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墨書 Inktalez
The car sped down the road, and as Zhang Quan glanced at the speedometer reading one hundred thirty, he reminded Xiao Mu, "Can you slow down a bit?"
Oh, having gotten used to driving good cars, Xiao Mu wasn't accustomed to it just yet. He eased off the accelerator, maintaining a steady speed of one hundred. However, Zhang Quan kept looking back; the chaotic actions taken today were meant to attract attention, but it seemed to have gone awry—there was no car following them.
"No need to look back; they won't react that quickly," Xiao Mu said.
"What if they don't react at all?" Zhang Quan asked with concern.
"Well, we’ve got the money and the car now. Didn't you want me to drive? We can just go our separate ways," Xiao Mu replied with a smile. Zhang Quan's response was a swift slap to the back of his head, prompting Xiao Mu to burst into laughter.
This guy usually hesitated and was reluctant about everything, but today he was brimming with confidence. Even now, Zhang Quan couldn't quite figure out how it had all happened. Not only had they pulled off this stunt, but Xiao Mu had also obtained two ridiculously fake IDs and rented a car from Car Brands without any scrutiny from the Car Rental Company. They simply paid a few thousand in deposits and drove off.
"I say, Baldy, didn't we just attend a lively lesson today?" Xiao Mu broke the silence.
Zhang Quan replied begrudgingly, "Yeah, you little rascal must have studied crime; you’ve definitely done this before."
"You've got it wrong there; I never had the opportunity or motive before," Xiao Mu said.
"A novice? It can't be that smooth! There are so many twists and turns here; I refuse to believe you just knew how to do it on your own," Zhang Quan deduced with his police instincts.
"What twists and turns?" Xiao Mu asked, not understanding what Zhang Quan meant.
"Well, you know, those business opportunities that pop up anywhere in China," Zhang Quan explained.
"Oh, the details you mentioned have spread all over the world. The market for fake IDs from China is quite substantial abroad, and fake IDs made in China are popular on American campuses," Xiao Mu said.
Not wanting to dwell on that, Zhang Quan's curiosity was piqued, and he pressed on, "So how did Usury come to trust you?"
"You fool, no one trusts Usury. They are just leeches, only concerned with your repayment ability and asset value. Who you are doesn't matter," Xiao Mu replied.
"But you don't even have any identification; they can't even verify your identity, yet they gave you money?" Zhang Quan was convinced.
"The cost of renting a place is over twenty thousand. With so many fake IDs, they can easily be worth several tens of thousands when liquidated. Plus, there are various equipment costs that far exceed the thirty thousand they offered... It's precisely because of people like this that Usury isn't afraid of you running away or reporting them. No matter what, their losses will always be greater than the thirty thousand they lent you. They believe their power can intimidate you, so of course, they dare to lend you money," Xiao Mu explained.
Glancing at Zhang Quan, Xiao Mu boasted, "In fact, sophisticated scams and psychology are interconnected. When they dig into the details, they naturally see me as someone who makes fake IDs. Once I have the psychological advantage, their vigilance drops. After all, you're just a fraudster; you can't escape my grasp... And when they see my assets far exceeding thirty thousand, why wouldn't they lend me money? Besides, doing business in their territory means those nooks and crannies are precisely where they love to exploit."
Zhang Quan pursed his lips, suppressing his shock. He felt he had been around long enough to consider himself savvy, but now he realized there was still a difference between him and this rookie. Suddenly recalling something else, he asked Xiao Mu, "What about renting a car? Those fake documents are painfully obvious; it can't be a scam, right? Aren't you afraid they'll think you'll just drive off without returning it?"
"That's an unspoken rule."
Xiao Mu replied casually. The car rental company's brands were fully insured and consisted of older vehicles. He would actually welcome theft or being scammed so he could report it and let the insurance company compensate him. Forget about normal losses; they might even find ways to make cars go missing periodically... What? The insurance company isn't foolish? True enough, but they can't resist the cleverness of insurance agents. When the company and agents collude to create some premiums to split among themselves, it works out just fine.
