Card Room

Chapter 43 - Financial Crisis 3: Agreement

The house where Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang stayed was called ‘Shanshui Guesthouse’. This was a small building with two floors. The first floor had six rooms in addition to the lobby. The second floor had eight rooms and they were placed in 207.

Entering into the door, Xiao Loue explored around the room. It was around 40 square metres. The area might be small but it was complete. There were a separate bathroom, toilet and a small kitchen approximately 4 square metres with a range hood and freezer. This meant they could cook their own food.

In this remote small city, for a guesthouse during the off-peak season, 100 yuan a night was also cheap.

Both beds were single beds and they were small but clean.

The north side had a window that could be pushed outwards. Yu Hanjiang walked to the window and pushed open the window to look outside. Downstairs was a pedestrian street. There were many snack bars and clothing stores. It was working hours and the weather was hot so there weren’t many pedestrians on the street.

Yu Hanjiang told Xiao Lou, “This place is cheap but it is on a pedestrian street. It is likely to be robbed after the financial crisis occurs. Fortunately, I have a gun. If it is a simple burglary then I can cope.”

Xiao Lou nodded. “We need a list of materials. We will discuss it and then buy it later.”

There was a piece of paper on the bedside table with ‘Opinion Book’ on it and a pencil.

Xiao Lou took it and quickly wrote down some of the necessary supplies on it.

Mineral water must be prepared in case water was cut off in the city. Milk and chocolate were protein-replenishing and fast-calorie foods. Compressed biscuits could make people feel fuller. Canned fruits could be used to supplement with vitamins when supplies were scarce. Vacuum-packed eggs, meat, canned fish etc. weren’t easy to expire and could be hoarded.

Xiao Lou often bought food to cook and he knew the types and prices of foods. He quickly made a list of comprehensive and nutritious goods. Of course, he didn’t like instant noodles but they were cheap and two boxes could be bought as a spare.

Once he finished writing down the food, Yu Hanjiang added necessary items such as a lighter, candles, flashlights, travel backpacks, knives, medical bandages, travel sleeping bags etc., things that they could carry with them at any time. Xiao Lou added several medicines such as commonly used antipyretics, diarrhea medicine, antibiotics etc. This would prevent them from needing to go to the hospital if they became sick in these seven days.

The two people checked the list and pondered what else they were missing.

Xiao Lou’s travel experience combined with Yu Hanjiang’s wildness camping experience meant the list was complete. The two people were prepared to survive seven days on a desert island.

These things weren’t expensive to eat or use and the key was if they thought about it.

Xiao Lou said, “Once the financial crisis breaks out tomorrow, the prices will definitely rise. Therefore, the money on us right now is the most valuable. I think it is better to replace 80% of our money with goods. The rest will depend on the situation.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Yes, it is better to have more things. If we can’t finish eating them then take them to sell.”

Money would become worthless and a bottle of water that cost 200 gold coins was likely to skyrocket by several times. If their material reserves were planned well, they could make a small profit during the financial crisis.

It would soon be five in the afternoon.

Xiao Lou put the arranged list in his pocket and walked with Yu Hanjiang to the downtown area to find Shao Qingge.

Many people had left work and the number of vehicles and pedestrians on the street gradually increased. The two people didn’t take a taxi and simply walked. It took them half an hour to reach the stock market building in the city centre.

At 5:30, the stock market was about to close. Many people on the trading floor were eagerly looking at the stocks chart. Some people were smiling while some were full of anxiety. The hearts of the investors were following the curve of the stocks like it was a rollercoaster ride.

Xiao Lou saw Shao Qingge in the crowd with one glance. The man was staring at the computer screen with narrowed eyes, slender fingers slamming on the keyboard and making a clear sound.

Shao Qingge saw Xiao Lou and nodded in greeting.

Once Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang came behind him, he spoke softly, “Abnormal fluctuations have begun in the stock market at 5:30. I suspect that this is the precursor to the future financial crisis. Before it closes in half an hour, I must clear the stocks in advance.”

As he spoke, he quickly sold all his stocks.

Shao Qingge logged into his personal account and his balance was more than 420,000!

