Although it was already winter in Wanghai, the modern world Coro Island was still beautiful and lovely.
With the Sun just above the horizon, the sea breeze gently swayed the palm tree leaves and danced with the people swimming in the ocean tide. With the breeze, bursts of playfulness and laughter drifted in the distance. Although he couldn't understand the language, Jiang Chen always felt at peace upon hearing this sound.
They applied for the runway at Los Santos International Airport. Tomorrow, he would fly to the UA.
This morning, he returned from the apocalypse and spent the whole day at home, making final preparations for the trip. After dinner, he thought he should change his mood, so he decided to put on some sportswear and headed outside.
Jiang Chen only intended to run a few laps around the park in the community, but with his body condition, he didn't feel any weariness from just jogging a few kilometers. Halfway through the jog, he ran a little farther than before and got on the road at the edge of the beach.
On Coro Island alone, there were as many as 500,000 to 600,000 visitors that stayed at any-given-time. Looking at people who were having fun on the beach, Jiang Chen always felt a sense of satisfaction of being the king of the island.
Shaking his head, laughing and driving this weird idea out of his head, he wiped his sweat with the towel on his shoulders. He wondered if it was time to head back, but he happened to see a familar face also on the road.
It was Xia Shiyu.
She was wearing a white tracksuit set. Her hair was tied into a refreshing ponytail which wobbled like a squirrel's tail with her running rhythm.
When she saw Jiang Chen, she waved and jogged over.
"What a rare sight. Are you in the habit of running at night?"
Jiang Chen said: "It's usually in the morning, unless I wake up late. Want to run together?"
"Mhmm."
Xia Shiyu nodded and ran naturally beside Jiang Chen.
In fact, Jiang Chen planned to go back, but he started running alongside Xia Shiyu. But what he didn't know was that when he ran into her, she was almost done her jog as well. When he invited her to accompany him, she somehow agreed.
They ran for an hour.
What made Xia Shiyu curious was that from his appearance, Jiang Chen didn't look like someone who worked out often. But during this one hour jog, he didn't even sweat that much. It was her who ended up being gassed and asked to rest for a while.
They happened to stop near Jiang Chen's mansion.
Xia Shiyu took a shower in his bathroom.
Ayesha walked into the bathroom with clean clothes and took away their sweaty clothes to be laundered. When she walked by Jiang Chen, she gave Xia Shiyu an odd thumbs up.
Drying off her wet hair, Xia Shiyu, dressed in pajamas, pushed open the frosted glass door, slightly embarrassed.
"Do you have any casual clothes I can borrow? ... I can't wear this outside."
Ayesha said: "It's almost nine o'clock. Stay here for the night."
Jiang Chen looked at Ayesha helplessly.
This little girl occasionally would decide to do superfluous things.
Xia Shiyu's cheeks turned red and she was just ready to decline when she heard the invitation.
Just then, Natasha pushed open the door and walked in. After walking up the stairs, her eyes locked withXia Shiyu's eyes.
Seeing someone she didn't expect, Xia Shiyu took a second to process who it was.
"Why...are you here?"
"Because I didn't manage to rent a place. Since there happened to be a spare room here, I stayed." Then Natasha smiled slyly and mocked Xiao Shiyu. "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"
The flush extended from her cheeks to her neck. However, Xia Shiyu's stubborn expression meant she wasn't going to admit this point.
Natasha didn't wait for her to answer. Humming a Russian song, she went into the bathroom. Since she just returned from the embassy, she was planning to take a shower and change into some loose pajamas to rest.
Silence lingered at the stairs.
When Jiang Chen was about to ask if Xia Shiyu needed him to drive her back to her apartment, Xia Shiyu moved her stiff neck and looked at him.
"In the future..."
"In the future?"
"I'm also going to live here."
When Xia Shiyu squeezed this sentence out of her lips, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Jiang Chen completely froze in place as the information processed through his head.
[What the heck just happened?]
It was a 13-hour flight from Coro Island to Los Santos, and the time difference was 16 hours.
At 6 o'clock Los Santos time, a white Gulfstream private jet landed on the runway of Los Santos International Airport slowly. Six black cars stopped on the runway. Officials and bodyguards in suits quietly waited for the plane to land.
Accompanied by Xia Shiyu, Jiang Chen walked off the plane.
Behind him was a Ghost Agent named Zhu Yu and six Celestial Trade bodyguards in suits.
Although Ayesha strongly requested to accompany him, it was better for her to remain in the rear, considering her identity as the Ghost Chief Instructor. Also, if any incidents happened to Jiang Chen, she would be the one who pressed the launch button for the missile.
After seeing Jiang Chen, Lawrence, who had waited for a long time, took off his sunglasses and extended his hand in the distance.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang Chen. You must've met me before, but I guess you've already forgot me. Allow me to introduce myself-"
"Nice to see you again, Mr. Lawrence," Jiang Chen said, holding Lawrence's hand with a grin.
Lawrence stopped. He obviously didn't expect Jiang Chen to remember him.
"Your memory is amazing..."
"I'm also amazed that the FBA is actually responsible for my safety?" Jiang Chen looked at the two bodyguards behind him wearing sunglasses and said in a mocking tone.
"That's right. Your security level is just behind that of a fat man sixty years ago. By the way, his name was Khrushchev. Ahem, allow me to introduce you. This is the Minister of Commerce, Mr. Pritzker. You may have engaged in a lawsuit against each other, but I hope you don't mind." Lawrence introduced Jiang Chen to the official next to him.
The so-called lawsuit naturally referred to the anti-trust investigation that caused a sensation in the UA and resulted in the interruption of the Phantom helmet service.
"It's an hour to meet you, Mr. Jiang Chen." Pritzker extended his hand. His hooked nose looked aggressive, but his voice sounded mild.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Pritzker." Jiang Chen smiled and shook his hand.
As Jiang Chen expected, the UA placed great importance on his safety. No matter how much of a headache those dozens of intercontinental missiles gave them, they couldn't do anything against him here, nor would they allow anyone to do anything to him here.
If something happened to this guy, those missiles definitely wouldn't keep the peace under the sea; they would fall on this soil.
By then, the entire continent would have to return to the Stone Age.