Chapter 117
Students: This money is not easy to earn. A group of laymen have to guide us, the experts. The experts feel so miserable!
The free maps were all multiplayer online, and even with the map-based distribution, the crowds were still huge. Bei Qiao walked through the mall's main entrance, and the first thing he saw wasn't the merchandise, but the dense crowds of people, and the advertisements that loomed large among them. At first glance, it felt like a peak-season trip.
Free maps are full of ads, some disappearing after a few minutes, others lasting all day. Ads come in two flavors: static and dynamic, with prices varying depending on the format and location. Some even buy ads in obscure corners, hoping to earn a profit if someone sees them.
Advertisements are not completely without benefits to users. Users who watch the ad in its entirety can get coupons for designated products, and users who answer questions online can also participate in a lottery. Although the prizes are not generous, there are enough of them, so the probability of winning is still high.
If you don't want to see ads, you can just become a member and block them. If you become a super member, the ad blocking function can be further refined, such as not blocking ads with prizes worth five figures, not blocking ads that match the user's aesthetic taste, and so on.
Bei Qiao, who had no shopping needs, ignored the advertisements on all sides and went straight to the women's clothing area.
It was the weekend, and the holographic mall was packed, the crowds overlapping and dazzling. Feeling a bit annoyed, Bei Qiao used her previous points to redeem a one-hour blocking function. In an instant, the entire women's clothing section vanished from her view, leaving only a few AI waiters standing by.
Bei Qiao: When I make money, I buy my mother a gold bracelet. This is called spending money that should be spent; I check in every day and use points to redeem membership. This is called saving money.
After browsing several familiar clothing counters, Bei Qiao selected a few pieces and tried them on. Trying on clothes online is like playing a dress-up game. The system displays how the clothes will look based on the user's body data. For a fee, additional features are available, such as changing backgrounds and saving images. The better the features, the more expensive they are. Members have a membership price and a few free features.
After trying on a few clothes, Bei Qiao ultimately didn't buy anything. He simply went to the first floor to participate in a few raffles before leaving. Taking off his holographic glasses, Bei Qiao stood up and was about to look out the window to relax his eyes when he noticed Tang Yuan, lying on the table, about to paw at the bowl of hot soup. Frightened, he rushed over and pulled the cat into his arms, "Put your claws away!" Aren't you afraid of the heat?
"Meow!" Tangyuan suddenly rolled around on the table for a circle and a half, finally lying flat on his back in Beiqiao's arms. "Why did I suddenly lie down?" Oh, it turned out that my owner was nudging me. Oh, it's my irresistible charm. My owner really doesn't want to leave me for a moment.
After having dinner with Qiao Lin, Bei Qiao put the cat in Qiao Lin's arms and ran to the kitchen to close the door and wash the dishes to prevent Tang Yuan from messing up. After washing the dishes, Bei Qiao sat on the sofa and played with his mobile phone.
The university class group chat remained silent, no one was talking. Since the last dinner, everyone had gone their separate ways, and few remained to continue striving. Whether continuing their studies, preparing for civil service exams, or looking for jobs, everyone was busy. Young and ambitious people were holding their breath, striving to become better versions of themselves.
"What are you daydreaming about? Do you think you gave up too early?" Qiao Lin pushed a bowl of dates in front of Bei Qiao: "Eat a few to replenish your blood. Don't think too much. If others can find a job, we can too. There's no need to rush."
Bei Qiao shook his head, picked up a date and put it in his mouth: "I'm not in a hurry, I just feel that it goes by too fast." In the blink of an eye, four years of college were over.
"How can I not be happy? You were just a little kid before." Qiao Lin also picked up a date: "You couldn't even speak clearly, but you could recognize people. When others teased you and called you mom and dad, you knew to say it wasn't you." You were such a smart kid when you were a child, so cute.
Qiao Lin didn't like using her phone, so when she had nothing better to do, she dug out the dusty sewing machine from the cupboard and decided to practice making something out of old clothes. Even after years of practice, she could only make pillows and handbags, but there was no need to judge the quality of a simple way to pass the time.
"I'll go online and check out the escort agency later. Xian Yu from the clothing store wants to work as the accountant at our agency. What do you think?"
"Doesn't Xian Yu own a store? Such a lazy person wants to take on another job?" This guy who wants to walk while lying down and is too lazy to greet customers in the store actually wants to take on another job. The sun rises from the west.
"He's not working, he's just putting on a name." Qiao Lin waved his hand: "He wants his family to think he's not that lazy. Although he doesn't solicit customers or go out, he does work."
Bei Qiao: “…I don’t understand.”
