These words held a different meaning for Lv Cheng.
Lv Cheng nodded in deep agreement.
Yes, it would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut by deploying Brother Yuan for such a small matter.
Like the Sakura Island Incident, sending Brother Yuan to deal with difficult tasks would be more powerful than just accumulating strategic reserves.
"I heard that the superhuman Johnson won't be coming for the cultural exchange between the two countries this time. He's been replaced by Smith."
Lv Cheng remembered when Johnson previously tweeted, "Qi Yunzheng from Dragon Country is nothing but trash."
Many people from other countries chimed in to mock this clown.
They were angry but had no recourse.
After the Sakura Island Incident, people from Dragon Country flocked to his tweet, leaving enthusiastic comments.
[Ah yes yes, I've watched your dumbfounded expression over and over again, haha!]
[Is it possible that he wasn't just insulting Qi, but compared to Qi Yuan, all of us here are trash?]
[I see, we misunderstood him (doge)]
Lv Cheng also joined in on the revelry in the comments.
This time, with Johnson not coming, he felt a bit disappointed.
Don't be a coward!
Qi Yuan was unaware of this drama, thinking Lv Cheng was his fan expressing resentment.
He didn't care, "If he's not coming, then he's not coming."
Recently, he had been avoiding the people who accompanied him to Sakura Island, so they wouldn't keep blaming him and attributing every little thing to his actions.
Qi Yuan felt like he was becoming Shi Chen.
It was better for him that the person coming from Bitterfaith Country wasn't Johnson.
If another PTSD patient came, he would be even more annoyed.
...
In a high-end hotel in Jidu,
All members of the Bitterfaith Country cultural exchange delegation gathered in a presidential suite.
The door opened, and a tall man with reddish-brown hair emerged. His sideburns looked meticulously trimmed and groomed.
"Mr. Smith."
The members in the living room all nodded in greeting to him.
A blonde woman who looked like an assistant approached him, "Mr. Smith, everyone is here now."
"Very well, let's begin."
Smith nodded and took the main seat.
The blonde assistant turned on the projector and began introducing the itinerary for this exchange.
She glossed over the high-level talks and meetings in a single sentence, some not even mentioned, focusing the introduction on the battle between young psychics.
This group of teenagers and people in their early twenties had been informed beforehand that they would need to battle against young people from Dragon Country.
Introducing this process was just routine.
The young people soon grew restless, yawning incessantly and fidgeting below.
Smith pretended not to notice.
He was disappointed by Johnson's cowardice, as this was not the rivalry between adversaries he had expected.
This time, he came to prove to Johnson that although Qi Yuan might be stronger than them now, he was not an insurmountable peak.
As long as they faced him head-on and strived to catch up, one day they would surpass this peak.
After the blonde assistant finished introducing the routine, her expression grew stern, and she took a few deep breaths.
She turned off the computer, then took out her phone from the pocket of her skirt, long-pressing the power button to turn it off. She placed these two electronic devices in a basket.
Her unusual behavior left the young people bewildered. They exchanged glances, realizing the others were just as perplexed and shrugging.
So their gazes focused on Smith.
Smith showed no reaction to his assistant's strange conduct, clearly aware of the situation.
They pursed their lips, communicating silently with mouth movements.
Someone seemed to have cracked a joke, and they grinned.
The blonde assistant announced to everyone present to turn off their phones and place them in the basket.
Everyone frowned and shook their heads, but surprisingly, Smith was the first to turn off his phone and put it in the basket.
He said softly, "Don't waste time."
Then, Smith returned to his seat, fingers intertwined.
With him taking the lead, the others reluctantly followed suit despite their unwillingness.
The blonde assistant collected all the electronic devices, her high heels clacking on the floor as she hurriedly took all the phones out of the room.
When she returned, she no longer had the basket in her hands.
She brushed back her golden locks, about to say something.
But Smith interrupted her, his brow furrowed.
"Is your watch a smartwatch?"
The blonde assistant froze for a second, then immediately took off her watch.
Not only that, she also asked others to remove their smartwatches, cupping a few in her hands as she walked out.
When she came back again, she gave everyone an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I didn't consider that thoroughly enough."
The people in the room looked at Smith and the blonde assistant in confusion, waiting for their explanation.
"Uhh..."
The female assistant seemed a little nervous, licking her lips that weren't even dry.
"You know, we're too close to him, so we have to take some precautions."
Seeing the perplexed looks on everyone's faces, she patted her palm, trying to explain more clearly.
The blonde assistant tilted her head, thinking for a moment but unable to find alternative words.
After a while, she squeezed out a sentence dryly.
"You-know-who."
The people in the room fell silent, their mouths slightly agape, wanting to say something but stopping themselves.
A young woman shook her head and shrugged, "Sorry, I don't know who."
"Haha, is it Voldemort?"
"This is insane."
"Is she out of her mind?"
At this moment, they burst out, loudly mocking the blonde assistant's bizarre behavior.
"Bang—"
The table suddenly shattered into pieces, and Smith scanned the room with a cold gaze.
"I'm sick of your nonsense. If you don't know, then get out and go home early."
Those who had been jeering immediately shut their mouths, exchanging glances.
The blonde assistant raised her hands halfway, waving them up and down erratically. Finally, she had an epiphany.
"Look at my hair, the color of my eyes."
This sentence with directional features immediately made everyone understand.
Seeing that someone was about to blurt it out, the blonde assistant quickly cut them off, "Don't say it!"
Now, the people in the room finally understood why Smith and the blonde assistant didn't say it directly.
They clasped their hands tightly over their mouths.
An SS-Level Monster had been controlled just by seeing him on the internet.
And they knew their strength was inferior to that monster.
Their proximity to the one-who-must-not-be-named was even closer than the monster's.
Without knowing whether he transmitted through images, the internet, or other means, they couldn't be too careful.
"Umm..."
Someone started to speak but was immediately shushed by others reflexively covering his mouth. He pulled their hands away.
"What I mean is... We know who uwn is now, you can continue."