of garbage fell from the sky. If he hadn't dodged quickly, the garbage would have landed directly on his head.
Laughter came from the building above, and someone sneered, "Your aim is terrible!"
From the room with the open window, someone laughed, "You try throwing it next time!"
They were on the 12th floor, and the booming music from the room could be heard from downstairs.
Qing Chen understood that the people upstairs were deliberately throwing garbage at pedestrians.
These people lived their lives as if there was no tomorrow, living in filthy pigeon cages, showing disregard for their own lives as well as others'.
"This is not like the human world," Qing Chen shook his head and left. He was going to take the No. 11 Light Rail to the Black Swan Restaurant in District 4.
Behind him, a young man from the Blackwater Gang quietly followed.
The tracking method was clumsy, clearly not professional.
But Qing Chen ignored him.He walked to the Light Rail station on the 66th floor of the opposite building. The Light Rail station was embedded in the building, and a group of people from the slums were waiting to go to Upper Six District to start their night work.
Lights shone from afar, the white Light Rail headlights splashed on everyone without restraint, then slowly stopped.
Just as Qing Chen was about to board the train, the young boy Zhang Mengqian suddenly bumped into him.
Qing Chen casually boarded the train and took out a small note the boy had given him: The Blackwater Gang is following you, this information is worth 50 bucks!
"The price has gone up," Qing Chen smiled. At first, the boy's thinking was limited by poverty, and he only dared to ask for one dollar. Now that he knew Qing Chen had some spare money, he immediately raised the price.
He was quite quick-witted. If he could survive, he might achieve something in the future.
But in this class-solidified Inner World, even if he did achieve something, what difference would it make?
Qing Chen put the note back in his pocket, and the young man from the Blackwater Gang also got on the train.
…
…
6 p.m.
Qing Chen stood at the entrance of the Black Swan Restaurant, looking at the elaborately decorated shop.
Two burly security guards in suits stood at the entrance, stopping Qing Chen: "Please show your electronic membership beacon."
Qing Chen said politely, "Hello, I'm here to apply for a waiter position. I've already passed the interview with Manager Wang from the Concierge Department, and I'm here to report today."
The two security guards looked at each other. They saw countless people every day standing here. Although this young man was plainly dressed, his bearing was excellent.
They thought he was a guest, but he was actually here to apply for a job.
One of the security guards said, "Please wait, I'll have Manager Wang come get you."
At that moment, the Blackwater Gang member who had been following Qing Chen turned and left, making a phone call: "Hello, boss, it's confirmed, he's just an ordinary down-and-out, we can do it. He's reporting for duty at the Black Swan Restaurant now, working as a waiter."
The person on the other end of the phone said, "Okay, I understand. Tonight or tomorrow at the latest, take him out and match him with a client. For this, you get an extra 2 points."
"Thank you, boss!" The young man immediately beamed with joy.
Black Swan Restaurant, Concierge Department.
"Chen Sui, I see on your resume that you've worked as a waiter in other restaurants before? I don't need to teach you how to do it, do I? Breaking a cup costs you a thousand, and if your deposit is deducted, you're fired," a middle-aged man in a suit looked at the resume, then looked up at Qing Chen.
"Yes, Manager Wang," Qing Chen said humbly.
Qing Chen had already paid a five-thousand-dollar deposit and put on the Black Swan Restaurant uniform: black suit pants, white shirt, black vest, and shiny leather shoes.
A black bow tie was tied at his collar.
Qing Chen impersonated Chen Sui because this guy went to poach Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen during the crisis at Daybreak.
If Qing Chen didn't retaliate for such an act of stabbing someone in the back and poaching employees, he wouldn't be Qing Chen.
Of course, he would only cause Chen Sui a little trouble, without killing him.
Manager Wang looked at Qing Chen: "You have a good figure, a natural clothes horse. But the rules must be stated first. Those who consume in the Black Swan Restaurant are either rich or noble. They come here for nightlife; we can only provide good service and cannot disturb them."
