Proof title

"Mr. Smith?"

The translator's voice came through, jolting Smith from his excited state of mind. His expression was somewhat dazed.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"This is the meeting room. Director Yu is asking if you'd like to come in for a chat?"

"Of course."

Smith suddenly realized that he had been standing motionless for a minute or two, without even noticing it.

The thought hit him like a bucket of cold water.

He snapped out of his exhilarated state, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat on his back.

"I'd like to use the restroom, sorry."

"Sure, this way please."

Smith's departing figure seemed flustered, drawing different reactions from the two teams.

Director Yu Anhe's team exchanged glances, speculating that Mr. Smith probably had some urgent matter, having seemed distracted from the start.

Smith's team, on the other hand, looked serious, with beads of sweat forming on their foreheads, appearing as though they had encountered a formidable enemy and were feeling anxious.

The stark contrast in reactions between the two teams did not escape Yu Anhe's notice as he stroked his goatee, deep in thought.

The other side's reaction seemed related to Yuan, but not entirely.

Yuan's intimidating presence was undeniable, but it shouldn't scare SS-level Superhumans to this extent.

One must remember that these people were within Dragon Country. Dragon Country would never let any harm come to Smith or easily lay a hand on him.

Although they were here to confront Bit Buddha Country, prompting Bit Buddha Country to send someone to Dragon Country as a warning, with the Five Nations Alliance on the horizon, they couldn't afford to go too far.

If they really didn't trust Smith's team, they could simply re-examine them upon their return. It wasn't a difficult task.

Return... home?

Could it be that something happened to Smith's family?

It was very possible, otherwise he wouldn't have been dispatched to Dragon Country.

Any clear-eyed person could see that the person in charge of this trip to Dragon Country was bound to have a tough time.

Smith, oblivious to the thoughts of those behind him, swiftly entered the restroom following the directions.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch, flipping it open with one hand. The hands on the watch hadn't moved an inch.

This pocket watch was a supernatural item that would spin wildly when a person's mental state and rationality became abnormal.

Qi Yuan's ability to make all senses consistent, with the illusion being as real as reality, proved that he wasn't just a visual deceiver, but could also invade the spiritual realm.

That's how he could present such a meticulous illusion.

The watch didn't move, which was good news.

Smith's expression eased momentarily, but then tensed up again.

Something wasn't right!

He clearly felt his emotions being amplified earlier, so how could there be no reaction?

Just being bold enough to look Qi Yuan in the eye was a small success, but it shouldn't have caused him to lose composure to this extent.

It was highly likely that it was just a minor illusion amplifying his senses.

The watch should have swung slightly.

Yet it lay motionless in his palm, with his sweaty handprint smudged on the back.

His mind began to cloud as well.

Was he still in the illusion, or... were his eyes deceiving him?

As he tried to recall the brief exchange with Qi Yuan, he couldn't remember some of the details at all.

The image seemed to be flickering, with Qi Yuan's figure appearing and disappearing.

But in his memory, he had bravely looked into the abyss, suppressing his instincts, and locked eyes with Qi Yuan for several seconds, ending in a stalemate between them.

Had he remembered incorrectly, or had his memory been erased...?

"Knock knock knock--"

The restroom door was knocked on, startling Smith and causing his body to jolt.

"Pardon me, Mr. Smith, I'm here to see if you need any assistance."

Smith recognized the voice as one of his team members. He hastily wiped the cold sweat from his brow, regained his composure, and opened the restroom door.

"Check if I've been attacked."

His team member's face turned pale. Had the worst-case scenario actually occurred?

"Understood, sir. Please don't resist my ability."

He reached out and gently applied his ability to Smith, closing his eyes to carefully examine him a few times.

The team member's expression became strange.

It seemed... there were no abnormalities...

"I believe you're in good condition currently. Perhaps you were attacked earlier, but it's over now."

Of course, a professional wouldn't deny Smith's suspicions, whether true or false.

The priority was to stabilize Smith first. He had witnessed Johnson's situation before.

"I'm not sure if my senses are correct right now. Are you saying I'm fine?"

Smith asked for confirmation once more.

"Yes, sir."

He repeated, "You may have been attacked earlier, but you're not in an illusion now."

"How can you prove that this isn't an illusion right now?"

Smith's question left the team member momentarily stunned. He spread his hands and said, "Everything appears normal to me."

"What if your consciousness has been altered and you can't detect any anomalies? Just like what happened to me earlier."

"That won't happen, Mr. Smith, please trust me!"

The team member placed both hands on Smith's shoulders, looking him firmly in the eyes.

"I didn't look up at that person from start to finish, so there shouldn't be any issues."

Although Smith remained somewhat skeptical, he didn't press further under the assurance of the team member's tone.

The two of them returned to the meeting room and took their seats.

Despite their efforts to control their facial expressions, time doesn't lie.

Yu Anhe discreetly glanced at his watch. The two had spent quite some time in the restroom.

It seemed this meeting wasn't going to go smoothly.

Not that he had expected this exchange to bring Bit Buddha Country and Dragon Country onto the same side.

He might as well take it as an opportunity to gauge Bit Buddha Country's stance on these provisions.

Yu Anhe had thought that by lowering his expectations, further negotiations wouldn't be too mentally and physically taxing.

Little did he realize that the situation was even more serious than he had imagined.

"Sorry, I'm not in a good state. Please let my assistant record everything. Our team will discuss it after returning and give you a response."

This was a response Yu Anhe had heard countless times by now. He was starting to seriously doubt if there was something wrong with Smith's mind.

Would you like to join us for lunch?

What was there to discuss about such a simple question...?

Because that was the only thing Smith kept saying from start to finish, they had no choice but to hastily conclude the meeting.

As the host nation, Dragon Country had naturally prepared a lunch to entertain their guests.

Yu Anhe pondered silently.

What could have happened to Smith's family to render an SS-level Superhuman powerless like this?

One must understand that, setting aside those who concealed their abilities, Dragon Country currently only had two such individuals in total.

This was also the reason for Bit Buddha Country's previous elation.

Just as they had lost Qi Yunzheng on their side, the other side had gained an SS-level Superhuman.

The blonde female assistant who had been busy taking notes furiously jotted down the key phrase "Would you like to join us for lunch" before registering its meaning.

She leaned toward Smith and quietly reminded him.

Smith seemed to awaken from a daze, apologizing, "I'd like to join you for lunch."

Yu Anhe, being an old hand, wouldn't let Smith lose face like that.

"It's alright, I can see you're not in a good state. Would you like to visit a hospital?"

Smith was also aware of his lapse, taking a deep breath to clear his mind.

"No need, I'm fine."

You don't seem fine to me.

Yu Anhe thought to himself but didn't show it.

Perhaps Smith had adjusted himself, or maybe the delectable lunch with its aroma and taste had calmed his mind.

After an enjoyable meal between the host and guests, Yu Anhe noticed that Smith had become much more normal, nearly returning to the state he was in when they first met in the morning.

Having learned his lesson from the morning, Yu Anhe didn't dare propose another meeting that might agitate Smith. Instead, he suggested, "How about we visit Jidu University this afternoon?"

"It would be a good opportunity for the young ones to interact and make new friends."

Smith confidently smiled, "Of course, they've been looking forward to meeting new people as well."

The SS-level Superhumans were temporarily no match for them, as they had the upper hand over Dragon Country in terms of reserve forces, and had made considerable preparations for this.

With a few words from the two leaders, the afternoon's schedule was set.

Their subordinates sprang into action, notifying the relevant personnel to prepare for the afternoon's battle.