Martin was once a well-known journalist specializing in bizarre news.
Or rather, he used to be. That was twenty years ago, and now, he's out of breath.
Time hasn't been kind; it left him with a bloated beer belly and a fading career.
Shaking the wine bottle in his hand, he laughed at himself, reminiscing about his past glory when he was a top player in the field.
However, with the rapid advancement of modern cameras and high-definition image quality, he could no longer capture the likes of UFOs or lake monsters.
"Damn, even interns dare to show me up now."
Recalling the recent events, Martin lifted the bottle and took a swig.
He may lack social savvy and the ability to play the game, but given his experience and career accolades, he should have been far more successful. Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
When he was on top, he had many friends and even a charming girlfriend.
Now...
Ha ha.
Welcome to the real world.
Maybe I should be more realistic too. Perhaps I should suck up to someone like Tony Stark, just to keep food on the table.
Martin shook his head in self-mockery. Under the influence of alcohol, he was already in a haze.
Passing by a street corner, Martin unbuttoned his trousers as if no one was there. He knew this road was usually deserted, but even if it were crowded, he couldn't care less at the moment.
His bladder was about to burst after all that beer.
"I think we should have a drink to celebrate this great day together. You know, Thompson, you're the third person to call me by my name since I got here. You're a genius!"
The sunny yet magnetic voice came from not too far away.
Perhaps the word "drink" triggered something in Martin's mind, causing him to turn his head subconsciously.
Then, a shiver ran through him, and his professional instincts from over 20 years in the field kicked in, prompting him to pull out his trusty old camera.
A hunch told him a fight was brewing, and both parties involved seemed to be students.
Honestly, he would've avoided photographing student fights before, fearing repercussions or even a beating.
But now, with alcohol-fueled courage, he disregarded any potential consequences.
Then...
After ten seemingly endless seconds, Martin's eyes widened, a chill running down his spine.
He sobered up.
Very much so.
Martin stared blankly at the photo he had taken and the young man walking away in the distance. His hand slipped, and the camera tumbled to the ground.
"Oh my! F**k! F**k!"
Before Martin could even pull up his pants, he scrambled to pick up the camera, carefully wiping the lens, looking like an excited young man discovering something extraordinary.
"Director! It's me, Martin! Hahaha! Guess what I captured, you..."
There's news, there it is.
The supervisor on the other end of the phone frowned but couldn't help feeling curious upon hearing Martin's tone...
Meanwhile, in the Kitchen.
After parting ways with Peter and dealing with Thompson, Leo had locked himself in the kitchen.
A man's word is his bond.
He chopped green onions, sliced ginger, chopped ribs into 4 cm pieces, washed and drained them, added a little soy sauce and cornstarch, mixed well, and fried them until golden brown, then set them aside.
Leo then pulled out a bag of rock sugar from the fridge, added oil to the pan, and fried the ingredients.
Once the rock sugar melted and mixed with the onions and ginger, releasing a sweet yet savory aroma, Leo added the pre-fried ribs and let them simmer.
Goo goo goo...
Watching the water boil, Leo turned the heat to low, washed his hands, and headed to his roommate Skye's room.
"Hey Skye, dinner's ready."
"As promised, braised pork ribs. I don't owe you anything."
Squeak...
Leo opened the door and walked in.
Boom!
Leo was promptly kicked out!
"Hey! It's not my fault you don't wear clothes when you sleep! It's not like I wanted to see that!"
The atmosphere was awkward.
In fact, this wasn't the first time something like this happened.
They had been living together for over six months, and there was only one shared bathroom in the house.
For Leo, who was financially strapped, living with a beautiful roommate was his only option.
"The cooking is great; I haven't had such delicious homemade food in a while." Skye picked up a piece of golden-red rib. The fried and stewed ribs were crispy on the outside and tasted fantastic.
She acted as if nothing had happened.
"Are you free tonight? I need you to come with me to meet someone."
After dinner, Skye glanced at her watch and spoke with a frown.
Her serious frown made her look rather cute.
"A friend? You have friends? Aren't you a homebody? Is this an online friend? A meetup?" Leo's interest piqued, and he asked jokingly.
"Well... it's an online friend." Skye nodded seriously.
"No way, really? I mean, you're not too old for online dating, right? Let me tell you, the internet is a tricky place. Remember that news story from back home a few months ago? A girl was scammed 13 times for a bowl of spicy noodles."
"You think you know the internet better than me?" Skye looked at Leo with disdain.
"I know men better than you.
A typical man thinks about a woman every seven hours when he's not busy, changes crushes every seven days, and gets tired of a girlfriend in under seven weeks.
So, you can't trust men, and online dating is even more unreliable!"
Leo scoffed.
"So... you too?" Skye asked playfully.
"Unfortunately, I'm one of the good ones. As a top male of the new century, I aim for high standards." Leo patted his chest.
"Well, I believe you." Skye nodded.
Then... silence filled the room.
Leo rolled his eyes, dropped his joking demeanor, and asked seriously, "Who are you meeting? Why?"
Skye grew serious too, frowning as she explained, "I'm an orphan, you know, but I've been searching for my parents."
"But... they seem to have vanished from the world.
I hacked into every population bureau and intelligence agency I could find, but nothing. I found a few suspicious leads, but I can't access those places yet, and their security networks are the strongest in the world."
Leo was taken aback but smiled wryly: "I grew up eating at Baijia Restaurant in Chinatown. I tried to find my parents, but eventually gave up."
Skye nodded, having done her own background check on Leo, which wasn't hard for a computer hacker like her.
But... while there were traces to follow for her parents, Leo seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, with no trace of his parents.
"I was contacted by a group called the 'Rising Tide Organization.'
They're a bunch of hackers, including some people I knew online.
I'm not sure what their aim is, but they have massive resources.
If we can tap into their resources, I think we might be able to uncover our backgrounds."
Skye explained.
"A group of hackers gathering together, it's either rebellion or anti-social behavior," Leo frowned.
"Exactly, which is why you need to come with me and have my back," Skye requested earnestly.