"During work hours, you must hand in your phone, and we must check if you have any recording or video devices on you. Also, don't look at the guests' wives, and don't be mesmerized by female stars. In short, don't have any unreasonable thoughts, you poor people who come here to earn money. Follow the rules. Of course, if a High Caste guest wants to take you away, you can't refuse; don't cause trouble for us at the Black Swan. Understand?"
Qing Chen was stunned. What kind of rules are these?
He could imagine Shadow's expression when he told him that Shendai Yunhe liked to come to the Black Swan Restaurant.
"Hmm?" The middle-aged man snorted when he didn't get an answer.
Qing Chen lowered his head: "Understood, Manager Wang."
Manager Wang waved his hand: "Once you make a mistake, you're out, and your hard-earned deposit will not be returned. Go."
His demeanor was extremely contemptuous of Qing Chen, as if he was afraid that being close to Qing Chen would taint him with the stench of the slums.
Qing Chen went to the bar. The bartender prepared two "Arctic Land" cocktails and placed them on the counter: "Take them to table 12."
In the white liquor, a strand of blue high-concentration alcohol floated, like the aurora hanging in the sky.
He carried the tray towards table 12.
Table 12 was occupied by two women, one of whom looked familiar. Qing Chen had seen her on a holographic neon sign in City 10.
When he put down the glasses, neither woman looked up at Qing Chen. The female star excitedly said: "Did you see that photo of Qing Chen on Hope Media? He's so handsome. Handsome and capable, he'll definitely be a top figure in the Qing Family in the future. When did City 10 produce such a figure? I didn't notice him before."
The other woman laughed: "You've been filming in City 22 for half a year. He rose to fame quickly, it's normal that you haven't heard of him."
The female star said: "No, I have to go back to City 10 after filming this movie, find out which party he's attending, and then have someone introduce me to him."
"Don't bother. That kind of Conglomerate big shot, a red person around Qing Family Shadow, is definitely not for you. I heard that Song Niao Niao has an ambiguous relationship with him. Many tabloids say Song Niao Niao is his rumored girlfriend. The reason he was arrested this time is because he secretly went to accompany Song Niao Niao to film on location and was discovered by Shendai."
The female star laughed: "There are no cats that don't steal fish. If I offer myself, he won't be able to resist? In the future, when we talk about him in the circle, he will be one of my conquests. He killed so many people under Shendai, he must be a very powerful Metahuman."
"Shh!" The other woman's Face[-] changed: "You don't want to live if you say that in Shendai's territory?!"
Qing Chen, who had already put down the glasses and left, was a little stunned.
He initially wanted to casually listen to what the so-called upper-class people were talking about, but he discovered that they were talking about him.
Qing Chen used his enhanced hearing to collect information. There were a total of 54 tables in the Black Swan Restaurant, and 27 of them mentioned keywords such as Daybreak, Qing Chen, Shadow, and Shendai...
It seems that his destruction of the A02 base has caused a great stir, and even the entertainment industry has started to pay attention to him.
Who would have thought that the protagonist they were talking about was working as an ordinary waiter in this restaurant?
He remembered the upper-class society legends told by his master, Li Shutong. When he asked his master if there were female stars who threw themselves at him, his master's answer was: Not only female stars.
The implication was that there were also male stars...
Qing Chen returned to the bar, waiting for the bartender to bring the new cocktails.
At this time, several bodyguards in suits, with bone conduction button earpieces behind their ears, entered the Black Swan Restaurant and cautiously looked around.
Only after they confirmed there were no abnormalities did Shendai Yunhe slowly walk into the restaurant.
That familiar figure, even if turned to ashes, Qing Chen would remember.
Shendai Yunhe sat down, and Manager Wang personally came to serve him, while the four bodyguards only allowed Manager Wang to pass, blocking everyone else.
