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墨書 Inktalez
"Hello."
"It's me. The item is in my possession."
"In your possession?" A voice that was neither male nor female came through the phone.
"Yes, the scroll is with me. How do we proceed with the handover?"
"Wait, that was fast? Are you sure The Painting is genuine?"
"Sorry, my friend, I'm only responsible for acquiring the item. Whether it's real or fake, I can't say. I'm just a thief at best."
"Bring the item to the area beneath Seventh Bridge. Once my people verify its authenticity, then this transaction will be complete—cash for goods."
"That's not how it works."
"How it works? Hahaha! Who made the rules?" The person on the other end laughed arrogantly. "My rule is simple: only when I have the genuine article in hand will I pay. Perhaps you went through great lengths to steal this, but if it's not the real deal, then sorry, it just means you don't know your goods, or your luck isn't very good."
"How can you be so sure that this painting is a fake? Or are you trying to pull a fast one?"
The voice on the other end suddenly changed, sounding like a demon—cold and chilling. "It's just ten million; do you really think I need to play games with a mere thief like you? I want to see The Painting beneath Seventh Bridge by six o'clock in the morning."
Beep beep...
The phone call ended, and Big Bull let out a sigh of relief. "Brother, it's done. Just waiting for the handover now."
Bai Zhuo nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, it's getting late. You should head back."
"Brother, am I just going to go like this? How about you lend me that gun of yours... just in case things go south, I need something for self-defense, heh heh..."
Big Bull chuckled, but Bai Zhuo thought for a moment and shook his head. "Big Bull, you should forget about the gun. But you reminded me; I'll give you something for protection, just in case they turn on you."
"Oh? What is it?" Big Bull looked at Bai Zhuo with anticipation as he pulled out two blue talismans covered in intricate Curse Seal characters that Big Bull couldn't understand at all.
Bai Zhuo layered the two talismans together and folded them into a triangle. "Here, take this. It's a protective charm."
Disappointed, Big Bull took the charm. "Brother, what kind of protective charm is this? It can't stop bullets or knives; it's useless!"
Bai Zhuo smiled mysteriously. "Heh heh, it may not stop blades or bullets, but when you're facing my associates, this little thing can save your life!"
Confused, Big Bull asked, "Your associates? Brother, aren't you a government official? These are just scraps of paper; what good can they do? I don't get it."
Bai Zhuo replied, "Once you join me, you'll understand... Now keep it on you. How's Ergouzi's side preparing?"
"Everything's set. We're doing everything according to your plan."
Bai Zhuo patted Big Bull on the shoulder. "Don't worry; go ahead boldly. If anything goes wrong, someone above will take the fall... But try not to make any mistakes, got it?"
Big Bull listened to Bai Zhuo, and a surge of confidence filled his heart. "Thinking about it, I've been a thief for most of my life, and now I have the backing of the country. I won't let you down; I will turn over a new leaf, big brother!"
Big Bull was easily swayed, happily taking the talisman and leaving.
"Hey! You brat! You really took out the Map of Mountains and Rivers?" Su Meiniang stormed out of her room, pointing at Bai Zhuo and shouting, "You wasteful son! Do you know that even a fragment of the Map of Mountains and Rivers is incredibly precious? How could you sell it for a few measly coins?"
Yesterday, Su Meiniang had worn a professional secretary outfit that exuded a sexy maturity, but today she was dressed in a white nurse's uniform with pink accents! Even though it was nighttime, Bai Zhuo could still clearly see the two prominent curves beneath her clothing.
She was actually going without anything underneath!
Bai Zhuo's gaze wandered, swallowing hard. "Well, that's my painting. I can do whatever I want with it; it's none of your business! If I feel unhappy, I might just use it as toilet paper!"
"I!" Su Meiniang paused, her heart racing with anger. Yet he was right; that painting was indeed his property, and he could do as he pleased with it. He wasn't anyone important to her!
As Su Meiniang thought this, her tone unexpectedly carried a hint of resentment, which she didn't even notice herself. "That painting is yours, true enough. And honestly, it doesn't hold much value for me; I only took it because it looked nice. But for you, it's an irreplaceable treasure. Selling it off like that... I'm just feeling sorry for you."
Bai Zhuo stared in surprise at Su Meiniang's charming face. "Su Meiniang, are you actually thinking about me? Or are you concerned about me?"
