Reward money in hand

I still don't know whether the plot will return to its original course, so I can't pin all my hopes on Zhang Jianmin...

After carefully thinking things through, Xia Xu decided to pursue both approaches.

Zhang Jianmin was the protagonist, after all. Even if he had strayed from his original fate, a similar plot might still develop. And even if Xia Xu missed the antiques episode, there were still later events to come, so he needed to find someone to keep an eye on him.

But he couldn't put all his eggs in one basket. Perhaps he could also try finding the old man at the construction site himself.

The plot synopsis did offer a little information. Zhang Jianmin had signed up for a tour at a travel agency called Xieyou, then wandered from a busy district to an out-of-the-way construction site, where he encountered the old man peddling antiques.

That information should give him a chance to narrow down the general area. He could locate all of the Xieyou Travel Agency's branches through its official website or a map app.

Then there were the other details in the synopsis: Zhang Jianmin had wandered aimlessly, drifting away from the crowds until he reached a secluded construction site.

Since he was wandering, he must have been on foot and couldn't have gone very far. That meant the branch where he signed up had to meet two conditions: it was in a busy area, and there was an out-of-the-way construction site nearby.

Besides, everyone has a usual area they spend their days in. Whatever they're doing, they'll choose somewhere nearby, not go out of their way and make trouble for themselves...

Xia Xu found an internet café and rented a computer. After some searching, he quickly located all of the Xieyou Travel Agency's branches in Star City. Comparing their locations against his geographical criteria and the area Zhang Jianmin was likely to frequent, he finally narrowed it down to one stretch of the city.

As he had expected-and as made perfect sense-it was near the area where the gambling had taken place that day.

Although many housing developments there were still under construction, some sections of the neighboring residential complexes had already been handed over to residents, and small shopping districts had opened nearby. Farther toward the city center lay a large, bustling area. That entire busy strip surrounding the development zone met his criteria.

Moreover, the area around the residential complex where the gambling had taken place was still under development. Bars, nightclubs, and even barbecue stalls and similar nighttime businesses were unlikely to open there yet. Even if any had, most people probably wouldn't make a special trip to patronize them.

The fact that Zhang Jianmin had appeared there after a night of drinking proved that he either lived or worked in the area, or regularly visited it for some reason.

Xia Xu imagined himself suddenly receiving terrible news and learning that he had little time left to live. His first instinct would certainly be to go home. Even if he wanted to drown his sorrows, he would do it alone at home or with close family or friends.

That made it fairly safe to conclude that Zhang Jianmin lived in the area. At the very least, a relative or close friend lived there. If he wanted to sign up for a tour in person, he would surely choose a nearby agency.

Still, the area was far from small, and the Xieyou Travel Agency had three branches there. To determine which one it was, Xia Xu would have to wait until he had time to check them in person.

The next day, Monday.

Xia Xu arrived at school on time, carrying his schoolbag.

He had to complain about one thing: studying really was physical labor. Carrying every single high school textbook was practically as exhausting as hauling bricks on a construction site.

The morning classes passed without incident. The only thing Xia Xu found a little hard to get used to was his classmates sneaking looks at him and whispering about him all morning.

He learned the reason from his deskmate, Ma Bing. It was because he had helped Tang Youxin recover her wallet the previous Friday.

He had exposed Zhuo Ren as the thief on the spot, which amounted to complete social ruin. At least in this class, Zhuo Ren would forever be labeled a thief. Naturally, he couldn't stay there any longer, and he simply hadn't come to class that day.

Apparently, his parents had arranged his transfer overnight, and he had already moved to another school. Xia Xu had no idea which well-informed classmate had broken the news.

Still, the sensational story of a thief being caught red-handed spread throughout the class. After all, more than half of them had witnessed it.

Those eyewitnesses were now excitedly recounting the incident to the people who had missed it, usually their deskmates. Occasionally, someone would get so worked up that they looked positively proud, as though it had been their own achievement or they had personally taken part.

With the thief himself gone, Xia Xu, the other central figure in the incident, naturally became the sole focus of attention. Whenever someone mentioned it, they would point in his direction and steal a glance at him. In a sense, he had acquired quite a reputation.

Of course, it was only a passing novelty, and things had mostly settled down by the end of the morning. At noon, however, Xia Xu received some good news.

The reward for reporting the gambling had arrived: fifty-six thousand yuan in total. By his calculations, the police must have seized nearly a million yuan in gambling funds from Yao Dawu and the others. They called to ask him to confirm that the money had reached his account.

Xia Xu had indeed received a text notifying him of the transfer. After confirming it, he took the opportunity to ask about the details of the case.

Yao Dawu was certain to be charged with organizing illegal gambling. Xue Mingjie, however, had long since left that life behind and had only participated this time because he had been threatened and forced into it, so his actions did not constitute a gambling offense.

The same went for Zhang Jianmin. Compared with organizing gambling, the definition of a simple gambling offense was fairly ambiguous. Zhang Jianmin had barely even played cards socially before, let alone gambled. He had only impulsively joined in because he had little time left to live, not because he wanted to win money. Given his unusual circumstances, his actions hadn't been deemed a gambling offense either.

Xia Xu didn't understand much about that, nor was he particularly interested.

What concerned him more-or, rather, gave him a headache-was Zhang Jianmin's whereabouts.

He wasn't a professional, after all, and didn't know much about the relevant laws or procedures. He had assumed Zhang Jianmin would at least be detained for a day or two while the police investigated. Having him released outright had completely caught Xia Xu off guard.

Although he suspected Zhang Jianmin lived somewhere around the construction site, trying to find him within such a vague area would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. When he tried asking the police, they told him they couldn't disclose private information.

Forget it. If I get it, I'm lucky; if I don't, that's fate. Earning fifty or sixty thousand is already good enough. Besides, I should still have a chance with that old man at the construction site...

Xia Xu consoled himself inwardly.

But human greed was hardly that easy to quell or control. Before getting something, people wanted it; after getting it, they wanted more. That was only human nature.

Even though he had already earned a considerable sum, and wasn't even sure whether there were any more benefits to be had from the plot of "The Dying Man," the thought of losing track of a money tree like Zhang Jianmin still filled him with regret and frustration.

Yet the reality was that Zhang Jianmin had disappeared from his radar. No amount of frustration would change that.

Thinking rationally, even if he knew where Zhang Jianmin was, he couldn't be in two places at once and had no way to follow him around constantly. Losing track of him was only a matter of time.

I still need to hire someone to help. If this world has plots like "Hunter" and "The Dying Man," there are bound to be others. If I want to plan and prepare, I'll need someone to watch the characters and keep track of how their stories develop...

Originally, Xia Xu had intended to find the old man at the construction site first. Now, however, he felt that finding someone to help was just as urgent.