Shendai Yunhe said to Manager Wang: "The usual, and a bottle of whiskey."
Manager Wang left with a smile.
During this time, Qing Chen only respectfully glanced at Shendai Yunhe, then turned his head, very naturally.
A-Class experts have a mysterious sixth sense. If you stare at them, they will notice, but if such a big shot comes in and you don't even look at him, it will be very deliberate.
Qing Chen acted like an ordinary waiter and gave a natural reaction.
Manager Wang entered the kitchen, and the dishes ordered by Shendai Yunhe were personally supervised by him and a security guard, leaving no chance for anyone to tamper with them.
As an A-Class expert, Shendai Yunhe enjoyed the highest treatment of a direct descendant within the Shendai Consortium, receiving dividends from the family trust fund and holding family projects.
In Shendai's three cities in the north, no matter where he went, he could enjoy emperor-like treatment, unless there were higher-level figures like the ten eunuchs present.
Qing Chen pondered, should he impersonate Manager Wang? No, Manager Wang is only 1.7 meters tall; he couldn't impersonate him.
Such a big shot, after failing in his mission to capture Qing Chen, was also tricked and chased for 600 kilometers by a mysterious expert, and has become very cautious.
It is said that someone saw Shendai Yunhe being chased while transporting goods in the wilderness.
A mysterious expert buried the injured, armless Shendai Yunhe in the ground, leaving only his head exposed, then urinated on his head.
It was only after the Shendai Group Army arrived that they forced the mysterious expert back, saving Shendai Yunhe's life.
It's unknown who spread this news; the Shendai Consortium investigated for a long time but couldn't find the person who spread the "rumor."
Some say that the person who spread the news was the mysterious expert himself.
Many people find it strange why the expert didn't kill Shendai Yunhe?
Even Shendai Yunhe himself would probably find this strange.
After all, the grand gesture of leaving an A-Class expert for future generations to hone their skills is something ordinary people cannot comprehend.
The old man in the Ginkgo Garden seemed to have calculated that once Qing Chen knew Shendai Yunhe was still alive, he would definitely go to kill him.
The hardships along the way, and the shadows in Qing Chen's heart after suffering hardships, will all disappear after Shendai Yunhe's death.
"The person you hate the most, you must kill him yourself; otherwise, it's meaningless. Hatred is a person's most powerful driving force and the biggest obstacle. Only by breaking through this barrier can one truly let go," the old man told Shadow.
The old man believed that even after experiencing so much, Qing Chen was still an unsharpened knife.
Only an A-Class expert like Shendai Yunhe is suitable to be Qing Chen's first whetstone after his return; he called it sharpening.
The current Shadow also experienced this sharpening process, and the Qing Family Shadow after that became more ruthless and more open-minded.
In the information Shadow gave Qing Chen, after Shendai Yunhe returned to City 22, he first replaced his mechanical arm.
Then, this Shendai expert stopped caring about family matters, drinking almost every night in District 4, without fixed restaurants or bars, but the Black Swan was a frequent choice.
He also changed female companions daily, never repeating.
Now, an A-Class expert went out with six C-Class Gene Soldiers as bodyguards, four of them staying by his side in the restaurant, and two guarding the vehicle, preventing anyone from tampering with the car.
Such tight security deterred almost anyone who wanted to assassinate him.
Many people say that Shendai Yunhe's caution only shows that he's been scared.
Manager Wang personally walked to Shendai Yunhe with a tray: "Enjoy your meal."
Shendai Yunhe nodded.
He drank glass after glass of wine, but very restrained, never losing his judgment.
After half an hour, a bodyguard escorted a young girl to sit next to him, intimately leaning against him.
If nothing unexpected happens, this A-Class expert will take the girl to the casino, then take her home at three or four in the morning, ending his day.
But no matter how cautious or calm Shendai Yunhe is, he doesn't seem to have any fighting spirit left, only indulging in pleasure.
