DA chapter 67

At the Sharp Knife base, Boss Zhou looked guilty and glanced cautiously at Lin Jia. Lin Jia had always kept his emotions hidden, and Boss Zhou could not read him. Boss Zhou forced a smile and said, “The Fish Spirit purity was pretty good this time, and the exchange price was also very good. Only… only…”

This time, Lin Jia only received one hundred and fifty thousand. At Lin Jia’s spending rate, the money would be gone in a little over ten days.

Lin Jia had taken the Fish Spirit from the Fish Belly, and Xiao Yao had not helped him much. Giving Lin Jia only one hundred and fifty thousand was indeed inappropriate.

Seeing that Lin Jia had remained silent for a long time, Boss Zhou coughed and said, “Deputy Chen will not let Sharp Knife go.”

Last time, Lin Jia had successfully threatened Deputy Chen with the photo, but no one likes being threatened. He would definitely find a way to eliminate anyone who could affect his official position and would inevitably make a move against Sharp Knife.

Boss Zhou dismissed some people and gave money to teammates who were about to leave the team so that, after leaving, they would have a financial cushion and not be driven to desperation by lack of funds.

This resulted in Lin Jia receiving only one hundred and fifty thousand.

Lin Jia said nothing. After Boss Zhou’s transfer arrived, he got up and left.

Back at the hotel, Cat hurriedly shut the door.

After blocking out the noise from Underwater Wold, Cat jumped onto the table and said to Lin Jia, “Who are you?”

From Cat’s understanding, Lin Jia was the one who had spent time and effort obtaining the Fish Spirit. Last time, Lin Jia gave Sharp Knife a share because Boss Zhou had promised to lure Deputy Chen into the Fish Belly. This time, however, that was not the case.

Logically, Lin Jia only needed to give Xiao Yao some of the money from the compressed biscuits. There was no need to give all of the Fish Spirit to Boss Zhou and let him distribute it.

But Lin Jia did exactly that. Cat thought that Lin Jia must be possessed because being calculating over every little thing was Lin Jia’s usual style.

Lin Jia wore gold-rimmed glasses. During the few days he had been in the Fish Belly, more business had appeared on the forum.

He still held the same view: Entering the Fish Belly to look for Fish Spirit was not cost-effective; money came faster from doing business.

But Cat kept making noise.

“No matter who you are, get out of Lin Jia’s body now!”

“If you don’t come out now, don’t blame me for being rude!”

“Heaven spirit spirit, earth spirit spirit…”

Annoying to death.

Lin Jia raised his eyes. Cat was waving its paws on his table, performing rituals, and he coldly watched Cat’s performance.

The main reason he couldn’t connect the cat with Yan Xu was this—the cat was too stupid.

After being stared at by Lin Jia until its fur stood on end, the cat instantly cowered and carefully pushed the water cup toward Lin Jia. “I…I was just joking. Don’t look at me like that.”

The second reason was that the cat was too cowardly—completely different from Yan Xu, who liked courting death.

Even after One Fish Belly ended, Lin Jia could not confirm that Cat was Yan Xu. This slow progress inevitably made Lin Jia irritable.

He shut his laptop with a snap, startling Cat so much that it jumped far away.

Lin Jia glanced at Cat: “Tell me, is one person easier to kill, or a team easier to kill?”

Cat did not understand what he meant.

Lin Jia said lightly, “Think about it yourself.”

If Cat couldn’t figure this out, then there was no need to keep betting on Yan Xu. He would also need to look for other candidates for “Cat” who were cowardly and stupid.

Cat pondered Lin Jia’s words and then considered Boss Zhou’s explanation.

Boss Zhou said that Deputy Chen would not let Sharp Knife go.

However, Lin Jia claimed that he had copied the group photo of the Broken Cloud members thousands of times and hidden the copies in every corner of Underwater Wold.

Since Deputy Chen was worried about this photo being seen, he had to ensure that Lin Jia and Boss Zhou stayed alive so that they could destroy the copies.

And precisely because of this, they successfully threatened Deputy Chen and forced him to release Boss Zhou.

If Deputy Chen moved against Sharp Knife, wouldn’t that be breaking his promise? Was he not afraid that the photo would be made public?

Cat pondered for quite a while before finally lifting its head.

It understood now. Deputy Chen was probably doubting whether there really were that many copies. Underwater Wold was enormous, and Lin Jia was just a newcomer. He was unfamiliar with the place, so how could he have scattered copies everywhere?

But the copies definitely existed. Cat had seen with its own eyes that Lin Jia had only printed ten copies, and Deputy Chen knew this as well.

