Chapter 41 - Financial Crisis 1: Exchange of Information
From an early age, Xiao Lou had the strong ability to recognize people. When he was four years old, he could clearly distinguish his relatives, aunts, uncles and other relatives, never getting them wrong. After graduation, he became a teacher and taught classes of more than 40 people. By the time two weeks passed, he could recognize all his students. Even if he couldn't name them, Xiao Lou still knew which person had skipped classes.
Previously, they played cards with No. 5 in the Clubs room. At that time, everyone wore a mask and their face couldn't be seen, but the eyes and hair of of No.5 were very recognizable. Combined with the height and body shape, Xiao Lou recognized him at first glance.
No. 5 said he would go to the Clubs room first. Since he now appeared in 3 of Spades, it seemed that he had cleared 3 of Clubs.
Maybe they could exchange information?
Thinking up to here, Xiao Lou whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, "He should've come here after clearing 3 of Clubs. Do you want to ask him for information on 3 of Clubs? In exchange, we can give information on 3 of Diamonds or 3 of Hearts."
Yu Hanjiang felt this method was feasible and nodded. "Okay, let's try it."
The time in the secret room was morning and the two people were standing in the shade on the street corner. No. 5 didn't notice them as he lined up to withdraw money. His hands were in his pocket and he looked lazy like a cat. He didn't seem nervous at all.
The people in front of him progressed quickly and the hooded boy had already hurried away after taking the money.
Xiao Lou wondered, "Who is the person wearing the hat? It isn't his teammate?"
The challengers were standing in front and behind each other, causing Xiao Lou to think they were teammates. However, the hooded boy took the money and walked away. He completely ignored No. 5 and obviously didn't know this person.
No. 5 calmly walked to the self-service cash machine and withdrew 100,000 gold coins. He put it into his pocket and turned away. As soon as he took a few steps, his shoulders sunk and the man suddenly turned back, facing a pair of dark and deep eyes."
"Hello, I'm No. 3." The other person's voice gave a flat greeting.
"Hello." The handsome person next to him smiled in a friendly manner. "I am No. 1, do you remember us?"
"..." No. 1 and No. 3, why did it feel like an underground association? The man narrowed his eyes and gazed at the two men in front of him. He searched his memories before suddenly smiling, "I remember. After playing cards in the Clubs room, you signed a contract directly?"
"That's right." Xiao Lou nodded. "We meet again, what a coincidence."
Yu Hanjiang asked bluntly, "You said you were going to 3 of Clubs. Did you come here after 3 of Clubs?"
The man shrugged. "Yes, I went to 3 of Clubs but I also went to 3 of Diamonds. However, my clearance score in Diamonds is only C."
Yu Hanjiang, "&#k2026;"
If there wasn't Xiao Lou then Yu Hanjiang would've probably also received a C-grade when going to the Diamonds room. It seemed they were both learning scum.
Then No. 5 went to 3 of Clubs and then 3 of Diamonds. The result was that they met in 3 of Spades. Since the time flow rate of each secret room was calculated independently, Xiao Lou didn't tangle over the problem of time and suggested, "Are you interested in exchanging information with us?"
The man raised his eyebrows and looked at Xiao Lou. "What information? Do you know how to pass the financial crisis?"
Xiao Lou shook his head. "I don't know." He turned and spoke seriously, "Still, we have been to 3 of Hearts and you have been to 3 of Clubs. You tell us the contents of 3 of Clubs and we will tell you the way to clear 3 of Hearts. An equivalent exchange, how about it?"
The man thought about it before nodding. "Deal."
He had no reason to refuse a mutually beneficial exchange of information.
He turned and pointed to the high-end coffee store down the street. "Let's go get a cup of coffee and sit to talk."
Xiao Lou was more realistic. "We are in a world where a financial crisis is going to break out and we need to save a bit of money. Wouldn't it be better to go to the restaurant over there and eat lunch directly?"
Yu Hanjiang naturally listened to Xiao Lou and repeated, "Go and have lunch."