So you're the criminal while they profit; why would they bother verifying you? They would actually prefer if fraudsters took all their cars.
Zhang Quan was left speechless; the more he asked, the more it highlighted his ignorance as a police officer. He waved his hand dismissively and stopped questioning.
Xiao Mu grew more animated in his discussion. Noticing Zhang Quan's silence, he understood that these dark sides were most likely to trigger a police officer's professional sensitivity. He earnestly advised him, "Baldy, why are you so frustrated? The police's responsibility is to maintain order. The decline in morals and ethics isn't your fault; it's a systemic flaw that can't be fixed by just one or two people's efforts... So don't take your profession too seriously; if you do, you'll end up suffering."
Hearing this made Zhang Quan angry. He turned back to look for any pursuing cars that hadn't appeared yet and said indignantly, "Stop showing off; I feel like I've been taken for a ride too!"
"What have you fallen for?" Xiao Mu asked.
"If they come after us, we might continue the mission; if they don't, you can take this opportunity to swagger away, right?" Zhang Quan realized that this Xiao Mu might be more cunning than he had imagined. In that case, he would have no choice but to let him go.
Xiao Mu smiled brightly and replied, "This is an essential quality for High-IQ Crime. Either achieve the goal or reach a secondary objective; both outcomes are beneficial and harmless to me. Haha."
"Just wait. If they don't react before we cross the border, I'll make sure to crush you," Zhang Quan said angrily. Now it felt like a noose around his neck, and he had no choice but to push forward.
The two exchanged insults as the car sped on...
...
In fact, they were being pursued—really pursued—but they had set off about ten minutes late. The car ahead was moving quickly, and they hadn't seen any sign of it. During this time, Tu Shenhao even doubted whether they were going in the right direction, which delayed them further. His subordinates had received news from the Car Rental Company that they were still heading toward the provincial border on the highway. Only then did Tu Shenhao accelerate and give chase.
The rented car was equipped with a tracking device, and he was worried that those two fools would find a way to disable it and then sell the car as scrap metal, making them vanish without a trace.
The two cars, painted with Boss's Lingzhi emblem, had already left Big Head and Big Mouth's business vehicle far behind after accelerating. Yang Menglu could no longer see the car behind them in the rearview mirror. He noticed Tu Shenhao's eyes shining with excitement and casually asked, "Tu Zong, are you alright? Don't rush... driving so fast."
"Talent, talent..." Tu Shenhao murmured.
"Talent?" Yang Menglu didn't understand.
"Of course it's talent! I just figured out how they did it—they found a place for forging fake documents and then used that location as collateral to swindle thirty thousand yuan from Ma Tuchui," Tu Shenhao said with delight.
Yang Menglu frowned, finding this situation beyond her understanding. The difficulty was evident. She casually asked, "Is this what changed your mind?"
"Isn't this enough? In the world of Usury, everyone has sharp eyes. Trying to deceive them not only has serious consequences but is also quite challenging. These are all seasoned individuals... I just find it strange that these two didn't even have proper identification, yet they managed to con Ma Tuchui," Tu Shenhao said excitedly. This definitely wasn't a case of using violence; it had to be a matter of borrowing without repayment, and it surely involved some slick talking. Such talent was exactly what he yearned for.
Just think about it—without any tools, they managed to pull off a scam. What if they had something at their disposal? Yang Menglu understood this point and smiled, saying, "Oh, I think I get it. It must be the work of Instructor Lin. His silver tongue could leave Lu the Madman speechless."
Tu Shenhao regretted his earlier thoughts and slapped the steering wheel, saying, "Ah, it's hard to know a person's heart by just looking at their face. It seems I was overthinking."
Yang Menglu laughed out loud. Tu Shenhao glanced at her and asked unhappily, "Are you making fun of me?"
"Of course! You looked down on them when they came knocking, but when they turned to leave, you chased after them desperately. If you had known it would come to this, why bother in the first place?" Yang Menglu brought up past events.
Tu Shenhao chuckled in response, "I just didn't know how capable they were! By the way, how could such people possibly be in a Mental Hospital?"
