Sky-cracking Rider

In the bustling crowd at the Los Angeles International Airport in the Golden State's Angel City, Chen Fei finally located the person meant to pick him up after dragging his luggage around, and coincidentally encountered a con artist impersonating him.

Luckily, he arrived just in time, and after verifying his identity with a phone call and showing his passport, the smooth-talking airport vagrant who was trying to scam a meal or even more was exposed.

In the end, infuriated and cursing, the fraudster wanted to get physical, but the person who came to pick Chen Fei up pretended to call the police, which made the scammer flee in embarrassment, not forgetting to spew obscenities and racist taunts along the way.

It was not uncommon for impostors to pretend to be the guests being fetched at the airport exit, and sometimes, suspicious individuals would pose as drivers, quietly whisking people away to secluded spots before both would vanish into thin air.

Jianghu is perilous, no matter where you are.

"Mr. Chen Fei, I'm truly sorry about earlier,"

the pickup driver kept apologizing profusely as he drove.

He had almost picked up the wrong person and jeopardized his own job, clearly realizing that in future similar tasks, he would need to be more cautious.

Chen Fei generously replied, "It's alright, I'm in the car on time, aren't I?"

If it weren't a foreign country where calling the police might cause delays, he would have punched that vagabond hard enough to make him question his life choices.

Two hours later, the driver had brought Chen Fei to his destination, a private club near Santa Monica Beach.

The whole club had been booked, and at the entrance, not only were there imposing elite bodyguards, but also privately hired police officers with enforcement powers, who set up the security cordon thirty meters away from the club's main entrance.

"Wow!"

Chen Fei couldn't help expressing his astonishment at such tight security.

"Don't worry, they'll let us through."

As they drove through the police cordon and approached the club's entrance, the driver rolled down the window to let the bodyguards scan both his and Chen Fei's facial features and for deeper identification with their devices.

These gadgets were professional, capable of identifying anyone who had undergone facial surgery at first glance—unless it was an identical twin, disguises stood almost no chance of fooling the system.

"Chen Fei?"

The lead bodyguard scrutinized him vigilantly.

The other bodyguards circled the vehicle repeatedly with their scanning equipment.

"That's me!"

Chen Fei confirmed calmly from the back seat.

Seeing the level of security, if the driver had brought the impostor, he would probably have gotten no further; the airport vagrant might deceive the driver, but not the professional bodyguards.

Without further interrogation, the lead bodyguard stepped back and waved his hand.

"Clear!"

The other bodyguards stepped aside.

"That's how it is. Big shots tend to be extra cautious. Um, I shouldn't say too much, I don't know anything anyway."

The driver knew it was safer the less he knew.

Only a fool would pry into things they shouldn't know.

"I understand!"

Coming from a working-class background, Chen Fei was no stranger to such grand affairs, having experienced them more than once.

Finally, the vehicle came to a stop at the club entrance. The driver was quick to get out, open the door for Chen Fei, then retrieve and wheel the luggage to him—true door-to-door service.

"Here we are!"

The driver smiled obsequiously, rubbing his hands together.

"Thank you!"

Chen Fei handed him a ten-Star Yuan note.

Things were pricey in the American Federation, and so were tips.

"Sir, would you like some help?"

The doorman waiting at the entrance extended his hand with a professionally warm smile, offering to take Chen Fei's luggage.

Another one looking for a tip.

"No need, I can manage my own luggage."

Chen Fei shook his head, declining to give the doorman the opportunity to earn a tip.

"Very well! Please come in!"

The doorman's smile remained unchanged as he promptly opened the door for him, greeting him with a bow.

Within the tightly secured club, which had its own guest rooms, Chen Fei had just settled his luggage when he was taken to meet the client.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

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"We've talked for so long, and finally, the agreement is signed."

"But we still have to be wary of the Federation people reneging on the deal; even a written contract might not be enough."

"That's why we need a specialized defense company!"

"Report, people from Jiu Defense have arrived."

"Oh, let them in!"

Through the thick wooden door, Chen Fei could faintly hear voices inside; the gap was quickly widened until the door was fully open.

A middle-aged man with a goatee introduced Chen Fei to the small group inside the parlor, "This is the supernatural power user from Jiu Defense Company, Chen Fei."

"Li Xingxing?"

Chen Fei's gaze fell on one of the young men, and he blurted out the name.

The man was none other than Little Shanzi's childhood friend; Chen Fei hadn't expected to encounter him here.

Thud!~

The young man immediately sprayed his tea all over his elder sister.

His elder sister got soaked on the spot.

"Li! Xing! Xing!"

Miss Li Wanjiji's eyebrows shot up in anger as she grabbed her little brother's neck and started squeezing with force.

"Mercy, mercy, I didn't mean to, I didn't..."

The mischievous Li Xingxing immediately rolled his eyes back.

"Stop, stop, somebody's going to get killed!"

"Calm down, calm down, he's your own brother!"

Everyone in the room was stunned, and several people rushed to intervene, fearing that continued strangling could actually lead to death.

What exactly was going on with these siblings, bickering so suddenly out of the blue?

"You two, isn't it enough already?"

