Taking someone's money
The child nervously looked around at the shelves lined up on both sides, swallowed hard, and clutched the straps of his oversized backpack with both hands.
At last, he summoned the courage to speak, his voice trembling from anxiety, “Boss? Is the boss here…”
Lu Xun, who had been about to slap the television, paused in surprise, lowered his hand, stepped out from behind the counter, bent his tall, sturdy figure down, tried to squeeze out a friendly smile, and deepened his rough voice, carefully softening it as he said, “Hey there, kid. What are you looking to buy?”
The child was dressed in a school uniform of white and pale green, with a thick red scarf around his neck. His backpack was so large it nearly covered him, and his hair was cropped short. He looked quite young.
Without hesitation, the child pulled two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket.
“Uncle, could you attend the parent-teacher meeting for my dad?”
Lu Xun was stunned.
As if afraid that the burly man before him would refuse, the child quickly added, “It’s just an hour and a half in the morning.”
Seeing Lu Xun hesitate, the child gritted his teeth and pulled out another hundred-yuan bill from his other pocket. “Uncle, this is all the money I have.”
“Where are your parents?”
“They went out to sea and haven’t come back yet.”
“Who do you live with?”
“I live with my grandparents.”
Lu Xun thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright. When and where?”
The child set down his backpack, pulled out a notebook, found the page he’d already written on, tore it out, and placed it under the bills as he handed them over.
“Uncle, this is my address. Tomorrow morning at eight-thirty, we’ll go to the school together.”
Lu Xun took the address and the bills, glanced at them, then opened a drawer, took out fifty yuan, and swapped one of the hundreds for a total of one hundred fifty yuan, handing it back to the child. “I have clear prices here—fair for everyone. One hundred per hour, so you take back this one hundred fifty.”
The child seemed stunned, instinctively reached out to take the money, and turned toward the glass door.
Lu Xun hurried after him.
He watched as the child pushed open the glass door.
Outside, instead of a lonely darkness, the familiar street at the three-way intersection appeared.
He followed the child out the door.
“Uncle, please remember to come,” the child turned back to Lu Xun.
Suppressing the excitement and joy in his heart, Lu Xun waved, “I’ll definitely be there!”
He watched the child disappear at the end of the alley. Lu Xun was so thrilled he nearly jumped up. He rushed to the counter, turned on the recorder, and opened the document.
The events repeated themselves. The first time, he’d gone out to help a girl find her cat. This time, he was helping an elementary school student attend the parent-teacher meeting. The world outside was no longer pitch black.
After a while, Lu Xun spoke seriously:
“I strongly suspect this grocery store needs to be observed.”
He stroked his chin and realized his beard was a mess. He went to look in the mirror and saw his hair was long and his clothes ill-fitting.
According to his principle of ‘taking people’s money and solving their troubles,’ Lu Xun decided to get a haircut and tidy up his beard.
...
“You’ve kept this hair for a long time, haven’t you?” the barber asked, not surprised by the length—it was just a Beatles look, rock-n-roll, alternative, many young people wore their hair long like this.
But for a burly man to have such long, glossy black hair was rare. “It’d be a shame to cut it.”
“How much could you sell this hair for?”
“Five hundred!”
“Eight hundred. You’ll still make a profit.”
“Boss...” Seeing the bearded, pale-faced man rise as if to leave, the barber quickly agreed, “Eight hundred, eight hundred it is.”
“Cut it to a crew cut.”
Washed, cut, and styled, and his beard trimmed as well.
Lu Xun looked at his reflection: thick brows, large eyes, pale face—he nodded in satisfaction.
He took the eight hundred yuan the barber gave him, went straight to a clothing store, picked out a set of well-fitting clothes, donned a brown trench coat like a cape, grabbed his documents, and kicked his motorcycle into gear.
Vroom vroom.
The motorcycle sped toward the hospital.
Though called a hospital, it wasn’t crowded as usual. It was built recently, an auxiliary facility of the Science City.
With his family member’s credentials, Lu Xun passed through without hindrance, ascended to the fifth floor, and looked through the thick glass into the intensive care unit.
Inside, the instruments flickered rhythmically, the tubes were neatly arranged.
A giant pod, technological marvel, replaced the hospital bed. Inside it lay a pale-faced woman.
