Sixty-Five Pages: Final Preparations (I)
[November 26, Tuesday, 11:40]
[Balance Commercial District Pedestrian Street]
Just as we agreed yesterday, Lǐn Huā took leave early in the morning.
Not only mine and her leave, she also took leave for Xiǎo Lěi. Such a suspicious group leave request could only be approved because of her identity as the principal’s granddaughter.
Around ten o’clock, Lǐn Huā received a message from the Scorpion Man. The person sent by the Glorious Family had already arrived in the city and was preparing to meet at half past eleven. They asked us to send the transaction address over, but before we could reply, the Scorpion Man sent another message — the other party changed their mind, and they would decide on a new meeting time later.
Xiǎo Lěi immediately became displeased.
“Huh? Is the contact person from the Glorious Family playing around with us?”
Lǐn Huā made a reasonable explanation: “He was just testing us. The fact that the Scorpion Man didn’t respond immediately with the meeting place made him suspicious.”
Not responding in time meant that the Scorpion Man, who seemed like the boss, did not have the authority to make decisions. Someone else was behind him, making the Glorious Family raise their guard… It would be strange if they weren’t cautious when trading in an unfamiliar place.
Although this meeting was canceled, just in case, we hurriedly went to the commercial area after lunch to confirm a suitable meeting point.
Of course, relying solely on the three of us wouldn’t be enough to face unknown online criminal forces. We had a strong backup arranged last night, and to wait for everyone to arrive, we first spent some time at the juice shop by the pedestrian street.
By the way, AJ would only come once we had completed our initial preparations.
Sipping on the chilled watermelon juice, I complained quietly, “We’re already falling behind and you take leave? Aren’t you afraid we’ll have to repeat a grade?”
This wasn’t a joke. I felt there was a high chance of repeating the grade this semester. Haven’t I been attending classes properly? My spare time has been filled with various troubles, and even my homework was done by Cherry Sauce…
Though I was anxious, Lǐn Huā remained relaxed.
She said, “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, your studies have already fallen behind, right? I’ll help you catch up afterward!”
Xiǎo Lěi laughed carelessly, “Exactly! Even if I go to school, I won’t understand anything! Taking leave is so much more free!”
There’s no saving a fool, but I still had hope for myself!
A few minutes later, my phone on the table vibrated. Picking it up, I saw a message from Dog Sister.
[Where are you? We’ve arrived!]
Hmm, looks like the “reinforcements” have arrived.
But she used “we,” which means she didn’t use her time-limited bookmark today and came directly with Mù Xī’s body.
— “After all, who knows how long this will take. If I use a bookmark and get stuck halfway, what then?” —
Before she finished speaking, the blue-eyed Mù Xī rushed into the juice shop, sat down, and snatched the half-drunk watermelon juice from me, gulping it down until the cup was empty… Drinking cold watermelon juice like that can easily lead to diarrhea.
“Gulp—”
She burped, wiped her mouth, and savored the taste before asking, “Why did you ask me to help?”
“Today, we’re dealing with someone tricky. We’re worried something might happen with just the three of us, so we need a reliable and available person to help.”
Hearing this, Dog Sister narrowed her eyes and smiled, “Oh? Do you think I’m a reliable adult to you?”
Even though she had retracted her blue fire-tipped tail, I still got the feeling she was wagging it happily.
“Of course. Master and Boss trust you, and their judgment is always right… But we still need to wait for one more person.”
At this, she pouted and asked, “Besides me, did you find any other helpers?”
“You are our combat power, Dog Sister, but I also found a strategist.”
“… What’s going on? So you’re looking for me to be a muscle?”
Dog Sister scratched her head and sighed, “Alright, muscle it is. It’s my specialty anyway. Plus, I’m not exaggerating—Mù Xī’s body is really strong! If it comes to a fight, taking on three or five adults would be no problem… Oh! My bat is still in the car, wait for me!”
Remembering the forgotten item, Dog Sister slapped her forehead and ran out hastily.
It seems her waterlogged car was fixed, and she came here today on a motorcycle from the south of the city… I wonder if Mù Xī has a motorcycle license.
As soon as she left the shop, a loli about 1.5 meters tall, with mostly whites in her eyes and a very fierce look, stepped inside.
“Oh! Sister Shān, over here!”
I waved at her, and she smoothed her bangs, asking, “Are you guys not going to school today?”
“I took leave!”
Lǐn Huā replied, then asked, “What about Sister Léiluó? Why isn’t she with you today?”
Sister Shān climbed onto the chair where Dog Sister had been sitting and answered, “Father went to the police station.”
“Huh? Sister Léiluó went to the police station without changing back? Alone? Why didn’t you stop her?”
I was somewhat panicked. If Sister Léiluó’s identity was exposed, the trouble could spread to me.
Sister Shān said, “Don’t worry. She wouldn’t dare expose herself. She just went to check how her colleagues reacted while she was away.”
