InterGalaxia (On Hold)

1.10

Looking further into the course terms Lei Yang mentioned, Edris finally understood that he was carelessly stupid. Groaning and clutching a hand in his hair, Edris dropped his forehead onto is desktop. "Chihong, is there any way we can keep Lei Yang close so I can monitor him? Despite looking at his spirit force fluctuations which indicate he's a normal person of this world, I can't help feeling that he's a mercenary" Edris stated. [Zhen can't tell you who is and isn't a mercenary. Know this though, it's very rare for more than one mercenary to be assigned to a world. You're a special case, you acquired Zhen, despite you being part of the storyline. Because you are integral for your and the other mercenary's missions, that is the only reason why you were released into the same world again] Chihong said in a matter of fact manner. Edris used his hand to rub the bridge of his nose and exhaled a sigh. "Hey, Chihong, if we were to bump into the other mercenary, would you inform me who it was?" he questioned, curiously. Chihong remained silent. [Didn't Zhen just say 'no'?] 

Lei Yang's apartment.

"Could that guy be even any more stupid? I'm starting to even doubt if he is the protagonist! Isn't the protagonist supposed to be this big son-of-heaven hotshot, prided for his golden halo, good looks and intelligence? Protagonist, hmph, protagonist my foot!" Lei Yang argued aloud as he paced in his lounge room. Xiao Gou looked on, worried he'd wear a hole in the carpet. [Host, the protagonist is intelligent but everyone has their different kinds of smarts. Perhaps he was so caught up in the lingo that he didn't realise the meanings behind the words. For example, is Host a businessman just because he understands the meaning behind the word 'business'? In the same way, Edris Sawyer is a businessman with priority in hotel chains, coming from a family of a distinguished hotel conglomerate, he probably only learned the ins and outs of that type of business with the exception of priority subjects like English and Mathematics. Xiao Gou read the source material, Edris was home-schooled so he only learned what his family deemed as necessary, it isn't exactly his fault] Xiao Gou patiently explained to Lei Yang. Lei Yang breathed out a deep sigh and sat on the floor in front of the coffee table in a lotus position with his arms crossed on his chest. 

He looked at the newspaper laid out on the coffee table, an image of Edris and a man in a suit shaking hands was enlarged, bold letters told the story behind the image; 'Congressman Peter Davies signs off on a deal with Sawyer Conglomerate'. Huffing in annoyance, "did the Company restore him back to factory settings? Even if he is clueless in most matters, wouldn't his family lay out the fact that Congressmen aren't supposed to have dealings with third parties with clear political interests, even if it's just so that he doesn't unknowingly cause a scandal? But no, nobody thought to tell this big lug on Page 4 that it's suicidal to parade around shady affiliations in public" Lei Yang decided to name Edris Sawyer as the most foolhardy protagonist ever. 

"Anyway, Xiao Gou, I believe he called me with a different reason in mind, not for starting up a business. He was reading my spirit force fluctuations and he probably was only using the premise of a new business venture to keep a close eye on me. It makes sense, I was in contact with him and then shortly afterwards he goes missing due to the Company's interference, I'm surprised I wasn't on top of the list of suspects. Perhaps he mingled for a while longer, so he had to eliminate possible suspects that were in the room as apparently, he had a delayed reaction to Chihong. As he had met me for only a little while and it was outside of the party itself, I was far down on the list" Lei Yang put his thumb and forefinger on his bottom lip and rubbed it in thought, an action similar to a certain someone. [Host's thought process is scary]. "Or maybe I'm on top of the list and he is suspecting me but he wanted to play a psychological game with me, psych me out. Ha, I'm not falling for that trick!" Lei Yang sneered. [Just like that, he's gone off the deep end. He's overthinking it now]. "Anyway, regardless of Edris Sawyer, we need to start our plans. Xiao Gou, where is Lei Chu supposed to be right now according to the plot line?" he asked.

 [Host, Lei Chu is currently moving out of the Lei couple's house] Xiao Gou answered. "Well, why don't we help the poor little flower? It's been two years since I went home, I reckon they won't recognise me" Lei Yang had a subtle smile playing on his lips. Calling a driver's service similar to Uber back on Earth called Zuxi, Lei Yang played with his phone as he waited. One of his current business collaborations right now was a mobile phone game with realistic character designs. He was testing out the prototype and noting what needs adjusting and what needs to be scrapped altogether. It closely resembles League of Legends. The Zuxi ride went on for half an hour and before long, the suburban cityscape made way for more farmlands and a spread out population. Though the townships were surrounded by agriculture, the towns themselves were like downsized cities. Driving around the winding streets, the Zuxi driver was getting noticeably more unnerved as the towering brick buildings created an unnatural shade in the middle of the day despite the blindingly hot sun. Lei Yang told the driver to drop him off in front of a corner store not far from his house. Jetting off like the Devil was chasing him, the Zuxi driver was gone real fast. Snorting, Lei Yang hiked the backpack up higher on his shoulder and started walking.

 One could easily get lost in the townships; as unlike the city that had a couple main roads with side roads and alleyways that circled around back to the main roads, the townships were made by the Government to house a large population in a small space so no consideration was made to make sure the streets connected together, just so the roads don't take up as much room as possible. Rounding building after building with the same setup, one wonders if they were going in circles as the same brown monotonous buildings lined the pavement. It was disorientating and unless you grew up in this mess of a town, you'd be lost for sure. Lei Yang only knew the route because Xiao Gou was directing him. Rounding the last corner, Lei Yang walked past the fruit and vegetable shop, past the automobile repair shop and stopped outside a deli shop.

 Walking through the white, green and red flaps and into the store, a big stocky man was seen using a machine similar to a paper cutter to slice some meat into delicate portions. Hearing Lei Yang's footsteps, the man turned around to look at the person entering his shop. Looking for a while, he realised who it was. "Mening yosh do'stim, how are you doing? You look very chiroyli, very handsome since I last seen you. Tell me, tell your amaki how is school" the man bellowed familiarly with a big grin on his face, his heavy accent making it near impossible to understand unless you spent some time with the man. Lei Yang's face relaxed into a smile and had a conversation with the man. In his head, he asked Xiao Gou to get information on the man. [Host, his name is Akbar, of the 'greatest' and his surname is Abdulaziz of 'servant of the Almighty'. An immigrant from U Country, he was assigned to this community building a few years before the Lei family. He is considered Lei Yang's and Lei Chu's non-blood related uncle].