Xiao Lou doubted his eyes, rubbed them and looked again. He couldn’t believe it. “This is the balance of your account? You doubled it?”

Shao Qingge’s 100,000 plus Xiao Lou’s 100,000 meant an initial capital of 200,000. In just one afternoon, this had doubled. It could only be said that Shao Qingge was too strong and it was no wonder why he was frequently interviewed on the financial channel.

Shao Qingge smiled and said, “Today’s gains are good. I moved quickly and bought a lot of stocks, making thousands of transactions in the afternoon.” He stood up from his seat and continued. “Let’s take the money and leave here as soon as possible.”

The stock accounts and bank accounts were linked, meaning the transfer was quick. The trading centre had a self-service cash machine. After deducting taxes, handling fees and transfer fees, the final amount was 420,800.

Several people lined up in front of the cash machine and it was soon Shao Qingge’s turn.

The Card World’s gold coins had 1000, 5000 and 10000 values. Shao Qingge directly took out 42 10,000 gold coins.

People around him saw him take out so much money and stared, One young man stared at the gold coins in Shao Qingge’s hands with a greedy expression. Once Shao Qingge’s turn was over, the young man walked over and pretended to inadvertently hit him. He apologized before hurrying to leave.

Shao Qingge hadn’t reacted yet when Yu Hanjiang caught up with the young man and kicked him!

The other side almost fell to the ground. He wanted to turn back and swear when Yu Hanjiang pulled the man’s arms behind his back and pressed his knee against the man’s back. “Take them out.”

The young man couldn’t move at all and his face was white. “Who are you? What are you fucking doing?”

Yu Hanjiang declared coldly. “You stole my friend’s money. Take it out. Don’t make me tell you a third time.”

Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge finally reacted. They actually met a thief?

In the real world, WeChat payments had been popular for years and this type of cash-snatching thief was really rare.

Shao Qingge walked over to the young man and leaned over, staring into his eyes and patting his face with a smile. “You dare to steal my money? Your courage isn’t small. We are still busy and will come back soon, so we won’t worry about you.”

The thief wanted to cry. He thought that Shao Qingge was an easy person and didn’t expect him to have two helpers around.

Yu Hanjiang twisted the arm he was holding with a bit of force and the young man immediately let out a pained cry, his voice quivering. “Big brother, painful, painful! You have to let me go first or how can I return the money...?”

Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou. Xiao Lou understood the meaning and placed his hand in the boy’s pocket, pulling out four gold coins. He asked Shao Qingge, “Is the amount right?”

Shao Qingge counted it and nodded at Xiao Lou. “Yes, he stole four gold pieces.”

“I-I only grabbed a few pieces and d-didn’t steal any more.” The strength behind him was too big and the young man’s wrist was almost broken. He was full of tears because of the pain. “Big Brother, I stole this and will return it to you...”

Yu Hanjiang frowned and asked, “Why steal money?”

The young man was dejected. “Today I lost a lot at the stock market. I saw you earn so much and had a moment of greed... I was wrong, I was wrong. I won’t dare do it anymore. Let me go, I beg you...”

Yu Hanjiang finally let go of the other person and told him, “Go.”

He usually dealt with murderers. This low-level thief, he could fight 10 of them.

Yu Hanjiang turned towards the other two. “This kid shouldn’t be lying.”

Xiao Lou pondered, “Will there be bold challengers who know that the financial crisis will occur tomorrow and directly ambush near the cash machines, robbing the residents of this world?”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “That is a method.”

In order to clear the instance through any means, doing directly to rob the cash machines was also a method.

However, Yu Hanjiang was a policeman, Xiao Lou was a university professor and Shao Qingge the boss of a company. Going to rob money... this thing couldn’t be done. They all had their own principles and bottom line.

Shao Qingge looked around and whispered, “There is no mobile payment in this world and no credit cards. It is all cash payment. It isn’t safe to carry too much cash on us. Let’s find a place to eat dinner and we can divide the money as well.”

The three people quickly left the building.

There was a nice restaurant nearby. The three people booked a small private room and ordered some home-cooked food.

