Livestream Conflict-solver: The Whole Internet Begs Me for Justice!

210: The system store’s ’Military Technology’ sectionThe cabin door slowly closed. The Gulfstream private jet silently taxied in the darkness before roaring up and vanishing into the deep night sky of Los Angeles.

In the massive hangar, only the four of them remained.

”Alright, the mission is over. From now on, the two of you are officially entering vacation mode.”

He pulled a black card from his pocket and tossed it to An Yang.

”The password is six eights; swipe it freely. Find a five-star hotel, settle in, get a SPA, and see the sights of Hollywood. Consider it an international travel benefit provided by the company.”

An Yang snatched the black card, his eyes gleaming: ”Long live Big Brother! I knew following Big Brother meant we’d eat well! And imported goods, too!”

Zhang Ze shot him a look: ”Don’t cause trouble. Otherwise, I’ll throw you into the Pacific Ocean to feed the sharks.”

”Don’t worry, Big Brother!” An Yang thumped his chest, assuring him, ”I’m just going to see Universal Studios, take a photo with the Transformers, and I promise I’ll be completely law-abiding!”

[He better be.]

Zhang Ze muttered the thought internally.

Just then, the familiar electronic prompt sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Host detected to have completed the core mission!]

[Special Mission: Dragon Search, perfectly accomplished!]

[Mission Rating: SSSS! Infiltrated with the speed of thunder, rescued the target from amidst thousands of enemies, and successfully retreated without leaving a trace! Truly a model of covert operations!]

[Mission rewards are being calculated...]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: 2,000,000 points of fan favor value!]

[Special Reward: The ’Military Technology’ section of the System Store has been unlocked!]

Zhang Ze’s heart skipped a beat.

Military Technology?!

With a thought, a brand new, metallic-sheen section appeared on the System Store interface.

He impatiently clicked on it.

[Controlled Nuclear Fusion Reactor (Tokamak Device) Complete Set of Design Blueprints and Theoretical Data]

[Price: 999,999,999 points of fan favor value]

[Electromagnetic Railgun (Interstellar Destroyer Class) Design Principles and Material Formulas]

[Price: 888,888,888 points of fan favor value]

[Single-Soldier Exoskeleton Power Armor (Model: ’Invincible’) Manufacturing Process]

[Price: 500,000,000 points of fan favor value]

[...]

He stared at the rows of products shining with the light of future technology, then looked down at his fan favor value account, which had just received two million and whose total balance was still less than three million.

A tremendous sense of disconnect immediately arose.

The feeling was like a salaryman who had just managed to save up a down payment accidentally stumbling onto the sales website for Tomson Riviera.

He recognized every single word, but put together, they felt like a mockery of him.

[System, are you kidding me?] Zhang Ze asked internally. [What exactly did you unlock? Did you unlock a sugar daddy I can’t afford?]

[Dear, knowledge is priceless.] The System replied in a saccharine customer service tone.

[Go screw yourself!]

Zhang Ze cursed under his breath as he closed the Store.

The feeling of being shown a carrot he couldn’t reach was unbearable.

”Big Brother? Big Brother?” An Yang’s voice pulled him back to reality. ”Are you okay? You look a little unhappy.”

”It’s nothing.” Zhang Ze waved his hand, suppressing the gloom. ”Seeing you two hangers-on just slightly ruins my vacation mood.”

He sent An Yang and Chen Hu away, leaving only him and Sera in the hangar.

”Where are we going now?” Sera sat back in the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt and asking excitedly. ”Back to my pink little castle? Or should we go grab a bite? I know a taco truck whose beef burritos are absolutely amazing!”

Zhang Ze started the car, and the deep rumble of the engine echoed in the empty hangar.

”Let’s just head back first.”

All he wanted now was some quiet time to figure out how he could quickly acquire hundreds of millions of fan favor value.

”Okay.” Sera smiled, her eyes curving, and tapped the central control screen a few times. ”But, we’re taking a little detour first.”

”Where to?” Zhang Ze asked casually.

”To see my mother.”

”Screech!”

The tires let out a harsh screech against the ground, and the car body carved a slight arc where it stood.

Zhang Ze slammed the brakes, turning his head to look at Sera, his face filled with question marks.

”What did you say? See who?”

”My mother!” Sera held up her phone; the screen displayed her chat history with Caitlin.

Caitlin had sent a message: ”Darling, have your man come over. I’m very curious what kind of Eastern man could make my daughter so head over heels.”

Sera added proudly: ”Mom said she wants to meet the man who dared to call her ’Older Sister.’”

Zhang Ze: ”...”

Holy cow!

The reckoning has come!

This is absolutely a Hongmen Banquet!

”What’s wrong?” Sera looked at his changing expression and asked, confused. ”You don’t want to go?”

”How could I!” Zhang Ze immediately regained his composure, flashing a confident smile. ”How dare I refuse an invitation from Older Sister Caitlin? This is my honor!”

As he spoke, he restarted the car and smoothly merged into traffic.

[I’m done for, I’m done for, I’m totally screwed now.]

[Is this tracksuit I’m wearing too casual?]

He asked Sera, trying to sound casual: ”Um... baby, what kind of things does your mom usually like?”

”Hmm...” Sera tilted her head, thought for a moment, and answered seriously, ”She likes making money, she likes handsome men, and she likes hearing people compliment her beauty.”

He felt like he had grasped something important and pressed further: ”Besides those? For example, does she have any special hobbies?”

”Hobbies?” Sera shrugged. ”Work is her hobby. She’s a total workaholic; she’s either in a meeting or on the way to one every single day. My dad said she loves her stocks more than she loves him.”

”Oh...” Zhang Ze looked thoughtful.

A Queen of Wall Street, a divorced, wealthy single woman, an extremely confident yet slightly lonely... Older Sister.

The character portrait was gradually becoming clear.

If she has weaknesses, this will be easy to handle.

The Audi RS6 drove along the winding mountain roads of Beverly Hills, finally stopping in front of a modern villa built into the hillside.

There were no exaggerated Roman columns here, nor any vulgar fountains.

Only large floor-to-ceiling windows, simple geometric lines, and cool-toned stone materials. The entire building, like its owner, exuded an aura of extreme rationality and arrogance.

[A Queen of Wall Street and a Mafia Princess. The styles of this mother and daughter are truly poles apart.]

Sera skipped happily to ring the doorbell.

The large door silently slid open.

Standing at the entrance was Caitlin.

She had changed out of the silk robe she wore in the morning video and put on a tailored cream-colored cashmere loungewear set. Her long golden hair was casually pulled back, revealing her smooth neck and elegant collarbone. She wore no makeup, yet her skin was still fair and firm; time seemed to have been especially kind to her.

She first gave Sera a hug, and then her eyes, which were as blue as Sera’s but much deeper, landed on Zhang Ze.

”You are Zhang Ze?”

”You look... younger than you did in the video.”

Zhang Ze immediately stepped forward, flashing his brightest, most sincere smile.

”Older Sister Caitlin, you are a hundred times more beautiful in person than you looked in the video.”

He leaned forward slightly, speaking in an almost lyrical, exaggerated tone.

”I’m genuinely starting to doubt whether Sera is your biological daughter. When you stand together, people would only assume you are sisters.”

Sera stomped her foot in dissatisfaction: ”Ze! You’re making fun of me again!”

A hint of a smile finally appeared on Caitlin’s face.

”Come in.”

She turned sideways, clearing the doorway.