Su Meiniang's expression changed abruptly. Nine fluffy white tails suddenly sprouted from behind her curvy hips, resembling an agitated cat as she shouted at Bai Zhuo, "You White! I don't care if you die!" With that, she swished her nine furry tails and returned to her room.
Bai Zhuo rubbed his nose and muttered to himself, "Getting so worked up—could it be that time of the month?"
Suddenly, with a whoosh, a pillow flew out from Su Meiniang's room and hit Bai Zhuo squarely on the head. He heard her voice from inside the room cursing, "You're the one who's on your period! Your whole family is on their period!"
“……” Bai Zhuo grabbed the pillow and sniffed it. There was a lingering scent, fragrant yet elusive. Is this the fragrance of Su Meiniang? Strange, could the Millennium Ghost also have a body scent?
Bai Zhuo held the soft pillow, recalling Su Meiniang's graceful figure and her enticing attire, and he found himself lost in thought.
Until his phone rang.
“Mr. Bai, everything is ready.”
“Yeah, I know. But there’s one more thing. The influence of the Kagura Family in the Jiangnan area—handle it as you see fit. Take as much as you can without hesitation. I’m not well-versed in business matters, but if there’s anything that can’t be resolved through normal means, remember to come to me.”
“Understood, Mr. Bai. By the way, I had Liu arrange a car for you. It should arrive in a few days. I noticed you don’t have a vehicle, which is quite inconvenient. It’s just a temporary car for now; we’ll prepare a better one for you later.”
“Yeah, not having a car is indeed inconvenient, but it’s not urgent. Let’s not mess up what’s already planned.”
“Yes, Mr. Bai.”
……
The next morning, at Seventh Bridge.
It was dim and drizzly outside, with fine rain falling like cow hair. Big Bull waited quietly under the bridge with the scroll as agreed upon for the arrival of the client. At six o’clock, a Buick sedan arrived punctually at Seventh Bridge.
Big Bull wore a mask on his face as the co-driver window of the Buick rolled down, revealing a stranger wearing sunglasses.
"Is that a scroll?"
Big Bull nodded and handed the scroll wrapped in black cloth to the stranger. The man carefully unwrapped the cloth, revealing the scroll, and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Good, you did well! This is genuine!"
The man picked up a silver box from the ground and handed it to Big Bull. "Take good care of it, two hundred thousand dollars."
Big Bull opened the box and saw it filled with thick stacks of cash! It was real! He suppressed his excitement, closed the box, and said, "Pleasure doing business!"
The man in the car smirked disdainfully and replied lightly, "Pleasure doing business."
As the Buick drove away, Big Bull excitedly opened the box again. The green bills inside looked so vibrant that he doubted his own eyes. After flipping through it several times, he confirmed it was indeed cash!
"Is it really this simple?" Big Bull closed the box, still in disbelief, filled with questions as he prepared to leave.
Once outside Seventh Bridge, Big Bull's short hair suddenly stood straight up. He sensed something unusual and touched the top of his head; his arms felt slightly numb.
"Strange, why is my hair standing up like this?"
Little did Big Bull know that when a person's hair stands up unexpectedly, it could be a sign of an impending lightning strike.
A low rumble echoed through the air, startling Big Bull. He looked up at the dark sky in confusion. "It's really thundering; it's almost winter, and there's still thunder?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a purple lightning bolt streaked across the sky, blinding him momentarily with its brightness. The bolt shot directly toward Big Bull!
The moment the lightning struck Big Bull, he felt a sudden surge of intense heat emanating from the talisman in his pocket. Instantly, a blue light enveloped Big Bull, but it shattered into fragments almost immediately.
"Damn... I got struck by lightning..." This was Big Bull's last thought before losing consciousness.
Time passed, and eventually, Big Bull stirred slightly, moving his numb fingers while lying on the ground.
"Cough, cough... I’m still alive?" Trembling, Big Bull managed to get up. Remembering the blue light from earlier, he reached into his pocket for the talisman. After fulfilling its purpose, the talisman ignited spontaneously and turned into a wisp of green smoke. Big Bull murmured, "Brother, you really had foresight..." Suddenly, he recalled the suitcase in his hand and hurriedly opened it.
