54: Chapter 54 The school beauty wants to sit in the passenger seat? Sorry, my mecha helmet is there.

At the entrance of the Tianhai Grand Hotel, the cool breeze from the revolving doors could not dissipate the heat and embarrassment on the faces of that group of old classmates.

They crowded on the steps, watching eagerly as the young man, who had been mocked and ridiculed by them at the dinner table just moments ago, was now being escorted out by the hotel general manager as if he were his own father.

"Boss, please slow down, watch the steps."

The general manager wished he could lie on the ground to act as a foot mat for Jiang Chen, his face crinkling into a smile like a chrysanthemum.

Jiang Chen was still holding that heavy black helmet, his expression calm and indifferent.

He walked to the roadside and was just about to take out his phone to call Zhao Gang to bring the car over when a low engine roar, like a beast's growl, approached from afar.

"Vroom—"

The sound was heavy, powerful, and carried a pulse-pounding sense of oppression.

A Hongqi H9, pitch-black and as wide as a tank, slowly pulled up to the hotel entrance.

But this was not the standard version found on the market.

The widened wheel arches, run-flat tires, and the special bulletproof coating sheen on the windows all displayed its unique status.

The white military license plate hanging on it looked even more menacing under the neon lights.

The car door opened.

Zhao Gang, dressed in a black tactical suit and sunglasses, stepped out with movements as crisp as if he were on a tactical mission.

He walked quickly to Jiang Chen, and without saluting (for the sake of confidentiality), he bowed slightly and opened the rear door.

His posture was more standard than a British butler's.

"Sir, the car has arrived."

"Hiss—"

A uniform gasp echoed on the steps.

Class Monitor Zhang Wei hid behind the crowd, staring at the car with his eyes nearly popping out.

Although he couldn't afford it, he knew cars!

The thickness of that bulletproof glass, the texture of that special car paint... this was a military-grade special edition where the modification fees cost more than the car itself!

"What… what is Jiang Chen's background exactly?"

Class Monitor Zhang Wei felt his legs cramping, and the last shred of defiance in his heart completely vanished.

Just as Jiang Chen was about to get into the car.

The sound of rapid high heels striking the ground broke the suffocating silence.

"Jiang Chen! Wait!"

A woman wearing a sequined tight dress and exquisite makeup rushed out from the crowd.

It was the school beauty from back then, Su Ran.

She had been a popular figure in school with extremely high standards.

She had been putting on airs at the dinner table earlier and hadn't spoken, but now it was as if she had changed into a different person, with a shy yet charming smile on her face as she trotted to the car.

"Um… what a coincidence."

Su Ran brushed her long hair behind her ear, her eyes hooking onto Jiang Chen, and her voice was cloyingly sweet, "Everyone has been drinking, so it's hard to get a taxi. You know, I'm the only girl here who didn't drive…"

She took a step forward, and the scent of her perfume drilled straight into Jiang Chen's nose, the implication couldn't be more obvious:

"Could you… give me a ride on your way? My home is in the direction of Yunding Villa, it's very close."

The surrounding male classmates stared blankly, cursing inwardly: This isn't "on the way," this is clearly trying to climb the social ladder!

Yunding Villa? That's the top-tier wealthy district in Tianhai City!

Is she hinting that she is worthy of Jiang Chen's status?

Jiang Chen stopped and glanced at this goddess who once made the original owner dream of her.

She was quite pretty.

Unfortunately, the calculation in her eyes was too heavy; it was exhausting to look at.

"On the way?"

Jiang Chen smiled, and before he could speak, Su Ran had already made her way to the passenger side on her own, reaching out to pull the door handle.

"Perfect, I get a bit carsick, it's more comfortable sitting in the front."

She turned back and winked at Jiang Chen, her expression as if she were already the mistress of this luxury car, "Jiang Chen, you wouldn't refuse such a small request from an old classmate, would you? Back in school, you always took the best care of me."

As she spoke, she was about to open the door and get in.

In her view, no man would refuse a beautiful woman sitting in the passenger seat.

This wasn't just a seat; it was an ambiguous invitation.

As long as she got into this car tonight, she might become a wealthy socialite in the future.

However, a large hand suddenly reached out and pressed down on the car door.

It wasn't Zhao Gang; it was Jiang Chen.

"Wait a moment."

Jiang Chen took out the black helmet that had been tucked under his armpit.

"School Beauty Su, you might have misunderstood something."

He held the dozens-of-pounds-heavy "titan" neural connection helmet in one hand and, under Su Ran's bewildered gaze, tossed it onto the passenger seat extremely casually.

"Thud!"

A muffled sound echoed.

The leather seat instantly sank deep, and the car body even swayed slightly.

