Chapter 61: Fragments
Chapter 61: Fragments
Lao Mi, seeing the dark barrel of the gun pointed at him, was also extremely tense. He slowly raised his hands, indicating that he posed no threat, and repeatedly said, "Wait, the item isn't with me. Even if you kill me, it won't do any good..."
Ren Xiaotian seemed not to hear what he said and continued, "I'm counting to three. If you don't take it out, I'll shoot. One..."
"Hey, hey, don't shoot! I told you, it's not with me..." Lao Mi looked extremely aggrieved.
"Two..."
"Hey, it's really not with me..."
"Three!"
"Stop! I'll give it to you! I'll give it to you!"
As Ren Xiaotian reached three and was about to pull the trigger, Lao Mi realized he was serious and couldn't help but shout.
Ren Xiaotian's finger paused, and he stared at him, saying, "The item!"
Lao Mi said, "It's not on me. Wait, wait, it's over there... I'll have them bring it over..."
Under Ren Xiaotian's watchful gaze, Lao Mi carefully retrieved one hand, slowly pulling out a red cloth from his pocket. He held it over his head and waved it several times towards the back.
Chen Chuan saw that, at a distance of about two hundred meters, two people crawled out from underground and were walking towards them, carrying something that looked like a box.
Ren Xiaotian didn't lower his gun and waited until the two were about ten meters away before saying, "Put it on the ground and step back."
Lao Mi hurriedly said, "Listen to him, put it on the ground, put it on the ground."
The two men looked at each other and placed the item on the ground, then cautiously moved back.
Chen Chuan glanced at the box and saw that it looked like a mechanical disc, entirely in a grayish-silver color, but he be able to dominate others? He couldn't tell what it was.
Ren Xiaotian pointed the gun at the ground and said, "You go and open it."
Lao Mi muttered, "That's the item, no mistake..." But he dared not disobey and walked over.
Ren Xiaotian signaled Chen Chuan to stay where he was and let Lao Mi walk ahead. Once inside, Lao Mi bent down to pick up the item, holding it with both hands. He twisted the lid and opened it.
Chen Chuan took a look and saw that the box contained something like scattered broken tiles, with faint red threads emitting a weak glow, but he couldn't identify what it was.
Just then, he suddenly felt his secondary self slightly dematerialize, and his eyebrows lifted slightly, indicating that something had caused him minor harm.
At this moment, Ren Xiaotian signaled Lao Mi to close the box, and simultaneously, the dematerialization of his secondary self also disappeared.
Chen Chuan could now confirm that the harm was caused by the item, but what was it? Radiation? Chemical contamination? Or something else?
Ren Xiaotian stepped forward and snatched the item from Lao Mi, who hurriedly said, "The item is yours, here's the trade voucher! Trade voucher!"
Ren Xiaotian took out a stack of Jiao Mountain trade vouchers from his pocket and said, "I'll give it to you, step back."
He gestured with the gun for Lao Mi to move back and then returned to the car, telling Chen Chuan to get in first. He threw the trade voucher into the distance and quickly got back into the car.
Chen Chuan saw that almost the moment the trade voucher was thrown, including Lao Mi and the other two people immediately ran over and started counting the vouchers.
Ren Xiaotian put the obtained item into a pre-prepared suitcase, zipped it up, and then drove the car back the way they had come.
Chen Chuan asked, "Brother Ren, have we completed this assigned task?"
Ren Xiaotian replied, "Send it back, and it's done."
Chen Chuan had initially thought there would be twists and turns, but upon reflection, if Ren Xiaotian hadn't acted decisively and exposed Lao Mi's lie, the situation would have become much more complicated.
He said, "How did Brother Ren know the item was on his body?"
Ren Xiaotian said, "I wasn't sure." He paused and added seriously, "Absolutely no one can enter; death awaits inside."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, indicating his understanding. This place was far from Yangzhi, and he couldn't apply the habitual thinking of the city here. This was an entirely different order; people could do anything for survival.
