Crazy Smartphone – Part Two

“Mayor Zhou, I’m really sorry for being so distracted, it’s quite rude of me, please don’t mind.” “No, no, not at all. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe that someone of your stature, worth billions, would work this hard! I’m truly impressed!” The mayor of Yushan, touched by something, dropped his usual official demeanor, adopting a more down-to-earth, brotherly tone. Unexpectedly, Mr. Qin, the top dog in the gaming industry, also dropped the formalities, directly getting chummy with Mayor Zhou Zihang: “If I wasn’t desperate, who would resort to such underhanded methods? But we had no choice! I didn’t expect their technology to be so far ahead of us; despite the whole company’s efforts for three days, we couldn’t crack even a small connection program!” “Didn’t succeed?!” Although Zhou Zihang didn’t know what they were after from those computers, he had heard from his secretary that the CEO of Marumi Corporation was interested in the mysterious technology held by two students from Yushan. Especially one of them, who had been flagged for special attention by higher-ups, and had recently been entangled in the property transfer scandal of the wealthiest Lan family in Yushan. Someone noticed by the eccentric old man Lance, how could they be ordinary? Moreover, these two outsiders, not playing by the usual rules, had traveled far to get here; they must be after something hidden in those computers, right? Zhou Zihang instinctively saw this as an opportunity to gain some advantage for the city. With so many eyes on this person, even with his toe, he could guess there was something significant about him. As the saying goes, what’s the most lacking in the 21st century? Talent, of course! So, it was confirmed that the efforts of those two were in vain. Although he didn’t say it out loud, he was inwardly very pleased. However, due to some reason that prevented him from falling out with them, he couldn’t openly gloat. Should I instruct my subordinates to invite those two young students again? Ah! Haha, no need, no need, this time I will personally visit them! And these two computers, please figure out a way to return them as they are, haha! Qin Jian laughed confidently as if he already had the upper hand. “Overture of 186? Deserving a punch?” Qin Jian’s laughter was somewhat sleazy, lacking the demeanor of a big boss. At that moment, dressed as if he was back to his days as a street vendor, his attire was rather rustic. His two lieutenants, Ouyang Ce and Sun Chen, were also oddly dressed, sitting beside him with peculiar expressions at a dilapidated dining table. “Mr. Qin, he insisted on meeting here, otherwise he would ignore us! Should we ask Mayor Zhou to intervene? How can we discuss business in such a place!” Sun Chen tried to curry favor with his boss. He hadn’t expected that after finally making contact with a significant figure, the other party would adopt such an attitude. He was afraid the big boss would get angry, so since they arrived at this small noodle shop, he had been cautious. Qin Jian continued to laugh, generously waving his hand to stop his subordinate’s words: “This place is quite nice!” Ouyang Ce glanced sideways, his gaze sweeping over Sun Chen’s head and out onto the street outside the noodle shop: “When is he coming?” Sun Chen looked troubled: “Manager Ouyang, he promised we would wait here for him. He said he had some urgent personal matters to deal with before coming to meet us.” “He’s quite the big shot, isn’t he! But did you see clearly? Did you really see that cat girl in the hospital?” “No mistake! When I first saw her, my heart nearly jumped out. That woman was even more seductive than in the game video! I suspect the chaos in the hospital was caused by her. And there were two other very pretty women who seemed to be fighting over the cat girl, which led to the brawl. The strangest thing was, at first glance, they looked just like in the game video, their fighting poses were incredibly flashy.” “Really that exaggerated? Are you sure you weren’t half asleep and seeing things? Even some thugs fighting isn’t worth such exaggeration!” “No mistake, no mistake, Mr. Qin, Manager Ouyang, I recorded a video on my phone, I’ll show you now.” Sun Chen’s forehead was dripping with sweat as he hurriedly fumbled for his phone. He knew about the plan set by the big boss three days ago – ostensibly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass, dividing forces to attack in two directions. Sun Chen was responsible for the direct approach. Seeing the two bosses looking listless and frowning when they arrived, he