"What's wrong with that? I actually think a mental hospital is the most suitable place for them," Yang Menglu replied.
Indeed, they could con someone out of a fortune in the blink of an eye. This kind of crazy transformation was no less impressive than what Lu the Madman had done back in his day.
"True enough; you can't do our line of work without a bit of madness, haha," Tu Shenhao said with a hearty laugh.
He was feeling a bit crazy himself because he spotted the Fit car that was hurriedly fleeing...
When Zhang Quan first saw it, he was overjoyed, slapping Xiao Mu on the head excitedly and saying, "Wow, this kid is incredibly handsome... Oh man, you really got them good... Hey, kid, why not switch careers and become a cop? Come back with me and go undercover; with that little brain of yours, you could con anyone!"
"Sit straight, we're about to parallel," Xiao Mu shouted.
Zhang Quan quickly composed himself and sat up straight. Happiness had come so suddenly that he felt a bit flustered. He asked Xiao Mu, "How do we make it look real?"
"What are you talking about? This is just a natural performance. That bastard hit me, stole my money, and now expects me to be nice to him... Damn it, I'm ready to take someone down!" Xiao Mu said in a seemingly mad manner, his fierce expression startling Zhang Quan.
Then Xiao Mu made a surprising move that shocked the car behind them. Just as they were almost parallel, he suddenly swerved, circling around Lingzhi's car by a few meters. Tu Shenhao was so startled that he slammed on the brakes. As the speed decreased, the little Fit behind them roared to life, spewing black smoke. It took off with a loud roar, gaining speed and quickly pulling away by several dozen meters.
"I think I might have gone a bit overboard," Tu Shenhao thought to himself. However, his car was still accelerating closely behind the Fit as he instructed Yang Menglu to call for backup.
The car behind was chasing hard while the one in front was speeding away. Zhang Quan was sweating from the speed and cautiously reminded, "Linzi, slow down; we're driving a Fit, not an airplane!"
"You need to panic to show your current mindset. What? Are you planning to stop voluntarily and go back to kneel before your godfather?" Xiao Mu asked.
That made sense. Zhang Quan gripped the iron pipe in his hand—standard thug equipment—and nodded. "So how do we light the fire?"
"Find an exit," Xiao Mu replied without reducing speed as they headed straight for the next exit.
After about ten minutes, the Fit took an exit off the highway and stopped at a toll booth. They parked not far from the toll booth's camera. Suddenly, Zhang Quan understood; this was a very guilty display—going to a crowded place with cameras fit perfectly with their fear of being hunted down.
He secretly gave Xiao Mu a thumbs-up. Soon after, Lingzhi's car exited the highway with a roar and charged directly in front of them, almost bumping into them. As soon as they got out of the car, Tu Shenhao was startled. The tall and burly Zhang Quan held a dark iron pipe in his hand while Lin Instructor cowardly peeked out from behind their car. Upon seeing him, he urged Zhang Quan: "Baldy, beat him... beat him to death!"
"Hey... hey... let's talk this out... Brother Zhang..." Tu Shenhao raised his hands with palms open, approaching amicably.
"Hey, what's going on? You don't have enough people today, boss... that guy from Car Brands dares to chase us," Zhang Quan said defiantly, a steel pipe slung over his shoulder, exuding the demeanor of someone ready to rob a house.
"What are you talking about? We're all family here... I was just planning to bring you back for lunch, and then you up and leave?" Tu Shenhao replied politely.
"The road is wide; we can go our separate ways. I can leave whenever I want. Who are you to stop me? By the way, what was your name again? We need to settle this score. You think just because you have more people, you can bully me?" Zhang Quan said fiercely, pointing a finger right in front of Tu Shenhao.
Xiao Mu once said that the more ruthless you are, the more they might like you; who knows, they might even fall for you.
