Qin Mingze.
Upon seeing the incoming call number, Fu Qian cheerfully answered it.
"Are you not at home?"
The person on the other end of the phone obviously sounded a bit puzzled.
"I'm eating downstairs."
"Rare sight, you actually went out to eat!"
Mr. Qin's words were tinged with irony.
"You're not standing at my door, are you?"
"What do you think? Hurry up and roll back here, I went back home over the weekend and brought you some local products...
Forget it, I'll come down to find you. I've got things to do later, I'll just leave the stuff at your doorstep."
Fu Qian couldn't have asked for more and immediately agreed before hanging up the phone.
As a seasoned homebody, this brother Qin Mingze was one of the few friends Fu Qian had.
He was several years older than Fu Qian and could be called a young talent.
He came from a well-off family, was a sportsman, a social butterfly, fluent in five languages, and had graduated from a prestigious university at a young age.
Now he was interning at a large law firm, aspiring to become a professional litigant.
Such a person, by all accounts, should have nothing to do with Fu Qian, yet they somehow became friends.
In his words, without a professional keeping an eye on you, you'd definitely become a societal hazard, and seeing you gives me an inexplicable sense of mission.
Five minutes later, a tall figure pushed open the door of McDonald's and strode towards Fu Qian.
"Can't you eat something healthier for once when you go out... holy shit!"
Qin Mingze, dressed in a suit and shoes, stopped two steps away from Fu Qian.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"What the hell... happened to you?"
"Oh, I've been working out recently."
Facing Qin Mingze's baffled amazement, Fu Qian had his answer ready and wore an innocent face.
He knew the changes in his body were somewhat exaggerated.
He was not short to begin with, but rather thin, and standing in front of Qin Mingze, he used to look like a twig.
But after his transformation into a thug, although still not as big as Qin Mingze, he was a completely different person with a robust sense of strength all over his body.
"You work out? And you got fit so fast! How long has it been since we saw each other?"
Qin Mingze, now sitting down, still couldn't believe the reality before him.
"Each to their own skill."
Fu Qian continued to bullshit.
"But weren't you about to go bankrupt?"
"That's why I need to invest in myself even more. I'm planning to change tracks. Becoming a kept man has officially been added to my career plan."
...
Right up until he left, Qin Mingze was still shaking his head in shock, looking at Fu Qian's physique.
"Indeed, everyone has their own talents. I don't know how much suffering I'd have to endure to get like this; I'd rather trade it for three languages."
"You've got the natural makings of a kept man. I'll introduce you to some wealthy women in a few days; don't forget me when you're living the good life."
"Will do, I'll never forget your kindness."
After a shocked Young Master Qin left, Fu Qian casually returned home, only to find two large cardboard boxes waiting at his doorstep.
Really afraid I'd starve to death, huh?
Fu Qian blinked and carried the boxes into his house.
...
[Work begins today]
[Warning, containment breach]
[Name: Cocoon Room, Code: 2-292]
[Today's work content has been updated: Enter the containment scene of 2-292, complete recontainment]
Ha!
The familiar style, the familiar scent!
This warehouse just isn't comfortable without a breach each day!
The next day, when Fu Qian entered the warehouse, he unsurprisingly encountered another breach incident.
This time, the anomaly in the warehouse was even stranger.
Shadows of strange cocoons roamed the air, each composed of white and black threads.
The cocoons would flicker in and out of sight, occasionally twisting as if something inside wanted to come to life.
[Entering containment scene of 2-292]
[...1%...3%...10%...50%...98%...100%, loading complete]
"Emerging from the cocoon is a painful process, and humanity's thirst for power is endless. However, every step in exploring transcendental powers is filled with danger.
Undeveloped younglings are exceedingly fragile, and danger could come from anywhere."]
[Condition for containment success: Ensure Wen Li successfully advances to the Sixth Phase.]
Hiss!
The moment the containment condition appeared, Fu Qian took a sharp breath.
Putting aside who Wen Li was, this turned out to be a protection mission!
As everyone knows, almost all games include protection, escort, and rescue missions—they are always the most troublesome.
They were also Fu Qian's least favorite.
Just thinking about those NPCs who liked to run around courting death made Fu Qian seriously consider throwing in the towel.
[Choose the skills you wish to carry.]
The familiar skill interface appeared again. Fu Qian checked and noticed that "Thug" was not an option this time.
It seems that it had fully integrated with him and was no longer considered an additional skill.
Without any hesitation, Fu Qian took all his skills with him.
[Skills: Air Bullet, Visceral Critical Strike, Cat School]
[Weapon: None]
The scene blurred before him in the next moment, signaling a change of environment.
Fu Qian immediately braced for combat.
He couldn't help it; his previous encounters had left a deep impression.
Each time he arrived, the situation was extremely perilous.
However, this time it vastly exceeded his expectations.
Blue skies and clear waters, grass and shady trees.
A rare and beautiful scenery unfolded before his eyes.
Underfoot lay a massive circular plaza, constructed entirely of stones similar to white marble.
Looking ahead, a row of grand and imposing white villas came into view, lavishly decorated without being ostentatious, exuding an air of exceptional dignity.
In front of the villas, several servants in uniform busied themselves.
This doesn't seem right!
Fu Qian had an ominous premonition.
Setting aside the fact that it was completely different from the previous scenarios, he found it hard to relate this setting to the chrysalis illusion in the warehouse.
When things are out of the norm, there must be demons at work; he had to proceed with caution.
"Don't look around!"
At that moment, someone behind him chided in a low voice.
Fu Qian turned to see an enormous figure.
The individual was a burly man nearly two meters tall, with rugged features and eyes as large as cowbells.
Bulging muscles, a sturdy body, all tightly enclosed in a black uniform—he was a veritable Schwarzenegger plus.
He clapped Fu Qian on the shoulder with an arm thicker than Fu Qian's waist, his expression grave.
"The Wen Family has paid a fortune for our services; we must exhibit professionalism.
In the past month, they have experienced two assassination attempts, including one by a Transcendent. We must not take this lightly."
Fu Qian looked down at himself, dressed in a uniform identical to the other man's.
So, this time he was hired as a bodyguard.
The Wen Family?
The same Wen Family mentioned in Wen Li's introduction?
Fu Qian blinked.
"How did the Wen Family get tangled up with a Transcendent? Isn't this mission too dangerous?"
"How would I know? Part of the big sum the employer paid us is to keep us from asking too many questions,"
Schwarzenegger glared at him.
"But I've done some snooping on the side. On the surface, the Wen Family appears to be just ordinary tycoons, but in fact, Miss Wen of the Wen Family is a genuine Transcendent.
It is said that she possesses an extremely rare mental type ability, and the Wen Family had kept it secret and nurtured her quietly.
Only recently, word got out that Wen Li is likely to advance to the Sixth Phase. If she indeed succeeds, the Wen Family will leap into the ranks of the real elite.
Unfortunately, not everyone is happy to see this outcome, and the Wen Family has offended many. Thus, there've been quite a few individuals causing trouble."
So that was the situation.
Fu Qian gained a deeper understanding of the mission.
Schwarzenegger being in this line of work meant the information was probably reliable.
In that case, his mission this time was to ensure Miss Wen of the Wen Family successfully advanced?
A Sixth Phase Transcendent—how does that level compare to his own, he wondered?
Of course, what he found even more puzzling was that, at the end of the day, it was just about a Transcendent's promotion. How could that possibly be related to the containment item in the warehouse?