The client who specifically requested this task will bear all risks themselves. If they were to enter the village and anything were to happen, they would be solely responsible.
From another perspective, these people have the items on them, yet they still want to lure them into the village. Their intentions are malicious. If one isn't firm in their resolve and follows them, they might very well end up being killed by this group.
This serves as a lesson for him.
He asked, "Senior, may I ask what's in the box?"
Ren Xiaotian shook his head. "I don't know. It's what the client requested. There have been similar cases before," he added after a while. "It was found in the Jiao Mountain garbage dump."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Senior Ren, have you been here many times?"
"This is my first time in the south, but I've been to the north many times," Ren Xiaotian replied.
Chen Chuan remembered it clearly, but he was also wondering what the item could be.
Although he was curious, he didn't feel the need to find out. He subtly hinted, "Senior Ren, I don't have a good feeling about that item."
Ren Xiaotian looked at him and nodded. "I won't take such tasks in the future," he said seriously.
On the way back to the city, Chen Chuan noticed that Ren Xiaotian didn't take the same route but specifically detoured to the south, making a circle. It seemed like he was planning to return to the city from the south.
Although Ren Xiaotian didn't explain in detail, Chen Chuan realized from this action that he was likely being cautious of his peers or perhaps even the company.
This also showed that clients like Ren Xiaotian and Wei Chang'an seemed very different, and the tasks they handled and the people they dealt with were also distinct.
Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Ren, do you have a firearms license to carry a gun?"
"Yes," Ren Xiaotian replied.
At this moment, Ren Xiaotian turned to look at him and said earnestly, "The firearms license is very important."
Chen Chuan acknowledged with a sound of agreement. Cheng Zitong had also repeatedly emphasized this point.
Once, while having a meal together, Cheng Zitong told him that if he were more extreme, he would attend Wu Yi Academy just to obtain the license. Even if he couldn't master the skills, he could still learn them after graduating. But these licenses could only be obtained at Wu Yi Academy, and if he didn't get them there, he wouldn't have another chance.
Furthermore, some licenses required a foundational license as a prerequisite, and the firearms license was one of those prerequisites.
As Ren Xiaotian drove, he paid close attention to the surroundings. Along the way, he spotted a modified convoy from a distance, which was likely hiding an illegal organization. Fortunately, they didn't pay attention to them.
The rest of the journey back to the city was uneventful, and they arrived smoothly. They reached a parking lot located at the entrance of a shopping mall in the city center. Ren Xiaotian turned into the parking lot and stopped.
Ren Xiaotian made a phone call and soon a car arrived and parked nearby. Two robust men in security uniforms without any insignia got out of the car.
Ren Xiaotian carried his bag and went down to meet them. He first let these men inspect the item. After confirmation, one of the men signed the receipt that Ren Xiaotian handed over and then took the item, quickly leaving in their car.
After returning, Ren Xiaotian gave Chen Chuan a copy of the receipt on carbon paper. "It's done. I'll take you back to school," he said.
Chen Chuan kept the receipt and thanked him. "Thank you, Senior Ren."
Chen Chuan thought that this time, he had essentially followed Ren Xiaotian on a task assignment.
Although it seemed simple, there were many intricacies involved. If a novice were to handle such an assignment, they might easily fall into a trap.
After the off-road vehicle left, it headed towards Wu Yi Academy, as it wasn't far away. Within a few minutes, they arrived at the school and slowly approached the dormitory building.
Chen Chuan spotted a familiar figure carrying something and moving quickly. With swift steps, he climbed the stairs and disappeared from sight.
Ren Xiaotian stopped the car and said, "We're here."
"Thank you, Senior Ren," Chen Chuan expressed his gratitude.
Ren Xiaotian gripped the steering wheel, looking ahead. "You're welcome. Don't mention it," he replied.
"Goodbye, Senior Ren," Chen Chuan said as he opened the door and got out of the car, heading towards the dormitory.
Ren Xiaotian turned to look at him and waited until he entered the building before driving away.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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