"I didn't understand it, so I didn't agree." Qiao Lin shrugged and stuffed the sewn pad behind his back: Well, the thickness is just right.
After sewing the cushion, Qiao Lin put on his holographic glasses and went online to take a walk around the escort agency. In the bedroom, Bei Qiao also put on his holographic glasses and sat on the bed to practice martial arts.
"Sir, sir, are you there?" After a while, the waiter appeared at the door of the room for some reason, calling out in a low voice and knocking gently on the door.
"Wait a moment." Bei Qiao, who had just completed a small cycle of circulation, withdrew his internal energy, got out of bed, and opened the door: "What's going on?"
"The constable is looking for you. Please follow me, sir."
"I understand." It really is a troublesome matter, tsk.
The official inn still has security guarantees. The waiter is not a killer in disguise. He only took Bei Qiao to the door of a room on the same floor and then left.
"Hello, my name is An Lu." The woman in the constable's uniform leaned against the wall and nodded at Bei Qiao: "Time is limited, so I'll be brief. Did you see anything unusual in the mine during the day?"
"It's abnormal that an ordinary child appears there, which is already an abnormal situation in itself." Bei Qiao glanced at the shopkeeper sitting in the house, walked in, stood opposite the constable, and did not sit down.
"Hey, what are you two doing standing there? Sit down." The shopkeeper poured himself a pot of tea but did not stand up. He just smiled warmly and no one could find fault with him.
An Lu and Bei Qiao looked at each other, then moved to the table and sat down. Neither of them touched the tea on the table.
"Besides the children, what else did you see?"
"What exactly does this mean?"
"Bloodstains, footprints, any clues related to the murder."
"So this kid is involved in a murder?"
"Now I'm asking you..."
"Hey, stop arguing." The shopkeeper stood up, fanning himself and closing the door. "We're all from the same place, why are we arguing like this?"
"From the same place." An Lu was stunned for a moment, raised one hand and patted her face: "Sorry, I was in a bad mood just now." Since he is a player certified by the system, he must not be the murderer.
"I understand. So, do you have any other questions?" I understand, but it doesn't mean it's okay. No one would feel good if they were treated as a criminal suspect and interrogated.
"Let me think... So you really didn't notice anything? Not even the slightest bit of anomaly?" An Lu rubbed her temples, a tired expression on her face. The child's family had some connections in the area, and they were a bit impulsive, turning a courtroom into a chaotic market. Thinking back to that mess, she felt a headache.
"It was my first day in the mine, and I didn't know what a normal mine looked like, so I didn't know what was abnormal." Bei Qiao spread his hands and said, "I wasn't the first person to enter the mine. The dust and sand on the ground were so thick, and there were footprints all over the place. The only thing I could tell for sure was that there was no one else within my hearing range."
"This is nothing... No, wait, you said the dust on the ground was thick." An Lu sat up straight suddenly.
"Yeah, probably a little thicker than the sole of my shoe. What's wrong?"
"No, no! The mine was just cleaned yesterday, it's impossible for so much dust to accumulate all of a sudden!" An Lu frowned and thought hard: Could it be that someone dug a hole at night and hid the child in it? The excavated soil and rocks were inconvenient to move, so they were directly scattered on the ground. But why didn't so many tourists who came to mine before find this child?
With this doubt in mind, An Lu left the room and walked back to the government office with a frown on her face.
Bei Qiao: ...just left like that
When the shopkeeper saw An Lu leaving like this, he pretended to stand up to see her off. When he reached the door, he asked the passing waiter to take An Lu downstairs. He then shielded his face with a fan and quietly rolled his eyes at An Lu's back.
"I'm sorry, sir, to disturb your rest so late." Putting on a warm smile again, the shopkeeper escorted Beiqiao out of the room and gave him a 20% discount, which was valid for this month.
Shopkeeper: I originally wanted to give him a fruit plate to build a good relationship with him, but unfortunately this customer looks very wary and I’m afraid he won’t be willing to eat online.
Bei Qiao returned to her room to continue practicing martial arts. Meanwhile, An Lu, using her Qinggong skills, quickly made it back to the government office. Even though it was already late, the entrance to the government office was still crowded. Those who had been making noise in the courtroom were probably tired, sitting in groups of three or four on the ground to rest, refusing to leave. Most of the locals who had been watching the excitement outside had left. Those who remained, waiting on small benches, were young and middle-aged men, shouldering the heavy responsibility of passing on the complete gossip to their families and prepared to stay up late as ordered.
What kind of people are these? Aren’t they afraid of being beaten up? I’ll beat them up too... An Lu shook her head and was about to go in, but was stopped by someone.
"Inspector An, please stay. I have something to do, ahem..."
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