A slightly older-looking young man frowned slightly and raised his voice.

The big sister immediately let go and reverted to sitting primly, yet she was still dripping with tea and grinding her teeth in silent fury.

"I'm dying, dying! Maybe I can still salvage this."

Li Xingxing looked like he'd narrowly escaped death's door, slumping onto the couch, nearly done for.

"Chen Fei? The Chen Fei from Chen Family Gate?"

The young man who put a stop to the impending tragedy finally turned his gaze to Chen Fei who had just entered the small reception room.

"That's right, it's me, and you are... Li Gaogao?"

Chen Fei observed Li Xingxing and his sister Li Wanjiji, noting the resemblance among the three of them.

The one with such prestige in the presence of the siblings was likely the rumored eldest brother of the Li Family, Li Gaogao. Brother and brother, happy and joyful, and the second child was a daughter who was given a name full of ancient charm rather than something as mundane as peace and safety.

"Yes, I am Li Gaogao! Please, take a seat!"

The young man immediately stood up, approached, and shook hands with Chen Fei, inviting him to sit down.

Turning back to Li Wanjiji, who was still dripping wet, he said, "Second sister, go change your clothes. Look at you, what a state."

Despite his young age, his tone carried an air of old-fashioned sternness.

Li Wanjiji shot her little brother a glare before gracefully standing and walking away from the reception room. Continue your adventure at empire

The eldest brother was like a father; Li Gaogao exerted fatherly authority over his siblings, eliciting obedience from them both.

"Uh! Vice President Li, you know each other?"

The middle-aged man with the goatee, who was introducing everyone in the reception room, looked surprised, as it turned out they all knew each other.

What a small world!

Li Xingxing scrutinized Chen Fei in disbelief and said, "Chen Fei, weren't you going to get a job? How did you end up at Jiu Defense?"

Chen Haishang from Chen Family had incurred a substantial debt, leading Chen Fei to give up on postgraduate studies and work to pay it off. This was no secret in the local circle centered around Chen Shan.

Logically speaking, Chen Fei should have been working domestically, but seeing him unexpectedly in the American Federation, thousands of miles away, was beyond Li Xingxing's expectation; the world was really too small.

"That's right! I'm working now!"

Chen Fei shrugged nonchalantly.

If it weren't for Jiu Defense Company picking up this job, he'd probably be boarding an international flight back to Xingdu Kush Mountain Area by now.

Li Gaogao, the eldest brother of the Li Family, settled back into his seat and nonchalantly proposed, "Why don't you come work with us? I'll offer you a high salary!"

Recruiting a supernatural power user for Tianjiu Finance Company, and someone from Chen Family Gate at that, would definitely be a profitable deal.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm pretty happy with my current situation," Chen Fei declined politely while shaking his head.

Li Xingxing, who had finally recovered his composure, exclaimed wide-eyed, "Hey! Chen Fei, don't you have debts? Tianjiu Finance will pay you a million a year; you could pay off your family's debt in a few years. Won't you seriously consider it?"

A salary of a million Star Yuan was quite generous for a supernatural power user.

Ordinary people earn just twenty to thirty thousand Star Yuan a year, so a million a year could afford a house worth tens of millions.

With a house, wouldn't it be easy to find a girlfriend? And being a supernatural power user, you'd have the natural advantage of being an excellent prospect. Get a beautiful girlfriend, a wife, kids, and a warm bed – wouldn't that make you a winner in life?

Chen Fei, belonging to Chen Haishang's branch of the Chen Family, came from a true working-class background. Shouldn't he be jumping at such an offer without hesitation?

"Sorry, but the debt I owe is personal, and my boss is quite understanding. I'm not considering changing jobs at the moment."

Since the creditor was not pressing for payment and not charging interest, the little savings Chen Fei had were just enough to cover potential interest charges, which left him feeling pretty content.

Moreover, having just received company-sponsored training, it would be decidedly unscrupulous to leave so soon.

"Heh, no worries, the doors of the Li Family are always open to you!"

Li Gaogao was not offended and smoothly transitioned to the matter at hand, "Regarding this escort mission, Tianjiu Finance is merely acting as a guarantee agency; we are not the true client."

Business is business, and being a representative of Jiu Defense, Chen Fei couldn't compromise on the mission due to personal affiliations.

Chen Fei nodded and said, "No problem, I'm just here to fulfill my duties and won't pry into anything else."

Before coming here, Boss Hana had provided quite a lot of instructions via email and phone to ensure that he could independently negotiate this mission.

"That's great!"

Li Gaogao was pleased with Chen Fei's attitude. After a moment of hesitation, he inquired cautiously, "May I ask, are you truly a Grade B supernatural power user?"

This speculation was not from others but from his own brother, Li Xingxing.

However, his brother and his close friends viewed Chen Fei's claim as boasting and never took it seriously, treating it as a joke to tease each other about.

Therefore, the information Li Gaogao had received prior to this was limited to the fact that Chen Fei was a supernatural power user; he didn't know much else.

After all, Jiu Defense had more than one supernatural power user, and he had thought that General Manager Hanna would personally handle it. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Chen Fei from Chen Family Gate.

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