After the view was filled with yellow sand, on the evening of the next day, Ren Yuanhao finally saw the city stretching across the end of the sand. Tall buildings reached for the clouds. The sky had not yet fully darkened, but the lights were already twinkling everywhere.
"A city, we meet again."
"Didi, base station signal detected. Didi's matchmaking service is now active."
Ren Yuanhao scratched his head, "System, darling, aren't you a bit panicked?"
"I can't help it. Your debt is quite substantial, and you only have 100 points left. Aren't you worried? I'm just trying to help."
"Oh, right. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten that I owe a debt so large that selling myself wouldn't be enough to repay it."
"No, no, no, your value is far greater than such a small sum. Speaking of which, it seems a task has arrived."
"Why do I have a strong feeling that I'm about to receive an imperial decree?"
"Alright, your wish is granted. Ren Yuanhao, kneel and receive the decree. The order has been issued. Host, please proceed quickly to the location specified by the employer. Task difficulty: 3 stars."
Ren Yuanhao took a breath, "I think it's better to find Mu Yunyan first. Balenkiel said he would kill the hostage."
The system sighed,
"I thought you ate that intelligence-enhancing pill. Why is your brain still not working properly? If that guy hadn't said that, you wouldn't have ridden that swift horse and galloped non-stop. That scoundrel just wanted to get you to the person behind the scenes quickly and push this trouble onto you."
Ren Yuanhao nodded, "That makes sense."
"Stop chattering and go quickly."
...
Ren Yuanhao rode his horse at full speed. Upon entering the city, he left his swift horse at a stable and then took a taxi towards his destination.
Meanwhile, in a large internet cafe west of the city suburbs, some young people were rushing towards it.
"Hey, hey, hey, have you heard? The new internet cafe manager at Tianshui Internet Cafe is really Qiu Hui."
"Could it be that the boss hired someone who looks like her to attract customers? You know, there's a world of difference between her with makeup and without."
"In an era where makeup technology is comparable to face-swapping, I think that's possible. But, haven't you heard? Qiu Hui offended the young master of Fangxin Media, and she's been fired by the company. All live streaming platforms have closed their doors to her."
"It's quite pitiful for a female streamer to fall to this point. But with her looks, does she need to work at such an internet cafe to earn money?"
The four of them were on a green-skinned train, traveling from the eastern suburbs of Xiling City to the western suburbs, all for the purpose of meeting the 'executed' famous female streamer, Qiu Hui.
"Brother, can you please drive faster? I'm afraid if I'm late, there won't even be a place to stand."
The man with dyed yellow hair checked the time. They had gathered since getting off work, and they were rushing there as fast as possible.
But, was it an illusion, or were there more cars on this road tonight than usual?
At the same time, Ren Yuanhao sat in the car, silent. Coupled with his somewhat unusual eye color, the driver felt an uncomfortable sensation, as if needles were pricking his back. So, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation, "Are you also going to Tianshui Internet Cafe, little brother?"
"What's wrong? Is it very famous there?" Ren Yuanhao sounded a bit lazy. After all, this mission was only three stars, a minor matter to him, so he appeared extremely relaxed.
"Of course it's famous. You know Qiu Hui, right?" As soon as the driver mentioned Qiu Hui, he became entranced, shrugging his shoulders from side to side, which looked rather disgusting.
Ren Yuanhao looked at the fleeting lights outside the window. This metropolis, so similar to Love God City, was filled with diners and office workers returning home from work. Autumn seemed to have not yet reached this place, so the beautiful women here were still wearing relatively cool clothing, with slender waists and long legs everywhere, dazzling the eyes.
"Qiu Hui? I don't know her."
Speaking of which, Ren Yuanhao hadn't paid attention to live streaming for a very, very long time. Of course, the reason for quitting was naturally because the girls in real life were too beautiful. Live streaming was all illusion, and there were countless streamers who were exposed as fake upon meeting. Some netizens even joked, asking if anyone knew whether the person on screen was even human.
The driver immediately cast a contemptuous glance, "You don't know her? Qiu Hui! The one who dances so well, has a captivating figure, and sings like a top artist. Hey, hey, hey, in short, she's beautiful, has a sweet voice, fair skin, and lovely features."
"I don't know her."
The driver seemed about to brake and give him a lengthy explanation, but luckily, stopping was not allowed here, so the driver had to dismiss the idea and continue driving forward.
"Hey, it's fine if you don't know her. Look around you. I'm telling you, the traffic here today has more than tripled. I bet you, this is all Qiu Hui's influence."
— Alas, can you stop mentioning 'Qiu Hui' non-stop? If I were to say I knew Ye Lan, you'd probably pop your eyes out.
Thinking of those women, Ren Yuanhao inexplicably felt a bit nostalgic, especially when one is a stranger in a foreign land and the entire city is aglow with neon lights.
After turning a few corners, the taxi saw the giant neon sign of Tianshui Internet Cafe. Hundreds of cars were parked in front of the building, and a crowd of people, with hundreds of glow sticks waving continuously in their hands.
"Wow, so many people." The driver, with great wisdom, parked the car about one to two hundred meters away. While urging Ren Yuanhao to get out, he changed his jacket, picked up a glow stick, and even a glowing board with Qiu Hui's name written on it, hidden in a secret compartment in the center console.
"Brother, what are you..."
"Can't you read? See? I'm a fan now." The driver seemed to have reverted to his youthful exuberance, happily squeezing into the crowd and instantly becoming one of those dancing neon figures.
Ren Yuanhao looked up. The map in his mind indeed showed that his employer was on the floors of Tianshui Internet Cafe. However, the entrance to the internet cafe was now completely blocked. It would be easy to squeeze in, but he didn't want to expose his abilities too ostentatiously, and he had a better way.
His gaze fell upon the ventilation duct behind the building. He chuckled and then strode forward.
...
Entering the internet cafe, he noticed a strange phenomenon. There were many security personnel in the building, and some well-dressed young masters from wealthy families were chatting and walking through the corridors.
At this moment, he brushed off his clothes, thinking it was fortunate he had changed into a formal suit before setting out. Coupled with his appearance, he shouldn't be stopped by the guards, so he swaggered towards the corridor.
"Hold on, you fellow without a badge, where did you come in from!"
Just as the security guard was about to signal his companions, Ren Yuanhao suddenly tilted his head and looked at the guard with his peculiar eye color. The guard seemed to have his throat suddenly choked, and he went limp.
— What the heck? My gaze attack has become so powerful?