Ren Yuanhao was chatting with the system's young lady, unaware that the woman he had just rescued had fallen into the hands of another group.
However, the way the two groups treated the woman was vastly different.
In a private room of a high-end restaurant, the woman sat in the guest of honor's seat, flanked by two exceedingly handsome men. The one on the left held a glass of red wine, while the one on the right, with a pair of chopsticks, served her delicacies as if she were a celestial being.
The woman was happy to indulge, taking a sip of wine from the left and a bite of food from the right. By the time she was full, and as the group was about to question her, the woman feigned drunkenness and toppled into a bowl of oily soup. The meat broth spilled, wetting half her face and her disheveled hair. She paid no mind to it, her acting so convincing it was astonishing.
"Damn it, is this slut doing this on purpose?" a scrawny, yellow-haired man shook the woman's shoulder and said, "Boss, you shouldn't have given her alcohol."
"Nonsense, haven't you heard the saying? 'Alcohol loosens the tongue,' you know?"
The boss, wearing a plaid shirt, was as solid as a mountain. The words 'Loyalty and Righteousness' were tattooed on his arms. He waved away the two handsome men, had his subordinates clear the table of food, brought over an armchair, and sat opposite the woman. He then took out two thick stacks of cash from his bag and slammed them onto the table.
"Alright, woman, now I'll ask you: where have you hidden that thing?"
The woman merely pursed her lips, mumbled 'Good wine,' and then hiccuped hazily, the smell of alcohol wafting from her.
The boss understood, took out another stack of money from his bag, and placed it on the table, continuing unhurriedly, "Woman, I won't make things difficult for you. As long as you speak, all this money is yours. Don't you need money to pay off debts? I can sign a contract with you. As long as you hand over that thing, we'll cover all the expenses for your mother's hospitalization and surgery. How about that?"
"Money, money is a good thing. I, I like money~"
The woman cunningly played along with the other party's tactics, humming vaguely.
"Yes, liking money is right. Tell me where that thing is hidden, and all this money is yours. Oh, no, this is only half. Once we get that thing, I'll give you the other half. Not a penny less. What do you say?"
The boss's eyes gleamed. For those in the know, the allure of that thing was no less than becoming rich overnight. Yet, that thing was unique, and only this woman knew its whereabouts. The group from that morning had also resorted to this tactic to force the woman to reveal the location of that thing.
However, it was clear that Big Gold Tooth's methods were not as clever as 'Loyalty Man's.' After all, one must know what others need to cater to their preferences, and catering to preferences leads to mutual benefit.
'Loyalty Man' faintly smelled the scent of that thing, his eyes filled with a near-lewd greed.
"Good, very good. Bring me paper and pen~"
The woman slammed the table abruptly, displaying the imposing demeanor of Sun Erniang. Seeing a glimmer of hope, the 'Loyalty Man' immediately called out to his subordinates, who brought paper and pen from the counter.
The woman took the paper and pen, then suddenly looked up, her face flushed red. She shouted, "You, if you don't turn on the lights, how am I supposed to see?"
The 'Loyalty Man' glanced at the blindingly bright high-end LED lights, thinking, *Don't mess around, madam*. Unexpectedly, the woman then assumed her previous drowsy posture. Seeing this, the 'Loyalty Man' turned pale with anxiety and immediately roared, "Damn it, everyone get out your phones and turn on the flashlights."
Several beams of light shone directly at the woman. But the woman, to her credit, didn't bother to open her eyes. She simply drew a very irregular oval on a white piece of paper and then stopped.
"Madam, what are you trying to convey by drawing a circle?"
The 'Loyalty Man' carefully took the paper from the woman's hand and examined it from every angle, more meticulously than a lottery ticket. He wondered if his comprehension was lacking, that he couldn't discern the meaning.
Just then, the scrawny monkey-like man standing to his left tapped his head, almost jumping off his stool.
"What are you so excited about?"
"I know what this woman is trying to say!"
The 'Loyalty Man' showed a pleased expression and asked, "Spit it out, don't hold it in or you might spontaneously combust."
"Look, boss, doesn't this look like a lake?" the scrawny monkey man said proudly.
"A lake?" The 'Loyalty Man' tapped the head of the tall man on his left, snatched the phone that was still providing light, zoomed in on the local map, and compared it. Whether it was a coincidence or not, the map indeed showed a lake that looked exactly like the shape drawn on the paper!
"Holy cow? You're really something else, to be able to see this!"
The 'Loyalty Man' was extremely excited. He roared at his subordinates, trying to suppress his excitement, "Slim monkey, you stay here. The rest of you, hurry up and bring me the item!"
"Yes!"
After everyone left, the 'Loyalty Man' told the scrawny monkey man to watch the woman, while he went to sleep.
The woman lay there for a while. Seeing that the scrawny monkey man had also quietly fallen asleep, she then stuffed several stacks of money into a paper bag and rushed out of the private room.
Unfortunately, the woman had had a bit too much to drink, and her cerebellum was not under control. She tripped at the doorway, and the drunkenness instantly vanished. She then ran towards the exit of the restaurant like a madwoman. The scrawny man was startled awake and, upon opening his eyes, found the woman gone. He immediately rushed out of the restaurant, chasing after the woman while calling his boss.
"You damn hag, stop running!"
"Why wouldn't I run? Only an idiot wouldn't!"
Just as the woman finished speaking, she saw a man holding a mobile phone ahead, also looking around. He looked rather familiar. Upon closer inspection, her heavens, it was Big Gold Tooth, the one who had made her drink half a pool's worth of water that morning!
"You damn woman, searching high and low for something, only to find it easily. Where will you run this time!"
With a wolf in front and a tiger behind, the woman tightly clutched the money. She intended to dash to the other side, but car after car sped past. Just as she thought heaven was about to doom her, a narrow alley, wide enough for about three people to walk side-by-side, appeared before her.
The woman, as if grasping a lifeline, madly plunged into the dark alley.
In fact, Stone City had many such narrow alleys, crisscrossing and chaotic. Some alleys were so obscure that even navigation systems couldn't accurately report their destinations. Until one reached the end, one would never know if an alley was a dead end.
The woman ran frantically, with two groups of people chasing her like wild dogs. The cramped alley gave her a sliver of hope, especially the bulky figure of the 'Loyalty Man,' who almost blocked the entire path by himself.
But just as the woman felt a moment of triumph, heaven seemed to play a big joke on her. Not far ahead, a wall about 4 meters high suddenly blocked her path!
To run further would be a dead end!