Surprise

Inside the dimly lit room. Long Ming opened his eyes and took off the helmet. He picked up his phone beside him to search online, looking for anywhere he could rent a game pod. As it turned out, Long Ming did find results: many star cafés offered game pod rentals, but none stated their prices. Sure enough, these merchants were formidable, sniffing out the business opportunity immediately. At the very moment the game launched, they used their resources and wealth to acquire game equipment and roll it out simultaneously. However, all these star cafés equipped with game pods were concentrated in the Upper City. Long Ming found himself in a bind. With the opening of Civilization Paradise, the number of applications to enter the Upper City had skyrocketed, making it very difficult to get approval. But giving up wasn't easy for him to accept, so he opened the application app. Soon an interface popped up. "Please state your reason for traveling to the Upper City." Long Ming was momentarily stumped, unsure what reason to give, and finally filled it out truthfully. "To visit a star café in the Upper City and use a game pod to play Civilization Paradise." After writing it, Long Ming immediately clicked send. In less than three seconds, his phone vibrated and a message appeared. "Dear Mr. Long Ming, your application for a temporary pass to the Upper City has been approved. It is valid for 96 hours. Please upload proof of consumption after your trip, or it will affect your future applications." Seeing the message that his application had been approved, Long Ming was greatly surprised. He hadn't expected it to pass so quickly. It had gone surprisingly smoothly. The next issue was the cost. Long Ming checked his bank card. He had only a little over 5,000 Shan coins left. Although he didn't know how star cafés charged for game pods, it certainly wouldn't be cheap. After all, the black-market price for game pods had been driven up to 5 million Shan coins. Thus, Long Ming was a little worried that the money on hand wouldn't be enough. He hesitated for a few seconds, then picked up his phone and sent Wang Yang a message, asking to borrow 10,000 Shan coins. After the message was sent, a reply came back within a few minutes. "Damn, it's rare to see you message me, and it turns out you're asking for a loan—I'm truly heartbroken. The money has been transferred to you. Tell me if it's not enough!" "Thanks." Long Ming typed a two-character reply, then checked the time. It was nearly twelve o'clock. After a few seconds of thought, he got up and headed to the bathroom, planning to shower and rest early so he could go to the Upper City star café tomorrow morning in peak condition and enter a game instance. The next morning. Long Ming wore a gray coat and a beige scarf as he walked out of the old apartment building. Although dawn had just broken, the streets were already full of busy pedestrians. Long Ming headed toward the nearby subway entrance. As he passed Happiness Shop, "Long Ming!" Boss Zhao called out enthusiastically. "Boss, is something the matter?" Long Ming paused slightly, stopped, and asked. "Where are you headed so early?" "I'm going to the Upper City to take care of something." "Oh, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Take two buns to eat on the way." Boss Zhao took a bag, put two meat buns in it, and handed them to Long Ming. "Thanks. How much? I'll transfer you the money." Long Ming accepted them. "Oh come on, you're a regular customer. I won't charge you for two buns." Zhao Ku laughed and pushed Long Ming, telling him to hurry along. "Then thanks." Seeing that Zhao Ku had put it that way, Long Ming stopped standing on ceremony. Eating a bun as he walked, he headed toward the subway entrance. Not long after, Long Ming successfully boarded the subway and was fortunate enough to find a seat. "Dear passengers, the train is about to depart. Please watch for bumps." Listening to the announcement, Long Ming leaned back in his seat, his thoughts drifting. Upper City, Phantom Sea Villa. Bright sunlight fell upon the exquisite villa. The entire villa was filled with roses, and a lush ginkgo tree stood at its center. In a corner lay an artificial stream, where several koi swam leisurely. At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a black brocade robe, wearing a string of black gemstones on his wrist, with a high-bridged nose and sharp eyes, scattered fish food into the stream bit by bit. Many koi gathered together, competing for the scattered fish food. At that moment, a butler in a tailcoat with a full head of white hair led Deputy City Lord Xiao Ning to the man's side and reported respectfully. "Young Master Qian Wu, Deputy City Lord Xiao Ning has arrived." Qian Wu raised his hand slightly. Butler Ainka immediately withdrew respectfully. Xiao Ning looked at Qian Wu, who was feeding the fish, and said with a smile. "Second Young Master, you truly have elegant tastes." "I'm just idling. What wind brought you here today?" Qian Wu turned to look at Deputy City Lord Xiao Ning with some curiosity. "I met the City Lord not long ago." "How is he?" "The City Lord's health is worsening. I expect he's near his limit." Xiao Ning glanced around to confirm no one else was present, then lowered his voice. "Do my elder brother and the others know this news?" "They should know. Deputy City Lord Ikas would likely have told him." "I understand. I'll start preparing to deal with my elder brother and the others." Hearing Xiao Ning's words, Qian Wu's eyes revealed a hint of barely perceptible excitement. "Second Young Master, while the Eldest Young Master and the others do need to be dealt with, that isn't the most troublesome matter." "Oh? How so?" "I think your father is the most troublesome. Although he is terminally ill, that doesn't mean he has given up—his will to live is extraordinarily strong. Now he has placed all his hopes on Civilization Paradise, sending out all his experts to try to find gene potions to prolong his life." Xiao Ning said to Qian Wu with a smile. "Mm, I understand." Qian Wu nodded in response. At that moment, a handsome young man wearing a black vest and blue shirt walked over and said respectfully. "Father, Master Xiao." "Qian Wei, how did you handle the matter I entrusted to you?" Qian Wu glanced at his son and asked indifferently. "Father, I have opened many star cafés and clubs as you instructed, recruiting as many experts as possible, but..." Qian Wei hesitated while reporting. "Speak." "It's like this. My cousins have also opened many star cafés and clubs, competing with us and poaching people." "I understand. I'll give you more funds and equipment. You should know what to do." Qian Wu replied in a cold tone. "Understood, Father. You can count on me!" Qian Wei replied excitedly. — Upper City. Long Ming appeared on Guangwei Street. The entire street was bustling, filled with fashionable young women everywhere. Gothic-style buildings made of gray rock stood along both sides of the street. In the distance stood a towering skyscraper, with a massive advertising screen at the very top playing the latest ad. "Eternal Club is now recruiting all ambitious individuals to join hands in developing Civilization Paradise. Excellent pay and benefits. Inquire for details." Long Ming gazed at the street before him, and for a moment his mind felt somewhat hazy.