Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 284 An Unlit Smoke, Flowers That Never End (Nearly 5000 words)

The unexpected encounter between the hunter and the gentleman foreshadowed the end of this minor disturbance.

In fact, once Gao Cheng revealed his ill intentions in front of the two of them, he was already destined not to achieve his goal.

When he actually turned his malice into action, he had already sealed his fate.

The next day.

The sun rises as usual, and the city continues to function.

On the campus of Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhai Da, carrying a backpack, held hands with a girl and basked in the sunlight.

At the main entrance of Zhengxin Building, it seemed that some event had just ended, and Principal Wang Chunguo walked out surrounded by people.

Seeing their top students together, he stopped and smiled, asking, "Xiao Zhai, Xiao Lu, what have you been up to lately?"

Zhai Da stopped and greeted him: "I will pay attention in class and study hard. Thank you for your concern, Principal."

Principal Wang: "I haven't seen you since the start of the new semester. How are you doing? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Zhai Da smiled for some reason: "No, everything went smoothly. My classmates and teachers took good care of me."

Principal Wang turned to the other school leaders and said with a smile, "Our top student is very studious, a good kid!"

Then he patted Zhai Da on the shoulder: "If you have any difficulties, you can come to my office. Okay, go to class now."

Zhai Da watched Principal Wang leave until he disappeared from sight before continuing upstairs.

Yes, everything went well.

When people acquire certain resources, they will instinctively rely on them.

But Zhai Da doesn't want unrelated things to get mixed up.

Throughout the day's classes, Zhai Da remained completely focused. He wasn't just "playing the role of a student" in class; he was genuinely absorbing knowledge.

Not for academic qualifications, nor for anyone else.

I had lunch with Lu Wei in the cafeteria at noon and also made a reservation for the first activity of the new semester for the "π" club. In the afternoon, I went back to class.

When get out of class ended at 5 p.m., he remained calm and composed. He went home and had a quiet dinner with Lu Wei, who made pork ribs, hot and sour cabbage, and scrambled eggs with chives.

Only after Xiao Mutou quietly returned to his desk and fiddled with the math papers he couldn't understand did Zhai Da say something and drive away from Shenzhou Zundi.

It's still near the same villa complex as last night, only the location is different today.

Across the street, there is an old market that used to be an appliance market, but has now become a gathering place for billiards, tattoo parlors, foot massage parlors, and small restaurants.

Zhai Da parked the car and got a little lost in the cyberpunk-style colored lights. He took out his pure gold cane to explore and then followed the external staircase at the back of the market, climbing the steps through the greasy and mottled surface until he finally arrived at the rooftop.

The first thing you see are several old but huge billboards, their rust marks seemingly recording countless heavy rains. Large and small ventilation vents send the heat out of the building, turning it into white mist that never stops.

A figure was already there.

Zhai Da walked over and asked, "Have you been squatting here all day?"

Wu Yue shook his head: "I'm only an hour earlier than you."

In front of Wu Yue was a telescope more than a meter long, which was currently pointed at Building 18 of the villa community.

Zhai Da stood beside Wu Yue, not trying to snatch the binoculars. The distance here was very subtle, about 500 meters away from Building 18 in a straight line, and the pure gold cane could just cover most of the area.

"Has the person gone inside?"

"You're a little late. It was quite a sight, with seven or eight beautiful girls, all of whom Gao Cheng often invites to hang out."

Wu Yue did not create sacrifices destined to be captured in order to get rid of Gao Cheng. He simply found those who had already fallen into depravity and then tracked Gao Cheng's actions.

"There was a bit of traffic on the way, but that's okay. I'm more interested in the second wave of people going in."

Zhai Da tapped his cane lightly on the rooftop and glanced at his watch.

"Then there should be a good show tonight."

------

Inside the luxurious villa, a diverse scene is unfolding.

Seven or eight women chattered and frolicked in the luxurious living room.

Gao Cheng, with a cigar in his mouth, looked interested, but his mind was actually elsewhere.

The happiness he truly desires is something else.

