Chapter 219: Diverting Disaster Eastward, Sitting Down for Negotiations (5k, extra)

Of course Wen Yan knew that a single photo could contain quite a bit of information, and he also knew that just because you deleted a post online, it didn’t mean there were no traces left behind.

He wanted there to be traces.

If he could easily dig up info on that teenager, then anyone else with the right channels definitely could too.

From the moment that kid got mixed up in this, there was no way he could just step away cleanly.

Wen Yan was willing to let it go, but not everyone was as easy-going as him.

Losing your life at any moment—that was just business as usual for Professionals.

Just like what Wen Yan saw back in the Stele Forest—most people died suddenly and young.

The only difference was whether they died sooner or later.

It’s just that nowadays, times were different—back then, being as strong as half a mini-excavator made you a little superhuman.

But now, give the word, and you could roll out hundreds of huge excavators, throw in some heavy trucks, and dry up a small river in under an hour.

With that kind of force to keep things in check, most Professionals had no choice but to behave themselves.

Otherwise, put a weapon in someone’s hand, killer instinct comes easy—give an ordinary person a superpower, expecting them to keep their heads down is just wishful thinking.

Right after Wen Yan posted, just a few seconds later, the thread starter started to panic.

"Eighty is fine! Just delete the post already!"

"Let’s finish the deal first. Once the money’s here, I’ll delete it. You don’t want it—someone else will."

"Fine! Deal! Just delete it!"

"Then hand over the Gold Coins, will you?"

After a moment’s wait, Wen Yan saw the notification—eighty Skeleton Coins had come in.

"Alright, you pick a place, we’ll do the deal at noon."

"Meet me by the river! Just toss the goods in!"

"Okay, you’re the buyer—your call."

Wen Yan deleted the post he’d just made, chuckled as he turned off his phone, took out the SIM card, then stripped the phone down and popped out the battery as well.

A little sloppy, but no big deal.

After breakfast, Pei Tugou was already waiting outside in his car, ready to give Wen Yan a ride to work.

"Bro, you head out first, I’ve got other things to do today.

If you’re busy at lunch, you don’t have to worry about your daughter.

I’ve got time at noon, I’ll go pick her up for you."

Wen Yan took a perfectly legitimate day off to slack—pretty sure the museum director didn’t have time to care, anyway.

After sending off Qin Kun in the morning, and as lunchtime neared, he called a car to a nearby high school.

He took out his encrypted phone and dialed the number of the phone he’d given that kid last night, and sure enough, it actually picked up.

"Hey, I’m at a shop near your school. Classes are over, right? Come here."

Teenagers—he just got a brand-new phone, and it was encrypted too—of course he couldn’t resist. He went home last night, put on the whole act with a gas mask, and powered it on.

Only after turning it on did he realize Wen Yan had played him—there was never any poison in there at all.

But now, getting this call, the kid started to regret it. If he hadn’t powered it on, he wouldn’t have gotten this call at all.

He didn’t dare skip out though, so he pulled on a hat and snuck over to the place Wen Yan had described. Inside a private booth, he found Wen Yan.

"See, I knew you wouldn’t take a warning to heart.

Kids are all like that—if they don’t get burned, they never feel pain.

Except you’ve already been burned and still don’t feel it—sooner or later it’ll end badly for you."

"I shouldn’t have picked up the phone..." The teenager looked full of regret.

"You probably have no clue what you’re caught up in. But if you hadn’t answered, you’d be even more screwed. I’m here to help you clean this up, switch the focus somewhere else—otherwise, you’d better stay the hell away from water, or you’ll die without even knowing how."

Once he finished, Wen Yan looked at the kid and saw he was listening, no attitude at all, so he nodded and took out a sealed bag with a fake inside.

"When you’re heading home at noon, pass by the river and toss this in.

After that, it’s got nothing to do with you. Even if someone keeps digging, all they’ll ever know is you’re just a clueless, fledgling petty thief.

After that, I’ll log you in with the Scorching Sun Department, finish the paperwork, and you’ll be safe.

Understand?"

"Yeah, I get it..."

"Know what to say if anyone asks?"

"Not really..."

Wen Yan pulled out a sheet of paper—it had yesterday’s chat log with the seller printed out.

"Check it out—it’s basically this. You took a bounty job, broke a lock, went inside for a peek.

After that, you casually grabbed something and took off.

Then you squeezed some money out of the guy, tossed the thing—whatever it even was—into the river just like he said.

And then, because of the lock-picking, I found you and gave you a lecture, put you on file.

Because you’re still young, I didn’t punish you—just told you to get back to your studies.

That’s all there is—got it?"

"Got it." The kid nodded. He hadn’t seen much in life yet, but he wasn’t stupid; he was starting to realize he must have gotten himself into something way more complicated—and dangerous—than he thought.

"Then follow through."

"But I don’t actually pass the river going home..."

"Then make a detour once!"

The teenager, carrying Wen Yan’s fake, rode his bike to the bridge, tossed the thing into the river, and hurried home for lunch.

Meanwhile, Wen Yan picked up Pei Tugou’s daughter and took her home with him.

He checked the kid’s phone location, watched the route, confirmed he’d passed by the river and made it home safe, then put away the phone and stopped worrying about it.