Chapter 239: Today Is the Last Day
Li Ming nodded, took the kraft paper bag, and left quickly.
The Death Warriors Xiao Ye had brought with him followed behind.
Their tracking skills were excellent, so there was no need to worry about them being discovered.
All that was left was to wait for news.
However, just to be safe, Xiao Ye decided to follow them himself.
"Mu Xiang, protect Chuyue. If anything happens to her, you know the consequences!"
Mu Xiang rolled her eyes at Xiao Ye. "Relax. I'm no ordinary woman. I know a bit of kung fu myself."
"I might not be on your level, but I'm definitely an expert!"
Xiao Ye said nothing more and vanished from the doorway in the blink of an eye.
It was nighttime, and the streetlights were on.
The temperature had dropped over the past few days, so there weren't many people out on the streets.
They all hurried along, eager to get home.
Li Ming took a bus and unhurriedly made his way to a park, where he placed the bag on a bench.
He turned and left without a second glance.
Xiao Ye had the Death Warriors follow, while he himself remained in the shadows nearby, continuing to wait.
About an hour later, a young man appeared.
He saw the bag on the bench, and without a hint of curiosity, he picked it up and walked away.
Xiao Ye was sure this was the man sent to pick up the item.
He immediately started tailing him.
The young man looked like a punk, with a lazy swagger to his walk. He spent the entire time either smoking or talking on the phone.
Soon, he arrived at a courier service point, tossed the package on the counter, and left.
Xiao Ye had no choice but to enter the shop. "Excuse me, I'd like to know where this package is being sent."
The owner gave him a strange look, but before he could refuse, he saw a thousand yuan appear on the counter.
Without a second thought, he snatched the money.
"I don't know. Packages like this never have a detailed address, just a city. Once it reaches the main depot there, someone comes to pick it up."
Xiao Ye nodded, noting the tracking number, the destination city, and the name of the courier service.
「In a nearby pool hall.」
The young man was in the middle of a game, cue in hand. "Fuck, I missed!"
"Xiaohu, your luck is shit today! If you lose, don't forget you're buying me drinks tonight!"
Just as the young man was about to reply, Xiao Ye slung an arm around his shoulder and dragged him outside.
Once they were out the door, Xiao Ye let him go.
"The hell? Who are you? I don't know you! What do you want, dragging me out here?!"
"That kraft paper bag you picked up today... who sent you?"
"Who the hell are you? Why should I tell you anything?" The young man turned to leave.
Xiao Ye held up a wad of cash. "Are you sure about that?"
"Shit, that's a lot of money! I don't know who it is. A few years ago, some guy suddenly called and told me to pick something up."
"He said all I had to do was drop it at a courier service. I do it once a month, and he pays me five hundred yuan each time."
"So I did it. Other than picking up the package, I haven't done anything else."
"Do you know who sent you? Do you still have the phone number?"
The young man shook his head. "It's long gone. Look, the pickups are always on a fixed date and at a fixed time."
"If I miss it, I just go back again three days later. I always manage to get it every month."
"Other than the extra five hundred yuan I get each month, I have no idea who the guy is."
Seeing that he wasn't lying, Xiao Ye could only note down the bank account number for the transfers and have someone look into it.
Before he even made it back to the hotel, the reports started coming in one after another.
"Patriarch, I've tracked it. The bank card used for the transfers belongs to a man named Xie Lin. But this Xie Lin died last year."
"The account was never closed, though, so the card is still active."
"As for the courier's main depot, I've already sent people over. We should be able to get the surveillance footage soon."
'The mastermind is so cautious. Every link in the chain is flawless.'
'The person picking it up from the main depot probably also uses a dead drop in a location with no cameras.'
'It'll be nearly impossible to trace it this way.'
Still, Xiao Ye ordered, "Keep investigating. Inform me immediately if you find anything."
「Several more days passed.」
They found nothing.
Lin Chuyue grew more anxious with each passing day. Xiao Ye's medicine and talismans were having little effect.
"Xiao Ye, I want to go see that couple again, is that okay? I want to ask them myself. What if there's something they forgot to mention!"
"I want to know what the person who made them get plastic surgery eighteen years ago was wearing, what their voice sounded like... Maybe... maybe they really are my parents!"
Xiao Ye had no choice but to agree.
They had now returned to the factory.
It was closing time.
Normally, the workers would all be heading out, but today, they were all gathered at the entrance, apparently watching some kind of commotion.
"Fuck! How many times do I have to tell you? Today's the deadline!"
"Are you fucking deaf or something?"
Xiao Ye pushed his way through the crowd and saw a burly man shouting, spit flying from his mouth.
And standing before him were none other than the Li couple.
They were holding hands tightly, their faces filled with terror and fear.
Li Ming stepped forward to shield Li Yue, his posture deferential. "Brother Nan, it's all my fault, but that shirt of yours... it's just too expensive!"
"We haven't gotten our wages yet. Just give us a few more days. As soon as we're paid, we'll give you the money right away!"
The burly man spat. "Your two wages combined aren't even ten thousand yuan! That shirt of mine is a designer brand. It cost thirty thousand when I bought it!"
"Even when you get paid, you won't be able to afford it. Then what? You'll just tell me to wait for next month's wages?"
"I've given you a chance. Stop fucking wasting my time! Either borrow the money and pay me now..."
"...or sign this IOU! The interest will be five thousand a month. If you can't pay it back in one month, it rolls over to the next. This time, I'll give you a whole year!"
The couple's faces filled with despair.
The people in the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
Xiao Ye asked the person next to him, "What's going on?"
"What else could it be? Brother Nan's causing trouble, as usual."
The man was clearly a gossip. "Let me tell you, that shirt of Brother Nan's isn't worth thirty thousand. That thing's a cheap piece of crap from a street stall."
"It's not even worth thirty yuan!"
"But they were unlucky enough to get it dirty, so now it costs whatever Brother Nan says it costs, right?"
It turned out this Brother Nan was the factory bully. To be more precise, he was the local crime boss.
He was technically on the payroll in the factory's security department, but he rarely ever showed up.
A few days ago, he'd been in the cafeteria when Li Ming accidentally bumped into him.
The broth from Li Ming's food splashed onto his shirt.
Brother Nan immediately demanded thirty thousand, not a penny less.
Although Li Ming and his wife had some savings, he had just had surgery a while back, so they had no spare cash whatsoever!