The Thief (Resend)

Shimen City, Huquan County.

Sixty kilometers from the city center, the Hongfeng Food Factory sat in this county.

Once a state-owned enterprise, Hongfeng Food Factory had its heyday supplying the military.

When Yang Genshuo graduated, he'd even pretended to be a food engineering major and taken their exam. He didn't pass.

But in recent years, it had gradually shifted to private shareholding, and he had no idea how things were going now.

"Still, a private company is easier to work with."

He drove into the Hongfeng Food Factory. The security guard at the gate glanced at the car badge, stubbed out his cigarette, and stood up smartly to salute.

"Uncle, I want to order custom compressed biscuits. Where do I go?"

"Business Office. See over there? Where I'm pointing? That office."

When he went to the Business Office to inquire about renting the compressed biscuit assembly line, he unexpectedly ran into an old classmate.

"Xu Mengqi?"

"Uh... Genshuo? You've put on weight since school. Almost didn't recognize you."

Xu Mengqi wore a professional office lady outfit, wrapped in black stockings, beautiful and mature. She'd been the food science department's beauty queen back in school, and her looks still held up—even more alluring now.

"Hehe~ You haven't changed at all. Still so pretty."

"Still got that silver tongue. What, moving into the food industry?"

"Yeah, a new product."

Yang Genshuo explained his requirements to his old classmate, drawing her surprise.

"Compressed biscuits with only one ingredient swapped? That's doable, but the market share for compressed biscuits is pretty small now. Can your product break through? Don't lose money."

"Don't worry. I have my own sales channels."

Yang Genshuo smiled mysteriously. With the marketplace right at his doorstep, sales weren't a concern.

Next, he toured the workshop, sneaking a few glances at his old classmate's white blouse that seemed ready to burst. After going through the whole process, he paid a startup fee of 20,000 yuan and smoothly secured the assembly line.

After hauling over the Spirit Wheat, he specifically instructed Xu Mengqi.

"This wheat is a new variety. It hasn't hit the market yet. Very expensive. Handle it with care. I don't want a single grain of these 50 catties wasted."

"No wonder you're so confident. Your wheat really does smell fragrant. Don't worry! Leave it to me. Come back for samples in two days."

Fifty catties of Spirit Wheat was barely a snack for this massive assembly line.

"Alright, I'm off. Call me if anything comes up."

"I'll see you out."

Xu Mengqi, who had maintained a faint air of reserve, showed a subtle shift in expression when the Bentley Bentayga's two diamond-cut headlights lit up.

In that moment, her old classmate's image suddenly became mysterious and towering.

Yang Genshuo got in the car and waved. "See you another day."

"Yeah. Next time you're free, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Sure."

Vroom!

The Bentley Bentayga's engine roared with a dynamic surge, carrying Yang Genshuo away from the Hongfeng Food Factory, leaving only a dazed Xu Mengqi behind, her mind full of the little winged car badge.

After Yang Genshuo finished dealing with the Spirit Soil and Spirit Wheat, half a day had passed.

In the game, only half a day had passed too. It was now night.

Yang Genshuo was about to switch to accelerated mode when he spotted something Not Quite Right on the screen.

On the empty ground in front of the teahouse, three openable Character Cards were floating.

"What the hell!"

If this game weren't a single-player one, Yang Genshuo would have thought his internet was lagging and the character models hadn't loaded.

When he zoomed in, he found the problem.

Beneath the three Character Cards, faint human-shaped glows from the system prompt were visible, but the ambient light couldn't penetrate them—only pitch black remained.

Yang Genshuo opened one of the Character Cards.

[Name: Miao Renfeng]

[Identity: Miao Family Member]

[Lifespan: 36/95]

[Realm: Fetal Breath Stage 9]

[Spiritual Root: Five Spiritual Roots]

[Comprehension: 10]

[Fortune: 20]

[Talent: Spiritual Object Perception (Mortal Grade)]

[Skills: Five Elements Moving Technique, Sleight of Hand (Mastered), Refraction Technique, Divine Movement Technique, Fire Breath Technique, Spirit Rain Technique, Entangle Technique]

[Status: Refraction]

The other two were also surnamed Miao, their skills largely the same—all trained in the Five Elements Moving Technique—only their cultivation was lower, one at Fetal Breath Stage 7, the other at Fetal Breath Stage 5.

"Refraction Technique? No wonder we couldn't see what those three were up to outside our tea house."

While Yang Genshuo was pondering, the three figures under the Refraction Technique spoke up.

"Once we're inside, find those nine boxes of Sanguosha cards. Grab them and we pull out."

"Big brother, this Yang Shi is a walking disciple under the Xuan Shi Sect. Won't this bring trouble to the family?"

"The Xuan Shi Sect people are already gone. By the time he calls for help, we'll be long gone with the cards. These sell for ten Spirit Stones a box on the black market—nine boxes. This one job is enough to keep us set for a year."

"This place has weak defenses, not even a formation. We're good at staying hidden, in and out like the wind. They'll lose the stuff and never know who took it."

"And if someone sees us—"

"Kill!"

Listening to the three discuss their plan, Yang Genshuo jolted in alarm!

Thieves had come to the house!

And as luck would have it, Yang Shi, Jiang Xiaobai, and Huzi were all at the tea house today!

After the ancestor worship, they were sorting and storing the batch of supplies Yang Genshuo had sent in. Jiang Xiaobai had even made a ledger, already filled with several dense pages.

No time to waste!

First, buff up the status!

[Vitality] + [Calm Mind], directly applied to the three of them.

Though it couldn't directly boost combat power, it could slightly improve reaction speed and mindset—enough to help, better than nothing.

Feeling the change in his body, Yang Shi immediately looked up at the ancestral shrine.

"Why would the Old Ancestor grant me blessings at this hour?"

Jiang Xiaobai and Huzi stood up.

"I felt it too."

"How strange. Is this what Brother Shi meant by ancestral blessing?"

Huzi was receiving Yang Genshuo's blessing for the first time.

Yang Shi's brow furrowed.

The Old Ancestor didn't usually grant blessings without reason—only when he trained hard.

He figured it must cost the Old Ancestor some cultivation to do this.

"Something's wrong. Something's about to happen. Get ready to fight!"

Yang Shi reacted the moment Yang Genshuo started typing.

At that moment, a line of golden characters appeared above his head.

"Thieves at the door, ill-intentioned. I'll mark their strength and positions for you."

Time to kill thieves!

Yang Genshuo wouldn't let Yang Shi cling to the hope that these men would just steal a few boxes of cards and leave. There were too many good things in the backyard, including a whole crate of Sanguosha cards.

These three thieves were no good sorts!

Yang Shi: "Remember the Combined Attack Technique I taught you? Follow my lead."

"Mm!"

"Mm!"

"Kill the lights."

The lights in the backyard went out, plunging the entire Yang's Board Game Tea House into darkness. But for Yang Shi and his two companions, this place was so familiar they wouldn't get lost even with their eyes closed.

At that moment, the front door creaked open.

The three Miao thieves slipped quietly inside.

In the pitch-black main hall, the golden characters above their heads stood out starkly.

Yang Shi peered through a crack in the window, sizing up the enemy's strength versus their own. His mind raced.

The "Thirty-Six Stratagems" and "The Art of War" began frantically churning through his thoughts.