An Encounter on the Road and a Choice
The afternoon sun, with its lazy warmth, filtered through the sparse sycamore leaves in the park, casting dappled light at our feet. Zhou Wenyuan put his tablet back into his briefcase, let out a soft sigh, and looked at Lin Feng beside him with a questioning gaze behind his gold-rimmed Glasses.
"Boss, this is the initial plan for raising funds. We'll establish a non-public fundraising foundation, with our... uh, your trusted 'friends' as the initial donors and investment committee members, and you appointed as the foundation's secretary-general to oversee daily operations and fund allocation. This seems to be the most standardized, sustainable, and long-term solution that best mitigates the risks associated with large-scale abnormal fund flows from individuals."
Lin Feng leaned back on a park bench, his gaze vacant as he watched several children chasing and playing in the distance, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knees. Lawyer Zhou's plan was perfect, complying with all legal regulations, and its prospects were bright. But he knew that this blueprint, though excellent, was built on quicksand.
"Good idea," Lin Feng said calmly, "But do we have a 'donor' of sufficient stature right now? Besides you, Lawyer Zhou."
Zhou Wenyuan paused slightly, adjusted his Glasses, and gave a helpless, bitter smile, "Boss, you're quite perceptive. Currently... that's indeed the case. My personal savings and assets can contribute a portion, but to support a foundation of a certain size and credibility, it's undoubtedly a drop in the ocean. As for the other 'friends'..."
He paused, his mind flashing through information about Wang Wu (the beggar), Zhao Si (the thief), and Old Liu (the driver). "Their financial situation probably makes it difficult for them to provide stable and sufficient donations. If the foundation starts with too little, it will not only be difficult to operate, but it will also attract attention, which would contradict its original purpose."
Reality is harsh. The absolute loyalty of these suicide squad members is beyond question, but their social resources and wealth did not come from nowhere. The identity assigned to them by the system determines that most of them are in the lower or middle class of society. Those like Lawyer Zhou, who have a respectable job and a certain amount of assets, are extremely rare.
"So, the foundation is for the long term, but what about the present?" Lin Feng asked directly, as he disliked empty talk.
Zhou Wenyuan had clearly planned this all along. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "Right now, we can use a simpler, more direct way to transition: open an online store."
"Online store?"
"Yes. Our main business is... alcoholic beverages," Lawyer Zhou explained. "Alcoholic beverages, especially high-end ones, have flexible pricing and manipulable profit margins. We can open an online store and act as an agent for... well, or rather, fabricate an imported red wine or niche spirit. The key isn't its actual value, but how we price it—for example, 1999 yuan a bottle."
Lin Feng immediately understood the key point. This was a perfect channel for transferring funds. Each of the assassins could, based on their disguised identities and financial capabilities, make legitimate "consumptions" through this online store.
Lü Yi, who delivers food, can occasionally splurge on a bottle; Old Liu, the driver, can treat himself to a luxury; and even Lawyer Zhou, a high-income earner, can reasonably buy several cases. All the funds flowing into the online store become Lin Feng's legitimate "business income."
"I'll handle the business license and food business permit; they're not difficult to obtain," Lawyer Zhou added. "We don't even need actual inventory or complicated logistics; just go through the motions, and the cash flow is sufficient. Later, when we have a larger amount of capital, we can consider setting up a physical warehouse, or even transforming the business entirely."
Lin Feng nodded. The plan was simple, covert, and highly feasible. It cleverly pooled scattered funds from various sources through commercial activities, giving them a legal veneer.
"Okay, let's do it this way." Lin Feng made the final decision.
With the matter settled, the atmosphere relaxed a bit. It was lunchtime, so the group decided to find a place to eat. Lawyer Zhou took out his phone, skillfully opened a navigation app, and searched for nearby restaurants with good reviews.
"There's a restaurant called ' Old Chen's Homestyle Cooking ' not far past the corner ahead. It has high ratings and is about a seven or eight-minute walk away," Lawyer Zhou said, pointing to his phone screen.
"Let's go then." Lin Feng stood up and dusted off non-existent dust.
Lü Yi immediately ended his "strategic deployment" of observing the ant nest from the side, jogged to catch up, and still maintained that seemingly vigilant but actually unfocused "guardian" posture.
