Chapter 224: The Road to Purification
The morning was a little chilly and misty, and the old street lights on both sides of the road slowly dimmed.
The Zero Point Tavern in Coral City opened a side door, and the small wooden door swayed gently in the morning breeze.
Yi Yi leaned against the door, holding a lit cigarette in his hand. He flicked the ash and exhaled a puff of white smoke mixed with the smell of alcohol.
When the wind blew, the ashes on the ground flew away and the white smoke merged into the fog.
A message came from the headquarters, asking him to keep an eye out for anyone who might be the masked man.
【Regarding the three necessary measures and seven important requirements for the "Masked Stranger"...】
【about……】
The phone in Yi Yi's pocket vibrated twice, and he received two documents from headquarters, both of which were marked "Top Secret".
He took out his mobile phone, verified it with his personal authority, clicked on the file, and saw a long and complicated content.
I don’t know since when, but the documents at the Zero Point Tavern headquarters have become more and more formalized.
“Strictly control…strictly implement…expand…strengthen…promote…”
Every time, it's similar words, which gives Yi Yi a headache.
Something that could be explained in two sentences had to be explained in two documents with more than 20,000 words, and the same content was repeated more than a dozen times from different angles.
If a novel dared to be written like this, the author would have been sent knives by readers long ago.
At this moment, Yi Mo suddenly appeared from the shadows behind him, quickly snatched the phone from Yi Yi's hand, and frowned and said, "Master, how can you play with your phone while smoking?"
"Amo, you..."
"Master, have you ever considered Yan's feelings when you're playing both sides like this?"
“…”
Yi Yi held his forehead helplessly, not knowing what to say.
He slowly squatted at the door and flicked the ash off his cigarette. He didn't smoke it, but said to Yi Mo behind him: "Mo, these files are top secret. You don't have permission to browse them."
"I didn't browse it." Yi Mo looked innocent, "I just saw it accidentally."
“…”
Yi Yi was too lazy to say anything more. After all, he was his own apprentice and he had no children, so he would need someone to take care of him in his old age.
His junior fellow apprentice Xue Lie was the one who suffered the most. Xue Lin died, but the words he said before his death really made Xue Lie feel very uncomfortable.
Yi Mo suddenly asked, "Master, this document says that everyone in the tavern who has any relationship with the mask must be interrogated by you personally. When do you plan to interrogate me?"
Yiyi: "When do you want to interrogate?"
"Right now, since we are all here."
Yi Mo raised his eyebrows slightly and pointed behind him.
All members of the Beifeng Story Club were present, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the phone in Yi Mo's hand, browsing the top-secret document that only the store manager could see.
Yi Yi sighed helplessly. He knew he couldn't get anything out of him. He didn't even bother to turn around and asked directly, "What's your relationship with the masked man?"
“I’ve heard of it.”
“It’s not a deep relationship.”
"I've met him once or twice."
"It's only been a few days."
“…”
Members of the North Wind Story Club answered one after another, and each answer was more outrageous than the last.
Yi Yi didn't even turn on the recorder. After listening to the whole thing, he casually said, "That's it. I've passed this level. Someone from the headquarters will come in a few days. By then, all the information and surveillance in the tavern will be retrieved. All the relevant personnel during this period will be questioned. You should think of a way to deal with the people from the headquarters."
"Everyone?"
"That's about right." Yi Yi nodded. "The headquarters is very meticulous and authoritarian. In our branch, every member should be questioned once or even multiple times. Remember to check your statements."
At this point, Yi Yi's tone became very serious.
The headquarters of the Zero Point Tavern is a huge organization, which has recruited a large number of members with expertise in searching, reconnaissance, and interrogation. It is not so easy to deal with them.
On this planet, it is difficult for anyone who messes with the tavern to survive the first month.
Even if you can survive this month, you will have to hide your identity and be careful in the days to come , not exposing your blood, fingerprints, hair, saliva or even dandruff. Such a life of constant fear is quite tormenting for a normal person.
The pressure from headquarters was as thick as the fog this morning, too thick to dissipate.
In Yuling City, far in the north, the fog was also thick today. Looking down from the sky, the whole city looked like an abstract oil painting.
The cold wind was blowing on the street. An old, rusty van was emitting black exhaust as it drove into the city. Its dim yellow headlights barely illuminated a section of the road ahead. The car body was shaking and creaking, as if it would fall apart in the next second.
"Boss, we're here, what should we do next?"
The van slowly stopped by the roadside and the glass windows lowered slightly to let in more fresh air.
The young man sitting in the driver's seat pulled the handbrake. He had a tired look on his face and his greasy hair hung down in front of his forehead, as if he hadn't slept for several days. He fumbled in his pocket, took out a half-pack of cigarettes, and handed one to the person in the passenger seat.
