Nursing Home Thug

48:00:00 countdown.

Qing Chen walked through the silent, deserted Prison No. 18 with Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao.

This was the first time he had seen the prison after 9 PM; it was vast and tranquil.

Four mechanical prison guards stood silently on the plaza, their mechanical eyes extinguished as if in hibernation.

At this moment, Qing Chen had confirmed that his and He Xiaoxiao's deductions were correct: Jian Sheng had also transmigrated to City No. 18 because he appeared in Luocheng.

Wherever a Transmigrator appeared, their future life in the Inner World would continue from that point.

Ye Wan said, "When the Transmigrator came out, we didn't arrest you immediately. This was to avoid any associations, so you don't have to worry about your identity being exposed. Xiaoxiao claimed externally that you were coveting the ACE-005 that the boss was guarding, so you were given a minor punishment."

"Mm, you've considered things quite thoroughly," Qing Chen understood. In fact, Li Shutong had been prepared to accept him into the organization from the beginning, but whether he could endure it was up to him.

Just then, a weak and hoarse voice came from somewhere in the prison: "Li Shutong, let my boss go..."

Qing Chen froze for a moment. "You've kept him locked up for four days?"

"Yeah, otherwise he'd come out to cause trouble for the boss again. If it weren't for his commendable loyalty, the boss would have dealt with him long ago," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "But don't worry, he's been getting water and food for four days."

"Have you investigated what he did before?" Qing Chen asked.

"We have," Lin Xiaoxiao replied. "He used to be a nursing home thug for the Helian Society."

Qing Chen's mouth slowly widened. "Nursing home... thug?"

"Oh, you don't know about this," Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. "It's common in the slums of the Inner World not to have the custom of supporting the elderly. Those over sixty are sent to nursing homes, and their children squander their parents' pensions."

"Then why hire thugs? To beat up old people?" Qing Chen was shocked.

"No, no," Lin Xiaoxiao explained with a wry smile. "They collect protection fees from the elderly. The elderly pay them to place an order, and then they send their strongest youths, those with the most mechanical limbs, to impersonate the elderly person's grandson to intimidate and threaten other residents. This way, the elderly won't be bullied by others in the nursing home."

Ye Wan added, "There's also a famous slogan for these nursing home thugs: 'Helian Society Elder Care Services, guaranteed to be faster and better than your son. After all, we worry that if you die, we won't make money, but your son won't worry because if you die, the money is his.'"

Qing Chen hesitated. "Is that business good?"

"It's not bad," Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. "At least it's enough to support a society, but our Heng Society doesn't think much of this business."

At this moment, Qing Chen found it strange. Why would the Qing Clan send a nursing home thug to help him with such an important matter as the Shadow competition?

Qing Chen thought for a moment. "Can I go see him?"

"Of course," Lin Xiaoxiao led Qing Chen to Lu Guangyi's door. He greeted the camera at the door, and the alloy gate opened.

However, Lin Xiaoxiao and Ye Wan did not go in, giving Qing Chen and Lu Guangyi space to talk privately.

Lu Guangyi lay listlessly on the cold ground. Some of the food in the nearby tray had been moved, but he hadn't eaten much.

Upon hearing the sound of the alloy gate, he immediately got up. The moment he turned and saw Qing Chen, he burst into tears. "Boss, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Qing Chen said softly. He felt a bit weak now, so he simply sat down on Lu Guangyi's cot.

Lu Guangyi crouched beside him, concerned. "But Boss, why have you lost so much weight? Did they torture you? When Qing Yan comes to visit in a few days, I'll tell him about this!"

"No need to tell Qing Yan," Qing Chen shook his head. "I heard you went to cause trouble for Li Shutong?"

"Yes," Lu Guangyi nodded. "He just wants his ACE-005, is that reason to torture someone like this? Guo Huzhan wanted it before, and nothing happened. They probably think because you're just a Shadow candidate, the Qing Clan won't make a big fuss!"

"There's no need to mention this again. When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head," Qing Chen said.

"That won't do! I'll fight Li Shutong tomorrow!" Lu Guangyi said indignantly.

"Alright, stop pretending," Qing Chen said, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his voice.

"Pretending... I'm not pretending," Lu Guangyi hesitated.

Qing Chen's clear gaze met his directly, and as Lu Guangyi grew increasingly guilty, he finally slumped onto the ground, dejected.

Even though his body had been fitted with the standard-issue mechanical limbs of the Qing Clan military, it couldn't hide the downcast aura of a common man.

Qing Chen felt a sense of emotion. He had only known Lu Guangyi for a few days. Even if Cao Cao and Liu Bei were reborn, they wouldn't possess such formidable charisma that would make people immediately pledge allegiance.

His past life experiences had brought him hardship, but also meticulous observation and thinking skills.

Therefore, he knew very well that Lu Guangyi knew he wouldn't really be in trouble, and was just putting on a show to express his loyalty.

If Lu Guangyi had done nothing during his imprisonment, he would eventually be marginalized after Qing Chen's release.

There was no such thing as love and loyalty without reason in this world.

Qing Chen was very familiar with people's personalities.

Then, Lu Guangyi mumbled dejectedly, "You saw through me, Boss. Actually, this is just how we little people survive."

Qing Chen sighed. "You don't need to curry favor with me. I appreciate what you've done these past few days. Don't worry, as long as you don't betray me, I won't discard you."

Lu Guangyi suddenly looked up. "Really, Boss?"

"Really," Qing Chen nodded.

Qing Chen thought for a moment and then said to Lu Guangyi, "However, there's one thing I must make clear. When you follow me, you need to keep a low profile. You can't be as ostentatious as before."

"I've heard Qing Yan say before that you were very low-key, Boss. It's true!" Lu Guangyi immediately became well-behaved upon hearing this. "Boss, tell me where I need to improve. I'll definitely change."

Qing Chen was silent for a moment. "First, take off the gold strips on your mechanical arm and be more modest."

"Okay!" Lu Guangyi immediately tore off the gold strips without a second word.

The gold strips were flat and slender; calling them "strips" was accurate, but "gold wire" would have been even more precise.

They were about 1 millimeter thick, 2 millimeters wide, and ten centimeters long.

In just a moment, the previously impressive mechanical arms seemed to drop a tier in quality…

Qing Chen nodded and said, "I'll keep the gold strips safe for you. Remember, don't draw attention to yourself."

Lu Guangyi didn't think much of it. In the Outer World, ordinary people's perception was that the direct descendants of the five major consortiums wouldn't lack money. They were the ones printing it.

"Get some good rest," Qing Chen said, smoothly taking the gold wire from Lu Guangyi's hand, rolling it into a ball, and stuffing it into his pocket before leaving.

Only after the alloy gate behind him closed again did the young man slowly let out a breath.

Qing Chen's mind raced. This was probably about 2 cubic centimeters of gold. Calculating with gold's density at room temperature, 19.23 g/cm³, that would be over thirty grams…

What was the current price of gold in the Outer World?

Lin Xiaoxiao asked, "Is there anything else to take care of?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment. "Yes, I have a plan to confirm something."