dmims Chapter 8 Losing Money Deal
Chapter 8 Losing Money Deal
Yan Shuo leaned back in the rattan chair in the foreign firm's office, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table. The numbers jumping on the system panel appeared before his eyes—his emotional value was barely 80, far from the advanced intelligence analysis module he wanted to exchange for.
He mentally summoned Xiao Zhi, his fingertips tracing the loot piled in his spatial ring: aside from the few Mauser rifles that could be used as sniper rifles, which he couldn't bear to part with, the rest of the guns, ammunition, valuables, pocket watches, diamond rings, enamel necklaces, and even a few paintings that looked like they were by famous artists, and official kiln porcelain vases in brocade boxes, were all pushed in front of Xiao Zhi.
"These will all be valued and converted into emotional value."
Xiao Zhi's mechanical voice echoed in my mind, scanning the valuation item by item: "Mauser rifle (sniper model) not for sale, keep; 12 Mauser pistols, 500 rounds of ammunition, valued at 800 silver dollars; gold jewelry, valued at 1500 silver dollars; jewelry, calligraphy, paintings, porcelain, and other miscellaneous items, valued at 700 silver dollars; totaling 3000 silver dollars, which can be exchanged for 30 emotion points (1 silver dollar = 100 emotion points). Confirm the buyback?"
Yan Shuo clicked his tongue, a little pained: "Confirm." The number on the panel instantly jumped to 110 million, but he stared at the frosted silver lighter sample lying next to him and couldn't help but complain: "Xiao Zhi, you're ripping me off! This lighter is priced at 3000 emotion points, which is 30 silver dollars each! I just negotiated with Lucas to sell it for only 5 silver dollars each, isn't this a huge loss?"
"What loss?" Xiao Zhi's tone was laced with a lazy, teasing tone. "I'll help you clear out your inventory with no risk. Don't you know what kind of people are in the black market? They either drive the price down to the bone, or they double-cross you and your goods, then throw you into the Huangpu River to feed the fish. Do you want to try it?"
Yan Shuo shuddered, recalling the black market conflicts he'd heard about before, and shrank back: "It's not that bad... Oh well, whatever, a little scam is fine. By the way, your danger warning was alright, but I had to search myself to see the enemies. Is there an easier way? Like one that directly marks friend or foe, with their rank?"
"for example?"
"For example, if you see someone, a red label above their head means they're an enemy, a black label means they're a thug or some kind of bad guy, a gray label means they're a double agent who benefits from both sides, the kind who'll do anything for money; a green label means they're one of our own, and a white label means they're an ordinary civilian. Ideally, you'd label them with their name, job title, and the person they're serving, and you'd be able to trace back what they did, who they met, and what they said within an hour to a day—that would be perfect!" Yan Shuo became more and more excited as he spoke, wishing he could have this function immediately.
"You're dreaming!" Xiao Zhi interrupted mercilessly. "If you really had that kind of ability, anyone could be a secret agent, and the system could just make you a god."
Yan Shuo scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "Hehe, I was wrong, I was wrong. At least give me a basic label, right? Just the name and title will do, and I can rewind an hour, right?"
"That's more like it." Xiao Zhi reassured him. "You only get three chances to rewind each day. Either all three of you can rewind for one hour, or one person can rewind for three hours. During the rewind, you can 'see' everything he sees, hears, and comes into contact with."
"If I were to run into a big shot from 76, like Li Qun, I could just go back three hours and uncover their plans, right?" Yan Shuo's eyes lit up.
"Dream on +1!" Xiao Zhi retorted mercilessly. "People like Li Qun, who are at the level of a division chief or above in the Special Higher Police, as well as military and political officials of the rank of lieutenant colonel or above in the Japanese army, are all considered 'figures of destiny of the times,' and the system cannot directly interfere with them. At most, it can let you go back a few seconds to a few minutes, but it will still count as an offense."
"A few seconds? What can you do in that time? It's not even enough for someone to go to the toilet. What's the point of all these seconds?" Yan Shuo's face fell.
