Mr. Smith also slowed down the car and turned his head to ask, “Which building’s entrance should I stop at up ahead?”

As they approached Qingyun District, the once straight and clear road split into several branches, each leading to different areas.

“No need to stop, just circle around Qingyun District. Let’s take a look at the scenery here.”

“Circle around? Sightseeing? Are you two planning to buy a house here?” Mr. Smith asked, naturally receiving no response. Still, he persisted, cracking jokes in the tone of an old Tianjing local, giving his opinions on the feng shui and housing prices of the area, which made the woman in the back seat increasingly irritated.

From above, Qingyun District looked square and orderly, but in reality, its levels rose and fell gracefully, resembling a mountain rising from the ground. Dozens of courtyard-style villas were scattered across different scenic spots, and the hover car cruised leisurely along the lowest ring road.

Mr. Smith, driving, commented, “Every house here is worth hundreds of millions of credit points. I have no idea what kind of people live here. I do know that David Cooper, who runs Tiantong Port, lives here. But a professor died on his turf recently, so he’s probably in trouble. There’s also Grace Miller, who’s in the pharmaceuticals business, and the movie star Ethan Brooks. Oh, and I’ve heard the entire Wen family from the Wen Group lives here too—the one on the west side is theirs.”

Hearing the Wen Group mentioned, the two in the back seat were slightly stirred. The man lifted his head a bit, “You know the Wen family?”

“All old Tianjing folks know them—a bunch of nouveau riche outsiders, really heartless with their wealth. Their butler once hired a car and only paid two thousand a day at most, stingy as hell.”

The woman in the back seat almost wanted to jump up and smack him. Two thousand a day and you still think it’s not enough? Just how greedy can you people get!

Before long, the hover car reached the back side of Qingyun District, just in time to see the Wen family’s mansion. The woman looked up out the window, her hand resting on the frame of her light-colored sunglasses, silent.

The driver saw this in the rearview mirror and chuckled, “Miss, those are camera glasses, are you thinking of taking a photo as a souvenir? The villas in the upper city aren’t easy to photograph—many of them have digital interference, so all you get is a mosaic.”

The woman said nothing, just kept touching the frame, her gaze locked on an especially luxurious villa. After a moment, a glint of light seemed to flash across her lenses.

Then, she took a stick-shaped portable computer from her student-like backpack, pulled out a light screen, and a waterfall of symbols began to flow across it. With one hand, she operated it rapidly, her five slender fingers pulling out a blur of afterimages, making the driver marvel at how people with training really were different.

Soon, more and more symbols rolled across the light screen. The woman’s lips curled into a faint smile, but the man riding with her grew visibly more alert, sitting up straighter.

After a while, the woman nodded, put the computer back in her backpack, and took off her glasses, revealing a pair of clear eyes.

……

Qingyun District was large, its square ring road over ten kilometers long. The hover car cruised slowly, taking half an hour to complete the circuit. Afterwards, the driver stopped at the entrance to Qingyun District and asked, “Where to next?”

The man said, “Go to Yinshi District. Find us a place to eat.”

“Yinshi District, huh?” Mr. Smith looked up. “Alright, but I’m not too familiar with that area…”

“That’s fine, just go there first,” the man said, frowning impatiently.

“Alright, please sit tight.” Mr. Smith stepped on the accelerator, speeding up the old hover car.

But halfway there, a red barrier suddenly dropped across the small road ahead, with a row of vehicles stopped in front of it. Mr. Smith froze, his face changing instantly. “No way, are they checking ride-hailing cars in the upper city too?”

However, the man and woman in the back seat were clearly even more nervous. They exchanged a glance, both becoming highly alert. The man said coldly, “Please take another route.”

Mr. Smith nodded hurriedly, “Even if you didn’t say so, I’d have to detour. Let me see which way to go…”

But before he could step on the gas, the hover car suddenly jolted, and a hand appeared out of nowhere on the car window!

“Sorry to trouble you, but please stop the car.”

A gentle and polite voice drifted into the car, but it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

“Who’s there?!”

The driver shuddered all over and turned his head, only to see a young man standing outside, one hand on the car door, smiling gently.

But when he’d parked earlier, there hadn’t been anyone within dozens of meters. Where had this young man come from?!

At the same time, a sharp look flashed in the eyes of the man and woman in the back seat. The woman quickly reached for the door, only to find it was locked.

“Open the door!” the woman snapped at the front seat, her right hand shaped like a knife, ready to strike at any moment.

Mr. Smith also realized something was wrong and hurried to unlock the door, but as soon as his finger touched the control screen, it filled with red X’s and error messages—completely unresponsive.

“Damn it, did this piece of junk just crash?!”