[In these times of unprecedented change unseen in ten million years, monsters roam the earth, dragons and serpents rise, and the world is hard to discern. If you encounter anything strange, remember—do NOT handle it yourself. Contact me immediately. —Yang Qi]
This was the message Yang Qi left for Jonathan and her parents after returning from Steelbull City. Of course, Yang Qi herself would never use such a dramatic 'remember, remember' tone, but that was pretty much the gist. With this warning in place, the three recipients—being savvy folks—would know exactly how to pass it on down the chain without blowing their cover.
With Yang Qi’s warning, Jonathan quickly reallocated his intelligence network’s resources, shock aside. Forget everywhere else—the most important thing was to keep a tight grip on Hong Kong, his own turf. He also started probing in all directions, doing his best to dig up any news about these so-called 'dragons and serpents.'
So far, there wasn’t any solid intel—just a bunch of rumors. The dragons and serpents seemed to be keeping a low profile; not a single one had dared to wear their underwear on the outside and fly around—assuming they could even do that.
Yang Jin and Su Muhua were even more serious. After learning there were unknown people out there with abilities similar to their daughter’s, they solemnly warned her to be extra careful and not draw too much attention.
How effective was the warning? Well... let’s just say it worked, sort of. If it weren’t for the need to keep her identity under wraps, this whole matchmaking event wouldn’t have dragged on so long. She’d have just grabbed a big iron bar, bent it into a right angle with a crunch, slammed it on the ground, and—boom—peace and quiet at last.
So, even with Yang Qi keeping a lower profile these days, someone still swaggered right up to her and bluntly said, 'You’re a Chosen One, aren’t you?' Yang Qi’s eyes immediately changed. She shot a quick look around—good, no ambush, no eavesdroppers. In a flash, she grabbed the young man by the collar, tossed him onto the back seat of her motorcycle, and roared out of the mansion.
'You’re not allowed to say or do anything right now. Just sit tight and behave, got it?' Yang Qi barked at the young man on the back seat as they sped away, sounding like a kidnapper threatening her new captive. 'If you don’t listen, heh, you’ll be in for a world of hurt!'
'Relax, relax, I won’t do anything.' The young man was surprisingly cooperative, just sitting there. In fact, he even scooted back a bit, making sure every part of him stayed at least five centimeters away from her.
Yang Qi kept her eyes and ears peeled the whole way, staying on high alert.
'If a cop car suddenly jumps out or an armed helicopter shows up, I’m using you as a meat shield,' Yang Qi shot the guy in the back seat a glare. 'Trust me, when it comes to street brawls at this level, I’ve got way more experience than the police.' After fighting her way to the top in Steelbull City, Yang Qi’s street combat skills were second to none.
The young man just raised his hands. 'I didn’t do anything.'
As the young man said, nothing happened on the way. Yang Qi circled half of Jinan’s city center, then headed straight for a super-luxury five-star hotel. 'Room, top floor, presidential suite,' she said, slapping her credit card on the counter. 'And make it snappy.'
The front desk clerk glanced at them, looking a bit weirded out, but handed over the room card. After they left, she muttered under her breath, 'So impatient...'
They took the elevator all the way to the top floor. Once inside, Yang Qi checked the place top to bottom—no cameras, no bugs. She peered out the huge floor-to-ceiling window: high up, wide view, not easy to snipe from outside. This was a safe spot for a chat. Even if someone had set a trap, no way they’d know she’d come here. And if anyone tracked them, she could just jump out the window to the rooftop across the street. Plenty of escape routes—good for fighting or running.
'Alright, let’s sit down and talk.' Yang Qi plopped onto the sofa in the middle of the living room, eyeing the young man as she spoke. 'Let’s start with the basics—who are you?'
After all that, the young man didn’t seem nervous. Instead, he strolled over to the bar, poured himself some red wine, and said with a strange look, 'You went to the matchmaking event and still don’t know who I am?'
'Honestly, anyone who showed up at that matchmaking event is just a nobody to me, so I didn’t bother paying attention.' Looking more closely now, she realized this guy wasn’t exactly low profile. The one with fewer than thirty hookups, the one with over four hundred million in the bank—that was him.
'What about you? How’d you end up at that matchmaking event?' The young man sat down across from her, setting his wine on the table. 'Didn’t expect this suite to have such fancy wine. Try it.'
'Me? My parents made me go—no choice.' Yang Qi lifted her glass, swirling it like a pro wine taster. But while a sommelier checks the color, she was checking for suspicious particles. 'Looks like it’s not poisoned.'