Chapter Ninety: Enemies on a Narrow Road

(Third update of the day~)

"What?" Chen Xiao blushed slightly.

"I know what you're thinking... I can tell just by looking at your eyes," Old Tian sighed. "The Service Agency has a strict island rule for the Homeland! To preserve the historical character of this place, it is forbidden to sell or trade anything from the outside world here! Anything at all! Have you seen any cars on this island? Did you see the staff at the liaison office using computers earlier?"

"Wh... why?" Chen Xiao frowned.

"This town is the final home for the superpowered beings on this planet! It has maintained the appearance it had when it was built over two hundred years ago! Look around—kerosene lamps, ancient houses, antique furniture, no televisions, no computers... everything is completely raw and original. This is to protect the unique cultural atmosphere of the place."

Old Tian smiled. "Of course, there are plenty of advanced instruments back at headquarters, but in this town, products of outside civilization are strictly prohibited."

He pointed toward the counter downstairs. "Even for bookkeeping, they still use an abacus."

An... an abacus?

"But... why did that girl pay such a price..."

"I understand what you mean," Old Tian sighed. "Once you leave the island, you can do whatever you like, but the problem is... this girl has never left this island in her entire life. She’s always stayed here. She yearns for the outside world, but can't buy these things on the island... so... haha, she let you take advantage of her."

She can't leave the island?

"Why?"

"Her name is 'Champagne,' isn't that an interesting name?" Old Tian winked at Chen Xiao. "She is the recognized beauty of the town. This inn is run by her family. Many years ago, it had a different name, named after her father. But after he passed away, she became the proprietor and changed it to her own name."

"I mean, why can't she leave? Is she being held prisoner by the Service Agency?" Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel a sense of indignation.

"Of course not," Old Tian laughed. "The Service Agency wouldn't do something like that. You must remember, there are many, many strange people on this island. These strange people often have strange rules of their own. These are their personal secrets or privacy, and we don't pry too much. But what I do know is that Champagne, her father, her grandfather, and her great-grandfather... none of them have ever left this island! Never! It's a family rule. As for why, nobody knows."

Champagne? A strange girl, a strange rule.

***

The night at the inn passed quickly.

Dinner consisted of two liang of strong white liquor, two plates of small side dishes, and a plate of braised meat—typical food from an ancient Chinese inn.

Enjoying such a dinner couldn't help but make Chen Xiao think of someone.

That girl who jokingly referred to herself as "this humble one," the girl who would walk into a coffee shop, slap the table, and shout "Waiter!" to demand sliced beef.

Yes, Phoenix... if she came here, she would definitely find it interesting.

Apart from that, the room in the small inn also gave Chen Xiao a sense of novelty. At night, a waiter would even bring a bucket of hot water into the room for the guest to wash up...

Well, he could just consider it a retro experience.

***

The next morning, Chen Xiao and Old Tian were woken up by a knock on the door. He got up, pushed the door open, and froze.

Champagne, the proprietress of the inn, was standing at the door. What Chen Xiao found amusing was that, despite being a very beautiful girl, she was wearing the sunglasses she had bought from him the day before, even though it was early in the morning, there was no sun, and she was indoors.

Those Ray-Bans were men's sunglasses. Not only did they look strange on the girl's face, but her outfit was also quite uncoordinated: a Chinese-style floral dress and braided hair.

"Awake?" Champagne smiled at Chen Xiao, appearing quite friendly, likely very satisfied with the sunglasses she had purchased.

"...Awake." Chen Xiao rubbed his eyes. "May I ask..."

"Someone wants to see you. A contact person from the Service Agency headquarters," Champagne smiled. "Get ready, they are waiting at the entrance downstairs."

"...Thank you." Chen Xiao opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. He really wanted to laugh, but he had to force himself to hold it back.

"By the way..." Just as Champagne was about to turn and leave, she suddenly turned back and hesitated. "Is this your first time on the island?"

"Yes."

