Zhang Heng followed Little Boy to a nearby Carrefour, where he bought a quilt, a pillow, a toothbrush, a change of underwear, socks, and a razor. Little Boy even helped him choose a cologne, but Zhang Heng waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need that kind of thing. Then, when he passed by the knife rack, he stopped and picked up a folding knife on it.
It was made of rosewood, with a brass end and a stainless steel blade. It was tough and durable, and most importantly, it was only 11 centimeters long. It was suitable for carrying around, and with Zhang Heng's Lv.3 swordsmanship, it could provide him with a stronger melee combat ability.
"Do you want it?" Little Boy asked.
"Can I?"
Little Boy glanced at the price tag of 35 euros. "It's a little expensive."
"I can get another one, too."
"Forget it, I'll take this one. It'll be deducted from your salary anyway."
"Thank you."
…
After leaving the supermarket, Little Boy brought Zhang Heng to a secondhand clothing store. He spent ten euros on a black suit, shirt, and leather shoes, completing the set.
Zhang Heng changed his clothes and walked out of the fitting room.
Little Boy took two steps back and looked Zhang Heng up and down.
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows, "How is it?"
"It's half a size too big, but overall, it looks good." Little Boy took a pair of black goggles from the shelf next to her and handed it to Zhang Heng. "You don't have to wear it. Just put it in your pocket."
After Zhang Heng did as he was told, Little Boy finally nodded. "This should be enough."
Little Boy didn't say why, and Zhang Heng didn't ask.
The two put the things they bought home, then bought two hot dogs from a roadside stall for dinner. By then, night had fallen.
"Let's go. It's time for you to get to work."
Little Boy finished the last bite of the hot dog, wiped her mouth, and led Zhang Heng to the subway station.
It was time to get off work, and there were a lot of people at the station. It took some effort for the two to squeeze into the train.
When the train door slowly closed, Little Boy spoke again, introducing to Zhang Heng, "The guy we are going to meet later is called Fox. He is the most famous middleman in the area."
"Middleman?"
"Yes, he's the guy who helps to pull strings, matchmake businesses, and make a living by taking commissions. Simply put, if you have any troubles, you can go to him. As long as you have money, he can help you complete it. Of course, he won't do it himself, but he will help you find suitable talents."
"Like an intermediary?"
"It's very similar to the way intermediaries make money, but the biggest difference is that intermediaries only do legal things, while Fox doesn't have any taboos. Whether it's a normal commission, illegal commission, or a grey area … As long as there's money, he'll accept it."
"Ha, I thought there were no more criminals after the city was connected to CTOS."
"Yes, the crime rate has dropped significantly, but the criminals haven't disappeared. The people of Black Nest are very smart. If the criminals really disappear, then people will definitely question the necessity of CTOS. The public is willing to sacrifice some of their privacy for safety, but if they realize that they are already very safe, their focus will shift to privacy security. So, Black Nest has to find a balance to prove that CTOS is working, but it won't really make crime disappear from the city."
"If there are no criminals, then there's no need for the police to exist."
"Yes, that's pretty much the logic," Little Boy said. "But after the establishment of CTOS, it did have a great impact on the underworld of the entire city. The old laws of survival no longer apply. It's natural selection, and a group of old diehards who can't keep up with the times have left the scene. Newcomers like Fox have begun to emerge quickly."
"What about 01?"
"We are not criminals," Little Boy said solemnly. "Although Black Nest has been smearing us, 01 has always been a non-profit organization since its establishment. Even if we use some technical means to obtain funds, they are all used to fight against CTOS. None of it has gone into the pockets of our members."
"That's admirable," Zhang Heng said.
"Are you mocking us?"
"I didn't mock you before, did I? But you … no matter when we met, you would always suspect my motives. Is this what they call the inertia of history?"
…
An hour later, the two arrived at the other end of the city, near the suburbs. They could clearly feel that there were fewer cameras on the street, and there were fewer people around.
When they were about to reach their destination, Little Boy reminded again, "Don't talk when you see Fox. Let me talk to him."
"Whatever you say."
The two went down to an underground garage. There were no cars after the third floor, but the sound of a stereo came from the lowest floor.
There were two men with buzz-cut hair smoking at the entrance. When they saw them, they got up and gestured for them not to enter.
"We're here for Fox," Little Boy said.
The buzz-cut men looked at each other and sat down again.
"Their guards don't look like much. All you need is a name to get in," Zhang Heng said. The two walked into the garage on the fourth floor. Unlike the empty upper floor, there were a lot of people here, and it was filled with luxury cars. There were also many hot beauties in sight.
"It's just a small gathering organized by a group of rich second-generation kids who think they know a lot about society. It's to satisfy their curiosity and novelty. Besides, some of them brought some soft [River Crabs] with them. They don't want to be targeted by the police," Little Boy said casually.
She looked around and finally stopped in a certain direction. "I found the fox."
He was also the only two people in the entire party who were dressed formally. The other one was Zhang Heng in a suit. But unlike Zhang Heng, Fox was only wearing a half-suit. Under the trench coat was a pair of beach pants and two hairy thighs. Although the temperature was not high now, he did not seem to feel cold at all. And it was obvious that he was in a good mood, hugging two French sweethearts on his left and right, laughing so hard that he was rocking back and forth.
"Sorry, babes, I have a job. How about you guys go get me a glass of champagne?"
The two girls reluctantly left his embrace, and one of them even raised her eyebrows as she passed by the little boy.
"Don't take it to heart. Sophie is very jealous, and Anais keeps a cute cobra in her garage," Fox said. "Long time no see. I haven't heard from you for a long time. When Semiprime sent me an encrypted email and told me that you were coming to see me, I thought I heard it wrong. Is this … your boyfriend?"
"No, he's just a tenant. He needs money to pay the rent now. That's why I brought him to see you."
"Nice to meet you." Fox reached out and shook hands with Zhang Heng, then looked at Little Boy, "So you haven't found a boyfriend yet?"
"…"
"People who talk too much usually die early in the movies," Little Boy said coldly.
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