Chapter 639: Bad Luck Be Gone
The entire Dongjing was in a frenzy once they discovered Xiao Luo’s whereabouts.
The city was crawling with army and police vehicles. At the same time, police officers and soldiers were armed to the teeth, and their presence was highly visible. Dongjing citizens who were not up to date on the news had even thought they were at war.
But what drove Anpei up the walls was that the security forces had lost sight of him the moment he drove into the city. And all they found was a sports car abandoned by the side of the road. The Thousand-faced Killer could have transformed into anybody, so how could they possibly find him in this sea of people?
“Verify the identity of every single person on the main street. He can transform at any moment, but his identity is not something he can just change at the drop of a hat!” Anpei scowled over the radio.
“Yes, Sir!”
The police and the army personnel got into action and set up checkpoints to verify the identity of every person who passed through.
And yet, Xiao Luo was nowhere to be found, as if he had vanished.
At the same time that the security forces were looking for Xiao Luo, all the citizens of Ri Nation suddenly discovered that their bank account balances had gone up by 10 million. It was not just an individual, nor did it occur only in one city. Everybody in Ri Nation who had a bank account received a windfall!
Following that, a dozen intermediate-range ballistic missiles were launched from the Dongjing military base. They left an ominous trail of rocket fumes behind them as they homed in on Yasukuni Shrine. There was a series of deafening explosions, and Yasukuni Shrine was left in ruins, completely leveled.
After that, the 54 satellites belonging to Ri Nation suddenly disconnected, and then, like meteorites, they came screaming back toward Earth. Many people witnessed this and thought that they were shooting stars. They closed their eyes as they made their wishes. Instantly, Ri Nation’s communication networks plunged into a state of paralysis.
All of this occurred in a single night!
And the cause behind all of this boiled down to a single hacker who had infiltrated Ri Nation’s systems.
“Prime Minister, 10 million Ri dollars has been credited into every citizen’s bank account. Unprecedented inflation is upon us, and our currency is worth nothing more than a piece of toilet paper!”
“Sir, Yasukuni Shrine has been attacked and all the kannushi guarding the shrine were killed in the massive explosions.”
“54 satellites with a total cost of USD6 billion have burned up in the atmosphere as they crashed back to Earth. All of our communications systems are down, Sir.”
“How could this be… How could this be!”
…
…
Xiao Luo had barely spent any effort when he hacked into Ri Nation’s systems and created those devastating conditions for the country. He was in a barbecue stall in Dongjing Airport enjoying his food.
The stall owner was a buff man who wore a short-sleeved shirt that exposed his sturdy arms, and he was assisted by a mute and a deaf man. The three of them, silent like cicadas in winter, stared at Xiao Luo, who sat on a stool eating his barbecued meat. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down their foreheads, and they were shaking in fear and anxiety.
“I can’t believe that you quit working for the yakuza and started up your stall here, Suzuki Ikuo. Not bad, this has potential. This is superb grilling technique.”
“Bring me another bottle of soda,” Xiao Luo said to the owner of the stall as he ate.
“Ah…”
The mute man responded quickly, opening the bottle as he placed it in front of Xiao Luo with the utmost respect.
Oh, my Lord, how in the world did we find ourselves in the path of this murderous beast again?
It exasperated Suzuki Ikuo. He could accept that his stint with the yakuza did not work out because he could still get by selling barbecued meat. Here he was, selling meat, and yet, he ran into this man. What did it say about his luck?
He put on a brave face and walked up to Xiao Luo. Taking the seat opposite Xiao Luo with a look of anguish, he said, “Boss… There, I’ve said it; I’ve even called you boss! Just what do you want from me? Why don’t you kill me and get it over and done with!”
Xiao Luo raised his head and chuckled. He stared at Suzuki Ikuo with a cocked brow and said, “Why are you getting so uptight? You run a barbecued meat stall, and I’m here to eat your food. Isn’t this is a very normal thing in your business? Anyway, there’s potential in this business, so keep up the excellent work!”
Keep up the excellent work?
To hell with that!
Suzuki Ikuo was on the verge of letting the curses spew from his mouth. He had been doing well in the yakuza, only for everything to collapse in a single night. Now, he had no choice but to set aside his pride and run this road-side barbecued meat stall. It went without saying that this was hard work, and there was no easy money of any sort in this venture. He had to toil overnight while people slept, so what kind of potential was there to this?
He looked around furtively and then said, “The entire country is hunting for you now. Do you have the money to pay up?”
“Credit cards are all the rage right now, and you can even pay with your phone. Who still uses cash these days?” Xiao Luo replied, rolling his eyes.
“But can you pay with your phone here in Ri nation?”
“My mobile payment only works in Hua Nation.”
“Why you… You’re trying to get a free meal off of me!” Suzuki Ikuo snarled.
“How astute of you! Not bad, my man… Good job!” Xiao Luo said, giving Suzuki Ikuo a thumbs up with his eyes squinted in a smile.
That idiot!
Suzuki Ikuo almost flew into a rage, but he quelled his urge to flip the tables. He smacked the table lightly and said, “I gave my all in grilling that piece of meat for more than half an hour, only for you to rip me off like this! Why you… How dare you! Watch me call the cops on you!”
The corners of his mouth were twitching.
Xiao Luo ignored his words, feasting on the grilled meat and vegetables in front of him.
Utterly humiliated, Suzuki Ikuo smacked the table again and said, “Did you hear me? I said I am going to call the cops on you! You…”
“Give me another dozen oysters.” Xiao Luo cut him short with a wave of his hand.
“Sure thing, just a moment!”
Suzuki Ikuo immediately reverted to his role as the owner of a barbecued meat stall and rose from his seat to grill the oysters for Xiao Luo.
The mute man helped him.
The deaf man stayed beside Xiao Luo, fanning him to keep him comfortable.
Not long after, Suzuki Ikuo placed a plate of delicious oysters in front of Xiao Luo.
“Why don’t you have some?” Xiao Luo said to Suzuki Ikuo.
Suzuki Ikuo shook his head, “No, I shouldn’t.”
“I said, have some.” Xiao Luo’s face turned serious.
Suzuki Ikuo shuddered. He did not dare to refuse and immediately picked up an oyster to eat.
“Good?” Xiao Luo asked with a smile.
“Yes, very good,” Suzuki Ikuo replied with a stiff nod.
Xiao Luo patted him on his shoulder, wiping the grease off his hand. “There we go. This is how it should be. You should be thanking me for getting you into this grilled meat business. It has great potential. As long as you keep at it, becoming Ri Nation’s wealthiest man won’t be just a dream.”
“I…”
Suzuki Ikuo’s expression soured like he had eaten a mouthful of something unsavory.