Rejecting an Invitation, So many gazes

Having dropped off his parcel and message to their intended target, Wang Xu was now walking the halls of the gaming studio with a laidback expression.

He had just made good on his end of the deal with Department Head Shirona and now he was free to spend his lunch in a relaxed manner. That isn't to say that he found having lunch with her to be an issue, but that he wanted her to take some time to think about the events that took place on the previous night.

While he wasn't a part of their conflict initially, his interference was bound to result in some backlash later on. For now, he wants her to focus on gaining some strength, no matter how little she can before the next incident takes place. That was the least Wang Xu could do for her after getting involved.

After thinking up to that point, Wang Xu also remembered the events that transpired afterward, which caused him to release a few chuckles. That resulted in a few persons walking by him to glance at him with strange eyes, something which he acted oblivious to.

After completing his rounds, Wang Xu didn't immediately head back to the security office for lunch. Instead, he opted to head to the roof of the building.

Roughly five minutes later, Wang Xu found himself standing before the door to the rooftop. He took a moment to clear his mind before opening the door. Upon doing so, his eyes were immediately attracted to the beauty of the vast blue skies with a few fluffy white clouds flowing along with the current of the winds.

That isn't to say that he rarely saw the beauty of the skies during the days, but rather it was a scene that always remained fresh within his eyes, no matter how often he sees it. Sadly, with him being in the city, the amount of sky that he was allowed to see from the rooftop was quite limited. Even then, Wang Xu still enjoyed the bit that he was able to see.

While Wang Xu was off in his own world, on another section of the roof, there were a pair of eyes staring daggers into his back. This went on for a few seconds, prompting Wang Xu to awaken from his reverie.

Releasing a sigh, Wang Xu turned towards the source of the stare, only to see a familiar figure looking his way. A bespectacled woman was currently looking in his direction with a pair of chopsticks in her hand.

Seeing this, a wry smile formed on Wang Xu's face as he spoke in a reserved tone, "Sorry for disturbing your lunch, Secretary Yin."

The now identified Secretary Yin looked at Wang Xu for a few moments before speaking up in an equally reserved tone, "It's not a problem, Mr. Wang."

Like that, both sides sank in silence. On one side there was a bespectacled woman taking small bites of her lunch and staring at the man before her with a leveled gaze. As for the other, the man was trying and failing miserably at enjoying the view of the sky due to feeling the woman's gaze poking holes into his body.

After a few minutes of dealing with this awkwardness, Wang Xu finally had enough of it. With an awkward expression on his face, Wang Xu spoke, "I'll be taking my leave now, Secretary Yin."

Just as he turned around and was about to walk away, Wang Xu heard Secretary Yin's voice.

"Wait!"

Wang Xu paused for a moment before turning back to face Secretary Yin. In doing so, he saw her packing away her lunchbox as she got up. He waited for her to finish as he watched her walk towards him.

Now standing roughly two feet apart, Wang Xu spoke up, "Is there anything that I can help you with, Secretary Yin?"

Instead of answering immediately, Secretary Yin just stared at Wang Xu, examining him from head to toe. This action of hers made Wang Xu puzzled, wondering just what exactly made Secretary Yin stop him.

After a few moments, Secretary Yin finally spoke up, "Mr. Wang, have you joined 'Immortal Era'?"

Hearing that question made Wang Xu blank out for a moment. He never thought that Secretary Yin would have asked him such a question.

Before he could answer, however, she continued, "If so, I'd like to recommend you for one of the positions that recently opened up in one of Sanming's Branch Guilds. You'd have to start at the bottom just like all of the new recruits but you would be earning an extra paycheck from the company. Besides that, you would also have the opportunity to rise in the ranks and join the company's main guild after making enough achievements."

At this point, Wang Xu more or less regained his composure and was listening to Secretary Yin's words. If he wasn't mistaken, due to the nature of the game, she thought that Wang Xu was probably one of those players that built their in-game characters similarly to their real bodies and that maybe he would make a good addition to their in-game staff as a potential fighter.

With those thoughts in mind, Wang Xu took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking up, "You are correct in thinking that I'm a player in 'Immortal Era', Secretary Yin. Unfortunately, I am quite satisfied with just being able to play the game at the moment, so I'll have to reject your kind intentions."

Hearing those words made Secretary Yin frown for a moment before asking, "Would you mind giving me a reason, Mr. Wang?"

"Certainly, Secretary Yin," Wang Xu answered with a relaxed expression. "I play Immortal Era as a means of relaxing after a hard day's work. Should I join a branch guild for the gaming studio and earning a paycheck from it, to me, that would feel like ending one shift at work, only to start another an hour later. That would defeat the purpose of me playing the game."

Wang Xu's words caused Secretary Yin to ponder for a moment before nodding her head. A calm expression formed on her face as she spoke, "I understand your point, Mr. Wang. Thank you for giving me your honest opinion on the matter."

