In the night sky, carp-shaped airships, serving as advertising spaces and festive atmosphere enhancers, flew slowly.
At that moment, a triangular hoverbike zoomed past close to the airship, its side propellers spinning fiercely in the fierce wind. Sitting on the hoverbike, the man lightly pressed a button on the side of his helmet and initiated communication.
"Arrived at the designated location according to satellite positioning, starting to search for the target."
"Received, beginning to connect you with the local surveillance system." A young female voice came through the earpiece, soon followed by various tracking data appearing on the protective goggles part of the man's helmet as he continuously screened each pedestrian on the streets.
On the ground, a bar in a commercial plaza.
Under dim lighting, shrouded in smoke, colorful lights spinning, several young men and women were jumping around in the dance floor, while in a dark corner, a group was assaulting a person lying on the ground.
"Don't come looking for trouble if there's nothing wrong."
They laughed at the unremarkable-looking boy on the ground. The leader was holding a young girl who seemed to want to intervene but was afraid of offending the man beside her, indicating she knew the boy on the ground.
"Alright, get lost. Don't let me see you again."
After a satisfying beating, the elated man kicked him one more time, then had someone drag the boy out.
Soon, the dragged boy tumbled down the bar's side-door staircase, hitting his head against the railing, wincing in pain before regaining consciousness.
He touched his wounded spot and checked his belongings, feeling very downhearted and miserable.
Initially, entering university was fairly good; he even fell for a girl who coincidentally came from the same Star Domain as him, leading to numerous conversations and gradually growing closer.
But recently, she suddenly became distant. Puzzled, he followed her secretively during the Autumn Moon Lantern Festival, hoping to understand the reason by following her into this bar.
What followed then was a typical soap opera scenario; the girl fell for a wealthy, suave regular of the bar. He attempted to confront her, even telling her openly that such a man wasn't good.
These words naturally offended the other party, who had his acquaintances beat him up.
"Someday, I must make a fortune and humiliate them thoroughly." The boy muttered breathlessly.
Later, he staggered to his feet, intending to find a first-aid room for basic treatment, but he hadn't walked far when a sudden hand landed on his shoulder.
"Hey, buddy, got into some trouble?" This voice startled the boy, almost making him jump down the outdoor staircase.
Extremely nervous, he slowly turned around, the sight of a face wearing a clown mask behind him causing his heart to skip a beat, and he stepped back a few paces.
"Don't be so scared, buddy, I'm a good person."
The clown across from him wore a Deep Purple jumpsuit, an attire that in the modern era could only be considered performance art, since circuses no longer existed.
"Who are you?" He felt a strong sense of alertness rise within him.
"Didn't I just say, I'm a good person. I saw you seemed quite aggrieved, so I asked while passing by." He justified his origin in a self-explanatory way.
The boy glanced at the only bar side door at the end of the staircase and the alley path leading downward, surrounded by various tall buildings. How could anyone just be passing by here?
"Don't disbelieve me, I really was just passing by."
While speaking, the clown had already moved next to the boy, leaning on the railing just like him, completing the entire process almost in the blink of an eye.
With such skills, he truly could pass by anywhere.
However, this kind of person approaching him might not be a good thing. Although naïve in love, the boy, able to enroll in university, wasn't stupid, realizing that the other party's intentions might not be pure.
"I think one should handle his own affairs, there's no need to bother others." He slowly moved upwards, trying to return to the noisy bar.
"Ah, are you so afraid of accepting others' help? If you go in now, you'll see them together again, kissing and cuddling, how painful that must be." The clown continued talking while twiddling his fingers.
"I..." He wanted to say that by now, he actually didn't care much, but the thought of the girl he fancied in someone else's arms still made him unable to feel happy.
"See, every man cares about such things. He not only stole your girl but also humiliated you."
"Do you think backing down ends it all? No, girls love to gossip about such matters. Perhaps by tomorrow, it'll spread all over the class, and other girls will think you aren't manly enough, not liking such a weak guy."
This made the boy swallow back the words of conceding and nonchalance he wanted to express.
"But I really don't have as much money as him, nor the strength." Rather than being upset about the girl's fickleness, it was more about anger and frustration at his own powerlessness.
If he were a billionaire or a Sequence 6 elite of the society, how could such people mock him? The boy solemnly vowed to enhance his abilities as soon as possible.
"Isn't it clear now, you need help, and I, just happen to have the ability to help you." Saying this, the Deep Purple-clad clown came close to the boy again.
"How can you help me?" His lips were dry as he looked at the other party, guessing his strength.
Sequence 6? Or Sequence 7? He was only a Sequence 4, unable to discern the other's level, but he felt Sequence 5 couldn't be this strong, so it must be Sequence 6 and up.