Big Bull's face turned pale as he cursed, "Alpaca!" He flung the suitcase away with all his might, and money flew out, scattering across the ground. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t U.S. dollars at all; it was just stacks of Ghost Money!
Inside the Buick, the man in the Co-Driver Seat laughed heartily. "What a so-called master! Just a petty thief! Take that money to the Underworld as toll money, ha ha ha..."
The driver chimed in, "Are you sure that stuff is real? It better not be some trick!"
"Just a thief; are you afraid he’ll pull a fast one?"
"It's not about him; it's about that Bai fellow pulling something. If there's a problem, it won't be a joke."
"Alright, alright. I've checked it thoroughly; I know if anything's been tampered with." The man in the Co-Driver Seat chuckled. "I don’t know what Master is worried about. Ge Zhongxiang is dead; he's just an outsider from the Ge Family. We could have taken it without all this fuss."
"Junior brother, you need to change that arrogant attitude of yours." The driver replied. "Think about it: Master was a friend of Ge Zhongxiang. If he did that, how would others view him? Also, haven’t you noticed that since Ge Zhongxiang died, that mysterious monk Yong Du hasn’t shown up at all? Don’t you find that strange?"
"Master Yongdu? Is Ge Zhongxiang connected to that foul monk?"
"That's right, and there's one more thing you might not have noticed. First, Master wants to obtain this painting; second, do you really think our Master would cooperate amicably with the Tang family?"
"Uh... what do you mean?"
"Exactly, Junior Brother. Your talent far exceeds mine, but when it comes to brains and vision, you're still lacking..." Suddenly, the car jolted and lost control.
"Ah! What’s happening? Senior Brother?" the Junior Brother exclaimed from the co-driver's seat.
The car gradually slowed down, and the Senior Brother said, "A flat tire."
"A flat tire? No way! We just had maintenance done last month!"
The Senior Brother got out of the car and looked around, frowning. "Damn, how did we get two flat tires? We only have one spare, and we're stuck in the middle of nowhere without a repair shop. This is troublesome. If I had known, I wouldn't have chosen to meet at Seventh Bridge."
"Senior Brother, look!" The Junior Brother suddenly leaned out of the window, pointing ahead. The Senior Brother focused his gaze and saw a crude wooden sign with red paint that read: "Jiang's Auto Repair - 500 meters ahead."
"Senior Brother, we're in luck! It's only 500 meters away; let's push the car there together!"
The Senior Brother hesitated for a moment, feeling something was off. He muttered to himself, "Jiang's Auto Repair? Is our luck really that good?"
But the Junior Brother dismissed his concerns. "Haha, Senior Brother, stop being paranoid! I checked the calendar before we left today; it's an auspicious day!"
"Is that so?" The Senior Brother thought for a moment and replied, "Alright then, we don't have any other options. Just make sure you hide that painting well."
"Hey! Don't worry! It's right here with me!"
The Auto Repair Shop was quite old, with only two storefronts. Outside the shop, a pile of worn-out tires was stacked high. A Young Man stood at the entrance with his girlfriend, continuously urging a middle-aged man.
Not far away, there was another shop selling breakfast, where a few people sat scattered about. It seemed this was a village on the outskirts.
"Hey, can you hurry up? I need to get to work!" the Young Man shouted. "It's just a tire change; you've been dragging this out since you woke up! If you worked for our company, you'd have been fired by now!"
The young man looked like a wealthy heir, and the mechanic didn't dare to provoke him, repeatedly responding, "Almost done, almost done!"
"Honey, it's fine. If I'm late, I'm late. No need to get so worked up! You haven't eaten yet, right? Come on, there's a place over there selling breakfast; let's grab something to eat."
The couple walked away, and two Senior Brothers took their place—one at the steering wheel and the other pushing the car into the shop.
The middle-aged mechanic examined the Buick's tires and said, "How did you end up with two flat tires at once?"
"Yeah, Boss, can you take a look? We're in a hurry."
The mechanic glanced at the young couple and nodded toward them. "There's nothing we can do; they're in a rush too. First come, first served. Please be patient... By the way, I bet you haven't eaten either? That breakfast place over there may look shabby, but the food is delicious. I've been here for over ten years; I always have to get one of their buns. It’ll take some time to fix those two tires; why don’t you go sit over there for a bit?" (To be continued.)
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