China Union Embassy in Japan.
Reception room.
Sitting on the sofa, Lin Qi wiped his flat-framed glasses with a glasses cloth and sighed softly:
"Is that so? So the Class ultimately ended up in the hands of that person from the Hidden Management Department after all?"
Across from Lin Qi, Kazuma Yagami stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the nearby Japanese Imperial Palace as he calmly stated:
"This development should have been within your expectations, shouldn't it?"
Lin Qi didn't answer, merely lowering his head to continue wiping his glasses.
Seeing this, Kazuma Yagami turned his gaze sideways to look at him:
"Speaking of which, there's something I'm quite curious about."
"What is it?" Lin Qi turned to look at Kazuma Yagami.
At this moment, Kazuma Yagami asked curiously:
"I don't seem to have seen you in the True Dragon Legacy competition?"
"Was it because you had already anticipated this outcome?"
"No, it wasn't anticipation beforehand." Lin Qi's expression became particularly complicated, even carrying a hint of frustration: "Actually, I was indeed at the Akihabara building site at the time."
"Eh?" Kazuma Yagami looked over in surprise: "You were present but weren't pulled into that True Dragon's corpse world? What happened?"
Regarding this, Lin Qi said with a depressed expression: "Something did happen."
"Wasn't it because that Chaos Bride invited by the American Union suddenly made a move and exchanged blows with someone inside the building?"
Kazuma Yagami nodded and asked puzzledly:
"There seems to have been such an incident. The other party appeared to be that person from the Hidden Management Department. What about it?"
At this moment, Lin Qi put on his glasses and pushed them up with his middle finger as he said:
"I was blown out of the building by the shockwave from their clash..."
Kazuma Yagami: "..."
Almost laughed...
So he was blown away. That's why he didn't join the fight?
Kazuma Yagami stifled a laugh, his expression somewhat awkward as he said:
"That's actually a good thing, isn't it?"
"After all, when the final reckoning came, over a thousand people had entered that Abyss world, but only about fifteen survived."
"Considering that, not going might have been for the best?"
However, upon hearing this, Lin Qi tapped the tea table before him and explained with serious eyes:
"No, the total participants in this legacy competition reached 1,200 people, and the number of survivors has already exceeded fifty."
Hearing this, Kazuma Yagami frowned: "How did that happen?"
At this moment, Lin Qi said calmly:
"You returned to reality through the passage that Director Luo from the Hidden Management Department opened at the core of the True Dragon's corpse, correct?"
"That's right." Kazuma Yagami nodded, then realised something and said in surprise: "Don't you need to go through the passage at the core to return to reality?"
"That's possible, but it might not be the only case."
Lin Qi narrowed his eyes, took out his phone, glanced at it, and said calmly:
"According to feedback from some secretly captured survivors, they suddenly returned to reality. Based on estimates, the timing should have been after your return."
Hearing Lin Qi say this, Kazuma Yagami immediately understood what he was implying:
"Someone gained control of the True Dragon's corpse? Was it Director Luo from the Hidden Management Department?"
Regarding this, Lin Qi just glanced at Kazuma Yagami and reminded:
"Don't say things that aren't conducive to unity."
"Alright, alright, since you put it that way, I won't say anymore."
Kazuma Yagami spread his hands, then shrugged helplessly:
"But with such a big commotion this time and so many casualties, yet without any gains, it won't be easy to explain to the domestic authorities, right?"
"You're correct. If there really were no gains, it would indeed be difficult to explain."
Hearing Lin Qi say this, Kazuma Yagami looked at him, somewhat surprised:
"It seems something has happened that I don't know about."
"Just some friends who can't openly reveal themselves sent some things, that's all."
Lin Qi shook his head, showing no intention to elaborate further on the matter:
"You just need to know that domestically, we'll only acknowledge that the True Dragon Legacy was obtained by Director Luo Shu of the Hidden Management Department."
Hearing this, Kazuma Yagami completely understood Lin Qi's meaning:
"Well then, it seems our friends are truly resourceful."
...
In a French restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo.
Giada Kukulcan, eating escargots with gusto, said with an exasperated expression:
"So why did you have to tag along? Shouldn't you be returning to the British Union?"
Opposite Giada, the petite girl with straight golden hair, Evangeline, said with a nonchalant expression:
"Why go back? To that scammy place with terrible food? Go back to eat potatoes?"
"I've finally understood - those humans are completely unreliable."
Saying this, Evangeline glanced at Giada before her, her tone full of mockery as she said:
"Speaking of which, you seem to be an emperor of an empire, right? How about it? Mind having one more Primogenitor lord?"
Hearing this, Giada said with some surprise: "I'm a bit curious, why would you think of coming to me?"
Evangeline smiled at this point and said: "We're all the same kind, sticking together for mutual support - is that really so strange?"
Hearing Evangeline's words, Krul, who was nearby, let out a derisive snort:
"Hey now, don't just casually equate me with you lot..."
After saying this, Krul muttered under her breath:
"This makes it seem like we're really strong or something."
Evangeline turned her head and looked at Krul with surprise, asking curiously:
"You should be a Primogenitor too, right? Converted to this world's system, you should be at Hero Rank, no? Can that really be considered weak?"
"Hero Rank?" Krul's expression immediately filled with disdain: "Could it withstand even a single finger from a Demigod?"
"The weak should have awareness of their weakness, shouldn't they?"
"That's true. Weak existences need to gather into groups to survive better."
After clearing the escargot in front of her, Giada wiped the corner of her mouth with a hot towel, then narrowed her eyes and said:
"However, before we form a group, there's one thing I'd still like to confirm."
Hearing this, both Evangeline and Giada looked over simultaneously.
Just at that moment, Giada's right hand suddenly flickered, and a clamped envelope appeared between her fingers.
Seeing this, Krul asked curiously: "What's this?"
"Nothing much... When teleporting back to reality, that girl called Sun Seto shoved this into my hand."
Giada spread open the envelope and looked inside, her expression immediately becoming particularly amused:
"My, my, it seems my psychology has been precisely grasped."
Hearing this, Evangeline curiously looked at the envelope in Giada's hand. Being too short, she simply stepped onto the chair and stretched her head to look.
And Giada didn't stop her, allowing Evangeline to proceed.
Just then, Evangeline saw a sentence on the envelope:
[Want to obtain a Class?]
Seeing this, Evangeline froze for a moment, then her expression turned peculiar:
"What is this? An invitation? An attempt to recruit?"
"Tch, I can't help feeling slightly annoyed!!"
Although she understood that this invitation letter existed because of Giada's strength, when she compared her own empty hands to Giada's, Evangeline felt somewhat unbalanced.
However, just then, Giada said with a smile:
"Shall we go together?"
Evangeline narrowed her eyes, turned her head, and looked at Krul beside her.
At that moment, Krul calmly played with her nails and said:
"Anyway, it's not like we have anything to do recently, right?"
Evangeline deeply agreed with this:
"That's true indeed!"