With some time before the welcoming banquet, Qi Yuan left early.
Having gotten used to living in a room, moving to such a large villa made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Could Yin Qingran really do all the housework by herself?
He passed through the conservatory garden and leisure area, and arrived at the parking area.
Su Ke had mentioned earlier that transportation would be prepared for him.
When he didn't have money to buy a car, getting a driver's license hadn't crossed his mind;
Now that he could afford a car, he didn't really need one.
Not only were superhumans' physical abilities much faster than cars, but whenever he needed to go somewhere by car, someone else drove him, so it kept getting pushed down his list of priorities until he forgot about it altogether.
He was very curious what Su Ke had prepared for him, and planned to take the opportunity to get his driver's license so the vehicle could come in handy.
Bushes about a meter tall blocked his view, and he had to turn the corner before he could see the scene in the garage.
What met his eyes were electric bicycles, mountain bikes, road bikes, balance bikes...
Qi Yuan: ...
Well, it wasn't completely unexpected. After all, Su Ke was a public servant who abided by the law.
Now that he was here, he decided to try out one of the high-end bicycles and see how it compared to a shared bike.
He randomly picked out a bicycle and headed out.
The hotel for the welcoming banquet was nestled among the residences of various high-ranking superhumans.
As Qi Yuan rode along, he saw very few people but many cars passed him by.
He watched with a blank expression as these cars all made way, forcibly squeezing the wide road into a narrow path.
It was just a bicycle, the road was still three people wide even after they gave way. What was the point of having it so wide?
He rode unhindered all the way to the hotel entrance, and asked the doorman and valet: “Excuse me, where should I park my bicycle?”
Qi Yuan glanced at the drunk man in the luxury car next to the doorman and valet, it looked like they were having some kind of dispute.
The valet was stunned for a few seconds before stuttering: “You...you can leave it here, I'll park it for you.”
“Okay.”
Qi Yuan readily handed his bike over to him and headed straight for the hotel lobby.
A few seconds later, the brains of the drunk man finally caught up. He hugged the woman beside him, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“If his crappy bike can get in, why can't my luxury car?”
“Sir, you've misunderstood.” The valet explained with a smile: “It has nothing to do with whether it’s a luxury car or not. Our hotel only admits guests with reservations.”
The drunk waved his hand impatiently: “Cut the crap about reservations! My brother-in-law came last time without booking anything. Who do you think you’re fooling?”
"A poor loser who can’t even afford a nice car, how could someone like that get on the reservation list for a place like this?"
"What reservation list, isn't it just there to shut up those cheap riffraff? Those lowly commoners even think they can be on equal standing with us supernaturals?”
The alcohol was getting to his head, riling him up more and more as he cursed the valet and doorman for being dogs that judged people by status.
The woman had wanted to dine at the hotel, and his failure to get in made him lose face.
The expressions on the doorman and valet grew uglier, contempt filling their eyes.
The doorman took out his transceiver: “Boss, there’s a drunk causing trouble and verbally abusing Class S superhumans.”
“Is the troublemaker Class S too?”
“No, just a regular person. Probably a relative of Li Si, Class A.”
The doorman shot a scornful glance at the man in the luxury car. Spending so much time around superhumans has him thinking he’s one of them?
“What’s there to say? He dares insult Class S superhumans, beat him up and throw him out.”
“You got it.”
Before the drunk man even realised something was off, the doorman approached him with a sinister grin.
On the other side,
Qi Yuan was led by the staff to the reserved private room.
The moment he entered, everyone in the room rose to welcome him.
Su Ke stepped forward to introduce him to the others.
A familiar yet unfamiliar middle-aged man came up, praising: “A hero indeed comes from his youth.”
“Bureau Chief Yu.”
Yu Anhe, Director of the Superpower Duty Bureau.
Qi Yuan recognized him right away from his frequent appearances on TV.
“Just call me Uncle Yu or Bureau Chief Yu, are you settling well in Jidu? Let Xiaosu know if there’s anything you lack.”
“It's quite good, she's helped me a lot.”
The people present were all high-level Superpower Bureau staff. Qi Yuan briefly greeted them.
Yu Anhe probed him with a few polite remarks, and found that Qi Yuan didn't care much for the obligatory small talk at these social gatherings.
So he cheerfully steered the conversation towards work arrangements going forward, and they started chatting while eating.
“Your uncle’s condition remains unchanged, looks like there’s no major issues, just have to see when he wakes up.”
“In a while, a delegation from Bitfo will come to learn and exchange. We'll have to rely on you then.”
“Of course.” Qi Yuan nodded.
Yu Anhe had on a Maitreya Buddha smile, but was astonished inside.
He had heard about Qi Yuan’s personality from Su Ke, yet didn’t expect him to be so agreeable.
This was good too, less of the greasy adult pleasantries, more time to solve problems.
Now that he understood Qi Yuan's character, Yu Anhe did away with the obligatory parts and got straight to the point.
“Our Dark Nine Seats’ mode of operation is modeled after the Nine Seats, usually groups of two to three people.
“My view is that if you can gang up on someone, don’t try to solo them, to ensure everyone's safety as much as possible. Do you have any other requests?"
Seeing Qi Yuan nod, Yu Anhe understood inside.
Even the most agreeable person would have their own habits.
Analyzing Qi Yuan’s past combat methods, he tended towards solo fights.
“I want to participate in all Dark Nine Seats operations.”
Qi Yuan also came to understand.
Because he was external support brought in, they usually treated him as someone who came to help, not one of their own.
If that was the case, he could only fight for opportunities himself, to officially join them sooner.
“Also, I want access to research materials related to Class S monsters and high-ranking superhumans. How many contribution points would that need?”
This was also where he fell short.
He couldn't keep saying things that elicited awkward laughter whenever he tried to show off, like the Emperor's Golden Shovel incident.
It was just too embarrassing.
He had to study up properly.
Yu Anhe’s sly fox smile gradually disappeared.
The young man before him should not have been subjected to his little tricks.
Though it was said that there was no harm in being polite, the person before him never cared about such things.
He hadn't given the hero enough respect, and even brought out all the obligatory dealings with the Superhuman Association and hidden families.
So for Qi Yuan's peace of mind, Jin Tong had specially asked for unimportant information in exchange for assistance.
At Jin Tong’s level, what need was there for information on Class S monsters and superhumans?
It was he who lacked vision!
Yu Anhe sincerely reflected.
“I understand, we’ll proceed by standard procedures.”
“I’ll have Xiaosu grant you Nine Seats access tomorrow. You can go to the archives room to read whatever you need.”
“Our archives are managed by someone with the Data superpower. If you don't see anyone when you enter, it means he's become data and entered the computer system.
“If you need help finding information, calling for him will make him come out.”
Qi Yuan also showed a satisfied smile.
It was still a human matter after all.
After the meal, host and guest parted in high spirits.
Both sides felt they had gained tremendously...