Sure enough, Tu Shenhao smiled, showing no signs of anger. He turned to the people in the car and signaled for Yang Menglu to get out. She gracefully stepped down, carrying two bags and tossed them in front of the car. Those were the belongings taken from the two people earlier—money included. Tu Shenhao smiled and said, "Brother, we won't know each other without a fight. Money and things are all in there; what’s yours is yours, and what’s mine will also have your share in the future. How does that sound?"
Zhang Quan looked at the items, his heart racing with excitement; his long-desired goal was within reach. However, he still held onto the steel pipe and disdainfully replied, "I don't trust you."
As he collected his things and prepared to walk away from this mess, Tu Shenhao stepped in front of him, hands on his hips, exposing his back to Zhang Quan. "Brother, are you still angry? Come on, if you want to hit me back for what happened earlier, I’ll repay you double for what I owe."
This gesture made Zhang Quan feel a sudden fondness for this generous person. Yang Menglu approached with a bright smile and said to Zhang Quan, "You and Professor Lu are brothers through thick and thin; Professor Lu and Tu Zong are also close friends. Trust me, there won't be any grudges between brothers overnight."
With one red and one white standing there, Zhang Quan found it hard to strike. Just then, as Tu Shenhao felt a turning point had arrived and prepared to turn around, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist that nearly made him stumble. When he glared back in anger, it was Xiao Mu who had come out of nowhere to kick him hard in the side.
"You kicked my ass earlier; it still hurts! Stop pretending; this is our money now."
With an angry expression on his face, Xiao Mu snatched the items from him.
Rising reluctantly with a smile, Tu Shenhao said, "Not enough power; come again."
"Bring it on! You think I'm really afraid of you?" Xiao Mu, having avenged himself, prepared to kick again but was pulled back by Yang Menglu.
Tu Shenhao had no doubts now. He laughed heartily, completely unfazed by Xiao Mu's frustration. Yang Menglu tugged at him, playfully scolding, "What happened to you?"
"Don't start with me. You stood next to him and didn't treat us like brothers at all," Xiao Mu retorted angrily.
"From today onward, I promise no one will treat you as outsiders... Stop messing around; we're all grown-ups now. Is playing house really that interesting? Linzi, let me ride in your car. Zhang Quan, you drive Tu Zong. If anyone treats you like outsiders again, just come to me..." Yang Menglu said.
Having a beautiful woman around made a difference; Zhang Quan couldn't muster any anger. Xiao Mu was pulled into the car, and with Tu Shenhao's goodwill, they switched vehicles. It seemed they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Yang Menglu exchanged a knowing glance with Tu Shenhao, and for Zhang Quan, who reluctantly accepted this outcome, Tu Shenhao showed even more camaraderie.
This camaraderie was evident to Big Head and Big Mouth as well; Tu Zong and Baldy got into the car with their arms around each other.
As the scene neared its end, Zhang Quan was ushered into the car by Tu Zong himself, who also took the wheel. They hit the highway first, with Big Head and Big Mouth following behind. Just as they were about to set off, Xiao Mu changed his mind again. Once the car stopped, Yang Menglu comforted him for a long time before gently asking, "What's wrong now?"
"We can't go back; it would be a huge loss. We haven't even used the money from Usury yet and would still have to pay interest," Xiao Mu replied, recalling the situation. Yang Menglu shot him a glance and said, "With your wealth, is that little interest really a concern? Just mention to Tu Zong that Ma Tuchui's boss has a good relationship with him."
"Really?" Xiao Mu asked suspiciously.
"Of course it's true. Don't you trust me?" Yang Menglu replied helplessly.
"Don't start with that; you tricked me all the way here and then I got beaten up at the end. Why should I trust you now?" Xiao Mu said doubtfully. Yang Menglu smiled softly and leaned closer to ask, "Then why did you stay?"
"A place to land is better than going solo... But you guys are really inconsiderate. Do you have to keep tossing us around like this?" Xiao Mu said as he restarted the car.
"You'll find out the reason soon enough. Even if you don't trust me, there's something I still want to tell you," Yang Menglu said.
She turned slightly towards him, her demeanor more serious than usual as she looked at Xiao Mu. He casually remarked, "Just say what you need to say; what's with that expression?"