For dinner, Shao Qingge treated his guests. Then he put the gold coins on the table and counted them. He distributed 200,000 to Xiao Lou and said, “This is yours.”

Xiao Lou was surprised. “Shouldn’t the 100,000 profit be divided 4:6. You should be giving me 160,000.”

Shao Qingge spoke cheerfully. “I don’t like to owe people. If it wasn’t for the police officer, my money would’ve been stolen by the thief.”

Looking at the gold coins in front of him, Xiao Lou didn’t protest and accepted it with a smile. “Thank you, Mr Shao.”

“Don’t be polite. After all, I have something I want to ask the two of you to help with.” Shao Qingge smiled at Xiao Lou and asked, “Do you have any plans to upgrade the contract?”

“Of course, the beginner contract can only bind two people. After upgrading to the intermediate level, it can bind five people.” Xiao Lou added, “It is just that the C-grade rooms don’t allow more than two-person teams. If I want to upgrade, I have to wait for the B-grade rooms.”

Shao Qingge suggested, “The money for upgrading the contract will come from me. In return, leave me a place. How about it?”

Xiao Lou glanced at Yu Hanjiang. The latter nodded and Xiao Lou smiled. “No problem, we welcome Mr Shao’s participation.”

If there was a person good at making money on the team, they wouldn’t need to worry about future economic aspects. Not to mention that Shao Qingge’s ability to play cards was particularly strong and this was advantageous in the Clubs room. He was willing to join the team and this was naturally better.

Xiao Lou asked curiously. “Mr Shao, why do you suddenly want to team up with us?”

Shao Qingge replied, “Doing business is about integrity. The more risk there is in the investment, the higher the return. You trusted me and let me help you speculate in stocks. I also believe in my own vision. Joining you will allow me to make you a profit.”

He regarded joining the team as an investment and the two record-breaking gods were definitely potential stocks.

Trust was mutual. He dared to join the two men’s team because Xiao Lou directly gave him 100,000 and let him freely trade. They safely left the trading centre to find a place to live and didn’t regard him as someone who would run away with the money.

Besides, university professors and police officers were trustworthy careers in real life.

Xiao Lou spoke gently, “Since we intend to cooperate, it is better for us to make a plan. The fourth level is also C-grade secret rooms. My team will go to 4 of Hearts and 4 of Diamonds. Mr Shao, go to 4 of Clubs and then 4 of Diamonds. Then we will meet in 4 of Spades and continue to exchange information. That way, you can pass Hearts quickly and we can information on Clubs.”

The order of the secret rooms was staggered. The first thing to do was to exchange information on the secret room that Shao Qingge was good at, which could greatly reduce the difficulty of the instance clearance. Shao Qingge also felt this proposal was very good. He nodded and said, “Okay, after finishing the fourth level, we will start the B-grade fifth level rooms. We can team up and upgrade the contract.”

The trio verbally agreed on the plan.

After a simple dinner, Shao Qingge asked, “Have the two of you found a place to live? What will happen next?”

Xiao Lou replied, “We are staying at the Shanshui Guesthouse. We plan to go to the supermarket and stock up after dinner.”

Shao Qingge nodded. “Then I’ll find a place to live.”

Xiao Lou asked incredulously, “Mr Shao, you don’t have a teammate in the 3 of Spades room?”

Shao Qingge pressed a hand to his temple and spoke helplessly, “Previously, I met a teammate who couldn’t play cards in 3 of Clubs. He dragged my hind legs and I almost lost money. Therefore, I refused the keeper’s proposal for a teammate when entering 3 of Spades and planned to act alone.”

Sometimes a pig teammate easily did bad things. Shao Qingge’s idea wasn’t wrong. The C-grade secret rooms could have two people team up but this wasn’t mandatory. If a person was confident they could clear the instance, they didn’t need to form a team.

“Then you should go find a place first and come to the supermarket later to find us.” Xiao Lou stated. “We made a list of goods and we’ll show you. Maybe it will be helpful.”

“Yes, I’ll see you at the supermarket at 8 o’clock.”

The three people separated at the door of the restaurant and Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang turned to the nearby central square.