Dinner consisted of two ounces of strong baijiu (Chinese liquor), two small side dishes, and a plate of braised meat—typical food from a small inn in ancient China.
After enjoying such a meal, Chen Xiao couldn't help but think of someone.
That girl who liked to jokingly refer to herself as "Sajia," that quirky girl who walked into the coffee shop, slammed her hand on the table, yelled "Waiter!" and demanded sliced beef.
Hmm, Phoenix... if she came here, she would definitely find it very interesting.
Aside from the initial novelty, the rooms in this small inn also filled Chen Xiao with a sense of novelty. In the evenings, a waiter would bring a bucket of hot water into the room for the guests to wash up…
Hmm. Let's just consider it an experience of retro style.
The next morning, Chen Xiao and Lao Tian were woken up by knocking on the door. He got up, opened the door, and was stunned for a moment.
Champagne. The inn's female owner stood at the door. What amused Chen Xiao was that this clearly pretty girl, in the early morning when there was hardly any sun and she was standing indoors, was wearing the same pair of sunglasses he had bought from her yesterday.
These Ray-Ban sunglasses are men's style, and they look rather odd on a girl's face—not to mention her outfit is really mismatched: a Chinese-style floral dress, braided hair...
"Awake?" Champagne smiled warmly at Chen Xiao. He was probably quite pleased with the sunglasses he'd bought.
"...You're awake." Chen Xiao rubbed his eyes. "Excuse me..."
“Someone wants to see you. It’s a liaison from the service center headquarters.” Champagne smiled. “Get ready, they’re waiting downstairs at the door.”
"...Thank you." Chen Xiao opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. He really wanted to laugh, but he forced himself to hold it in.
“By the way…” Champagne was about to turn and leave, but then suddenly turned back, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Is this your first time on the island?”
"Um."
“That’s it. I’ve never seen you before. I know everyone on the island.” Champagne took off her sunglasses, a strange smile on her face: “Are you a superhuman?”
"I guess so." Chen Xiao nodded, glancing around the room. Old Tian must have already gotten up.
"You were born outside, you live outside... Is the outside world interesting?" Champagne sighed, a hint of regret in her beautiful eyes: "I've never been outside... My only knowledge of the outside world comes from a few magazines... By the way, do you have a TV at home? A refrigerator? A sports car?"
“…I’ve been through all of those.” Chen Xiao gave a bitter smile.
The girl's eyes immediately lit up, filled with longing.
Looking at the girl named Champagne, Chen Xiao suddenly felt a pang of sympathy: "Actually... why don't you go out and take a look?"
“I can’t go.” Champagne shrugged. “My family won’t allow it. Even my fashion magazines were obtained secretly—you probably already know that these things aren’t allowed to be sold in town.”
Her eyes seemed to hold a hint of sadness, but she quickly put on a bright smile again: "Alright! Hurry up and get ready, don't keep the contact person at the service center headquarters waiting... Oh, this contact person seems to have a bit of a temper."
As she spoke, she skipped and hopped toward the stairs. After a few steps, she turned back and asked, "You're planning to leave by boat in two or three days, right?"
“…Yes.” Chen Xiao nodded.
Of course, we'll leave by boat. If not by boat, are we supposed to take a plane? But I didn't see an airport on the island.
But Champagne had already gone downstairs humming a song.
"What did she say to you?" Old Tian, who had already dressed and come out at some point, was not noticed.
"Nothing much, they just asked me some strange questions... about the outside world."
"Sigh, poor little girl." Old Tian shook his head: "She always asks questions of everyone who comes from outside for the first time."
Ten minutes later, Chen Xiao and Lao Tian came out of the room and went downstairs. When they passed the lobby, Champagne, who was sitting behind the counter, made a face at Chen Xiao and stuck out her tongue cutely—of course, she was still wearing those sunglasses.
Chen Xiao and Lao Tian walked out of the inn, but when they saw what was at the door, he froze.
There was a car parked at the entrance!
car!
To be precise... this is a steam-powered automobile! It's open-top and has a large body.
Chen Xiao had only seen this kind of car in some movies. This kind of thing probably belongs to the category of antiques!
But it really is a car.
"Didn't you say that no one is allowed on the island..." Chen Xiao turned to ask Lao Tian.
“This rule in town was established a hundred years ago,” Old Tian replied with a smile. “So, steam cars existed before this rule was set. Therefore, it’s not considered a violation.”
Chen Xiao can also drive, and his family used to own a car. His best friend, Xu Ershao, is an even richer kid, owning several sports cars.
But Chen Xiao had never ridden in a steam-powered car before... let alone ridden in one, he had never even seen one (movies don't count).
However, when a person got out from behind the car, who was the contact person at the service agency's headquarters, Chen Xiao was stunned.
This was a woman with short hair, wearing a black leather suit, her face carrying a hint of coldness, and her eyes clearly showing a faint hostility and displeasure as she looked at Chen Xiao.
"You, you, it's you?" Chen Xiao couldn't help but exclaim.
"Hmph, it's me!" The woman stared at Chen Xiao for a long while before finally spitting out a sentence through gritted teeth: "If it weren't for you, how could I have been reduced to playing this role of a liaison here!"
This woman was none other than an old acquaintance of Chen Xiao's.
The guy who broke into Chen Xiao's house, tried to steal the "purification" potion, and was the first one whose superpowers were absorbed by Chen Xiao.
Black Seven!
"Don't worry, I won't retaliate against you... at least not on the island!" Black Seven gritted his teeth, staring at Chen Xiao: "But I won't forget you, kid! You made me lose my superpowers, my field operative position! And you also made me lose my number! I, the dignified leader of the Seventh Team of the Field Operations Group, have now been reduced to playing the role of a lowly liaison!"
Her eyes were like ice. She yanked open the car door and snorted, "Get in, kid."