“Xinda Network is just one floor above us—what a coincidence. I’m from Baiqiao Cosmetics. My name is Linda Scott.” Linda Scott smiled and reached out her hand, shaking William Carter’s lightly.

She had long since grown tired of playing on her phone with her best friend. Now that she’d run into someone—someone from the same park, even the same building—it felt like fate, so she took the opportunity to put down her phone and find something to talk about. After all, that was better than being dragged into more phone games.

She was here accompanying her best friend back to their hometown for a visit.

She’d heard that the hot springs in Guixi Town were especially nice, so they came to soak for a few days. She even took one of her twice-a-year vacations just for this.

But after only two days, she was forcibly called back to work by her company.

Although her supervisor promised compensation, being yanked out of her vacation like that still left her feeling annoyed.

“I’m William Carter. What brings you here?” William Carter replied with a smile.

“Soaking in the hot springs, just relaxing a bit,” Linda Scott answered.

“Hot springs, huh? There are quite a few good ones around here—Maple Leaf Hot Spring, White Crystal Hot Spring, Fengshan Hot Spring, all pretty nice.”

William Carter casually listed a few places, and the two of them started chatting about the pros and cons of the different hot springs.

As they talked, the conversation drifted from the hot springs in Guixi Town to the local specialties, and then to the martial arts school run by William Carter’s grandfather.

When she heard that his grandfather actually owned a martial arts school, Linda Scott and the other girl became very interested and started asking about the details.

These days, martial arts schools are pretty unfamiliar to most people.

Whatever William Carter said, the two girls listened with amazement. Even the girl who’d been glued to her phone put it down and joined the conversation.

Before long, the three of them were getting along well.

Besides Linda Scott, the other girl was named Sarah Young. She had a baby face and a petite figure—if not for her business attire, you’d think she was a high school student just by looking at her.

Sarah Young’s family lived in Guixi Town. She’d come back this time to renovate their old house, since the property was in her name and she needed to handle some paperwork.

Just as William Carter was chatting happily with the two girls, a crisp ringtone suddenly sounded from his pocket.

He quickly took out his phone and checked the message.

‘Minister, there’s a suspicious person approaching you.’ —Jane.

William Carter checked the car’s departure time: 10:20. There were four minutes left before departure.

“What is it? Someone looking for you?” Linda Scott asked curiously, noticing that William Carter had been looking at his phone for a while.

“No,” William Carter replied nonchalantly, lifting his head and forcing himself to calm his racing heart.

Sure enough, from this moment on, the forces behind Zhong Can had already set their sights on him.

He thought for a moment, about to reply quickly.

Just then, another message came from Jane.

‘Should I take him out?’ —Jane.

Take… take him out…!!?

William Carter’s heart pounded wildly.

His previously calm expression finally began to change.

If the system-assigned identity had only made him feel surprised and caught off guard before, without any real sense of what it meant—

Now, with this simple question from his subordinate, he truly realized the kind of power and authority he held.

A human life, yet in Jane’s mouth, it sounded so light, as if it weighed nothing at all.

‘The suspicious target is within fifty meters of you. Do you want to use official resources, or handle it covertly?’ —Jane.

William Carter took a deep breath, pressed his back firmly against the seat, sat up straight, and closed his eyes slightly.

‘I want him alive,’ he replied briefly.

‘Also, try not to cause a disturbance. This is the Mien Federation, not the Maria Islands where headquarters is located.’

‘Understood.’ —Jane.

Chapter 006: Clear Awareness (Part 2)

He swiftly locked his phone screen.

William Carter turned his head to look out the window.

People were boarding the vehicle in a steady stream, coming and going. There was no way to tell who was the suspicious person and who were members of Jane’s team.

Suddenly, he felt something poking his back.

He turned to look and, through the gap in the seat, saw a little boy in the back row staring at him, poking a chocolate stick through the gap.

The chocolate stick left a small stain on William Carter’s light-colored T-shirt.

When the boy realized his mischief had been discovered, he quickly looked up with a sheepish smile.

William Carter smiled back.

“Is this for me?” he asked.

The boy blinked, sensing trouble, but it was too late. William Carter quickly grabbed the chocolate stick and snatched it away.

Crunch.

William Carter popped the chocolate stick into his mouth. Watching the boy’s face crumple, he heard crying from behind.

He smiled and sat back in his seat.

“Finished your call? You hadn’t finished what you were saying earlier, had you?” Linda Scott, who had seen the whole scene, covered her mouth and laughed, steering the conversation back to the topic they’d been interested in before.