The three left the small park and turned into a relatively quiet backstreet. The street wasn't wide, and on both sides were some old residential buildings with mottled marks on the walls. There were few pedestrians, with only a few electric bikes passing by silently.
The sunlight, cut off by the tall buildings, cast large shadows on the path, contrasting with the earlier warmth of the park. Lawyer Zhou was still discussing in hushed tones with Lin Feng the details of registering the online store, such as how to craft a more upscale story for the store name and the types of alcoholic beverages.
Just then, Lü Yi, who was walking in front, paused slightly, his gaze fixed on something not far ahead.
An old man.
His hair was gray, his body was hunched, he wore a faded old jacket, and he used a wooden stick as a crutch. He walked unsteadily, each step trembling, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. He walked towards Lin Feng and the other two.
Lawyer Zhou also noticed the old man. Out of politeness, he subconsciously slowed his pace, preparing to step aside to let the old man pass first. Lin Feng's gaze also casually swept over him, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking at a tree or a mailbox by the roadside.
The distance between the two sides is gradually closing.
Five meters, three meters, one meter...
Just as the two were about to pass each other by!
A sudden change has occurred!
The old man, who had been walking with a limp, suddenly staggered without warning, letting out a very realistic and painful "Ouch!" as if his bones had been removed, and fell straight and heavily to the side on the cold cement ground!
"Bang!" The dull thud of his body hitting the ground was clearly audible.
After the old man fell to the ground, he didn't stop immediately. Instead, he curled up, one hand clutching his chest, the other weakly pounding the ground. He let out intermittent, painful groans, and his body twitched slightly and uncontrollably. His acting was truly Oscar-worthy.
This sudden turn of events froze Lawyer Zhou in place, his pupils contracting slightly. Almost instinctively, he took a half-step forward, his lips moving, the words "Are you alright, sir?" nearly escaping his lips. At that moment, his professional ethics and sense of social morality took over, giving him the urge to help.
However, his actions and words were abruptly cut off by another figure.
It's Lin Feng.
He didn't even stop walking.
When the sound of the old man falling to the ground reached him, Lin Feng's steps faltered for a barely perceptible moment, less than a hundredth of a second.
His gaze lingered on the old man's contorted face in "pain" for less than half a second. His eyes were as cold as the Siberia permafrost, devoid of any surprise or sympathy. It was as if he were not seeing a person fall, but a leaf drifting down from a tree—ordinary and unrelated to him.
Then, as if he hadn't seen anything, he walked straight past the old man with steady steps and unchanged rhythm, without even the hem of his clothes being fluttered.
Absolute indifference.
Following behind Lin Feng, Lü Yi tilted his head, curiously examining the groaning old man on the ground, a childlike look of confusion on his face. But seeing his master leave, he immediately and without hesitation strode off, closely following, leaving the old man behind. His logic was simple and pure: his master's behavior was the rule.
Lawyer Zhou stood there, watching Lin Feng's retreating Back View without a backward glance, then looking at the elderly man on the ground who seemed to be in increasing "pain," and his heart was briefly torn. Should he help? What if he was falsely accused? Aren't similar things common these days? If he didn't help, his conscience wouldn't allow it, after all, wearing this suit represented a certain level of respectability and order.
His gaze swept over the old man's "helpless" appearance, then quickly scanned the surroundings—there were no security cameras, and few pedestrians. Reason ultimately prevailed over impulse. He took a deep breath, pushed up his Glasses, and forcefully suppressed the sliver of pity and professional ethics that had just risen within him. He chose to trust his boss's judgment, or rather, he chose to avoid unknown risks.
Without further hesitation, Lawyer Zhou quickened his pace and caught up with Lin Feng, also without looking back.
The three walked on in silence, leaving the area filled with performance and pain behind.
Behind them, the old man lying on the ground, from an angle unseen by anyone, squinted, and the pain quickly replaced by a sly glint and the patience of waiting for his prey to take the bait. He was like an experienced old spider, quietly lying on his woven web, waiting for the next soft-hearted "flying insect."
The sunlight still lazily streamed down the path, as if the abrupt incident had never happened. But something in the air seemed to have subtly changed its scent.