Chapter 1: The White-Collar Worker and the Assassin

Among the crowd, the girl with wavy hair, whose stature appeared somewhat petite, called out loudly to her companions, disregarding her ladylike image. For these white-collar workers, leaving this place that oppresses them even a moment earlier might be more important than anything else

"Are you police officers? Show me your identification!" a young man with a northeastern accent questioned loudly

The girl smiled lightly and said, "I’m sorry, Manager Ni, but I really don’t like the atmosphere in the cinema. Besides, I have something very important this weekend, so you might as well invite other friends instead!"

Wow, it's the Mercedes-Benz S900 luxury armored sedan! Which celebrity or dignitary is arriving? A doorman from a distance accurately identified the model of the second car

From a high vantage point, before the weekend bustle arrives, the clean and tidy streets are sparsely populated, and the warm autumn sunlight imparts a sense of inexplicable languor. At the street corner to the north of the building with the large billboard stands the city's most renowned five-star hotel. In front of the lobby, the tall doormen are all handsome and spirited; this place is not lacking in generous patrons. However, to achieve the greatest benefit with the least expenditure, one must cultivate a pair of "piercing eyes".

Before the weekend arrives, it is not surprising for single women, especially those who can be considered beautiful, to receive invitations from the opposite sex. The young girl sitting behind the desk has a face shaped like a charming pebble, and her sleek black ponytail, paired with her unadorned features, gives off a neighborly girl vibe

At this moment, on the rooftop of a thirty-two-story building, a young man dressed in a complete set of white sportswear and wearing a baseball cap knelt on one knee, astonishingly disassembling a sniper rifle equipped with a scope at remarkable speed. His sharply defined face did not convey a sense of weakness despite its slenderness; the slightly elevated bridge of his nose and the slightly sunken eye sockets added an air of mystery to his visage.

The black-clad bodyguards arrived at the first floor of the building at a sprinting speed of one hundred meters. The muscular leader instructed two individuals to guard the elevator and the stairs, while sending another two to secure the entrance to the underground parking garage. Only then did he take two subordinates into the elevator. He glanced around briefly and decisively pressed the button for the 32nd floor.

The leader of the bodyguards was furious. He signaled for a portion of the group to stay behind to protect the middle-aged man in the library, while he took a group of people and ran towards the building at the corner of the street

I don't know, I haven't received any notification from above

Of course, the one riding the white horse could possibly be Tang Seng, and the one carrying the painting tube could also be a salesman

The girl with a ponytail said without raising her head: "All sons and daughters of China can fulfill their childhood dreams"

Hey, Yujia, how about I accompany you to play online games this weekend? Back in the day, I was quite a skilled player ranked among the top in the official server of 'Dream Fantasy Expedition'

Oh, two Japanese dare to flaunt their power here

The first sedan swiftly and steadily passed by them, leaving the position directly in front of the lobby for the second vehicle. The three cars slowed down to a stop with remarkable coordination, and the drivers' precise grasp of time seemed to have reached an astonishing level

The doormen were taken aback, unsure of how to react, while the black-clad bodyguards responded much more swiftly. Two of them immediately supported the middle-aged man and rushed into the lobby, while the others drew their handguns and searched for the assailants.

Through the window on her right, one can see a giant electronic billboard, over a hundred meters wide and several dozen meters high. For the past few weeks, it has been continuously displaying images and videos of "The Asian Storm of World War." In addition to the phrase the girl just mentioned, there is also a rather stirring slogan: "War forges heroes, chaos creates beauties"

Ah, this young handsome man has quite a unique personality

"You are such a fool for love!" The girl scolded softly, perhaps according to her aesthetic standards, the young man before her was still far from being a true prince charming, and... She always felt that this person seemed familiar, yet she could not recall where she had seen him before

The girl calmly organized the documents, "Manager Ni, are you not aware that 'The Asian Storm of World War' is officially entering open beta this weekend?"

A bodyguard in black evidently detected the direction from which the bullets were coming, and he pointed to the top of a nearby tall building, shouting: "Aru! Aru!" (There)

The elevator was already at full capacity on the thirtieth floor. The computer control system, equipped with basic intelligence, made a simple yet correct judgment: as long as no one exited the elevator midway, it would allow them to reach the first floor smoothly

I know, I know, you are talking about that online game that boasts the world's most advanced ultra 3D technology! Oh my, Yu Jia, I didn't expect you to like playing online games too!" With a "dead fish eye" smile, he revealed a few large yellow teeth.