These ten copies were Sharp Knife’s life-saving guarantee as well as a source of disaster. The copies were hard to find, but the Management Office was watching the movements of everyone who knew the copies existed. Although Deputy Chen could not find the copies, he could eliminate everyone who knew about them.

So, he would inevitably move against Sharp Knife, and Lin Jia would be the first target.

Lin Jia accepted the one hundred and fifty thousand shares to create some difficulty for Deputy Chen.

In Underwater Wold, dealing with one person is extremely simple. However, if Lin Jia were still part of a team, the other side would have to consider whether making a move would cause a disturbance.

Cat said: “Even so, in the Underwater Wold, one team can be destroyed overnight. Sharp Knife is not safe either. If it were, Boss Zhou would not be dismissing teammates already.”

Lin Jia’s tone remained light, showing no panic about his own predicament. “So, before the other side makes a move, find a backer.”

“A backer? Who?” Cat lifted its head and saw Lin Jia leaning against the chair back, taking out his phone and sliding his fingers across the screen.

Cat moved closer and saw the text that Lin Jia had edited:

[Captain Yan, the moonlight is beautiful tonight.]

Cat: “… ”

Ding! Message sent successfully.

Ding! The phone showed a new message received. But Yan Xu didn’t have time to read it yet—he was being questioned.

Deputy Chen looked at him. “Where were you these past few days?”

Yan Xu replied carelessly: “Where else could I go? If you disappear in Underwater Wold, you’re either dead or swallowed by the cloud layer.”

Deputy Chen said, “All personnel in the Management Office receive cloud layer descent information immediately, and it’s more complete than the bounty hall’s.”

Since leaving the Fish Belly, Deputy Chen had been probing indirectly. Yan Xu had run out of patience. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Deputy Chen took several surveillance photos from the drawer and threw them onto the table.

Yan Xu lowered his eyes and saw in the surveillance images that he and Lin Jia dining in a restaurant.

Deputy Chen: “You entered the Fish Belly with him.”

Yan Xu: “What? Not allowed to go?”

Deputy Chen said: “I want a reason.”

Yan Xu looked at Lin Jia in the photo. The surveillance image quality was poor, but Lin Jia’s appearance was not affected at all. He curled his lips and smiled. “Because he’s handsome.”

Deputy Chen found this hard to understand. “Doesn’t he already have someone he likes?”

Yan Xu paused, “Oh, right.”

Deputy Chen took a deep breath. “Do you think he has a problem?”

Yan Xu made a vague sound, neither confirming nor denying. Deputy Chen said, “He has copies in his hands. The quantity shouldn’t be much, but it’s still a hidden danger to us. If you think he has a problem, then there was no reason to go into Fish Belly with him. Just think of a way to deal with him.”

Yan Xu raised his head from the photo, the smile on his lips fading. “Casually think of a way to deal with him?” What if he doesn’t have a problem? Chen Chi, are you trying to say ‘kill by mistake rather than let go’?”

Deputy Chen frowned. “He lured us into the Fish Belly, and he has copies in his hands. How naive are you to think he doesn’t have a problem? As soon as he appeared, the photo appeared too. We finally established ourselves in Underwater Wold, and countless political enemies are watching us. One careless step, and we’re finished!”

“If you can’t find a reason…” Deputy Chen’s eyes darkened. “I’ll find one for you.”

“No need.” Yan Xu lost his smile completely and said in a deep voice, “Chen Chi, you’d better not touch him. Whether he has a problem or was sent by political enemies, I’ll investigate. If you ‘kill by mistake,’ don’t blame me for biting back at you.”

The conversation with Deputy Chen ended badly, and Yan Xu turned and left.

Deputy Chen’s gaze grew deeper and deeper behind him, like a bottomless abyss.

Yan Xu left Deputy Chen’s office and rode his motorcycle all the way back to his apartment.

He made a bowl of instant noodles and ate them while watching TV.

The night grew deeper. It was only after he washed up, lay down in bed, and was about to set the alarm for the next morning that he saw the text message on his phone.

[Lin Jia: Captain Yan, the moonlight is beautiful tonight.]

Yan Xu froze for a moment.

He got up from bed and pulled open the curtains to look outside.

There was no moon at all.

Yan Xu: “…”

Yan Xu threw the phone aside and covered his head to sleep.

During these past few days in Fish Belly, he had hardly slept at all. During those nights, he held the revolver and listened intently to every sound outside. Occasionally, when he turned his head, he would see Lin Jia’s face under the dim light as he slept.

At first, Yan Xu thought that Lin Jia belonged to another leader in the Management Office, but he dismissed that idea quickly.

