Chapter 247

Sixty-Seventh Page Final Preparations (Three)

[Balance Commercial District · Balance Food Company · B1 · Underground Night Market]

The underground corridor made of yellow bricks had a sense of history, somewhat resembling a Victorian-era London subway station. Despite being far from the center of the Balance Commercial District and having been built a long time ago, the shops on both sides were still vibrant. Even on a weekday afternoon, one could see tourists wandering about… It seemed quite lively.

Xiǎo Lěi was frustrated with the abundance of food and restaurants before her.

“I regret it. Although the soft coconut bread is delicious, it takes up too much space! I have to eat less of other things…”

I tapped her forehead and warned, “Don’t just think about eating. Today isn’t for playing!”

She pouted and retorted, “Anyway, the tattooed man hasn’t contacted us yet, and we still have free time. So, can’t I just eat a bit more?”

Unable to resist her pleading tone, I waved her off helplessly.

“Fine, go ahead, but don’t stray too far from us.”

“Got it! I’ll bring you something to eat! Oh, and Mù Xī should come with me too! Brainy stuff isn’t our thing!”

Xiǎo Lěi had arbitrarily included Xiǎo Mùxī in her group.

“Huh? But I don’t have enough money…”

“Don’t worry about it! I’m treating you! I’ve earned a lot from working!”

Mù Xī didn’t say anything else, but her uncontrollable appetite dragged her toward an ice cream shop nearby… Wait, to eat that in winter?

—”Xiǎo Kǎi, you’re not being careful enough. You didn’t notice Xiǎo Lěi’s true intentions.”—

True intentions? Wasn’t she just craving it?

—”That’s only part of it. She noticed Mù Xī’s uneasiness and wanted to use this to ease her burden. Although Xiǎo Lěi is a bit clumsy, she understands people well.”—

In my understanding, “understanding people” usually refers to animals…

I looked at the small, fierce-eyed strategist, and saw her also staring at the ice cream shop with a faint smile on her lips.

“Why, Shān Sister, do you want ice cream?” I asked.

She quickly denied it, waving her hands, “N-No! I don’t like sweets… I just think Xiǎo Lěi is carefree.”

Doesn’t like sweets?

She seems perfect for sucking on a lollipop… Of course, I wouldn’t dare say that out loud.

“What does carefree mean? She just has a poor head, so she doesn’t think too much.”

“People can’t control their thoughts. Once they start thinking, it’s hard to stop. So completely emptying your mind requires talent. Can Xiǎo Língmèng do it herself?”

Shān Sister crossed her arms and spoke as if she were an adult.

“Stop thinking? Seems like I can’t…”

Shān Sister appeared very rational. Do you ever have those thoughts?

“I do have them, and they’re my current motivation.”

She didn’t specify what, but the gentle emotion in her eyes gave me a glimpse of the iceberg.

It must be related to Sister Miāomiāo and Sister Qiàn.

“Let’s get back to business. Shān Sister, where would be a good place for the transaction?”

After I asked for her opinion, she first rested her chin in thought, then looked around as if searching for something.

“I remember it’s… Yes, I think arranging it at the outdoor tables of that barbecue restaurant would work well.”

Shān Sister pointed to an outdoor barbecue restaurant called “Temüjin BBQ.”

They call it “outdoor,” but it’s just placing chairs in the passageway. Although it was built long ago, the underground passageways here are much wider and taller than the commercial district, almost like a subway station.

Shān Sister explained further, “The passages are clear, and there are surveillance cameras overlooking the dining area, which will give the lady a sense of security. She shouldn’t object to this location.”

At first glance, it made sense, but there was a problem.

“But aren’t all the restaurants here outdoor? Why choose this one?”

Although it’s also an underground street, the passages are wide and high. The central area is practically unused. Almost every restaurant or snack shop has placed tables and chairs at the entrance, meeting the conditions Shān Sister mentioned.

So the question came back to why she insisted on this barbecue restaurant.

“Look over there… The camera above the barbecue shop is covered in smoke residue.”

Following Shān Sister’s finger, I looked up at the surveillance camera above the “Temüjin BBQ.”

The original white spherical shell had turned black from smoke, and the lens glass likely suffered the same fate. Even if it wasn’t damaged inside, it probably couldn’t see anything anymore.

Shān Sister turned around with her hands behind her back and asked mysteriously, “So, where do you think we should hide during the transaction?”

As if guiding me to think, she threw the question back at me.

“Do we need to hide? Just sit at a neighboring table. Anyway, Cherry Sauce can use cognitive interference. Even if we sit right next to them, we won’t be recognized.”

Shān Sister shook her head.

