Chapter 88 - 87: Huang "Radar
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~
A knock came at the door. Outside was a familiar voice. Huang Jiutian recognized it as one of the construction workers from his company.
"Huang Gong, I brought you lunch!"
The door opened immediately, and a young man walked in carrying a lunch tray with meat, vegetables, and a bowl of soup.
He placed the tray on the table, then looked excitedly and curiously at Huang Jiutian, who was sitting listlessly on the bed.
"Xiaodu, are there any rumors about me out there? I don’t think I’ll be able to work for a while. Is the company going to send a new designer to the site?"
Huang Jiutian asked, his voice muffled and dejected.
"Huang Gong! You’re my idol now!!"
At this, Xiaodu glanced cautiously at the doorway, took a few steps closer to Huang Jiutian, and whispered.
"Even though there’s a gag order, all of us stationed here know. You’re amazing!!"
Huang Jiutian’s interest was piqued.
"How am I amazing? What are the rumors?"
"Lu Gong said you’re actually a high-level secret agent working for the government, and Zhang Gong said you might be someone from something like the ’Dragon Team’!!! And what was that thing they were making such a fuss to hunt down before? Oh, right, um, Huang Gong, I have a patriotic heart, too..."
"You in there, don’t disturb Mr. Huang’s rest. He has things to do tonight."
A voice cut off Xiaodu’s heartfelt confession.
There were clearly guards outside, but to avoid making Huang Jiutian uncomfortable, they were standing out of sight from within the room.
"You should go. We can talk more next time I’m back at the company."
Huang Jiutian said with a smile, sending Xiaodu on his way.
The young man was clearly reluctant to let this opportunity go.
"Uh, Huang Gong, now that your identity is exposed, can you even come back to our company? But if you ever need help, just say the word and I’ll be there!"
The young man left with a smile, but Huang Jiutian’s expression turned troubled.
’That’s right, can I even go back to the company? And how am I supposed to tell Little Hero about this...?’
But Jiutian wasn’t too worried about "Dawn" being exposed prematurely.
At first, he had been terrified, afraid his own exposure would affect Qin Xiaoxia and the association’s plans. But during their two-hour conversation, Jiutian gradually realized something.
It seemed these people had misunderstood something. Well, not exactly a misunderstanding. If he were in their shoes, he would definitely think along the same lines—seeing himself as a Superpower User who had awakened some Ability amidst a changing world, or perhaps a newly evolved human.
Based on this judgment, Jiutian subtly guided his interrogators’ line of thought during the question-and-answer session.
For example, his nonchalance when he first awakened, his shock upon discovering it, and his recent nervousness and fear.
’But I hadn’t expected the rumors outside to paint me as a government agent. Or perhaps... was it a deliberate move by that Leader Tao?’
As for academic questions like where the bug monsters came from, when they arrived, whether there were any left, and why they hadn’t acted sooner—he’d let someone else get a headache over those.
...
「Meanwhile, in Kyoto」
In an unremarkable office, a white-haired old man was writing something on a document on his desk while listening to his secretary’s report.
"Huang Jiutian, male, 29 years old, Han ethnicity, a native of Qingzhen, Yue City, Zhejiang Province. Political affiliation: civilian. Unmarried. Good relationships with family and friends. No physical illnesses, no mental illnesses, no bad habits..."
...
"He is currently suspected of being a newly evolved human with Extraordinary Perception and Visual Sense, as well as partial physical enhancement. According to Leader Tao’s assessment, individuals with this type of Perception will be of strategic-level importance, both now and in the future."
Although Tao Xingzhi’s detailed report on the incident hadn’t been submitted yet, the information on Huang Jiutian himself had already been uploaded immediately.
Jiutian wasn’t some undocumented person; his file was pulled up in a matter of seconds.
After hearing the report, the old man took off his glasses, put down his pen, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"It seems Xiaotao really is our lucky star."
...
「As evening approached」
Huang Jiutian had an early dinner, then walked to the construction site’s parking lot with Tao Xingzhi and Xiaoliu, protected by several plainclothes personnel.
Li Donglai was already waiting there.
Today, the construction site’s top leader completely changed Huang Jiutian’s impression of him, to the point where it felt like his very concept of a "leader" was being overturned.
He took a step forward, shaking hands with Tao Xingzhi and Xiaoliu one by one, before shaking hands with Huang Jiutian.
His grip was powerful, heavy.
"Youths are just so full of vigor! Huang Gong, if we have the chance to work together again in the future, we can consider ourselves old friends who’ve been through thick and thin together, haha!"
Huang Jiutian repeatedly said he was unworthy of the praise and bid him farewell with a smile.
They had several business vans, but their interiors were unlike those of ordinary ones. One of them was exquisitely furnished inside, and the driver’s cabin was partitioned off from the back.
Once in the car, Tao Xingzhi, who had been stone-faced the whole time, finally broke into a smile.
"This Li Donglai... he’s no simple character."
Xiaoliu took three cans of cola from the car’s mini-fridge, handing one to Tao Xingzhi and another to Huang Jiutian.
"Tao, what are you saying? Is anyone who reaches a high position ever simple?"
"True! Look at me, I’m not simple at all, right? Ha!"
A burst of laughter filled the car, and even Jiutian’s tension began to ease with the relaxed atmosphere.
The van first circled the construction site a few times, then began spiraling outwards in wider and wider arcs with the site as the center.
During this time, at Tao Xingzhi’s request, Huang Jiutian extended his "Perception."
They circled continuously, weaving in and out of Jia City, but after two or three hours, Huang Jiutian still hadn’t sensed anything.
Only then did Tao Xingzhi mutter, "Let’s hope it really was just those few," and had the driver head for the airport.
There was simply too much to do; they couldn’t have Huang Jiutian stay behind and act as a "Radar" for long-term observation.
Tao Xingzhi’s mood was light, however, or at least much lighter than it had been recently, when he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The background check on Huang Jiutian had already begun. So far, everything looked good. Barring any surprises, the young man was certain to become a member of his team.
He knew that many big shots who had received the news were interested in Huang Jiutian, but setting aside the fact that he was the first to discover him and that they had faced a common enemy...
Who could compete with him? Who would dare try to snatch the man from him now? Who would dare try to steal resources from the hands of the crucial "Tenth Man"!
Right up until he boarded the plane, Huang Jiutian didn’t even have a chance to send a text or make a call home. His family probably still thought he was on-site at his job.
Two private jets were parked at the airport.
As Jiutian got out of the car, he could see a ramp had been set up to one of the jets, and large crates were being pushed up it one by one.
Judging not only by their size, but also by the faint fluctuation of Magic Power that reappeared on his arm, those must be the corpses of the bug monsters.
"Let’s go, Huang Gong. Thank you for your cooperation. You can rest assured—I, Tao Xingzhi, give you my personal guarantee that you will not lose your freedom!"
Tao Xingzhi understood the former designer’s worries. It was rare for someone in this situation to be as calm and rational as Huang Jiutian, who had been remarkably cooperative the entire time.
What could Huang Jiutian say at a time like this?
He could only follow them onto the other plane.