Because Lin Jia hadn’t made the photo public, that’s why Yan Xu was curious about Lin Jia’s purpose. He went to the appointment and entered the Fish Belly with Lin Jia.

“The moonlight is beautiful tonight.” Yan Xu lifted the blanket, rested one hand under his head, took out his phone, and read the text message, pondering it to himself.

Could Lin Jia really have taken a liking to him?

But Deputy Chen had reminded him again—Lin Jia had a lover.

Did he really have a lover?

Yan Xu thought that Lin Jia was like a block of ice. It was difficult to imagine Lin Jia in love.

The question he had already figured out in Fish Belly became shrouded in fog again. Yan Xu felt that Lin Jia was like a flower hidden in the mist—hazy and indistinct, hard to tell what was real.

Yan Xu took out a handful of compressed biscuits from his pocket. He threw these rewards, earned by risking his life in the Fish Belly, together with the phone aside.

He admitted that he could not see through Lin Jia, but he could confirm one thing: Lin Jia was luring him. Not understanding Lin Jia’s purpose was not a big deal as long as he made sure not to take the bait and be dragged by Lin Jia into the mist.

The night was hazy, a dreamless night.

Ding—

Yan Xu opened his eyes.

He took his phone and realized that he had been distracted by Lin Jia’s text message last night and had forgotten to set the alarm. The sound from the phone was not an alarm, but a new text message.

[Lin Jia: Captain Yan, good morning.]

Yan Xu threw the phone aside.

But, fortunately, because of Lin Jia’s text message, he did not end up being late for duty.

Yan Xu turned over and sat up. While he was washing up, the phone rang again.

Yan Xu took the phone.

Lin Jia: [Image]

It was a photo of breakfast. Yan Xu glanced at it. Lin Jia ate very well—a dazzling array of delicacies.

Every dish in the photo had once been in Yan Xu’s line of sight. Yan Xu took out the whole wheat bread that he had put in the refrigerator a few days ago.

Phone: Ding!

Yan Xu opened it.

[Lin Jia: What is Captain Yan eating for breakfast?]

Yan Xu sat at the dining table. After eating one slice of bread, the phone went quiet. After eating two slices, the phone was still quiet.

What is Captain Yan eating for breakfast?

This was a question, so this text message was different from the previous ones—Lin Jia was waiting for his reply.

Until Yan Xu finished eating, the phone remained quiet.

Yan Xu still did not take the bait. He put away his phone and rode his motorcycle to the inspector team.

After a whole day on duty, the phone remained silent like water.

After finishing his shift and returning home, Yan Xu opened the takeout meal he had bought for dinner.

Before he could move his chopsticks, the phone rang.

Yan Xu swiped the screen open with one hand.

Lin Jia: [Image]

It was Lin Jia’s dinner. Unlike the breakfast photo, this one focused on a bottle of Romanée-Conti.

Yan Xu immediately understood Lin Jia’s meaning. In his opinion, Romanée-Conti was expensive, but Lin Jia was certainly not showing off his wealth. There was only one possibility:

Inviting him to taste it together.

Phone: Ding.

[Lin Jia: Captain Yan, guess how much this bottle costs.]

Yan Xu: “…”

He put down his chopsticks, picked up the phone, and finally replied to Lin Jia.

[Yan Xu: I can’t guess how much the wine costs, but I bet you’re very bored.]

He viciously pressed the screen and sent this message.

Almost immediately after successfully sending the message, the phone rang again. This time, it was not a text notification but a call.

A call from the bored person.

Yan Xu did not answer immediately. He waited until the call was almost over before answering.

“Wh—”

Before he could finish the sentence, “What,” Yan Xu heard a light voice from the other side.

Lin Jia said: “I thought Captain Yan would refuse my call, just like my text messages that sank like stones into the sea.”

For some reason, Yan Xu felt awkward, as if he had done something wrong and been caught by someone. “Busy. Didn’t see it.”

He played dumb: “What did you send?”

Lin Jia did not expose his clumsy lie and replied: “I sent a photo of red wine.”

Yan Xu: “Why send that?”

Lin Jia’s tone cooled slightly. “Nothing.”

Yan Xu: “…”

After a long silence, Lin Jia’s tone became colder. “I still have things to do.”

Yan Xu had just realized that Lin Jia meant to end the call when, the next second, the call was hung up.

Yan Xu: “…”

“Never seen someone change face this fast.” Yan Xu muttered to himself. He reopened the photo of the red wine that Lin Jia had sent him. Zooming in on the photo with two fingers, he suddenly discovered an exquisite card pressed beneath the wine bottle.

On the card was a line of beautiful handwriting: “I wonder if I have the honor of inviting Captain Yan to taste fine wine tonight.”

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