Charles felt like he had swallowed a fly, utterly disgusted. Seriously, how did that kid manage to ruin what was supposed to be an impressive first impression for the newcomers?
As a team member highly valued by his team leader, Chen Gu focused solely on the mission!
Seeing Charles standing aside with a cold expression, Chen Gu asked Joseph, "Are you riding in his car or mine?"
Without hesitation, Joseph yanked open the car door and climbed in. "I’m going with you. The leader said safety comes first!"
Chen Gu slapped the car door shut, started the engine, and drove off. Charles got into his own car, slammed the door forcefully, and followed. After driving for a while, Charles suddenly realized, Why am I following them?
To put it bluntly, it felt like he was just trailing behind the newbie, eating his dust.
So he accelerated and overtook Chen Gu, finally finding some solace. After all, my sports car’s acceleration is definitely better than his "Xuanwu III".
Chen Gu checked the time and snorted. Now he realizes he’s in a hurry? We’re almost late, and he wouldn’t move when I urged him earlier.
But just then, all hovercars in the vicinity received the same yellow message: "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"
"Traffic control in effect. Please maintain order. The system will grant passage based on citizen rank."
All hovercars, including Chen Gu’s and Charles’s, suddenly slowed to a halt. Charles had just accelerated when his car abruptly stopped.
Charles’s face filled with frustration. It always feels like things never go smoothly when Chen Gu is around.
He immediately used his Special Services team identity. "Inquiry: reason for traffic control. Request priority passage."
Although hovercars flew, they couldn’t just go anywhere. They had to follow designated routes within a three-dimensional airspace.
These restrictions were for safety. In this era, buildings were towering, and there were many floating islands and similar structures. Hovercars were fast; without restrictions, accidents would be frequent.
The traffic system quickly responded, "Greetings, respected police officer. Traffic control is in effect due to the passage of important foreign dignitaries."
The Bureau of Mystic Security’s public-facing identity was that of police personnel.
"Your request has been denied. Your citizen rank is insufficient for priority passage. Thank you for your patience."
Citizen rank was similar to ancient systems of nobility but was mostly useless in the modern world, except in situations , where it could have a minor impact.
Charles was a special agent with the Bureau of Mystic Security, and his citizen rank was "Elite," the second level, above "Ordinary" citizens.
But clearly, this rank wasn’t high enough to let him proceed first.
Charles glanced at the time and, annoyed, hammered his fist against the car. They were already running late. That overly elaborate, showy dinner had wasted too much time.
Charles had no choice but to contact his team leader. While he was explaining the situation, he saw Chen Gu’s "Xuanwu III" beside him start up and WHOOSH past, taking the lead!
"Hey, hey, hey, Charles, what are you saying?"
Silver Eagle, on the phone, was suddenly speechless as his team leader on the other end urged him to continue.
"Chen—Chen Gu went through... How could he go through? Is his citizen rank even higher than mine? That’s not scientific!" Charles exclaimed, tugging at his hair.
In this era, every hovercar was connected to the traffic system. When control was initiated, it was absolute, so there was no possibility of forcing one’s way through.
Chen Gu being able to pass through earlier can only mean his citizen rank is higher than mine!
Marcus, upon hearing this, said, "He got through? Then I’ll contact him. It’s just a stakeout; with Chen Gu there, it shouldn’t be a problem."
The call ended with a BEEP.
Charles, still in disbelief after the team leader hung up, immediately issued another instruction: "Query: citizen rank required for advance passage through current traffic control."
Soon, the traffic system responded: "Citizen rank required for advance passage through current traffic control: Expert."
"Expert rank!" Charles howled. "How could that brat Chen Gu reach Expert rank? There must be some backdoor dealings!"
Ordinary, Elite, Distinguished, and then Expert.
Chen Gu was a full two ranks above him. Citizen rank was evaluated based on an individual’s contribution to society.
Chen Gu’s performance in Zhaojieze City was worth far more than 1,000 valor points. However, Valkyrie felt deeply uncomfortable whenever she thought of using her own valor points to reward that despicable little thief, so she begrudgingly awarded him only 1,000.
But she was the Director-General, after all. Failing to reward such a significant contribution would be hard to justify to the public. Moreover, those "old issues" between her and Chen Gu simply couldn’t be brought to light.
Valkyrie felt humiliated by it too.
Thus, Valkyrie had a sudden inspiration: Give that little thief a boost in citizen rank!
This rank was mostly inconsequential in most situations. Plus, it wouldn’t cost her anything personally; the Confederation would pick up the tab.
So, Chen Gu was promoted to Expert rank in one fell swoop.
In fact, if Chen Gu were to apply using his "Idol Actor" identity, his citizen rank would be at least "Academician," if not the even higher "Elder."
Silver Eagle couldn’t figure out why Chen Gu’s citizen rank was so much higher than his. His plan to show off in front of the newbies tonight had been a spectacular failure. He had even lost the mission—it now belonged to Chen Gu, and the associated valor points likely had nothing to do with him anymore.
From now on, I must stay away from that guy! Silver Eagle gritted his teeth. If it really comes to it, I’ll request a transfer!
Meanwhile, Chen Gu received a call from Marcus. When Joseph heard that Charles couldn’t join them for the time being, he couldn’t help but shudder. "Just the two of us? Can we handle it?"
Chen Gu, however, wasn’t nervous. He had handled things on his own back on Yinglong Star; a stakeout was trivial in comparison.
"You two lads, remember this!" Marcus instructed them pointedly.
Chen Gu and Joseph responded in unison, "Safety first!"
"Correct answer," Marcus laughed. "If something seems off, run immediately. Preserving your lives is more important than anything."
"Yes, sir!" they both acknowledged. After Marcus hung up, Chen Gu’s car had already pulled quietly into the shadows of a street.
This place seemed incongruous with the rest of Wuzhaoyin City, even with the entire era.
The street was narrow and dark, with wastewater flowing freely by the roadside and rubbish strewn everywhere. The buildings on either side were dilapidated and dark, and occasional screams echoed from within them.
About twenty meters ahead of where Chen Gu had parked, a drunken vagrant lay snoring heavily beside a trash can.
Three gang members armed with prohibited weaponry brazenly crossed the street. Seeing the vagrant, they immediately shouted and rushed toward him, kicking and punching with cruel laughter, for no reason other than sheer amusement.
Joseph, sitting in the car, said uneasily, "Sector 109, huh? This is the infamous ’Poison of Gods’! The most lawless district in all of Wuzhaoyin City."