The man was bound hand and foot, and Luo Xi asked him from across the room, "Go on, how do I get an identity card for the Upper City?"
The man, his face bruised and swollen, muttered, "We can help you get fake identities, but they can't be entered into the federal system's database."
Luo Xi then asked, "If we can get our identity information processed here, can we find someone in the federal system to process the information for us?"
The man said, "Of course!"
Then, he saw Luo Xi fiddle with it for a bit and then say to the person next to him, "They said it's fine over there."
Luo Xi asked the man to help her obtain her identity.
A sly glint flashed in the man's eyes. He looked at Luo Xi with a fawning expression and said, "Big sister, how about you untie me first?"
Luo Xi and the others untied the men, who then quickly got to work, processing their identities.
But as he handed Luo Xi the bracelet to prove his identity, he paused briefly, then asked with a smile, "I have a business opportunity here. Would you all be interested in hearing about it?"
Uncle Li and Luo Xi exchanged a glance: "You tell us first."
The man cleared his throat and said, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Hu Zihao, but everyone calls me Ahao. I can process identity information for people, sell some second-hand bracelets, and also sell intelligence."
"You have people who can access the government system, how about we cooperate? I have clients, I can help with identity information and provide wristbands; you just need to enter the data into the government system. How about a 60/40 split?"
Luo Xi and Uncle Li huddled together to discuss it, while everyone else stood aside. After a while, Uncle Li said, "Let's split it fifty-fifty."
Ah-hao said somewhat awkwardly, "Look, I sincerely want to do business, and I've done so much already!"
Uncle Li remained unmoved: "Five-five, you should know that the government system is not easy to get into. Otherwise, we'll go with four-six, you four and we six."
Ah-hao quickly agreed: "Fifty-fifty, then let's split it fifty-fifty."
Afterwards, Ah Hao took out his bracelet and exchanged contact information with Luo Xi and Uncle Li.
Before leaving, Luo Xi said, "We still have companions. When we come back, we'll also try to get identities from you."
Ah Hao readily replied, "Don't worry, we're partners now, we're on the same side, I won't take any money."
After receiving Luo Xi's message, Fan Yunfei helped her enter their information into the government system, and then used technology to secretly intercept a portion of the funds and transfer them into Luo Xi's bracelet.
Afterwards, Fan Yunfei shut down the new computer in the hotel room and said to the rest of his group, "Let's go, let's go get our identities processed."
…………
In the slums, the boy was explaining things to the group. They came to a building that looked decent, and the boy introduced it, "Gentlemen, this is the best hotel around here."
The red-haired man gave the boy another box of cookies and then told him to leave.
Entering the hotel, I was satisfied with the somewhat old but clean furnishings. Reaching the counter, a middle-aged woman sat inside. Seeing us, she listlessly asked, "The price list is on the wall. What kind of room would you like?"
The group looked at the price list, discussed it briefly, and the red-haired man said, "Three of the most luxurious standard rooms."
The middle-aged woman made a note of it and asked, "How do I pay?"
The red-haired man took out a gold bar and tossed it to the middle-aged woman. The woman wasn't surprised; this was an unmanaged slum in the lower city, where no one had wristband points and transactions were usually done directly with gold.
After accepting the gifts, he led the people upstairs to the three innermost rooms on the third floor. Upon opening them, he found that they resembled a typical pre-apocalyptic hotel, with two beds, a table, and a small bathroom.
The door closed, and the group began to tidy up. While they were taking a shower, four men sneaked into the hotel, approached the landlady, and drugged her before she could speak.
These people were Qi Ziqi and his group. Zhao Chang'an tied up the proprietress, gagged her, and dragged her into the room behind the counter. Lili, disguised as the proprietress, and Yang Ru followed Zhao Chang'an and Qi Ziqi into the room first.
The group searched the entire room and found the account book and some of the landlady's usual hotel schedule.
Seeing a kitchen at the back of the hotel, Lili went ahead to investigate, with Zhao Chang'an following behind. A man was smoking in the kitchen; he was probably the landlady's husband. They ran the hotel, one at the front counter and the other in the back kitchen.
Lili asked the man to prepare food, saying there were guests. Then, while the man turned to cook, Zhao Chang'an drugged him and took him to the room. Qi Ziqi watched over the two of them and took the opportunity to ask them about the hotel and the slums in the lower city.
They had received news from Fan Yunfei and Luo Xi and had a general understanding of the situation. Now, once they finished dealing with things here, they could go and apply for their identities and meet up with them in the Upper City District.
"Knock, knock, knock." Hearing the knocking, the group opened the door and saw a girl standing outside. She asked, "Would you like to eat? Would you like to eat downstairs or in the room?"
Without giving it much thought, the red-haired man casually replied, "Bring them all to this room."
"Okay," Yang Ru agreed and left.
After a while, she brought several loaves of bread, mashed potatoes, and two large pieces of fried fish into the room. There were six people sitting together—four men and two women—who watched as the girl set the food on the table before leaving.
What they didn't know was that Yang Ru, using her special abilities, could not only retrieve objects from a distance but also place them out of the room. She had already placed eavesdropping equipment in a hidden corner of the room.
Sitting in the room, the group listened to the conversation upstairs.
As they ate and chatted, one of them took a bite of food and said, "This stuff is alright. Any news from the boss?"
"Has there been no notification yet from them?"
"Our team is responsible for this godforsaken place, the slums, while the rest of us go to the uptown to eat and drink well."
"There's nothing we can do; we're not trusted confidants."
"Why doesn't the vice president just go and deal with these people?"
"Who is the vice president? He won't make a move without being fully prepared. Look at the setup this time, three teams came with him, which shows how cautious he is."
"I wonder how the boss and the others are doing?"
"It will be much harder for them to infiltrate the church than for us. We just need to wait for news in the slums and then act together when we return."
"Yes, shall we go out and take a look around later?"
"After dinner, go out for a walk; there's no point in just sitting around."
…………
After the group finished eating and chatting, Qi Ziqi took off his headphones and looked at them, saying, "Our current mission is to quietly deal with these people in the slums. You guys stay here and keep an eye on them while I go to the various churches to find another group. How does that sound?"
Zhao Chang'an nodded: "No problem, I'll prepare some medicine for you. We'll keep in touch, but don't act rashly."
"Don't worry." After taking the medicine, Qi Ziqi left the room and prepared to go out.
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