Qin Yexuan walked the familiar yet unfamiliar streets.
Ten years ago, he had crossed over into the Little Universe in that rented room. Ten years later, traces of his past footsteps could still be seen on the nearby streets.
The car wash across the street still displayed the same dirty and tattered sign from back then. The owner's temples were now graying, his employees had changed several times over, and the car washing equipment was more advanced than before.
The convenience store next to the car wash had been replaced by a large chain supermarket.
Across this street, on the northwest corner, was where he used to eat beef noodles after work. The shop had become a phone store, buzzing with promotions.
The city sky was brighter than before, and the air was filled with the smell of car exhaust.
Qin Yexuan continued walking and finally found the place he remembered.
Between two alleys, behind a dilapidated dry cleaner, stood a public restroom.
The restroom had been renovated, but its function remained the same.
He slipped into the restroom and searched through the stalls one by one.
A long time ago, when he was still struggling in this world, a senior colleague from his company had told him that there were many useful small advertisements in public restrooms when you were in a pinch.
Like… getting forged documents.
Finally, he found a phone number, with the words "get documents" scrawled crookedly.
Now, Qin Yexuan waited patiently.
He needed some "seed money."
He squatted in a stall near the door.
Soon, a few elderly people exercising nearby came in. They were not his targets.
After waiting for over an hour, a man with a big belly, carrying a briefcase, finally appeared.
Although his belly was as prominent as a pregnant woman's, he was dressed impeccably. His leather shoes, made to look like crocodile skin, were polished to a gleam. His head was large and round, with only the hair on top left standing, while the sides were shaved clean.
He held the latest Samsung phone, clutched his briefcase, spat on the ground, and after finishing his business, washed his hands, placing his Audi A6 keys aside as he started making a call.
"Third brother, that dog hasn't woken up yet? Whose bed is he in? Heh, Liu Fatty's party last night was good, a few sluts were quite horny."
"Yeah, just finished drinking. The KTV bill is settled. You get up and pay it for me. Damn it, don't play these games with me. I'm not short of money, just having some cash flow issues recently. A mere tens of thousands, you pay it for me!"
"Damn it, be quick about it, are we brothers or not?"
After a while, he cursed, "Third brother, you're not being a good friend. Last time, the loans I extended were all guaranteed by you. If you make me look bad, I can make your whole family sell themselves!"
He hung up the phone, whistling smugly. He was surprisingly energetic despite drinking all night.
Qin Yexuan pushed open the stall door. From this brief phone call, he had gathered enough information.
This was a guy who made a living from usury, and he was doing quite well. He owned an Audi worth around 300,000 yuan, had the latest phone, and was utterly shameless.
He asked his friend to pay the bill after drinking and even resorted to threats and temptations.
It was worth the wait; he was the best fat sheep currently available.
Qin Yexuan quickly scanned his surroundings, ensuring no one else was present, and then lunged at the man like lightning.
The man was whistling cheerfully when he suddenly smelled a foul odor and turned to see Qin Yexuan charging at him.
He was startled and clenched his hands, his reaction surprisingly fast.
Qin Yexuan, however, was sadly aware that his movements and strength were vastly inferior to his past self, like a kindergarten child compared to a master.
He grabbed the man helplessly. The man struggled fiercely but didn't cry for help.
Perhaps it was for his pride, or he thought a vagrant posed no significant threat.
Qin Yexuan grabbed his arm and pressed down sharply. The man's arm instantly twisted with a sickening crack. He was in such pain that he almost lost consciousness, and Qin Yexuan landed a heavy punch on his neck.
The man immediately fell unconscious.
Qin Yexuan caught his breath, took out the man's wallet, took only the cash, and unceremoniously pocketed the phone and car keys.
He removed the man's leather jacket, pants, and shirt, which didn't fit him well, being a size too large.
He dragged the man into a stall, tied him with his belt, and gagged his mouth with his socks. The man would likely not wake up for a long time, and it would take him at least half a day to escape.
These events were enough for him to proceed with his plans.
Qin Yexuan left the restroom, carefully avoiding any cameras, and then pressed the car key, locating the Audi.
He drove away from the street quickly and dialed the number for forged documents.
Such calls could be from scammers, or from someone who had offended him and left his number on the wall as a prank.
But Qin Yexuan, who had lived for tens of thousands of years in the Little Universe, was no longer the fresh graduate he once was. He had seen many numbers for forged documents in the public restroom, but he chose this specific one because it was written with a special type of pigment pen.
This pigment was self-mixed and not sold on the market. It was the type of pigment used for anti-counterfeiting marks on official documents.
This was observation and experience.
The call was answered by a tired male voice: "Hello."
"I need a document, an identification type."
There was a pause on the other end, then a cold response: "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number. Someone must have left my number. I don't do such things."
Qin Yexuan smiled: "spex500 pigment!"
The person on the other end was silent again: "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the pigment you use for your ads. It's a special fluorescent pigment that emits a unique fluorescent signal under UV light of a specific wavelength. Is that clear enough?"
The man was silent again, then said, "Since you can recognize it, you must know I'm a professional. But I didn't expect you to even know the pigment model. Are you in the same line of work?"
Qin Yexuan said coldly, "I'm neither your colleague, nor a police officer, nor someone calling out of boredom. I need a document. Since you're a professional, name your price!"
"Documents of the identification type start from 100,000 yuan, but I guarantee they'll last a long time. A full set of documents is 500,000 yuan, no negotiation."
Qin Yexuan was speechless: "As someone advertising in a public restroom, your price is too unbelievable."
"What do you know? My advertisements are everywhere, but I might not get a single order in a year. One order is enough for me to eat for a year. I only do professional work."
"Address?" Qin Yexuan felt he was lucky.
"I won't meet you at my home. Go to the market on Shanhe Seventh Road. There are many workers waiting for jobs by the roadside. I'll be among them. Walk to the third utility pole, face the intersection, and I'll be behind you. Once I confirm you're okay, we'll talk about the deposit! Oh, the deposit is 50,000 yuan!"
"Alright, I'll have the Audi car keys, and I'll be wearing a large leather jacket that doesn't fit well. You'll recognize me immediately."
This person seemed cautious, but actually very amateur.
He was willing to meet in person…
Qin Yexuan arrived at the market on Shanhe Seventh Road. It was crowded and chaotic at this hour.
Near the third utility pole, hundreds of people stood around. As soon as a car arrived, they would swarm it, blocking it and asking the driver about jobs.
Qin Yexuan had to park his car in a paid area on the right.
He stood by the utility pole, jingling the car keys.
After a while, a muffled voice came from behind him: "Where's the deposit? Don't turn around, I have a knife!"
Qin Yexuan turned around without hesitation and saw a thin middle-aged man behind him, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a gray jacket, and hunched over.
"I, I said don't turn around..."
Qin Yexuan shoved the car keys into his hand: "A car worth 300,000 yuan. It would sell for at least 100,000. Is that enough?"
"I, I want cash! You don't understand, I can't sell a car. Besides, how do I know if it's stolen?"
The man waved his utility knife in exasperation.
Qin Yexuan's eyes turned cold. He grabbed the utility knife and instantly pressed it against the man's neck: "I can see you're not the type to kill someone, but I'm the type who can cut your throat open anytime, understand?"
The man shivered, almost peeing himself in fear.
"Get in the car!"
Qin Yexuan pushed him into the car, then crushed the utility knife: "The address, to your workplace. Don't play any tricks. I really need the document and don't want to hurt you!"