The man, "..."
One person couldn't go against two and he could only follow them to the small restaurant.
Fortunately, this restaurant might be small in size but the environment wasn't bad. The tables, chairs and tableware were very clean.
There were only a few home-cooked dishes on the menu. Hot and sour shredded potato, simmer-fried eggplant and other vegetarian dishes were 1,500 gold while potato roast beef, sweet and sour pork and other meat dishes were 2,500 gold coins. In addition, rice was 500 gold coins.
This price...a simple way to understand it was to directly remove the 'gold' part and remove two zeroes, then convert to RMB. It was around 15 yuan for a vegetarian dish, 25 yuan for a meat dish and 5 yuan for a bowl of rice. This price was still affordable.
Xiao Lou was moved.
He ordered two dishes and a bowl of rice. He took the initiative to pay for the guests and spent 8,500 gold coins.
In this world of cards, Xiao Lou had only one goal: live to the end and leave.
Therefore, he would rather make more friends instead of offending an enemy.
No. 5's identity was unknown but his performance in the 2 of Clubs room was excellent. He was definitely a master of playing cards. Xiao Lou showed him enough sincerity. Not only did Xiao Lou pay for the meal, he also took the initiative to say, "Let me introduce myself first. I am Xiao Lou and I was formerly a teacher at a medical school."
Group Leader Yu's words were simple. "Yu Hanjiang, policeman."
"......" The man hesitated before he smiled. "Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang, the ones who refreshed the records for 3 of Hearts and 3 of Diamonds. I'm very fortunate to meet the two of you."
The world record being refreshed was advertised in large letters and seen by all challengers. Unknowingly, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang had become famous but they hadn't yet noticed it.
The man reached out and shook hands with Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang. "Shao Qingge, my profession is a stock trader. Playing card games is my hobby."
Originally, he had some wariness towards these two people but the other side were great gods who could refresh the records of the secret rooms and his scores in Hearts and Diamonds were often partial to Cs. There was no need to hesitate to cooperate with the great gods.
As long as they had a brain, anybody who encountered masters such as Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang wouldn't refuse.
Xiao Lou heard Shao Qingge's name and his expression slightly changed, but he soon restored his calm expression and smiled. "Mr Shao, let's talk about 3 of Diamonds. What type of mechanisms did you encounter?"
He talked about 3 of Diamonds first because they had been to the secret room. During the process of exchanging information, they could determine if the contents of the secret rooms were consistent or not.
Shao Qingge spoke simply, "The first mechanism was a very simple two character puzzle, the second was fill in the blank to make an idiom and the third was fill in the blank to make poetry. The character missing from the idiom was 'person' and the answers were help people to be happy, etc... The word missing from the poetry was 'moon' and the answers were 'who, pining away, on the moonlit rails would learn', 'don't allow an empty goblet to face the moon', etc."
Xiao Lou told him, "Our idiom was the 'positive' character' and our poem was 'flower.'"
Shao Qingge was somewhat surprised. "Then the Diamonds room is the same type of puzzle but the answer will change randomly?"
Xiao Lou also spoke the numerical puzzles in 2 of Diamonds and sure enough, the numbers were different for Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge but the types were exactly the same.
Xiao Lou concluded, "The Diamonds room have the same types of questions but the contents will be randomly selected from the question bank. As long as you know the rule to answer it, the questions will be easy no matter how it changes."
For example, change the last 888 to 869 in 3 of Hearts. No matter how the number was changed, answering it would be very simple.
It seemed that the exchange of information was still necessary.
The two sides instantly reached a consensus.
Xiao Lou opened his mouth. "I will speak about 3 of Hearts first. 3 of Hearts is a campus murder case. On the first day of class, the student who is late, Ying Xiaoya will die. The murderer who killed her is a teacher. The key clue is to find out about the falling case five years ago. The teacher is modelled on the protagonist of Count of Monte Cristo and killed three people, burying their bones in the maple forest. Ying Xiaoya accidentally heard the secret and was killed."
