She found the ticket number to be ys2022002, meaning it was the second gold ticket issued on the Beast Taming Continent in 2022.
Only twenty gold tickets were issued annually. The identity of the person holding this second ticket was predictable. Furthermore, customers with gold tickets knew to head directly to the VIP waiting area and wouldn't be queuing here.
"Heh, most people just buy a silver ticket from a scalper. This kid is truly bold and brainless."
The woman mocked him internally, not even bothering to verify the ticket's authenticity.
She gestured for him to proceed.
"Student, please leave."
Lu Fei, not understanding, looked at her.
The woman raised her chin, a look of disdain on her face. "If you don't leave now, it won't look good when the security guards carry you out."
Hearing this, he roughly understood her meaning.
She mistook his ticket for a fake.
But Lu Fei was in a good mood today and couldn't be bothered to argue. He patiently said, "Miss, shouldn't you verify it first?"
The woman let out an impatient "Tsk." She believed she had seen countless people and wouldn't be mistaken.
She said dismissively, "Look at the person in front of you. Although he has a fake ticket, his attire is at least proper, making him look like a wealthy person. What about you? Your clothes are full of holes, yet you claim to have a gold ticket?"
Her voice grew louder. "Get out now!"
Lu Fei's good mood for the day was instantly ruined by this woman. He had encountered many snobbish people, but this was his first time seeing someone so blatantly elitist.
He calmly replied, "Don't yell at me. I was just frightened by a dog recently."
The woman was stunned at first, then recovering, she shouted:
"Security! Someone here is trying to sneak in with a fake ticket. Get them out!"
Soon, two security guards approached.
Their attitude was polite, making a gesture for him to proceed.
With this commotion, all eyes turned towards them.
"It's one thing to buy from a scalper, but to dare buy a fake gold ticket! Does he even have a brain!"
The woman mocked loudly, as if afraid no one would hear.
From the crowd, whispers began.
"A fake gold ticket was recognized at a glance. Then what about my silver one..."
"This student is too naive. Why buy a fake, especially a gold ticket? Everyone knows gold tickets are registered by name!"
The situation escalated.
A middle-aged man with a large belly, passing by on the second floor, was drawn by the noise.
He frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Upon seeing the man, the woman's expression instantly became solicitous.
"Manager Zhou, this student presented a fake gold ticket, trying to cheat his way through."
The middle-aged man's expression was calm, showing no surprise, as such incidents happened daily.
The hunting ground knew that fake tickets were sold outside the venue every day, but they deliberately didn't stop it. Instead, they occasionally allowed a few tourists with fake tickets into the hunting ground. The reason was simple: they wanted to create an atmosphere of the hunting ground being bustling and tickets being in high demand.
He walked down from the upper floor and casually took the gold ticket from the woman, glancing at the number with disinterest.
Suddenly, his expression froze, and his body stiffened.
The middle-aged man slowly turned his gaze towards Lu Fei.
The next moment, his expression became complex, and he said with a trembling voice, filled with excitement, "Mr. Lu!"
"Mr. Lu?"
Lu Fei looked at the man before him with a peculiar expression.
The middle-aged man, being in a management position in a place frequented by nobles, was naturally adept at reading people.
He quickly took out a business card and, bowing slightly, handed it to Lu Fei, adding, "Mr. Lu, my name is Huang San, I'm the manager here. I'm very sorry for your unpleasant experience."
Lu Fei glanced up. "Are we close?"
The man awkwardly rubbed his hands and smiled, "Mr. Lu is joking. You are a VIP specially instructed by Chairman Zhou. Of course, I know you."
The man tried his best to show his deference, as if making amends for his mistake.
Zhou Nanfeng had told him to notify him immediately if the person arrived. Zhou Nanfeng hadn't explicitly stated why, but the middle-aged man privately guessed that this customer named "Lu Fei" must have an extraordinary identity!
"So it's Zhou Nanfeng."
Lu Fei frowned slightly. What was this old guy plotting? He had played a trick on him, and now he was treating him as a VIP? He didn't believe anyone would willingly suffer such treatment.
His intuition told him that this trip to the hunting ground would be fraught with danger.
Lu Fei thought this, but his body was already moving towards the VIP channel.
Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet heading towards them! Ah, just for fun!
In the lobby, everyone cast envious and astonished glances.
Some mused, "In a single day, two distinguished individuals holding gold tickets have appeared!"
"Besides this student, did anyone else enter?"
"Yes! An old gentleman went in this morning and hasn't come out yet!"
The crowd bustled.
Meanwhile, the woman who had been so snobbish and loud was now cowering to the side, trembling.
She silently chanted, "You can't see me, you can't see me..."
Watching him finally enter the VIP channel, she couldn't help but sigh in relief, secretly feeling fortunate.
Just then, a cold voice came.
"Manager Huang, if your employees like biting so much, why don't you just get a dog to be a waiter?"
The middle-aged man understood the implication, lightly slapped himself twice, and said with a fawning smile, "It's my fault for not keeping them on a leash."
...
After seeing Lu Fei enter the hunting ground, the middle-aged man finally relaxed.
He glared at the woman and headed straight for his office. Handling the minor matter of dismissing an employee didn't require his direct attention.
Returning to his office, he immediately made a phone call.
After a few rings,
A low voice answered from the other end of the line.
"What is it?"
The middle-aged man replied with delight, "Chairman Zhou, the VIP you mentioned has arrived."
Zhou Nanfeng paused for a few seconds, his brow furrowed. "VIP?" He didn't recall mentioning any VIP to him.
As Zhou Nanfeng pondered, the voice on the other end continued, "Mr. Lu has already entered the VIP area."
Zhou Nanfeng suddenly realized. It was Lu Fei!
He had indeed instructed them that if a student named "Lu Fei" arrived at the hunting ground with his ticket, they were to notify him immediately. As for why, Zhou Nanfeng believed it was part of his meticulous plan and couldn't be fully revealed.
However, he never expected his subordinates to be so sharp.
They had actually treated the person he wished he could dismember as a VIP!
Normally, he would have erupted in a torrent of curses.
But Zhou Nanfeng was in a good mood now and didn't care about such trivial matters.
He said sternly, "Good. You personally lead the way, take him into the mist. I'll be there shortly."
Upon hearing the word "mist," Huang San's expression changed drastically, and he was momentarily stunned, forgetting to respond.
"What? Do you not understand what I mean?" Zhou Nanfeng's tone was authoritative.
Huang San stammered, "Y-yes, yes, yes, I understand, Chairman Zhou."
After hanging up the phone, Huang San took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely solemn, but tinged with a hint of regret, lamenting that he hadn't been respectful enough to Lu Fei earlier!
"So, Master Lu is merely using a student's appearance to disguise himself!"
He began to imagine again, believing that Lu Fei was an accomplice invited by Zhou Nanfeng, with the purpose of resolving the unknown creatures appearing in the VIP area!