Once you've tried it once, you'll know how inferior other forms of "pleasure" are.

However, the previous X is also a kind of fun.

Holding the girl in his arms, Gao Cheng grinned mischievously, "Lizi, right? How did your Chinese lessons go last time?"

The short-haired girl said softly, "I've learned something."

"Then say a few words."

"Amazing!!"

Gao Cheng laughed heartily, clapped his hands, and said, "Old Jiang! Let's serve the food!"

The burly man opened the cabinet and took out a series of utensils. Everyone stared at them with wide eyes and a look of longing on their faces.

Gao Cheng's eyes gradually turned red and glazed over.

***
More than two hours later.

When Gao Cheng regained consciousness and struggled to open his eyes, he was already awakened by being slapped in the face.

"Who is it? What are you doing?"

Gao Cheng felt like he had fallen from the clouds to reality, and he was extremely unhappy with the person who had pulled him down.

Who the hell are you?!

The man in front of him did not get angry, but said in a deep voice, "D Enforcement Team, Meng Xiude."

Gao Cheng barely regained his senses and looked around to find that the world had been turned upside down.

A dozen or so police officers stood in various places, and the "atmosphere team" members were also squatting in the corners with practiced ease. Even his burly subordinate, Lao Jiang, looked ashen-faced.

Meng Xiude pointed to several items on the coffee table: "Put your clothes on, and then come and identify them, and take a picture."

A surge of intense fear rose up, dispelling the last vestiges of the floating sensation. Gao Cheng's legs trembled slightly, realizing he had made a grave mistake.

Many things can be turned around, but this doesn't, especially when you're caught red-handed.

How could this be? Everything was fine before!

Gao Cheng's face flushed red, and he almost blurted out, "My dad is Gao Mingjie."

He's not so stupid as to be beyond redemption.

Meng Xiude said, "How much is left in the house? Pointing it out is one thing, but finding it out is another. Be honest."

Gao Cheng quickly shook his head in denial: "It's gone, it's really gone!"

That's the truth. Because it's too expensive, he can't bear to buy too much at once.

A sense of relief welled up in Old Jiang's heart as he squatted not far away. For the first time, he felt that cutting 90% off was a wise and correct choice!

Otherwise, this will be a huge problem!

Gao Cheng's eagerness to "stand up" and make money on his own is also related to the fact that his subordinates are too ruthless, charging tens of thousands of yuan for a single act!
Who can withstand this? Especially since I can't be the one to find out.

However, Meng Xiude obviously wouldn't believe him just because he said no, and still had his men search the place thoroughly.

But after more than ten minutes, there really wasn't one.

Even the drug-sniffing dogs didn't find anything.

This surprised Meng Xiude. He had come prepared for the possibility of "causing big trouble" and was mentally prepared. The house was registered under Gao Cheng's grandmother's name, who was Gao Mingjie's mother.

This is all we've gained; frankly, it could be a small or a big deal, and things could get complicated later.

Just as he was about to ask a few more questions, Meng Xiude's phone vibrated slightly in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was a text message.

In short: a large bookcase.

Meng Xiude frowned slightly and looked at the bookcase that occupied an entire wall in front of him.

This text message should be from the same person who provided the clue. But he had the technical department check it, and the person was very careful and knowledgeable; they couldn't trace its origin.

He didn't understand or care about the internal struggles, but he wouldn't show any mercy to D, nor would he let go of any clues. This was the iron-bloodedness he had forged after crawling out of piles of corpses.

Meng Xiude circled around and indeed felt that the thickness was somewhat abnormal.

The bookcase is only 50 centimeters thick, but when you add the wall, it's almost two meters long.

Where would you find a wall that's 1.5 meters thick? That's obviously not normal!

"Throw all the books down; there's something behind them."

Everyone started rummaging around haphazardly, and the living room quickly became a mess. Gao Cheng dared not say anything, and was even a little pleased. He never left anything in the house before, and always cleaned everything up in one go.

