Chapter 52: Invitation

"There's no need for idle chatter. I have no connection with Perpetual Night's Lament. What else do you want?" Alister responded to Qingxian without backing down, appearing ready to fight.

"I don't want anything." Qingxian had no intention of delving into the matter of "Shadow." "I just want you to know that deceiving Bureau Seventeen will make you regret it for the rest of your life."

"Alright, alright. The moonlight is beautiful, and I won't disturb your patrol. Goodbye." Alister walked towards the street on the right.

"Hold on." Qingxian didn't move, but her gaze shifted to "Shadow." "Where did the member of Perpetual Night's Lament go?"

The evening breeze embraced the roadside trees, and the leaves swayed endlessly, casting fragmented shadows on the road.

After a moment, Alister sighed and glanced at the spot where Himizuki had disappeared, lazily answering, "She was just here chatting with me. You can go after her yourself."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Qingxian nodded with an emotionless tone, then stepped forward with her slender legs, arriving at the spot where Himizuki had performed spatial transfer. Spiritual energy converged, and she, too, dissipated into nothingness.

Like clouds and mist blown away by the wind, Qingxian's every move carried the ethereal aura of a cultivator.

Alister looked back at the spot where the two had disappeared, took a few sips of his sports drink as if nothing had happened, yawned, and also vanished in the welcoming shadows.

"Meow~" The cat from earlier squatted under the streetlight, observing everything.

...

...

The late night passed, and a new day dawned in City A. Yesterday night, there were no abnormalities in City A, at least on the surface.

"Blank," "Shadow Sovereign," "Ultimate Senses," "Ability Exchange"... Alister woke up in the morning and admired his ability panel.

"Shadow Sovereign" and "Ultimate Senses" needed no explanation. They were his core abilities, and he relied on them extensively in his actions.

The key was the D-rank "Ability Exchange," an ability that, despite being D-rank, could create miracles, just like when he exchanged blows with Li Luoshan.

"Ability users pay a certain price to obtain a corresponding increase in power."

The cost was not specifically defined, meaning any chips could be used as the price, be it numerical values, abilities, lifespan, and so on.

Moreover, the description stated "corresponding increase in power," indicating that there was no upper limit to the power that could be exchanged. The higher the cost, the stronger the power gained.

If Alister currently possessed an S-rank item and used it as the cost, he might be able to directly obtain S-rank power—but unfortunately, this was an unproven speculation.

Alister was just a lone player without any influential backing, and he didn't possess any valuable chips. He was truly empty-handed.

While Alister was contemplating, he suddenly realized something and took out the mysterious card from his discarded jacket. The card that Himizuki used to hire him, containing a black market bank card with 50 million in funds.

"Prompt: The cost cannot be revoked. Pay the cost?"

No, no, no, Alister couldn't bear to use up the mysterious card like that. He had to use every item obtained in the game carefully and thoughtfully.

He suddenly felt a sense of achievement, as if he was playing a strategy game...

Alister contemplated the bright morning sunlight outside the French windows, carefully put away the mysterious card, and placed it in the hidden pocket inside his clothes.

He could now consider himself as someone with an ace up his sleeve, not an easy feat...

As Alister sighed in this manner, feeling relaxed, he received a suspicious call from the Human Resources Department of the Himesaki Group, labeled on his phone.

Was his identity exposed? That was Alister's first reaction.

It shouldn't be, probably not... Alister reined in his emotions.

With caution, Alister picked up his phone and answered the call. After a moment, a competent and cold female voice came through.

"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Alister? I am the head of the Human Resources Department at the Himesaki Group. Do you have some time? I would like to have a chat with you."

"What's the matter?" Alister asked, using the tone of an ordinary person at home.

"Well, there is an important vacancy in our organization, and according to the group's research, you are a highly qualified candidate," the person on the other end said sincerely.

"I'm not interested, but thanks for the offer," Alister had no intention of finding a job at the moment.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a confident and smooth tone:

"Mr. Alister, according to the group's research, you are an exceptionally talented graduate of A City University, yet after graduating, you haven't sought any employment and have spent the past three years living a leisurely and carefree life..."

"What are you trying to say?" Alister didn't like someone investigating his life.

"There is a position that perfectly suits your lifestyle, or you could say it's a purely leisurely job. Are you sure you won't consider it? The salary can be negotiated." The person extended the invitation once again.

It seemed to make sense. However, the security of the situation still remained uncertain. Alister couldn't understand why the Himesaki Group would need someone like him for a position.

"...Fine, I'll consider it. When should we meet?" Alister approached the invitation with a trial mindset.

The person on the other end seemed to be checking her work schedule. After a second, she confirmed, "1:00 PM today. I will be waiting for you at Moonbucks Café in the city center, at Table 17."

"Understood, I'll be there," Alister ended the call.

"A purely leisurely job... It seems quite suitable for me," Alister muttered, conducting a search on the internet for the department structure of the Himesaki Group.

Clicking on the first result, a schematic diagram of the group's department structure appeared before his eyes, revealing a strict and standard layout. It was highly competitive.

"No departments matching the qualifications... I can't figure it out."

Alister turned off his phone screen, walked to the living room's French windows, and gazed at the morning view of City A.

If he discarded the preconceived notion of being hired as a factory worker, the possibilities were reduced to three: either the person was lying, or it was an extremely secretive department, or the position had been established recently and hadn't been updated on the internet...

"Forget it, thinking too much is pointless. The truth will be revealed this afternoon..."

Alister, bathed in the morning sunlight, stretched his body, watered the potted plant by the window, and then turned on the LCD TV in the living room.

"In recent news, our country has achieved a major breakthrough in the field of technology... The representative of the Northern Continent Federation, Dawn Consortium, is embarking on a visit... Discussions will be held regarding technological cooperation in the relevant fields..."

With the background sound of the morning news lingering, Alister responded to Fujitani Nisuke's invitation for a one-on-one battle, opening the game interface of Douhuang...

"Alister, witness my latest move!" Fujitani Nisuke boasted as he turned on his microphone.

"...," Alister looked at him selected "Kamen Rider."