Xiao Lou paused before continuing, "Our instance clearance method was to find clues to help the police solve the case. However, I think there might be other instance clearance methods in the dynamic secret room. You can try to stop Ying Xiaoya from dying. If you manage to prevent her death, directly dig up the maple forest to find the bones and lead the police to investigate." He paused again. "If you can't stop Ying Xiaoya's death, you should find these clues as soon as possible..."
Xiao Lou told the other person all the clues in order to show sincerity.
Shao Qingge also revealed the information of the Clubs room. The 3 of Clubs secret room is a very simple card game called 'Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter'. The rules are set by the Keeper of Clubs and the four colours suits represent each season. Play cards according to the suit and whoever finishes their hand first is the winner of this game..."
He told them the game's detailed rules and the skill to winning.
Xiao Lou suddenly thought about a possibility if the card rooms were similar and the secret rooms represented by the same card were similar. As long as a challenger successfully passed through various secret rooms, the challengers behind them could find someone to obtain intelligence and reduce the difficulty of the instance clearance. Would there be a special intelligence organization in this world, similar to the 'instance attack strategy group' in online games?
If this was the case, why had no one managed to leave this world?
There were only two explanations. First, the secret rooms in the late stages were randomly generated, making the information useless. Second, the late-stages death rate was too high and felt people could survive to clear the instance, let alone sell the strategy.
However, at least for now, the strategy for the low-difficulty C-grade rooms was revealed by Shao Qingge. They didn't have to worry about passing 3 of Clubs and the urgent task was how to pass 3 of Spades.
Xiao Lou asked, "For this financial crisis, do you have any ideas?"
Shao Qingge's eyes narrowed. "100,000 gold coins is definitely not enough. I plan to make money first."
Xiao Lou was curious. "How will you make money?"
Shao Qingge smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice. "Looking around, there are no underground money houses."
Xiao Lou, "......"
This guy, surely he wasn't planning to gamble again?
Chapter 42 - Financial Crisis 2: Ways to Make Money
They finished lunch and it was just before noon. The three people left the restaurant and looked around the city.
The hot noon sun was hanging overhead and the streets were almost melting. Their feet touching the ground was hot and Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang wearing sweaters frequently attracted the attention of passersby. Xiao Lou felt they were going to be sun-baked and hurried with Group Leader Yu to find a clothing store in order to buy cheap and cool summer clothes.
Shao Qingge was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and also bought a set of short-sleeved shirts.
They changed clothes and Xiao Lou counted the balance in his pocket. He had 185,000 gold coins left.
After entering the secret room, A of Clubs had sponsored 100,000 gold coins per challenger, which was equivalent to 1,000 yuan. In a world with normal prices, they would have no problem surviving on this amount for a week. if they were a good saver, they would even last half a month.
The financial crisis wouldn't break out until tomorrow morning. The challengers had all of today to be prepared.
The roadside small supermarkets, cigarette and alcohol stores and 24 hour convenience stores were open. Xiao Lou went in to look at all types of goods and his mind automatically converted the gold coins to yuan. One bottle of mineral water was two yuan, meaning the prices were normal.
In any case, there was still an abundant amount of time. Xiao Lou whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ears, "We should follow Shao Qingge to see how he makes money."
Yu Hanjiang had no opinion and together, they went with Shao Qingge to find an underground money house.
The best way to inquire about local news was to ask a taxi driver. Most taxi drivers would warmly introduce the city when encountering foreign tourists. The street was too hot and the three people simply stopped a taxi, getting inside to experience the blowing air conditioner.
Xiao Lou politely said, "Master, we are foreigners. Please take us around the city so we can become familiar with it."
The driver smiled. "Hello! Would you like me to recommend some special snacks to you?"
Xiao Lou told him, "No need."
They didn't come here for sightseeing.
The driver took the three people for a ride. They stared out the window intently as they became familiar with the environment.