"Ha ha, it's nothing much. In fact, I hope you act a bit foolishly. That way, no one will pay attention to you, and Tu Zong won't come after you, allowing you to live a mediocre but peaceful life." Yang Menglu let out a breath, as if this thought had been weighing on her.
Xiao Mu pondered the meaning behind her words and asked suspiciously, "So what you're saying is that you don't want me to get involved?"
"That's part of it. But today just happened to be the day; you seem naturally inclined to do this kind of thing. It wouldn't help if I tried to stop you," Yang Menglu replied.
This casual remark struck a chord with Xiao Mu. Perhaps this was Yang Menglu's true nature—a female con artist, one whose conscience hadn't completely faded away. She inexplicably revealed a concern she shouldn't have had. Xiao Mu stared in surprise for a moment and softly asked, "What you want to tell me is this."
"No, what I want to tell you is to know when to stop. Don't get too deeply involved; sometimes when you're too far in, there won't be any chance to turn back or start over," Yang Menglu said gently, making an inappropriate face for the context and smiling sweetly.
Con artists are always like this; their expressions and words leave you to interpret their true meaning.
Yet Xiao Mu was precisely the type who could understand. His gaze softened, revealing affection and flickering joy. He leaned slowly toward Yang Menglu, preparing to steal a kiss. Caught by his gaze, Yang Menglu lowered her eyes slightly, feeling a bit nervous. Her cheeks flushed with shyness, as if she knew something was about to happen but was also afraid of it.
Suddenly, Xiao Mu captured her red lips and kissed her teasingly, playfully catching her tongue while holding her face. Yang Menglu felt anxious from the unexpected kiss and clumsily responded. In that passionate moment, she felt as if she were lost in a tender embrace, moaning softly like in a dream. However, the deeper actions startled her back to reality; she felt a hand boldly caressing her left breast.
Panicking, she resisted and turned her head away, murmuring, "No, no..." pushing Xiao Mu away.
The passion came at the wrong time and place. Xiao Mu, pushed back but still gazing at her hungrily, watched as she adjusted her dress and seemingly angry said, "Don't do that again; I could be your aunt."
"Finding an aunt who likes me isn't easy," Xiao Mu replied as he drove on after passing the toll booth, receiving the card from the attendant's strange gaze. Yang Menglu smiled slightly and retorted, "Just because your aunt likes you doesn't mean she can accept your advances. You're much more mature than you appear."
A kiss reveals understanding; that feeling isn't something inexperienced people have. Xiao Mu didn't explain further but teased instead, "But you're just as young as you look. Sister Yang, I can sense that there's someone in your heart already occupying that space."
"How did you figure that out?" Yang Menglu asked in surprise.
"Because no woman can resist my charming gaze, you are the exception... Haha, really, I think you like me but can't accept me, right?" Xiao Mu said with a smile. Based on his experience with women, he believed that the more flirtatious and bold they were, the harder they would be to handle.
"Hehe, let's not discuss this anymore; the truth will only disappoint you," Yang Menglu replied, her alluring smile making it impossible to gauge her true thoughts.
The car sped back directly to the company. Tu Zong engaged in lively conversation with the two of them. After a few cups of tea, he arranged accommodations and eagerly invited them to dinner, which was unnecessary to mention. Life as a bad guy was always filled with novelty and excitement, and the two of them were about to embark on a new chapter of their impressive lives.
On that day, the Field Duty team reported an anomaly to the project team. The members of the project team were ecstatic; however, after much discussion, they still couldn't figure out how these two seemed to have abandoned their child only to suddenly re-enter the scene. Moreover, they were doing so in a rather bold manner. The surveillance footage captured Tu Shenhao toasting Zhang Quan and Xiao Mu, and afterward, they all went out to enjoy themselves at an entertainment venue.
This was clearly the rhythm of being treated as confidants. The Surveillance Department had secretly filmed a group of beautiful women surrounding 3326 and Xiao Mu at a KTV, making those Field Duty guys who were stuck eating instant noodles and drinking mineral water envious enough to drool...
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