Besides, what was the point of flipping through this bookshelf? He never opened it. Finally, at the very top, where it was almost impossible to reach, a book was moved and discovered to be a "fake book" made of plasterboard, with the Tao Te Ching written on it.

click
The bookshelf slowly moved to the right, revealing the scene inside.

An entire wall was covered in cash.

Let alone money, many people have never seen so much "paper" in their entire lives.

A hidden compartment? No, it should be called a hidden room. In the corner, there were piles of gold bars the size of suitcases.

More than a dozen policemen took a step back in fright, the girl squatting on the ground was also dumbfounded, and the burly man Lao Jiang in the corner stared wide-eyed.

Even Gao Cheng tilted his head, his dizzy mind somewhat dazed!

An absurd thought popped into my head: With the old man being so powerful, why is he in such a hurry to make money? Why is he even wary of his son?

In the end, he managed to "get his father's retirement money out."

Amidst the silent shock, Meng Xiude inwardly thought, "This is bad."

Which gods are fighting? They're being used as pawns.

This set off a firework display that shocked the city of Harbin.

------

On the rooftop, Wu Yue looked away from the binoculars.

Through a window, he could clearly see that the wall had been smashed open, revealing a "mountain of gold and silver" inside.

As long as this step goes smoothly, everything will be settled. Not to mention Gao Mingjie, even those three levels above him would be blown up on the spot.

He didn't care how many people would be implicated; they were all bad apples anyway.

"It seems to be over? You really don't want to take a look?"

Zhai Da shook his head: "No need, I'm just here to wait for the result."

What he "saw" was far clearer than what Wu Yue saw; he even clearly saw Gao Cheng's bewildered expression with his head tilted to the side.

"Did you really divine it? Or do you actually have some kind of information channel?"

Zhai Da smiled and put his finger to his lips.

Wu Yue shrugged: "Fine, I can accept that you have a little secret."

From a distance, it looked as if someone was being escorted out of the villa, but in reality, more people would soon be going in.

After witnessing a spectacular explosion, Wu Yue stood on the edge of the rooftop and suddenly felt somewhat bored.

The wind is cooler up here; you'll get cold if you stand there for too long.

A moment later, Wu Yue suddenly said, "Zhai Da, I've finished up the rest of the area."

"other places?"

Wu Yue nodded and said slowly, "Old Xu was threatened. He didn't tell you about it, but he told me."

Zhai Da frowned slightly.

"They're the same group that tried to scare you with their car, or rather, they're responsible for most of the recent disgusting incidents..."

"How did you handle it?!"

"I ordered it, but I didn't resort to violence."

Zhai Da exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

More police cars surged in from all directions, their red and blue lights flashing, disrupting the tranquility of the surrounding streets.

Wu Yue looked down at his feet. In the dimly lit alley, it seemed that someone was cornered and being punched and kicked.

The red and blue lights passing by didn't seem to frighten them; after a brief silence, they responded even more fiercely.

Wu Yue stared at the "evil" beneath his feet, but had no desire to intervene, for there was no end to it.

Just like the countless places and people he sees every day.

Wu Yue exhaled a breath of stale air, and after a long while, looked up at Zhai Da and said very solemnly:

"Zhai Da, do you believe me?"

Zhai Da was somewhat doubtful, but still gave an affirmative answer: "Yes."

"I want to discuss something with you. You should withdraw your investment in Yueda Catering."

Zhai Da looked at Wu Yue calmly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, simply waiting for what was to come.

Wu Yue pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He didn't usually smoke; he only carried this pack of Lotus cigarettes occasionally as a tool for gathering information. But today, he really wanted to light one.

The lighter, which wasn't windproof, wouldn't light after several attempts. Wu Yue, with a cigarette dangling from one side of his mouth, said:

“I’m not taking your shares for nothing. My offer is 50% of all future returns from Yueda Catering, excluding the employees’ returns. Whatever I take, you take, for five years, ten years. If the company can survive for that long, you should understand what I mean.”