The world of 3 of Spades was a small city. The main roads were four cross-shaped roads: East Street, West Street, South Street and North Street. There was a central square at the intersection of these four streets, as well as a department store and 'Big Cross Supermarket.'
The four main roads were two-way, four lane roads and were very wide. The other streets were two-way single lanes that connected to the four main roads. The entire city was square and easy to recognize.
The driver enthusiastically introduced the place. "The prices here are the lowest in the world, life is very leisurely, the pressure on young people is low and 80% of the mortgage can be paid off with the surplus from wages."
Shao Qingge pretended to casually ask, "Are there no underground money houses, casinos or similar places?"
The driver snorted. "No! We are suitable for old age care here. At most, the old ladies set up a few tables of mahjong. If you want to gamble, you can go to the City of the Moon. There are many rich people there and very professional large-scale casinos."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang glanced at each other. They hadn't expected to get so much information from riding a taxi.
City of the Moon? Xiao Lou couldn't help asking, "What is the City of the Moon?"
The driver turned to look at him in disbelief, as if he was a monster. "The world's largest city, you don't even know this? Where did you come from?" His expression seemed to be saying, 'The three of you have never seen the world.'
The trio who were being despised, "......"
They really didn't know. Not only were they foreigners, they were also aliens.
Xiao Lou replied cheekily, "The conditions at home aren't very good and us three brothers usually don't go outside. This is our first time."
"Oh, no wonder. The City of the Moon is a good place. A big city with tens of millions of people is prosperous but the prices there are very expensive. It should be three or four times this place. Still, if there is a chance, you should go and look."
A concept suddenly flashed in Xiao Lou's heart: a main city.
This world had a gamer's main city?
He chatted with the taxi driver, inquiring about things like local prices, wages, house prices, etc. before getting off new the downtown supermarket.
Xiao Lou opened his mouth. "The City of the Mon is likely to be the challengers' main city or the &#k2018;central capital' of the secret rooms world. Since the driver dared to reveal the information to us, this shows that it isn't a secret."
Yu Hanjiang said, "We temporarily can't go there. Later we will find opportunities and perhaps there will be people we know there."
Xiao Lou made a sound of agreement and glanced at Shao Qingge. "There are no casinos. Mr Shao, what is your plan?"
Shao Qingge looked up at a skyscraper not far away and narrowed his eyes. "It seems I can only go back to the old business."
Xiao Lou reacted quickly. "Buying stocks?"
The place where Shao Qingge's eyes were focused was a building with the words 'Stock Trading Centre'. In addition, his occupation was a trader so Xiao Lou naturally thought he would use professional means to make money.
However, there wasn't much time until the stock market crashed. Wasn't there only half a day left?
Shao Qingge saw Xiao Lou's doubts and explained, "I have to figure out fi the stock market in this world is the same as the real world. If it is a T+1 trading system then it is too late. If it is T+0, there is still room to play. Would you like to go and see?"
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang glanced at each other before following.
They didn't understand stocks but this world had a stock trading market and when they entered 3 of Spades, they were given the tip that the 'stocks would plummet at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Perhaps Shao Qingge's expertise would come in handy in this economic secret room.
The three people entered the stocks hall and saw many residents engaged in stocks trading.
Shao Qingge directly looked for a computer and observed the rise and fall curves of several stocks on the screen. Then he went to ask the staff some questions before going to Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang.
He spoke in a light voice, trying not to attract the attention of others. "The stock market here is the T+0 trading system, similar to the US stocks in the real world. It can be bought and sold on the same day. The stocks can be shorted and there is no limit on the amount of the transaction and the number of times." He turned to look at the wall clock. "The closing time is five in the afternoon and there are three hours left."
Xiao Lou asked, "Does that mean you can buy some stocks that have gained a good momentum and sell them before closing to earn money?"
"Yes, I have t' make 'fast money' now. This means finding stocks that are stable and fast-moving. By holding a lot of rising stocks and selling them quickly, I can earn some money."