"What are you doing?" The young man angrily shoved the short black-clad man, provoking him to curse in Japanese: "baka!"

As "The Great War" has been operating in Europe for over half a year, it is natural that the advertisement features videos extracted from the game. On land, the mass charge of tens of thousands of soldiers is exhilarating, with cavalry thundering in, upholding the tradition of valiant defenders; the Maxim machine gun kills as easily as picking grass, and although the clumsy and primitive tanks can only crawl slowly, they are destined to lead a brand new era; before the enormous siege artillery, even the most solid fortress trembles... On land, the mass charge of tens of thousands of soldiers is exhilarating, with cavalry thundering in, upholding the tradition of valiant defenders; the Maxim machine gun kills as easily as picking grass, and although the clumsy and primitive tanks can only crawl slowly, they are destined to lead a brand new era; before the enormous siege artillery, even the most solid fortress trembles... In the air, player pilots chase and shoot at each other in antiquated biplanes or triplanes; when the unprecedentedly large Zeppelin airships appear in formation, the shock is beyond words... At sea, the clash of steel behemoths is grand and thrilling, with officers leading the charge, gunners exerting their utmost, and the elusive submarines hunting ships as if plucking them from a pocket... In the air, player pilots chase and shoot at each other in antiquated biplanes or triplanes; when the unprecedentedly large Zeppelin airships appear in formation, the shock is beyond words... At sea, the clash of steel behemoths is grand and thrilling, with officers leading the charge, gunners exerting their utmost, and the elusive submarines hunting ships as if plucking them from a pocket...

With grace, the "dead fish eyes" gave a thumbs up, then pretended to leave. However, when the "wave rolled" back to its original position, it quickly leaned in front of the office desk's partition

In less than two minutes, the long sniper rifle was disassembled into ten components: the gun body, bolt, recoil mechanism, firing mechanism, stock, upper handguard, lower handguard, magazine, bipod, and scope. The young man deftly placed all parts except the gun body into a pre-prepared briefcase, while the gun body was stuffed into a specially designed tube. He then quickly removed his sportswear, revealing a tall, elegant black suit. A light blue shirt collar was neatly complemented by a purple striped tie, and only a discreet miniature earpiece remained in his ear, difficult for others to notice.

The man's facial muscles twitched slightly, and his smile appeared somewhat unnatural

Before the prey disappeared from sight, two bullets flew in from a distance. The first grazed the shoulder of the middle-aged man, causing white fragments to erupt from the marble floor, while the second struck his waist, resulting in a wound that immediately gushed blood

Two young women exchanged glances and burst into a suppressed giggle

The wave of sarcasm showed no mercy as it pressed on: "Manager Ni, you just mentioned that you bought tickets for 'The Endless Sea of Suffering', right? I’ve heard that’s a couple's movie! Haha, as the saying goes, 'The endless sea of suffering, turning back is the shore.' How about this, I don’t have much to do this weekend either, and I’m quite a novice when it comes to games. What do you think, shall we go together to watch it?"

"Waves" appeared quite self-righteous, completely disregarding the disdainful glances from her companions. When she noticed that the young man, who had a "very distinctive" appearance, was looking at her, she effortlessly adopted a ladylike demeanor. Little did she expect that he was not paying any attention to her performance at all, but had instead shifted his focus to her companions. At that moment, a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes again.

"Exactly, on what grounds are you not allowing us to leave? Do you want to search us? On what basis! What gives you the right!" A young woman asked sharply, displaying a rather fierce demeanor

Sitting with her back to the girl was a young female employee of similar age, her orange-dyed wavy hair adding to her femininity. She moved her chair closer and teasingly said, "Hey, 'a gift for you,' when pursuing a girl, you must know her preferences and cater to them! It seems you don't understand our Yujia at all! This weekend, just go back and study hard!"

Ah, Yujia, I have tickets for "The Endless Sea of Suffering," a remarkable production that took Xiaomouzi three years to perfect! A grand endeavor... a major production... a spectacular scene... Are you interested?

"Cut it out, don't even mention it!" With a casual raise of her finely arched eyebrows, she continued, "You men, you only light up when you see a beautiful woman. Someone as ordinary as me? Hmph! I've come to terms with it. Rather than wasting time on blind dates, I might as well stay at home and watch 'The Era of Living Alone'!"

The two parties were facing each other when the short man in black suddenly spotted something in the crowd. He rushed over and knocked down a young man carrying a briefcase and a tube. Without any explanation, he opened the young man's briefcase and tube, causing various documents to scatter all over the ground.