“That won’t work. If we sit next to them, we’d have to pretend to be ordinary tourists eating barbecue, which would restrict our movements. Plus, you guys plan to broadcast the transaction, right? Even if you blur faces, suddenly filming someone would raise suspicion.”

I was rebutted.

Actually, I knew it would be rebutted when I said it.

I am the Watson who makes incorrect deductions, while the correct answer can only come from the protagonist, the beautiful girl detective—Shān Sister.

I followed up, “Where did our beautiful girl detective choose?”

She scratched her bangs self-consciously, trying to cover her eyes.

“You told me not to call you that… The second floor of the rice noodle roll shop across from the barbecue shop. There’s a small window upstairs that overlooks the passage.”

The rice noodle roll shop Shān Sister mentioned had the same structure as Aunt Lín’s Small Café, lowering the ground floor by half a level to create a lower second floor. Though it was cramped, it could accommodate more guests… But does a snack like rice noodle rolls really need so many seats?

“Then it’s settled. Lǐn Huā, send the barbecue shop’s location to the scorpion tattooed man. Of course, we don’t need to tell him about the live broadcast.”

“Alright! I know what to do!”

Lǐn Huā, who had been waiting, responded and started typing the message on her phone.

Shān Sister asked, “What’s the plan after this? Do we set up the live streaming camera here beforehand? And what about the decoder for the live broadcast? Are you going to use a phone to film?”

Actually, a phone would work, but this was a major operation, so proper equipment was prepared.

“Don’t worry about that. Someone will take care of it… I’ll give them a call first.”

Everything was ready, and it was almost time for AJ to make her appearance.

According to last night’s arrangement, she was responsible for the live broadcast at the scene, sending the footage back to Sister Yǐjī’s recording studio, where Sister Yǐjī would play it in the live stream room. This kind of setup is called an outdoor Vtuber… Is there such a category?

The phone rang, and the call was answered before the dial tone even finished.

Even though I initiated the call, AJ asked first, “Finally, you called. How is it? Do you want me to come out?”

“We found a suitable location for the arrangement, but the Glorious Family hasn’t confirmed the meeting time. Take your time, no rush.”

AJ replied, “It’s urgent. I haven’t figured out how to use the borrowed broadcasting equipment, and I need to adjust it on site…”

“By the way, where did you borrow these things from?”

“Oh, Sister Fēiyuè got them from the club, and she told us to work hard.”

Sister Fēiyuè had also been harassed by the Glorious Family, so she naturally had a strong willingness to help… But the Witch Workshop?

It wasn’t strange for that club to have broadcasting equipment. Likely, Sister Qínglán impulsively bought it, only to find out it was useless and left it gathering dust in the club warehouse.

“Then hurry over.”

“It’s close. I’ll be there soon.”

This was on the edge of the Balance Commercial District, near the direction of the low-rent apartments. She shouldn’t take much time to get here. Ideally…

—”That lady with the large sum of cash went to the supermarket.”—

There was only one Walmart supermarket in the commercial district. Since Cherry Sauce mentioned the supermarket, she must be referring to that… Is she buying alcohol?

—”The black substance I left in her bag is only for tracking, not confirming her actions. But since she entered the supermarket, she won’t act immediately.”—

It could also be that the scorpion man didn’t reply in time, causing suspicion.

“Done!” Lǐn Huā said, leaning on her waist. “I’ve already sent the address to Yǐn Tiānjié. Has AJ arrived?”

I replied, “On her way, bringing the broadcasting equipment too.”

It didn’t seem like anything could go wrong now, but I felt uneasy, sensing that things weren’t as simple as I expected…

“Chairman!”

Xiǎo Lěi, who had gone out to look for food, ran back with someone unexpected besides Xiǎo Mùxī.

She boasted, “Look who I found!”

“Let go! You idiot!”

Her public persona was a delinquent with a fringe haircut, but her real identity was a wealthy young lady who didn’t need to attend school.

“Huh? Why is Xiàlù here?”

She held a box of golden fried pork cutlets and lifted her chin proudly.

She retorted, “I don’t need to go to school. It’s odd for Língmèng to be here.”

“It’s complicated to explain, but I have some business to attend to here…”

She sighed, looking as if she knew it all.

“You must have gotten yourself into trouble again, right?”

Why again…

I asked, “Didn’t I hear from Sister Qiūluó that you quit your job at Kamehameha?”

“Yeah, I went to Peach Cat.”

She answered straightforwardly.

“Didn’t you meet Lín Zǐyè today?”

“No.”

“So, what are you doing here?”

When I asked, Xiàlù suddenly radiated a sense of pressure, making the background glow金色灿烂。