Xiao Lou thought about it. "Your initial capital is 100,000 gold coins and there are three hours left. How much can you earn?"
Shao Qingge observed the stock market curve. "Doubling it should be no problem."
Xiao Lou, "......"
This person's expression was very confident as he stared at the stocks curve, his entire body glowing with a type of light. Xiao Lou glanced at Yu Hanjiang and whispered, "Do you want to give him some money to try?"
Yu Hanjiang replied, "You decide."
The financial power was in Xiao Lou's hand and Yu Hanjiang was completely insensitive to money anyway.
Xiao Lou smiled and handed half of the gold coins in his pocket to Shao Qingge. "Then do you want to help us speculate on stocks?"
"No problem." Shao Qingge smiled. "However, I am a brother who knows how to settle accounts. I don't want to owe you anything and you don't want to owe me money. For the money that I help you earn, the profit will be split 4:6. I want 40% of the hard work."
"Okay." Xiao Lou readily agreed and gave him 100,000.
As long as he could make money, giving him 40% of the profit wasn't a loss at all.
Shao Qingge quickly registered an account on the stock market and used a public computer in the hall to log in. His hands and fingers flew as he tapped on the keyboard. In the blink of an eye, he bought a lot of stocks. Each share he bought wasn't much but he quickly picked out the stable stocks from the massive trading market. This guy was truly a professional and his eyes were sharp.
The Card World's stocks could be bought and sold on the same day. The total number of transactions of a single account was also unrestricted, which gave Shao Qingge great convenience.
Xiao Lou looked at the various red and green curves on the computer screen and got a headache. He said, "Mr Shao, you are busy and we will come back before closing. We will first go to a nearby place to find a place to settle down."
Shao Qingge looked back at Xiao Lou. "Aren't you worried that I will run off with the money?"
Xiao Lou stared back with mild eyes. "I believe that Mr Shao is a smart person."
Shao Qingge and Xiao Lou stared at each other for a moment, lips slightly raised. "You go and come back before 6 o'clock. I will invite you to dinner."
Xiao Lou turned and left with confidence.
As they walked out of the trading floor, Yu Hanjiang asked doubtfully, "Do you trust him so much?" Although Yu Hanjiang also felt that this person wasn't courageous enough to take their money. After all, they had repeatedly refreshed the world record and their names announced. Anyone who was smart would know it was better to make friends and have a long-term cooperation with them instead of offending them over 100,000 gold coins.
Xiao Lou spoke softly, "Shao Qingge, have you heard of this person before?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned for a moment before concluding, "I don't know."
Xiao Lou explained, "He is Chief Shao of the Tianhuan Fund. At a young age, he personally created a very large fund company and became the entrepreneurial representative of Jiang. His name often appears on the news of the financial channel."
Xiao Lou added, "I am usually a bit concerned with financial management so I saw him several times on TV. that's why I dared to give him our money. I believe that with his knowledge, he won't dare covet our small amount of money. He wants to make money from trading stocks in this world and it won't harm us to ride off him."
Yu Hanjiang was thoughtful. "No wonder why your expression was somewhat wrong when you heard his name."
Xiao Lou laughed. "That's why when I heard his name, I thought we could lie down in this secret room and win."
Yu Hanjiang knew how cool it was to lie down and win.
If Shao Qingge really doubled their money, wouldn't clearing the instance be much easier?
Just... this was the Spade secret room. Was it really that simple?
Yu Hanjiang always felt that there would be other things in addition to the financial crisis.
Of course, it was important to find a place to live first.
***
There was a five star hotel in the city centre and this was naturally affordable.
They looked for accommodation in the surrounding area and found a small inn with a good environment. It was two storeys high and the double standard room with a kitchenette and bathroom only needed 10,000 gold coins a night. It was good quality and cheap.
Today, they ate lunch and also bought two sets of clothing. They spent nearly 20,000 and gave 100,000 to Shao Qingge. This meant that Xiao Lou still had 80,000 left.