Sitting in the co-pilot seat was the fisherman.
He arrived in the city on time as agreed with Su Xia.
“Bang!”
The fisherman had a haggard look on his face. He pressed the lighter, held the cigarette close to the flame, and took a trembling puff.
After taking a bite, a hint of satisfaction suddenly appeared on his face.
He rolled down the car window, leaned against the seat back, and slowly exhaled a puff of thick smoke out of the window. His tense body relaxed a little, like a deflated ball.
"What else can we do?" The fisherman looked out the window and sighed in a low voice, "Xue Lin is dead, and we can't contact the senior executives of Tangshui Company. Most of them are dead. The Jiang and Wei families have also been destroyed. The whole city is in chaos. What ?"
"Boss, is the world going to change?"
"It's hard to say. It depends on whether the masked man can survive."
On the way here, the two learned about what happened in Yuling City through the car radio.
After learning that the mysterious man was the masked stranger, the fisherman was shocked for a long time, and then he was filled with endless fear. He didn't expect that he could survive from that terrifying guy.
What happened afterwards made his scalp tingle.
"Even the city lord is dead..."
Looking at the vast expanse of white outside the car, the fisherman felt a little more confused.
He was just a salesman. In the fight between the big men, he was as fragile as duckweed in the rain and could only drift with the water.
“Buzz——”
“Buzz——”
The cell phone in his clothes suddenly rang.
The fisherman's face changed slightly, and he quickly took out his mobile phone, only to find that it was an unfamiliar caller.
Is that the masked man?
He immediately pressed the answer button and asked cautiously, "Hello?"
"Fisherman, it's me, Ren Jun. We've met before at the meeting."
The person on the other end of the phone came straight to the point and stated his identity.
The fisherman was surprised: "You are still alive?"
"Yes, I am the only one left in charge of Tangshui Company. The others are all dead." Ren Jun said bluntly, "I used some tricks to temporarily get some shares from those dead people. Now I have 51% of the shares. I have the final say in the whole company."
"Master Mask asked you to contact me?"
"That's right, drive directly to the central square, stop under the Jiang Group building, and then go to the top floor. We want to talk to the new city lord about something."
"A new city lord?" The fisherman was puzzled. "So soon?"
"It's Jiang Zhi, Jiang Xiong's nephew. You'll know when you come."
"good!"
The fisherman hung up the phone, and his anxious heart slowly settled down.
He had a premonition that his future life might take a completely different path.
"Drive," he ordered.
"Boss, where are you going?"
"The building of Jiang Group."
After getting the news, I didn't ask any questions, immediately threw the cigarette in my hand out of the window and started the engine.
The old van once again set off slowly, shuttling through the thick fog in the early morning at a moderate speed, passing through the dilapidated battle area in the southern city, its wheels rolling over countless pieces of glass and steel and concrete.
Less than half an hour later, the van stopped steadily under the building of Jiang Group.
"Sleep in the car. If you get hungry, go out and buy food. Do you have any money?" asked the fisherman.
"Yes, I have some money."
"Okay, if I don't come down today, don't worry about me. Go find a clean job."
After saying that, the fisherman opened the car door and got out.
After what happened yesterday, all operations of both companies were suspended. The building was deserted and there were few employees to be seen.
He walked straight to the high-rise elevator, took the elevator up, and slowly approached the top floor.
The fisherman did not worry about his life for the time being.
If Ren Jun wanted to kill him, there was no need to call him here. He could just arrange someone to kill him along the way.
"bite--"
The elevator door opened, revealing a luxurious penthouse room.
There is a large floor-to-ceiling window opposite the elevator door, and you can overlook the prosperity of the entire city as soon as you walk out of the elevator.
Many wealthy people like to buy a large flat in a high-rise building in the city center so that they can clearly feel the real gap between people.
When going to work early in the morning, most people in this city will be busy, running around and working hard for a little money, like sad and pitiful ants in the city.
Others would lie in a high bathtub by the window, with breakfast brought by the servants beside them. The classical record player in the room would play old music from before the war, and they would feel comfortable watching the busy ants below.
This is how power and nobility are contrasted.
"Fisherman, my friend, you look very tired." Ren Jun came forward, "How is your injury? Is it okay?"
"Fortunately, they were just flesh wounds, no internal organs were hurt. After two injections of healing potion, it's almost healed."
When the fisherman thought of Su Xia's torture methods, he felt a dull pain in the injured areas.
If the same thing happened again, he would slide to his knees on the spot without hesitation and answer whatever Su Xia asked.
"This is Mr. Jiang Zhijiang, the new city lord." Ren Jun took the fisherman and introduced him enthusiastically.