Xiǎo Lěi commented, “It’s strange she hasn’t been fired yet.”
“The bureau gave her work injury leave, saying she was injured during the last major crackdown operation, and she can rest at home for two months.”
If someone lost their hands, it certainly counts as a serious injury.
I asked, “Did you eat lunch?”
“It’s already one o’clock. I ate before coming out.”
“What do you want to drink?”
Sister Shān glanced at the menu hanging above the bar.
“Ah, then let’s get a hot lemon tea. After yesterday’s rain, the temperature dropped again.”
It was indeed colder today than yesterday, but the juice shop’s heater was working well. After all, they mainly sell cold drinks.
“I’ll handle it!”
Just as I stood up, Lǐn Huā pressed me back down and went to order, despite being able to afford the drinks.
I looked outside the window at the pedestrian street. Every pedestrian was wrapped up like a zongzi… Not everyone, of course, there were always those who preferred style over warmth, insisting on showing off their personality even in freezing weather. Most were young women, and if they caught a chill, they’d suffer later in life.
By the way, Lǐn Huā, who had gotten sick twice from catching a cold, finally learned her lesson today.
“Whew…”
As I sighed at the cold, a woman wearing a suit and narrow skirt ran into the shop. Her feet were in rare red silk stockings and platform heels. She looked around the shop and sat at the counter seat facing away from us, carrying her handbag.
She wasn’t old, and her features were decent, but her complexion was poor, clearly affected by the fan in the hallway.
“Do you have alcohol?”
The bartender, wearing an apron, was taken aback by her question but quickly replied, “Miss, we are a juice shop, primarily selling freshly squeezed juices and specially blended fruit teas.”
The shop was filled with fresh fruits, and the air was fragrant with fruit scents. Prices were reasonable, and it was a well-known shop on this pedestrian street. If even this shop was unknown to her, I suspected she wasn’t a local. However, her formal attire didn’t fit the image of a tourist.
She was probably a public relations officer on a business trip.
“Tsk, no alcohol? Even though this is a famous attraction, why is there no bar on the entire street?”
Her complaint confirmed my suspicions.
Why would a public relations officer be thinking about drinking during the day?
“What does Sister Shān think?”
Even when faced with unreasonable customers, the staff had to serve them. He said, “If you want to warm up, our special fruit teas can be served hot.”
“Tea? Who wants to drink that? To warm up, alcohol is needed. Please add these to my juice.”
She took out a small stainless steel flask from her handbag and shook it.
“Oh, it seems to be only half full. A small glass will do.”
“… Miss, I don’t know how to mix cocktails, and we don’t have the tools here,” the staff looked quite troubled.
“I’m not asking you to mix cocktails. Just pour some of the fresh apple juice in and stir.”
Seeing no other choice, the staff reluctantly complied.
What an unbelievable female drunkard.
—”She seems suspicious. That bag is full of crumpled hundred-yuan bills… Looks like tens of thousands.”—
Cherry Sauce seemed to have peeked into her bag without permission…
—”These days, who uses so much cash? Although I doubt it’s a coincidence… This woman might be the one sent by the Glorious Family to ‘transact’ with the Scorpion Man.”—
Hmm?!
If that were true, wouldn’t it be bad for me to be here?
Since they consider me a threat to Sister Tāo, they should know what I look like, but she didn’t even glance at me when she entered the shop…
—”Now that I think about it, her attention was focused upward when she entered. She was checking the shop’s surveillance cameras.”—
What does that mean? She’s avoiding the cameras?
—”On the contrary, isn’t her current position right under the camera?”—
The juice shop’s surveillance cameras were in the corner behind the bar, perfectly positioned to capture the cash register.
But what reason would she have to check the cameras?
Could it be because she’s carrying a large sum of money and needs to ensure she’s within the camera’s range in case of an emergency?
—”That’s exactly what I thought. This woman sees the city’s surveillance system as her protection.”—
What’s going on? They’re themselves criminals, yet they think they can rely on the surveillance system for self-protection.
—”Maybe they even think they’re legitimate.”—
Legitimate organizations wouldn’t hire someone like the Scorpion Man to cause trouble, would they?
I continued to speculate.
Or perhaps they have a sophisticated hacker like Queen backing them, using the surveillance system to track everything in real-time?
—”I don’t think hackers of that caliber would settle for a third-rate organization. After all, the Glorious Family is only mid-tier in the live streaming union. In the pyramid structure of the live streaming industry, only the top players win, while the middle tier picks up leftovers, and the bottom struggles to get even scraps. Given the limited size of the pie, they must try to recruit and suppress potential breakout individual streamers… The competition is fierce.”—
“Clang clang—”
While Cherry Sauce was still analyzing, Dog Sister, who had two metal cylinders attached to her waist, returned from outside, causing a clatter as she bumped into the tables and chairs.
But her eyes weren’t blue.
So now it’s Mù Xī’s turn.
