"Boss, downloading all of these would take up a lot of memory. And if that's the case, many of the downloads will cost money, so I can't make the boast that everything is free," the shop owner replied somewhat awkwardly.
"As long as you can help me download these things and categorize them all, I can cover all the costs associated with the downloads, including your labor costs," Li Ke replied directly.
The shop owner frowned and thought for a while, confirming that Li Ke was serious, before speaking with some difficulty: "Boss, this is the first time I've taken on a business like this, where you request to download everything. I don't know how many hard drives it will take or what the cost will be, but I roughly know it won't be cheap, and it will require quite a few hard drives. You'll need to pay at least 200,000 yuan upfront. As for the subsequent costs, it will probably be one or two million yuan."
Li Ke replied without hesitation, "The fee is not a problem. Just tell me whether you're going to take this job or not. If you do, I can pay the deposit now. If you don't, I'll find someone else."
"I'll take it! Of course I can. Besides the materials you need, do you have any other requirements, boss?" When the shop owner heard that Li Ke said the cost was not a problem, he naturally wouldn't turn away the business.
Li Ke continued, "I need five backups for each hard drive. All the data you downloaded for me, including the main directory and subdirectories, need to be categorized in detail and planned logically. As long as you do these things, that's fine. If you do a good job this time, I'll get another batch of computers from you."
"No problem at all, but boss, you need to pay a deposit of 200,000 first." This time, the shop owner answered very readily.
Li Ke took out the backpack from behind her: "I have cash here, do you want to count it here?"
People were coming and going outside the repair shop, and occasionally some would stop and look at it. Li Ke asked the owner in a low voice.
When the shop owner saw the bag of money that Li Ke revealed when he opened his backpack, his eyes lit up. This was indeed a big deal, and if he actually did it, he could make a considerable profit.
"Boss, I have a small room inside, which is used for storing goods and taking a short break. Would you like to come in and sit down for a while?" the shop owner said.
After Li Ke nodded in agreement, the shop owner closed the glass door of the store, secured it slightly from the inside with an iron chain, hung up a sign saying "Temporary Rest Day," and then went with Li Ke to the small room inside.
The small room behind the store isn't very big. In fact, the store is just a common room that has been divided into two rooms by a thin wooden board.
The small room contained a tiny single bed, and all around it, including under the bed, were piled up with various small boxes containing electronic products, leaving only a narrow passageway that could only allow one person to pass through.
At the shop owner's instruction, Li Ke poured all the cash from his backpack onto the small single bed.
The shop owner searched the room and found a small cardboard box. He took out a new money counter from the box, plugged it in, and began to check the cash.
Li Ke stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the shop owner operate the money counter.
After verifying that everything was correct, the shop owner smiled happily at Li Ke and said, "Boss, the money is fine, and the quantity matches. I'll give you a receipt now. Please also leave your contact information so I can notify you if any further charges arise. See if you can accept this and if you want to continue downloading materials?"
Li Ke wrote down her number, and the shop owner took out a receipt and began filling in the details. Li Ke then stood aside and waited for a while.
After taking the receipt written by the shop owner and checking it to make sure there were no problems, I put it away.
Seeing the shop owner put the money away and stand up, Li Ke didn't leave the small room immediately. Instead, she asked the shop owner, "I have something I'd like to ask you, boss. Do you know anything about this?"
The shop owner already considered Li Ke a major customer, so his attitude became much more enthusiastic. He hurriedly said, "Boss, feel free to ask me anything. I'll tell you everything I know."
"I just wanted to ask the boss if he knows how to access the dark web overseas and how to get an account? I'm quite interested in this stuff," Li Ke asked in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the shop owner quickly shook his head: "I really don't know. I've only heard about this on the internet, and I'm not sure if it even exists. Boss, you've asked the wrong person."
Li Ke, however, was not giving up. People like them who work in the electronics industry definitely have much more contact with the internet than she, an outsider.
She spoke again, "Boss, I really want to know. Don't worry, even if you leak the information to me, I won't tell anyone. And I won't let you talk for nothing; how about a thousand dollars for the information?"
Upon hearing this, the shop owner hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, "Boss, I really don't know much about the dark web, but I know a classmate who has done some research on this. I can introduce her to you."
Seeing the shop owner pause here, Li Ke immediately understood what he meant. He took out a thousand yuan in cash from his backpack and said to the shop owner, "Could you please give me your classmate's contact information? I can contact him myself. But please don't lie to me, we have a long way to go in this business."
The boss took the money and sincerely assured him, "Boss, don't worry! I'm counting on you to help me make money, I would never dare to cheat anyone."
After leaving the computer mall, Li Ke immediately dialed the number provided by the repair shop owner, but the other party answered after a while.
"Is this Song Xian? I was introduced by your classmate. I'd like to ask you about some things. I wonder if you're at the store right now, and if it would be convenient for us to meet?" Li Ke said into the phone.
A clear, slightly cool male voice came from across the street: "I'm in the shop. If you know the address, just come find me."
Li Ke hung up the phone and went to find Song Xian to meet him, based on the address provided by the shop owner.
Song Xian's store address seemed to be in a very remote location. Li Ke searched for a long time on the streets outside the computer mall but couldn't find the right location. She also asked many people, but they all pointed in different directions.
In the end, she had to call a tricycle to get her to the right place. Once there, Li Ke realized that the place wasn't actually that far, but it had drifted away from the commercial area and entered the innermost and narrowest residential area.
Song Xian's shop is located in the stairwell of a residential building; it's a tiny, very compact space.
When Li Ke arrived at the store, a young man wearing glasses, a simple T-shirt, shorts, and slippers was sitting with his legs crossed at the entrance, playing games on his phone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