Like a warrior, slowly being eroded by the glitz and glamour after leaving the battlefield.
Still dangerous, but definitely not as dangerous as he was at his peak.
This is the assessment of Shendai Yunhe given by the Secret Spy Agency.
But Qing Chen was thinking about something else.
He had personally fought Shendai Yunhe and knew how terrifying his fighting spirit and scheming were.
Qing Chen is thinking about how to counterattack every moment, while Shendai Yunhe always leaves himself a way out, able to constantly turn over new cards.
In the underground river, Qing Chen thought he had destroyed the opponent's oxygen tank and artificial gills, and Shendai Yunhe would surely die, but he was still saved.
How could such a person lose his will after experiencing setbacks?
Therefore, Qing Chen's judgment is simple: Shendai Yunhe is acting.
He is incredibly convincingly acting as an expert whose will is gradually fading, neither too fast nor too slow, extremely patient.
Shendai Yunhe didn't directly act as an alcoholic, nor did he completely hide; he needs to make the enemy think he is slowly sinking.
This A-Class expert knows someone will come to kill him, so he needs to lure them out!
This judgment is consistent with Qing Chen's understanding of Shendai Yunhe.
But Qing Chen is patient. City 22 is the battlefield he chose for Shendai Yunhe. In the city, this A-Class expert will no longer be able to use his ability to control beasts.
He won't leave without killing Shendai Yunhe.
The prey and the hunter, it's all about who is more patient.
However, at this time, the Black Swan Restaurant welcomed an unexpected guest. Shendai Yunluo, in a white hunting suit, walked in, smiling and looking around.
When he saw Shendai Yunhe, he greeted him with a smile: "Yunhe is actually here too, I didn't expect that although your arm is broken, your alcohol tolerance has improved."
Shendai Yunhe coldly glanced at him: "A bunch of trash, in the Outer World, you couldn't kill one person. You are to blame for the death of my brother, Shendai Yunwu."
Shendai Yunluo didn't get angry and still smiled, with his hands clasped in his hunting suit sleeves: "It's been hard work, Yunhe, you even have to worry about the Outer World even with a broken hand."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the Black Swan Restaurant.
At this time, a group of women suddenly surrounded him, asking Shendai Yunluo to sign autographs, and Shendai Yunluo readily complied, amiable like a star.
Qing Chen walked towards other diners' tables with a tray. He remembered this Shendai Yunluo, and he also thought he was the most troublesome Chosen One in the Outer World!
For some reason, as soon as this person appeared, Qing Chen felt immense pressure.
This is the truly mysterious expert among the young generation in the Shendai Consortium!
But what Shendai Yunluo is doing is a bit strange, like a prince with no ambition.
After a while, Shendai Yunluo was surrounded by beauties, and he enthusiastically said to Manager Wang: "Put these ladies' bills on my tab. In my life, I love associating with beautiful ladies."
Qing Chen looked at the lipstick marks on Shendai Yunluo's Face[-], dumbfounded.
He never thought that this expert who had made him feel pressured in the Outer World would be like this.
Wait, Qing Chen saw someone with a lowered hat hurrying past Shendai Yunhe... golden hair, sunken eye sockets, and a high nose bridge.
There is a white person in this Black Swan Restaurant in the north!
Qing Chen has never heard of any other races besides Shendai and Koshima in the north, and the person must be from beyond the Forbidden Sea.
But the question is, how did he cross the Forbidden Sea? Does he fly like Yang Yang?
He pondered seriously, could Shendai be trying to cooperate with those beyond the Forbidden Sea? With the current technology, whether it's the Federation or those people from the other side, as long as they solve the range problem, everyone actually has the ability to cross the Forbidden Sea from the air.
The range problem is also simple, just find an island in the Forbidden Sea that can be used as an advance base.
But whoever crosses such a long distance, the Federation Army can wait for them.
Unless someone opens the door for them...