The fisherman was not unfamiliar with this name. He also needed publicity when he was working as a salesperson in Yuling City.
Jiang Zhi is still very young, just in his early thirties, and he used to be the person in charge of publicity within the group. Logically, he should not be the new city lord or family head, but the other senior executives of the two families were all killed by the masked man.
The fisherman took a look and saw that there were only three of them on the entire top floor.
Obviously, to talk about things.
And it’s a big deal.
Jiang Zhi also had a tired look on his face, and his eyes were red. It seemed that his road to power was not easy, but he still smiled and held out his hand to the fisherman: "I have heard a lot about you. I have heard a long time ago that Mr. Fisherman is the best businessman in the whole city."
"Thank you for the compliment, Lord City Lord. I am just a small trader."
The fisherman smiled at the right moment and stretched out his hand to shake Jiang Zhi's.
Afterwards, the three of them sat down on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. They could overlook the spectacular view of the entire city just by turning their heads.
Jiang Zhi wasted no time and said bluntly: "Mr. Fisherman, the two families have suffered heavy losses now, and many people outside are watching. I need talents, a lot of talents."
"I understand." The fisherman nodded.
"First of all, let me make one thing clear." Jiang Zhi's expression became serious. "We are all dogs of the mechanical tribe. We have no rebellious thoughts towards the mechanical tribe. Do you agree with this, Mr. Fisherman?"
"Yes, of course I do."
"Well, we can get down to business."
Jiang Zhi looked relaxed, a smile appeared on his face again, and he reached out and took out a very special medicine from his arms.
The entire potion is only the size of a little finger, and the liquid inside is light green, looking like some kind of beverage.
Seeing this, the fisherman subconsciously asked: "Is this a new drug?"
"Of course not, quite the opposite."
Jiang Zhi kept smiling, looked at the fisherman's face, and slowly opened the potion in his hand.
In an instant, a minty fragrance wafted out, refreshing the heart. Just smelling it for a moment made people feel relaxed and happy, as if even the fatigue was relieved a lot.
The fisherman was surprised and asked, "What is this?"
"Purification potion."
Ren Jun, who was sitting on the side, answered on behalf of Jiang Zhi and said, "I was also surprised when I first saw this potion."
"evolution?"
"No, it's purification."
Ren Jun found that the fisherman had a problem with his pronunciation and realized that he was wrong. He explained again: "One dose of this medicine can help people get rid of their dependence on addictive drugs."
"What?"
The fisherman's eyelids twitched and he almost couldn't sit still.
Isn't this reverse drug abuse?
In just a moment, he realized the huge market potential of this medicine.
In Fish Scale City, in the entire southwest region, and even in the entire continent, there are countless people suffering under the control of addictive drugs, but more than 99% of them do not have the willpower to quit.
Once you get involved with that kind of stuff, your life is basically ruined.
"Of course, it only helps get rid of the addiction physically, but it's useless psychologically, so there is a possibility of relapse," Ren Jun explained.
"Mr. Ren, was this potion obtained by... Mr. Mask?"
"Yes, that's him."
Ren Jun nodded and took out a recipe.
"When I woke up this morning, I saw this recipe next to my bed." He pushed the recipe in front of the fisherman, "I immediately asked a pharmacist to make it, and then found an addict to do an experiment, and the effect was quite good."
The ingredients in the recipe are not expensive. Several of them can be bought at street herbal medicine stores, and they are marked:
[The difficulty of refining is extremely low, the process is simple, and even a first-level pharmacist apprentice can make it]
"A first-level pharmacist apprentice is actually the same as an ordinary person." Ren Jun continued, "I asked a few pharmacists, and they all said that it is not difficult. We can directly build a factory and use industrial methods to replace manual refining, and then mass production."
"I see."
The fisherman stroked his chest and took a deep breath.
Jiang Zhi, the new city lord, is also here, and his attitude is self-evident.
Is the entire Yuling City going to turn from darkness to light and embark on the bright path?
As long as they can make money and pay fees to the mechanical clan regularly, the mechanical clan will not care what the human managers do.
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "This is the only way. The masked man is watching us in the dark. If we don't follow this road, we may all lose our lives."
As he said this, he stretched out his hand and pointed at his neck.
The three people present all understood that although the masked man was wanted by the two super powers, the Zero Point Tavern and the Mechanical Clan, as long as he was still alive, their heads could be separated from their bodies at any time.
Taking this path not only saves lives but also makes money, so all three of them are happy to do it.
"The Masked Stranger really hates the addictive drug industry... Many people are saying that they will continue to do it after this month, because they think the Masked Stranger will not survive this month..."
Jiang Zhi slowly tightened the purification agent and moved his eyes towards the white city outside the window.
"I don't think so."
