The residents of Taymoon Isle may not all be high-ranking officials, but every person living here is a billionaire.
The Ji Family estate sits at the southernmost tip of Taymoon Isle, right beside the scenic Taymoon Lake, occupying more than ten acres. In a place like Taymoon Isle, a property of that size speaks volumes about the Ji Family's immense wealth.
Yet, for all the Ji Family's riches, there are things money simply can't buy. For example, when Benson Ji's direct grandson, Stanley Ji, was poisoned, even the Ji Family was left helpless. After Stanley was poisoned on Celestia, nearly a hundred of the world's top experts were invited to the Ji Family's private hospital. In the end, they barely managed to keep Stanley alive, but not to awaken him.
At this moment, in the Ji Family's living room, Benson Ji was personally entertaining a middle-aged man and a young woman.
The middle-aged man was named Jianfu Yu. After being sidelined in his hometown of Linchuan, he had come to Beijing. Fortunately, Jianfu was a skilled doctor and was soon hired as the director of the Ji Family's hospital. The young woman was his daughter, Mu Yu.
Benson Ji had invited Jianfu Yu and his daughter over not simply because Jianfu was the hospital director, but because Jianfu once mentioned that his daughter had been bitten by a deadly viper and was saved from the brink of death by a miracle doctor named Joe Di.
“Mu, are you certain it was the Duskwalker Viper that bit you?” Benson Ji asked again, a hint of uncertainty in his voice after hearing Mu Yu recount her ordeal in the Wangchuan Mountains.
The Duskwalker Viper was a newly discovered, highly venomous snake. Its bite wasn't as immediately deadly as the Silver-ringed Krait, but once its venom entered the bloodstream, it produced a new toxin that, so far, had no effective treatment anywhere in the world.
If Mu Yu was telling the truth, then had she been taken to the hospital first, rather than meeting Joe Di, she would have had no chance of survival.
Mu Yu nodded firmly. “Yes, Grandpa Benson. I didn’t realize it at first, but later I remembered seeing a report about this snake. I’m certain it was the Duskwalker Viper that bit me.”
Jianfu Yu quickly added, “Mu has studied medicine with me for years. She wouldn’t make a mistake about something like this.”
“Is there any way to contact that miracle doctor, Joe Di?” Benson Ji asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
Mu Yu shook her head. “All I know is his name—Joe Di. He’s a doctor, but I don’t know anything else about him.”
Jianfu Yu secretly regretted not asking Joe Di more questions when he had the chance. He had given Joe Di his business card, telling him to visit Aibo Hospital, but that detail had long slipped his mind. With skills like Joe Di’s, how could he ever become a mere assistant at Aibo?
Someone with Joe Di’s talent would be welcomed by any major hospital, not because of a simple business card. When Joe Di accepted his card, it was surely just out of courtesy.
“I’ll send people to search the Wangchuan Mountains for that miracle doctor at once. Jianfu, help me look for him too. If you find Doctor Joe, please let me know immediately,” Benson Ji said earnestly.
...
Joe Di knew that Taymoon Isle was a place of strict security—guards everywhere, and probably a dense network of surveillance cameras.
To avoid being caught on camera, Joe Di had deliberately disguised himself as a middle-aged man.
Around two o’clock in the morning, Joe Di once again crept to a secluded spot at the edge of Taymoon Isle. The island was surrounded by water, but except for one side, which bordered a vast lake, the rest of the water wasn’t very wide. Joe chose a spot where the water was less than ten meters across.
He tossed two planks onto the water, gathered his true energy, and stepped onto the first plank. Before it could sink, Joe Di had already leapt to the second, then sprang directly to the edge of Taymoon Isle’s security wall.
Joe Di exhaled softly and glanced up at the security wall. It wasn’t very tall—just under three meters—but above it ran a grid of high-voltage wires, forming a second line of defense.
Estimating the height, Joe Di was confident that, with his current strength, he could easily scale it.
He paused for a minute to ensure there was no danger and no cameras in sight. Then, channeling his true energy, Joe Di pushed off with both feet, vaulting over three meters. As he reached the wall, his left toe tapped the edge, and he smoothly flipped over the wires, landing on the other side.
The moment he touched down, Joe Di froze—someone was staring right at him. The watcher was less than three meters away, thin and dressed in black for the night. His face was square, oddly mismatched with his slight build.
In an instant, Joe Di understood. This man, like himself, had sneaked in under cover of darkness. Joe was here for a deal with the Ji Family—a business transaction in his eyes. But the purpose of this skinny man in black was surely something else.
“Hey, which side are you from?” the man in black suddenly asked.
Joe Di waved his hand dismissively. “You walk your tightrope, I walk my broad road. We’re not in each other’s way. Farewell.”
“Wait…” Seeing Joe Di about to leave, the man called out, “Let me correct you: I’m the one on the broad road, you’re on the tightrope. Also, the reason you made it here unnoticed isn’t your skill—it’s thanks to me.”
Before Joe Di could reply, the man continued, “Don’t doubt it. This estate is crawling with cameras. I’ve altered all the footage along your route, so you haven’t been caught yet. Otherwise, well…”
Joe Di had planned to leave after exchanging a few words, but after hearing the man’s explanation, he decided to stay. He realized the man in black was telling the truth.
“Let’s get acquainted—I’m Joe Di. Honestly, I’m just here to meet a client.” Joe Di stepped closer, patting the man’s shoulder.
The man stared at Joe Di’s hand as it left his shoulder. Despite the chill in the night air, a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.
If stealth was a contest, Joe Di might not be his equal, but with that single pat, Echo Young knew he was leagues behind.
“Brother Joe, you’ve got some skills. My name’s Echo Young. I’m just here to see if I can get lucky tonight.” Realizing the gap in their abilities, Echo Young quickly warmed up to Joe Di. With a swipe across his face, his square features vanished, revealing a youthful countenance—small nose, but large eyes and ears.
Echo Young didn’t believe Joe Di was just here to meet a client. Who would sneak in late at night, disguised and scaling walls, just for a meeting?
Joe Di studied the thin young man, thinking it was no wonder Echo Young disguised himself with a square face—his real features were far too memorable.
“Do you come here often to try your luck?”
Echo Young scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “Not that often, really. I’ve tried my luck on Taymoon Isle a few times. It’s pretty easy here—the people are generous.”
“Not bad, not bad. You go do your thing in a bit, but before that, I need a small favor. I want to meet Benson Ji, but the guards wouldn’t let me in, so I had to sneak in at night. Do you know where his house is? And can you help me change the camera feeds?” Joe Di stifled a laugh—Echo Young really was something.
Earth’s computer systems were nothing like those in Ji Kingdom. With Joe Di’s skills, he could become a computer expert here in no time. Still, he wasn’t willing to waste even a few days on it.
“You’re really just here to meet a client, Brother Joe?” This time, Echo Young was genuinely surprised. He couldn’t imagine anyone sneaking onto Taymoon Isle in the dead of night, climbing walls, just for a meeting.