It was clear how heavy this thing was.

Su Ran was startled and took half a step back, her face full of confusion: "Jiang Chen, what are you doing…"

"Sorry about that."

Jiang Chen clapped his hands and pointed at the black lump of iron, his tone as sincere as if he were stating a universal truth: "This seat is taken."

"Taken?"

Su Ran looked at the empty seat, then at the helmet, her smile freezing on her face, "You mean… this helmet?"

"That's right."

Jiang Chen looked matter-of-fact, "This isn't an ordinary helmet. It's my lifeline and the guarantee of my entire livelihood. It's more valuable than everyone in this car combined, let alone…"

He looked Su Ran up and down, a faint mockery curling the corner of his mouth: "Let alone you."

"This passenger seat is reserved specifically for it. It has a bad temper and doesn't like to be crowded by others, especially people with too much perfume; it tends to… short-circuit."

"So, my apologies."

Su Ran was completely petrified.

She opened her mouth wide, feeling she had received the greatest insult of her life.

You'd rather let a broken helmet sit in the passenger seat than let me sit there?

And you said I'm not as good as a lump of iron?

"Jiang Chen! You!"

Su Ran was shaking with anger, tears swirling in her eyes, "Are you even a man? How can you be so unchivalrous? I…"

"Whether I am a man or not has nothing to do with you."

Jiang Chen couldn't be bothered to listen to her nonsense and turned directly to climb into the back seat.

"Old Zhao, let's go."

"Yes!"

Zhao Gang suppressed his laughter and slammed on the gas.

"Vroom—"

The Hongqi H9 shot out like a black panther, leaving Su Ran with a face full of exhaust fumes.

At the hotel entrance, Su Ran stood in the wind, her hair blown into a mess, and her makeup smeared by the exhaust.

The classmates behind her looked at each other, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

That night, Jiang Chen not only slapped the class monitor's face with a black card, but also used a helmet to crush the school beauty's self-esteem into the dirt.

...

In the car, Jiang Chen leaned back in the comfortable rear seat, loosened his tie, and let out a long sigh.

"Refreshing!"

Is this what it feels like to have money and power?

The goddess who used to seem unattainable now seems like nothing special.

Whatever face, whatever social niceties—in the face of absolute strength, they are all just passing clouds.

"Boss, that helmet from earlier…"

Zhao Gang, driving in the front, couldn't help but curiously glance at the heavy thing on the passenger seat, "Is it really your lifeline?"

"You bet."

Jiang Chen smiled, "That is the key to whether we can fly in the sky in the future."

As he was speaking, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

It wasn't that ordinary vibration, but the "buzzing" sound with a special frequency that only occurred when a connection from the Wasteland was established.

Jiang Chen's heart stirred.

Could it be Jiang Wanqiu?

It's so late, why isn't she sleeping?

What kind of trouble is she stirring up again?

He took out his phone and lit up the screen.

An unread message lay quietly in the notification bar.

Sender: [Jiang Wanqiu (Empress)]

Jiang Chen tapped to open it.

No text.

Only a photo.

The background of the photo was that slightly crude yet sci-fi-filled bedroom in Dawn City.

Under the soft light, Jiang Wanqiu was taking a selfie in the mirror.

She was wearing that "breathable version" tactical pajama that Jiang Chen had just complimented, but this time, there seemed to be new… improvements.

The upper body, which was originally wrapped tightly, now had the zipper pulled down just a little bit.

Just a tiny bit.

Yet it revealed a dizzying, deep cleavage and skin as white as glowing light.

The most lethal part was her expression.

Those ruby-like eyes showed a watery moisture as if she had just bathed; her cheeks were flushed crimson, her lips slightly parted, and she looked at the camera with a dazed gaze, as if she were asking for a kiss from Jiang Chen through the screen.

In the bottom right corner of the photo, there was also an attached voice message that was only a few seconds long.

Jiang Chen swallowed his saliva, and as if possessed, he pressed the phone to his ear and played the voice message.

"Father God…"

The voice was soft, glutinous, and hoarse, carrying a hint of just-woken-up laziness, and like an electric current, it instantly surged through Jiang Chen's entire body:

"Wanqiu… can't sleep."

"Do you see this outfit… is it… more breathable?"

"Pfft—"

Jiang Chen felt a rush of hot blood surge to his head, and a warm sensation filled his nasal cavity.

He subconsciously reached up to touch it.

A smear of bright red on his fingertip.

The system notification popped up at the right time, with a tone of schadenfreude: [Warning! Host's blood pressure is spiking! Adrenaline overload!]

[It is recommended to stop watching immediately, otherwise… the nosebleed really won't stop!]