At this moment, the first-floor lobby was already bustling with a number of people—those who had come down from upstairs and the white-collar workers from the library—who unexpectedly encountered two men in black suits with fierce expressions blocking their way

Dressing in a black suit does not make one a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, so step aside

The male employee standing in front of the desk is dressed in a suit and tie. In terms of height, he stands out among the crowd, and his fair skin is also quite rare among his peers. The name tag reading "Director of the Technical Department - Ni Baisong" indicates that he is indeed a leader of some stature. However, his lifeless, fish-like eyes, coupled with somewhat awkward movements, make it somewhat challenging for him to win the affection of young women.

At 5:01, people seemed to return to their student days, filled with excitement at the sound of the school bell. The elevator lobbies on each floor quickly became crowded with white-collar workers, both physically and mentally liberated. The six elevators at this moment appeared to be far from sufficient, making it difficult for those on the lower floors to squeeze into the elevators—unless they were willing to first ride the ascending elevator to the top floor.

The man in black who arrived with the car calmly opened the door of the Mercedes-Benz rear seat, and stepping out was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue suit. As the doormen were about to catch a glimpse of his face, an utterly unexpected scene unfolded—a large bloom of blood blossomed silently on the chest of this middle-aged man. In today's rapidly advancing era of holographic technology, cinematic effects have far surpassed the flat 3D era, yet even so, real images remain incomparable to any special effects

Oh dear, Wang Fanfan, when did you start showing interest in the grass by your nest? This is not your style! Inviting other women to watch a movie in front of the girl you like is simply 'suicide'; 'dead fish eyes.' Quickly change the subject

With a dull expression, leaning both hands on the half-height barrier of the table, he asked languidly, "Oh, Yujia, are you going on a blind date this weekend? What are the other party's qualifications? Nowadays, many people use blind dates as a pretext to deceive innocent young ladies! Be sure not to fall for it!"

Three black sedans smoothly turned off the main road. The first one had just ascended the gentle slope when two bellhops in red uniforms positioned themselves, one on the left and one on the right.

Being in a crowded elevator is certainly better than waiting foolishly at the stairway for ten minutes, especially with that effeminate "I'll give it to you for free" plastered on. The girl called by her companions quickly got onto the elevator, while the pale-faced guy behind, with a look of dismay, was blocked outside the elevator door by the beeping overload alarm and the angry gazes of the crowd

By the way, I heard you went on a blind date last weekend? How did it go

Stop! The shorter man in black kept repeating this phrase from beginning to end, while his companion, slightly stronger, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Do not leave, I need to check!"

scoundrel

Are you from a different era? This is no longer a time when you can act with impunity. It would be best for you to return home soon

Without waiting for the two men in black to argue back, the crowd surged forward, easily pushing them aside, and then dispersed with laughter and conversation.

Lust is justified, and infatuation is not a crime

It was fine until they spoke; as soon as the other party began speaking in Japanese, the people in the hall immediately erupted in chaos

"Wavy curls," she whispered to her companion. In the general perception of people, those who carry briefcases and have art tubes slung over their shoulders are often senior white-collar professionals engaged in architectural design.

As usual, the girl with a ponytail slightly lowered her head, maintaining as much low profile and silence as possible

Before the doormen could make any adjustments, several men dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses swiftly exited the vehicle. They quickly established a perimeter centered around the second car, creating a cinematic scene that sparked endless curiosity about the identities of the individuals inside the vehicle

Yujia, hurry up, there is still a spot here!

The elevator ascended, and when it reached the top floor, only two people got off, indicating that most had already become accustomed to this roundabout tactic. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a young man in a suit hurriedly slipped in, standing directly in front of the girl

The two men in black looked at each other, the wailing sirens of the police had already sounded in the street, which meant that the Chinese police had arrived at the hotel entrance. This is Chinese territory; if they were to force their way in with the weapons in hand, not only would they fail to capture the assailants, but they would also find their escape routes cut off—after all, this is still a country with extremely strict gun control, and their current situation is fundamentally one of illegal possession of weapons. This is Chinese territory; if they were to force their way in with the weapons in hand, not only would they fail to capture the assailants, but they would also find their escape routes cut off—after all, this is still a country with extremely strict gun control, and their current situation is fundamentally one of illegal possession of weapons.

On a sunny autumn afternoon, coinciding with Friday, such weather perfectly reflects people's mindset, especially for the white-collar workers who have endured a tough week; few are not feeling "physically present in one camp but mentally in another"