He went to the front desk. "Boss, give us a standard room. We want to stay here for a week."
The boss was a middle-aged uncle who was slightly fat. "Okay, there is only one left. I will give you a preferential price!"
Xiao Lou wondered, "Can I pay for the week all at once?"
"We receive the payment by day. Our city's wages are also paid by the day."
It was a daily basis and this was definitely a big pit. Once the financial crisis broke out, prices would rise across the board and gold coins would depreciate day by day. People who didn't have much savings would fall into the abyss in an instant. Maybe even food and clothing would become a problem.
Xiao Lou suggested, "If I pay directly for a week and give you an extra 10,000 gold coins, is it okay?"
The boss looked at him incredulously. "Give me an extra 10,000? Handsome guy, did you make a mistake?"
Xiao Lou replied with a good temper. "We are out of town visitors and it is too much trouble to find a hotel. We like the decorations of your place and want to settle the accommodation at once. Is it okay?"
Giving an extra 10,00 was a good thing and naturally wasn't a problem. The boss readily agreed. "No problem, the accommodation fee is 80,000 a week."
Just then, a voice was heard from behind them. "Boss, do you still have a room available?"
Xiao Lou looked back and saw it was actually the hooded boy who lined up at the bank today.
The other person had changed into refreshing short-sleeved shirt and shorts and he carried a guitar behind him. He was surprised after seeing Xiao Lou and then moved his gaze away, staring seriously at the boss.
The fat boss smiled. "Yes, it is the last room and I will give you a preferential price!"
Xiao Lou, "..."
Didn't he say there was only one room left?
This was just like a clothing store on the street. It would repeatedly play 'Last three days, clearance processing, price sale'. The result was three days later, it was still shouting 'Last three days, clearance processing.' Then one month later, the clothing store was still standing.
It was estimated that every time a guest arrived, the boss would say 'the last room.'
A free person in the Card World really didn't have credibility.
Xiao Lou seriously had doubts. If he gave money for seven days, would this boss take back his words? Therefore, he stated, "Boss, we will pay seven days first and give us a receipt. This means the seven-day accommodation fee has been settled."
The boss nodded "Good! I will do this for you!"
The Card World's residents didn't know that the financial crisis was about to break out. In the boss' opinion, it was normal for Xiao Lou to get a receipt.
The body next to them heard this and spoke softly, "That, I will also live for seven days. Please give me a receipt as well."
The boss said, "If you pay for seven days, the price will increase and you have to give me an extra 10,000 coins. Right now, the rooms are very tight. I don't know why there are so many foreign tourists today. Are you discussing it together?"
Xiao Lou and Group Leader Yu glanced at each other.
There were many foreign tourists. Perhaps there were many challengers in this inn.
This was the cheapest local hotel in the area. Xiao Lou glanced at the hooded tee and the other person quickly turned away.
Once he finished his check-in, the boy hurried up the stairs with a small suitcase in his hand. It was unknown what he bought but Xiao Lou didn't care. Since this was a temporary concentration camp for challengers, it was fine as long as a person didn't commit crimes.
However, the boy hadn't been carrying anything at the self-service machine and in the blink of an eye, he had a guitar. Had he spent his money to buy a guitar? It looked very old and was perhaps from a second-hand market.
Xiao Lou whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear. "This guy, does he want to go to the street to play the guitar and earn money?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded solemnly. "It is possible."
Xiao Lou thoughtfully touched his chin. "It is a good idea."
Many north drifters loved music and relied on this type of street singing to earn living expenses. Shao Qingge was a stock trader and could make a large amount of money in a short period of time. The hooded teenager could play the guitar and sing, earning small amounts of money little by little.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang glanced at each other and found they didn't seem to have any special talent in making money.
The two people had to go upstairs silently.
In the Hearts and Diamonds room, they directly refreshed the world record. In the Spades room was a pure fighting room, Yu Hanjiang wasn't afraid. However, encountering such a secret room that needed to be resolved by money, the two people really had a headache.
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.