"What else? If you really want to get rid of them, you either have to deal with them physically—kill them and search them, or risk going to their office to plant listening devices and steal documents. Don't expect the system to cheat you."
Yan Shuo sighed, and was about to say something when he suddenly remembered his lighter business with Lucas. He slapped his forehead and said, "Oh right, I ordered 1000 lighters from Lucas. You need 300 million emotion points to exchange for them. I only have 110 million right now. Can I buy them on credit?"
"You can get a loan, 1% daily interest, interest deducted daily if you deliver early." Xiao Zhi's tone instantly shifted to that of a shrewd loan shark. "Based on your 3 million loan, today's interest is 300, and thereafter it's calculated daily based on the remaining principal. With your activity level—10 emotion points from yesterday's intelligence gathering, raiding enemy spy hideouts last night, and another 10+ from today's raid—paying off this interest will be a breeze. Want the loan?"
"You're so greedy! Other systems stand with their hosts through thick and thin, but you're the one who's taking advantage of me!" Yan Shuo rolled his eyes, but in his mind he was quickly calculating: selling 1000 lighters to Lucas would earn him 5000 silver dollars, which would be 50 emotion points. Although it was a loss, it would bring him closer to Lucas and allow him to get a better understanding of the port situation through the delivery. It was worth it.
"The system rules are strict. I'm already being generous by making an exception for you. Will you take the loan or not? I'm going into 'dormant' mode." Xiao Zhi said impatiently.
"Loan! 240 million!" Yan Shuo gritted his teeth.
"Ding! Loan credited, total emotion points: 350 million; after deducting the lighter exchange cost of 3 million, 300 remain; today's interest is 50, leaving 47 emotion points. Goods have been packaged into your spatial ring and are ready for delivery."
Looking at the shrunken numbers on the panel, Yan Shuo felt like crying. He cursed under his breath, calling the merchants "profiteers," and got up to pack his things.
He took out several wooden boxes filled with lighters from his spatial ring, walked to the alley entrance at the street corner, hailed a rickshaw, and repeatedly told the driver, "Be careful, these boxes are full of delicate items, don't bump or knock them."
The driver agreed, secured the box to the back of the rickshaw, and Yan Shuo got in. The rickshaw creaked and groaned as it headed toward the foreign firm.
Upon arriving at the West American Trading Company, Lucas was already waiting at the door. Seeing Yan Shuo arrive with the boxes, his eyes lit up: "Bernd, the goods have arrived? Quickly open them and take a look!"
Yan Shuo gestured to the waiter to move the boxes down, pried one open, and found neatly stacked lighters with frosted silver casings, each engraved with an exquisite Berlin emblem.
Lucas picked one up, flipped the cap with a "ding," and a steady flame shot up. He clapped his hands in satisfaction: "Perfect! Exactly as you said!"
He had the accountant count the amount, and then immediately took out a stack of silver dollars and placed them on the table. The clattering sound made Yan Shuo's heart skip a beat.
After counting out the 5000 silver dollars, Lucas pushed the money towards him: "It's a pleasure doing business with you! If it sells well, I'll place another order!"
Yan Shuo put the silver coins into his spatial ring, looking at the 50 emotion points (5000 silver coins = 50) that had just arrived on his account. Then, remembering his 240 million yuan loan debt, he realized that after deducting the 50 yuan, he still had 190 million yuan left. He couldn't help but lament inwardly, "Xiao Zhi, look, this is a huge loss! I'm drowning in debt!"
"It wasn't meant for you to get rich this way," Xiao Zhi's voice rang out calmly. "Emotional points are for exchanging for life-saving supplies and emergency items. The system has already patched the loopholes for you to use them for trading. As long as you can get cash to get things done and survive, that's enough."
Yan Shuo sighed, looking out the window towards the Asakusa Trading Company, thinking to himself: First, pay off the loan, and then take advantage of the next delivery opportunity to thoroughly investigate where the Asakusa Trading Company's contraband is hidden—this loss can't be suffered for nothing, I have to get something back from the Japanese.