“Initially, I was the one who dragged you into this business. Now I admit I didn’t think things through. Zhai Da, you and I are different. This isn’t good. Grandpa Xu and I share the same idea, which is why he notified me but not you.”

Wu Yue glanced at the lighter's adjustment knob, turned it to the maximum, and continued trying to light a cigarette, avoiding Zhai Da's gaze throughout.

“Those two guys who threatened Grandpa Xu and put their lives on the line, I really wanted to break their arms and legs. Believe me, that would be easy. But because I have to consider you, I can only use a gentler approach. Even with Gao Cheng this time, I can only deal with things in a restrained manner.”

Wu Yue finally raised his head, but the cigarette he used to drown his sorrows wouldn't light no matter what he tried.

“Zhai Da, with you here, I cannot perform my intended purpose.”

Zhai Da remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward and walked up to Wu Yue.

Raise your hand.

For a moment, Wu Yue had the illusion that Zhai Da was going to hit him, but he did not dodge.

But in the end, that hand simply pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the ground.

Zhai Da said in a deep voice, "You've got it wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"With me here, you won't go down a dead end."

Wu Yue's hand trembled.

Zhai Da put away his cane, took out a thick book from his pocket, opened it in front of Wu Yue, and picked out a negative with the character "威" (wei) written on it.

“If someone jumps out to act as the ‘evil,’ just deal with him. It’s just a bit troublesome to handle, but it’s not impossible. Look over there, you just appointed a ‘deputy district head.’ You should feel proud.”

"Don't put on an attitude of 'fighting evil with evil'! If a dog bites you, is biting the dog the only way you can think of?"

Zhai Da slapped the paper and then tore it off, which was a bit strange, but Wu Yue's mind wasn't on it.

"There are so many messy things in this world, you can't possibly manage them all, but if something annoys you or you're caught in the crossfire, you can take care of it if you want, just like this."

Zhai Da went to the edge, rolled up a piece of white paper into the shape of a microphone, and shouted at the people below who were punching and kicking him:
"Quiet the hell out of here! You son of a bitch, believe me or not, I'll beat you all out of here, then beat you back into your own here, and finally beat you with your own here! Get out!"

Wu Yue glared at him: "Great writer! Could you be any more offensive?"

The several dark figures below stared blankly up at the scene, and then they scattered in all directions.

After finishing everything, Zhai Da elegantly put away the prop [paper], turned to Wu Yue and said, "Let's go! Go home and sleep!"

Wu Yue stood there stunned for a long time, until Zhai Da had already reached the stairwell, then he grinned, picked up his binoculars, and chased after him.

The clanging of the stairs still echoed with Zhai Da's incessant chatter:
"Remember, we operate legally and are a socially responsible and excellent company. You have the lives of many people on your shoulders, so don't mess things up for us."

"If this still doesn't convince you, think about what you said when you first started doing this? This is a continuation of utopia! How do you want to continue it? A dystopia?"

"You may be a respected figure, Brother Yue, but beneath that facade lies an ironclad set of values—power is power, and wickedness is wickedness!"

"Even if we put it another way, there are plenty of profitable businesses in the world. If you get tainted over something so trivial, how am I supposed to help you take off in the future?! Fan Junwei once said a principle: it's better to be upright but lacking than crooked but abundant."

He rambled on a bit, but Wu Yue just smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes."

He seemed to be just going through the motions, but he couldn't suppress his smile.

Finally, we reached the bottom floor. As we passed the alley entrance, the guy who had been beaten earlier was still crying on the ground.

Looking up and seeing the two of them, she cried out, "Brother Yue? Did you save me?"

Wu Yue looked down.

Although his clothes were disheveled, his face was bruised, and his makeup was ruined from crying.

Isn't that Duck Bro?

Zhai Da asked in confusion, "You know them?"

Wu Yue shrugged: "One, well, a witness who's somewhat useful."

"Look! Flowers don't have to bloom right now, but the fruit will come later."

"These two sentences do have a bit of a writer's feel to them, but the ones just now... they startled me."

(End of this chapter)