"That explains it. I haven't seen you before. I know everyone on the island." Champagne took off the sunglasses, her smile becoming a bit strange. "Are you a superpowered being?"

"I suppose so." Chen Xiao nodded, glancing into the room where Old Tian had already risen.

"You were born on the outside, lived on the outside... is the outside world interesting?" Champagne sighed, a hint of regret in her beautiful eyes. "I've never been outside... my only knowledge of the outside comes from a few magazines... by the way, do you have a television at home? A refrigerator? Do you have a sports car?"

"...I've had them all." Chen Xiao gave a wry smile.

The girl's eyes lit up instantly, filled with a sense of longing.

Chen Xiao looked at the girl named Champagne and suddenly felt a touch of sympathy. "Actually... why don't you go out and see for yourself?"

"I can't go." Champagne shrugged. "My family won't allow it. Even my fashion magazines were obtained secretly—you must already know that these things aren't allowed to be sold in town."

Her eyes looked somewhat sorrowful for a moment, but she quickly broke into a bright smile again. "Alright! Hurry up and get ready, don't keep the contact person from headquarters waiting... oh, this contact person, she doesn't seem to have a very good temper."

With that, she skipped toward the stairs. After a few steps, she turned back and asked, "You're planning to leave by boat in two or three days, right?"

"...Yes." Chen Xiao nodded.

Of course he was leaving by boat; if not by boat, what, by plane? He hadn't seen an airport on the island.

But Champagne was already humming a tune as she headed downstairs.

"What did she say to you?" Old Tian asked, having finished dressing and stepping out.

"Nothing much, just asked some strange questions... about the outside world."

"Sigh, poor little thing," Old Tian shook his head. "Every time someone comes from the outside for the first time, she drags them over to ask questions for a while."

Ten minutes later, Chen Xiao and Old Tian left their room and went downstairs. As they passed the lobby, Champagne, sitting behind the counter, made a face at Chen Xiao and stuck out her tongue—of course, she was still wearing those sunglasses.

Chen Xiao and Old Tian walked out of the inn's front door, but when he saw what was at the entrance, he froze.

A car was parked there!

An automobile!

To be precise... it was a steam-powered car!

It was a convertible with a large body. Chen Xiao had only seen such vehicles in movies. This thing probably belonged in the category of antiques!

But it was, indeed, a car.

"Didn't you say the island doesn't allow..." Chen Xiao turned to ask Old Tian.

"The rule in town was established a hundred years ago," Old Tian answered with a smile. "So, steam cars existed before this regulation was set. Therefore, it doesn't count as a violation."

Chen Xiao knew how to drive; he had his own car back home, and his close friend, the young master Xu, was a wealthy scion who owned several sports cars himself.

However, Chen Xiao had never sat in a steam-powered car before—let alone sat in one, he hadn't even seen one in person (movies don't count).

But when a person stepped out from behind the car—the liaison from the Service Agency headquarters—Chen Xiao was stunned.

It was a woman with short hair, wearing a black leather suit. Her face carried a trace of coldness, and the look she gave Chen Xiao held a clear, faint sense of hostility and annoyance.

"You, you, it's you?" Chen Xiao couldn't help but gasp.

"Hmph, it's me!" The woman stared at Chen Xiao for a full while before spitting out a sentence through gritted teeth: "If it weren't for you, how would I have ended up in the role of a liaison like this!"

This woman was none other than an old acquaintance of Chen Xiao's.

She was the one who had broken into Chen Xiao's home, attempted to seize the "Purification" serum, and was the first person to have their powers devoured by him.

Black Seven!

"Don't worry, I won't take revenge on you... at least not on the island!" Black Seven gritted her teeth, staring at Chen Xiao. "But I won't forget you, kid! It was you who made me lose my powers and my field position! You also caused me to lose my designation! I, a dignified leader of the Seventh Field Team, have now been reduced to playing the role of a lowly liaison!"

Her eyes were like ice as she yanked the car door open and huffed, "Get in, kid."