guessed the outcome of the other half of the plan. The big boss had repeatedly instructed him to keep an eye on that person in the hospital and find an opportunity to make contact. When the opportunity came, he did make contact, but he never expected that the other party would make such an absurd request. He had offered on behalf of the big boss with enough sincerity, promising 13.38 million without batting an eye, not because he had that much authority, but because at the time, his mind was inexplicably heated, and he was genuinely scared by the group suddenly changing their target, looking like they wanted to tear him apart. Hearing them shout “money, money, money,” he impulsively promised a huge pie. He didn’t expect those lunatics to be so crazy, breaking their own bones after hearing he would pay 50,000 per broken bone. As the big boss said, money spent doesn’t matter as long as the meeting is secured. Sun Chen sincerely invited him to discuss business, to cooperate, but he didn’t expect the other to choose such a dilapidated place – clearly to embarrass the big boss. Using the big boss’s words again, whether it’s embarrassing or not doesn’t matter as long as the meeting happens. However, now Sun Chen had no confidence at all that the person would show up. If the deal fell through, 13.38 million would be wasted. Subconsciously, he touched the IOU in his pocket, silently praying he would never have to pull it out. Recalling the scene at the hospital, he saw the primary target return to the treatment room with the injured cat girl, while the two female heroes, who had been fighting, were surrounded by a group of crazed patients and their families. Their faces were eerie, moving slowly but with a terrifying presence, gradually closing in. In an instant, they had the two trapped. Seeing their dazed, vacant expressions, Sun Chen’s mind suddenly flashed with images of zombies tearing at their prey. Even long after, recalling that scene would make him shiver for a long time. The situation was not only bizarre but also had an evil charm, more chilling than the chaotic brawl before. Faced with such a dire situation, Sun Chen instinctively wanted to flee, but the two trapped inside seemed to have lost their senses, not fleeing or fighting back as they had before, instead, they were anxiously dodging attacks while making strange movements, seemingly trying to wake the others. But what’s there to negotiate with a group of lunatics? Sun Chen remembered that shocking scene. “Compensation! Compensation! Compensation!” The zombies’ throats emitted a muffled, suppressed roar, and Sun Chen, terrified, collapsed to the ground, only regaining his composure after a long while to understand what they were shouting. These people were asking for money? Yes, they were demanding medical expenses! Seeing the situation was about to spiral out of control again, Sun Chen had an idea, remembering the big boss’s instructions to make contact with these people at all costs. To communicate with the other party, he followed the instructions of the big boss and, with great gusto, his body shook with an air of authority, exuding a kingly aura. He shouted loudly, “I’ll cover the medical expenses! Don’t make things difficult for the two girls!” As he spoke, Sun Chen magically pulled out a large wad of cash and shook it with a snap. Not knowing what nerve was triggered, he gathered his courage, ran towards the outer circle of the surrounding crowd, and bellowed, “Here comes the money!” True to his word, he threw out more than ten thousand yuan in cash. The red bills fluttered through the air, and the attackers, whose minds were clearly not in a normal state, seemed momentarily distracted by this sudden monetary assault. Seeing the effectiveness of his money attack, Sun Chen’s confidence surged, and he shouted again, “I’ve got plenty of money! Stop fighting and come get it from me!” The airborne money fluttered like butterflies. Those hit by the bills instinctively grabbed the cash within reach, their minds no longer dull; it was as if they had awakened from some dreadful illusion. Human emotions are truly mysterious, easily influenced by their environment. Once one person snapped out of it, those standing next to him also sensed something and followed suit. In just a moment, the horrifying scene of young women being attacked by zombie-like figures returned to normal. Everyone was now awake, though they seemed to have entered a new illusion, especially those holding the red bills, whose eyes gleamed with fervor. They all turned their attention to Sun Chen, growling hoarsely, “Money! Money! Money!”