The pale-faced man watched quietly for a long time, then sighed softly.
Leaving the ward, Lu Xun walked to the nurse’s station and asked, “Doctor, I heard someone woke up after using the newly developed recovery pod. Is that true?”
The nurse, dressed in white with a black sweater vest, smiled. “Yes, sir. There have indeed been such cases.”
“How much does the newest pod cost?”
“Eight million.”
Noticing Lu Xun’s hesitation and uncertainty, the nurse continued, “You could also opt for a secondary pod. With insurance, the cost can be kept to about two million, and I’ve heard there’s a fair chance of recovery.”
“Which family member of yours is admitted to the Boundary Town Medical Department?”
Seeing that Lu Xun didn’t answer, the nurse noticed his embarrassment and continued, “If you truly can’t gather the funds, you can maintain the current state. With insurance, it’s only six hundred a month for basic hospital facilities. Anyone unconscious due to the Illusion Realm can be sent to the Boundary Town Medical Department.”
“If times are especially hard, you can apply for poverty assistance. Not a single penny required.”
Lu Xun changed the subject: “Has anyone who disappeared in the Illusion Realm ever been found?”
“I’m not sure about that. My clearance level isn’t high.”
“Thank you.”
With a word of thanks, Lu Xun left.
Now, two paths lay before him.
First, become strong enough to diagnose the illness himself.
Second, earn enough money for his mother to enjoy the top resources at the Academy of Sciences.
Lu Xun favored the second option, given that he lacked even basic medical knowledge.
As a monster, he could fight, but curing illness was beyond him.
The one blessing was that his mother was at least still lying in the recovery pod. Unlike his father, who vanished during a massive Illusion Realm outbreak.
So much time had passed...
Lu Xun brushed aside these thoughts. If alive, he must see the person; if dead, he must see the body. Since his father hadn’t been found, hope remained.
After leaving the hospital, Lu Xun made a trip to the department store.
He bought a gift—a plush toy.
...
The next day.
Lu Xun rose early, washed up, put on a white T-shirt, slipped into black-and-white canvas shoes, and donned the brown trench coat over his muscular frame. Looking at his reflection, he laughed, “If I wore a leather jacket and sunglasses, and carried that double-barreled firearm, I’d look just like the Terminator.”
He was going to a parent-teacher meeting, not a battle, so he couldn’t bring any weapons. Not only that, but he had to dress properly. These days, kids care about appearances; parents dressing too well isn’t good, too poorly isn’t good, and eccentric outfits only attract criticism. So this was just right.
Chongyang District, 128 Jiuhua Street...
His grocery store was at the three-way intersection in Chongyang District. A twist of the throttle and he’d be there in no time.
Eight o’clock, the hour of the dragon.
The boy waited early at the street corner, pursing his lips, looking around.
He was sure it was eight-thirty, but he couldn’t settle his heart. So he got up extra early, wondering if he should go to the grocery store at the intersection to remind the man of his promise.
But he hesitated, fearing the shopkeeper might scold him.
That’s how it is when you ask someone for help.
Vroom vroom vroom!
The motorcycle, with its roar and the smell of fuel, stopped in front of the boy with the large backpack.
The man took off his helmet and smiled, “You’re up early, kid.”
The boy’s eyes grew red.
A large hand moved to cover the boy’s small head, but, after a moment’s hesitation, instead rested on his shoulder. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Li Yi.”
“What’s your father’s name?”
“My dad is Li Gu Meng.”
“Alright! Today, my surname is Li, my name is Gu Meng. I’m Li Yi’s father.”
Li Yi clutched the backpack straps, quietly, almost inaudibly, moved his lips and called him Dad.
“Dad brought you a gift.”
Lu Xun pulled out the doll he’d bought at the department store—a swordsman in white, carrying a long sword, with an orange-red cat’s head—then handed it to Li Yi.
Li Yi exclaimed in delight, “Rainbow Cat, the Young Hero!”
Lu Xun got off the bike and placed the other helmet on Li Yi’s head.
“Hop on!”
With a kick, the motorcycle revved up. Lu Xun tilted his head slightly, “Hold on tight.”
Vroom!
The motorcycle disappeared down the long street.