"You're welcome, Secretary Yin. Though, it isn't something that you need to be thankful for," replied Wang Xu in a relaxed manner.

"Indeed it isn't but I am still thankful. Had I asked another security guard that question, I'm sure they would have jumped at the chance. But hearing your words made me realize that not everyone is interested in using that game to earn a bit of extra money."

"I wouldn't say there are many like me that are willing to turn down such an offer though, Secretary Yin. If anything, I'm just a strange exception to the rule."

"Understood, Mr. Wang. But do let me know if you change your mind, okay?"

"You'll be the first to know, Secretary Yin." After saying this, Wang Xu bid Secretary Yin farewell before entering the building. As for the bespectacled beauty, she remained on the roof and went back to eating her boxed lunch.

As she sat there, Secretary Yin couldn't help thinking to herself, "It's a pity. Going by how that game works and how people can interact with it, I'm sure that Wang Xu would end up being a strong player. Just based on my observations, he reminds me of a certain werewolf."

Unbeknownst to her, the man she was talking to was indeed the werewolf she was just thinking of but her figuring that out was for another day.

*******

The rest of the day passed with relative ease. Nothing out of the ordinary took place and the usual gossip mongers went about their day distracted with work. As for Wang Xu, after lunch had ended, he went back alternating between camera duty and doing rounds at odd times of the evening until it was finally time to clock out.

Having completed another day of work, Wang Xu went to the locker room and changed out of his security garb and back into his casual clothes. His movements were swift and he was already out of the door to the security station before anyone had even noticed.

As he was making his way through the lobby on the first floor, Wang Xu crossed paths with a few familiar faces. Those that knew him gave a nod in acknowledgment and those that didn't chose to ignore him. Wang Xu didn't pay any attention as he was now in a rush to get home.

Just as Wang Xu left the building and started making his way towards the subway, his eyebrows started to furrow. The reason behind this was that he could tell that he was being watched. And not just by one or two pairs of eyes either.

While it left a distaste in his mouth, Wang Xu chose to ignore those eyes. Had it been any other day or had they contained even the slightest trace of hostility, Wang Xu wouldn't have hesitated with dealing with those watching him but since they chose to just observe and kept a good distance from him, he'd let them off for the moment.

After crossing a few streets and turning some corners, Wang Xu's figure disappeared into the sea of people entering and leaving the subway station. This made those observing him fall back and report to whomever they were working for.

Among these groups of observers, there was one group made up of two women that were now seated in a cafe. The duo waited until their respective orders had arrived and the waitress had left to serve someone else before one of them spoke up.

"What are your thoughts about him this time, Sister Gwen?" the younger woman asked while taking a sip of her drink.

The older woman was silent for a moment before she commented, "Just like Daniel said, he gives off a dangerous vibe. I'm not sure how I missed it the first time but I could feel it much more clearly tonight."

The younger woman nodded slightly before taking a bite out of her snack. After she finished chewing, she spoke up in a quiet voice, "That's true, but I think that has more to do with the fact that we weren't the only ones with eyes on him tonight."

"Indeed, Jane. I'm not even sure of just how many there were but there were at least five different groups with eyes on him tonight. Worst of all is that I only noticed those five groups because they were too close to us," said the red-haired woman now biting into her snack.

The younger woman nodded as she took another sip of her drink. She then placed down her cup as she spoke, "I'll report what happened to my father later. For now, we should think of possible countermeasures for the future, lest we end up being discovered and mistaken for enemies by all those involved."

After saying this, both women sank into contemplation as they ate their respective snacks. Each had their own thoughts on what had transpired earlier and now they had to decide on how they would go about dealing with it.

Naturally, these two women are Jane and Gwen, two of the six individuals that belonged to Carlos' group. By the looks of it, they were tasked with observing Wang Xu while he's at work during the days. As for Carlos and the other three men, they're most likely doing similar jobs for other targets in other sections of the city.

*******

Wang Xu was finally standing before his apartment building. He didn't immediately enter as he wanted to make sure that there weren't any traps set in the area. After circling the block a few times and checking via unique methods for possible traps and ambushes, unseen of course, he finally entered the building and went to his apartment.

Along the way, he contemplated just who could have possibly been watching him when he left work. He could tell that most of those that were watching him were probably from the Katsuji Clan based on the kind of reaction he received from their stares but it is because there were at least three different reactions that bothered him.

After contemplating it for a while without being able to figure it out, Wang Xu threw those matters to the back of his mind. He then took care of his nightly rituals and set up his personalized security system around the whole apartment before heading to his bedroom.

Glancing at the time and seeing that it was just a quarter past eight, a small smile formed on Wang Xu's face as he thought to himself, 'It's time to deal with this quest so that I can move on.'

With that, Wang Xu put on the gaming helmet and got into a meditative position before logging into the game.