Chapter 1, Hawk Dain

... ...

This time, the security personnel spoke in a relatively gentle tone

At the end of last month, having just celebrated her seventeenth birthday, Hawke, wearing a pair of glasses perched on her nose, approached the security personnel blocking her way without the slightest hint of surprise, and quickly walked over: "Hello, I am the new math tutor hired by Mrs. Strack from the twenty-sixth floor for her daughter."

It turns out they came from the countryside

Hawke stopped in his tracks and looked up at the security personnel

A voice interrupted from the other end of the phone: "What? He just arrived, he is already an hour late, let him come up!"

The security guard once again cast a deep glance at Hawk, but this time it was no longer a gaze of vigilance or suspicion; rather, it was imbued with a sense of sympathy, yet more so with admiration, and a hint of bewilderment.

As soon as Hawk entered the lobby on the first floor of the Star Building, he was stopped.

Sky Tower

Hawke shook his head: "No, sir, when I was in New Jersey, I couldn't afford a car, so..."

The security guard's gaze swept over the backpack that had been pushed under his nose by Hawk, which was somewhat tense, agitated, and awkward due to the fear of being misunderstood as lying. He took in the contents of the backpack on a large scale, and then his eyes fell on the notebook that Hawk had turned towards him, observing the densely packed schedule of who was being tutored and when. He was somewhat surprised: "Heavens, so many?"

Hawke turned around directly, ran into the elevator that had just opened, pressed the button for the 26th floor, and with a look of relief and gratitude, glanced at the security personnel as the elevator doors closed.

Doo!

Those two nouveau riche buildings

The security guard hung up the phone, swiped an elevator card for Hawk, and said with a smile: "This card can only access the twenty-sixth floor"

Andrew

This is merely a person of unfortunate origins, yet very inspirational, who has just moved from the countryside to a big city, aspiring to succeed through their own efforts, simply an innocent and harmless university student

New York

The security guard frowned and said, "Where is your driver's license"

No wonder

Hawk displayed a hint of surprise on his face, then placed his backpack on the table. He rummaged through the seemingly cluttered bag, filled with various odds and ends as well as numerous books, and found a notebook. After flipping it open, he located a page and read aloud: "No, it can't be. September 15th, from 7 PM to 8 PM, home tutoring for Lauren in mathematics, 26th floor, Star Building, Fifth Avenue, Mrs. Strack. You see, my records are correct."

Hawke looked at the security guard, whose gaze had just softened but now became alert again. The guard, feeling somewhat awkward, placed the cleaned pen back in its position and explained, "Sir, I was afraid of dirtying the pen. I went to *** Building and Sky Building today, and they all require this, worried that I might dirty their pens"

New Jersey

However

Doo!

Compared to those ostentatious buildings that prioritize cleanliness and tidiness, the Starry Sky Building places greater emphasis on the personal safety of its residents

Hawke expressed his gratitude to the security guard with a thank you, then started running, anxiously darting past the security checkpoint and heading towards the elevator.

Just as I was about to call Mrs. Strack on the twenty-sixth floor to confirm whether there was indeed a visitor's security, I noticed Hawk's action, and out of professional habit, I was slightly taken aback, instinctively furrowing my brows and asking, "What are you doing?"

This should be a student from a modest background, who has just come from the countryside to enroll in New York University, burdened with a significant amount of student loans, and is determined to work hard to earn money on their own.

But ... ...

Hawke spoke without the slightest concern for the hint of impatience on the security guard's face, as he took off the backpack from his shoulder. After opening it, he retrieved the identification placed inside and politely handed it to the security guard: "Andrew Luther, from the Mathematics Department of New York University, this is my student ID"

Stop

Hawke smiled somewhat shyly and said, "There is no way around it; I must repay the loan for high school by the end of this year, so I can only work a little harder."

Student ID

building

A white man with a thick beard, dressed in a white uniform and sitting at the front desk, looked at Hawk, who appeared to be in a hurry and seemingly out of time, and said: "What do you want"

Anbo listened to Huo Ke's response, his thoughts shifted, and the alertness in his gaze disappeared once again. He shook his head and said, "The Starry Sky Building is not a building for these two nouveau riche."

Hawke quickly said thank you, then grabbed the pen placed on the registration form, filled in his information, and then took out a wet wipe from his bag and began to clean himself.

As a retired security professional from a reputable institution, who was subsequently hired at a high salary by the Star Building Committee, there are a hundred ways to ascertain whether a document is genuine or counterfeit

The security personnel reached a conclusion, withdrew their gaze, and pointed to the visitor registration form placed aside: "Please register."

This action, how does it seem so much like not wanting to leave fingerprints on the fountain pen

After a while

Doo!

Hello

But ... ...

If it were an adult, this call would definitely not be made a second time

A student ID is not a legal and valid document

It's okay

It seems that when I arrived in New York City back then, it was the same way

Standing on the sidewalk, Hawk, dressed in casual attire and wearing a baseball cap, wiped the sweat that had appeared on his forehead from hurrying. He looked up at the approximately thirty-five-story apartment building across the street, let out a sigh of relief, then adjusted the backpack on his back and stepped forward towards the renowned Star Tower.

The security personnel did not hesitate this time, nodded slightly, picked up the desk phone again, and dialed Mrs. Mia's number on the twenty-sixth floor once more

The security guard shifted his gaze away from Hawke, picked up the nearby landline, and dialed the phone at Mrs. Strakoff's residence on the twenty-sixth floor

Documents

Hawk smiled and said: "Thank you."

The security guard who stood up merely watched as Hawk turned around, his face displaying an anxious expression, and made a gesture of encouragement: "Keep it up, young man, New York City will not let down any man who works hard."

No wonder

Hawk took out his phone from his pocket, composed a text message, and sent it to his assassin agent

In his heart, Anbo thought to himself as he took the student ID that Hawk handed over with both hands. He glanced at the information on the ID, then looked up at Hawk, who was standing before him wearing a seemingly neat but slightly yellowed white shirt, paired with casual pants and black-rimmed glasses, scrutinizing him with an eagle-like gaze

Not late

This time the call went through

Before the words had left the lips

The elevator doors are closing

Yes

This is indeed the Starry Building

Hawke did not speak, but simply smiled again, somewhat awkwardly.

Ding!

Speaking

Fifth Avenue

Hawk, who had just rushed to the security checkpoint, paused, his expression shifting momentarily, and then turned around to look.

Hawke quickly clasped his hands together in a gesture of prayer and said to the security guard: "Sir, could you please help me make a phone call again? I beg you, obtaining this position with Mrs. Strakoff is not an easy task"

student ID card

Approaching the target

The security guard frowned as he looked at the phone that had been hung up due to no answer, then turned to Hawk in front of him: "I apologize, but no one answered. You cannot enter for the time being"

After the call was connected, the security guard nodded towards Hawk, sharing in this joy, and then said: "Mrs. Strack, there is a very polite university student named Andrew downstairs, who claims to be the math tutor you arranged for Lauren. He has already arrived at the building..."

But ... ...

Manhattan

Individuals who are not residents of this apartment or visitors with appointments, even a fly that enters, must undergo a thorough inspection before being allowed to leave

A glimmer of understanding flashed in the security guard's eyes

... ...