Chapter 659

But he still spoke gently: "Indeed… all these people came here looking for work? If I wanted to find a job, who should I approach?"

The man, hearing this, immediately flickered with contempt in his eyes: "You're here to compete for our opportunities too."

Ning Chen said nothing, only stared at the man, pretending to casually crack his knuckles.

The sharp "crack" sound clearly startled the man in an instant; he instantly shrank his neck: "I—I—I mean… after those people arrived here, someone would approach them and offer work—I heard those jobs paid incredibly well!"

As he spoke, longing surfaced on the man's face.

But Ning Chen thought of something, and his expression instantly darkened.

The man kept rambling: "Those jobs are never accessible to locals like us—they recruit only foreigners… I wonder what they're really up to."

Ning Chen let out a cold laugh.

He understood perfectly what those people were after—they figured outsiders were easier to fool, and a few missing wouldn't raise much alarm.

Locals from Cangbei were harder to deceive than outsiders.

Ning Chen had gotten the answer he wanted; he nodded to the man and thanked him: "I understand. Thank you, Xie Xienin. I'll be going now."

The man was only too eager—he immediately stood up, flung the door wide open, as if seeing off a god of death: "Goodbye, goodbye…"

Ning Chen glanced back once, then without hesitation strode out.

His next destination was the city the man had mentioned.

Transportation here was poor; Ning Chen had spent less than twenty minutes in the man's house, yet when he stepped out, the sky was still dim.

But as Ning Chen wandered aimlessly through the place, he sensed it slowly coming alive.

First, households began opening their doors—perhaps because work was starting—and soon noise erupted. There were indeed some garages here; old, not-new vehicles lined the roadside, some already coated in a thin layer of dust.

Ning Chen's gaze swept over the vehicles, finally settling on one with barely any dust on it—he guessed its owner used it for work. Desperate for transportation, Ning Chen chose to wait in front of this car and take his chances.

He could've gone straight to the city the man described, but that would waste too much energy—too costly for too little gain.

Eventually, Ning Chen waited for the owner.

The owner agreed to a price and promised to take him to the nearest city.

During the drive, Ning Chen learned more about Cangbei from the owner.

Perhaps because Ning Chen paid well, the taciturn owner offered him a warning.

"I can tell you're from outside. Don't easily believe those high-salary jobs. Locals from Cangbei crave them; outsiders believe they're real. But neither knows the truth—most of these jobs involve illicit transactions."

Ning Chen already knew Cangbei's true face, but he wanted more secrets, so he feigned naivety: "Uncle, I don't understand any of this. I came here because my classmate recommended it—he wouldn't trick me, right?"

Ning Chen hoped to extract more from the owner, but the man's lips were sealed tight—no matter how Ning Chen steered the conversation, he said nothing.

524. Infiltrate the Inner Circle

Ning Chen felt regretful and tried to pry further: "I'm poor—my family has no money. I came to Cangbei this summer to earn tuition… You saying this makes me uneasy."

The owner finally turned his head, giving Ning Chen a long, deep look.

Ning Chen met his gaze.

Finally, the owner said: "I can't advise you much. If you'll listen to me… go home. Return to where you came from. This place is a dye vat—and a wolf's den."

Ning Chen exclaimed: "What? No way! My classmate's been here—he posts daily about his salary on Moments. I'm so jealous!"

The owner sighed deeply, shook his head at Ning Chen, and said nothing more.

No matter how Ning Chen tried afterward, he couldn't get the owner to speak again.

Upon arrival, the owner remained silent, collected his payment, told Ning Chen to get out, then drove off without looking back.

Ning Chen had no choice but to look ahead.

The so-called city of Cangbei was merely a slightly livelier, rundown small town—no skyscrapers here, no bustling traffic typical of Chinese cities.

Perhaps because Ning Chen's carefully crafted persona as a fresh graduate from Churushe Society was convincing, he hadn't walked far before someone approached him.

Ning Chen looked at the petite girl before him—just one glance told him she was from the same country. She held a brand-new smartphone, glanced at it briefly, then looked up with a bright smile: "Hello."

She spoke in Mandarin.

Ning Chen raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"

The girl said: "You're here looking for work too, right? Want to join me?"

Ning Chen paused, then asked: "How much can I earn?"

Seeing Ning Chen take the bait, her smile grew more genuine; she waved her phone: "So much! I've been here two months—I've earned six figures."

Six figures?

Ning Chen found it absurd. He glanced at her phone: "Oh? In China, you can't earn that in two months. What job do you do?"

The girl kept smiling: "Just liaison work—calling strangers to sell products. Simple stuff. You can do it indoors."

A flicker of dark intent passed through Ning Chen's eyes.

If he were truly a fresh graduate from Gangchushe Society, he might've been fooled by her act—meeting someone from the same country in a foreign land was rare enough, let alone a kind, pretty girl like her.

But—

Ning Chen asked: "Where's the workplace? I won't stay long—just two months. I want six figures. Can you take me?"

Instantly, the girl's face lit up: "Of course I can! Come with me—my car's right here. I'll take you to the company. If you like it, you can join me."

Ning Chen's plan was to infiltrate the inner circle first, uncover the evil operations hidden inside.

Then gradually gather more people, slowly pinpoint the target's location—this kind of mission required patience. Rushing would only hurt his chances.

As for getting into the girl's car…

Ning Chen glanced at the vehicle parked roadside—it looked spacious, with two shadowy men in black sitting in the front seats, their faces obscured.

He weighed his odds—didn't think he'd lose against them—and nodded with a smile, accepting her offer.

The girl immediately led him to the car, opened the door politely, and gestured for him to sit in the back.

Ning Chen obediently got in. Then the girl followed. Once both were seated, Ning Chen heard an extremely faint "click."

The door had locked.

Ning Chen had long known these people had ill intentions; his expression hardly changed, but the moment the girl sat inside the car, her face instantly turned pale.

At first, Ning Chen paid it little mind, thinking she was merely prone to motion sickness, but halfway through the journey, the girl suddenly touched Ning Chen's hand.

As if burned, Ning Chen snatched his hand back, lowered his head to meet the girl's gaze, and was suddenly startled.

Her eyes seemed filled with longing as she slowly shook her head at Ning Chen.

Perhaps because she feared the two people in front would notice, every movement she made was incredibly slight.

Ning Chen was somewhat puzzled, yet he saw her subsequently make a motion as if trying to open the car door, then tilt her head slightly, signaling for him to get out.

Ning Chen frowned.

He truly could not figure out what she was thinking.

However, regardless of the girl's intentions, Ning Chen could not run; simply because he did not wish to run, let alone that he could glean clues about the mission target from this, achieving two goals at once.

So Ning Chen pretended he had not seen the girl's subtle gestures.

Despair flickered in the girl's eyes, but fearing the two people in front, she dared not speak.

Immediately, the two people in front seemed to notice the undercurrents in the back seat; the person in the passenger seat turned around, glared fiercely at the girl, and spoke in Chinese: "Behave!"

The girl choked, forced to sit upright, placing her hands obediently on her thighs, daring not to say another word or move a muscle.

Ning Chen gazed at his nose and his nose at his heart, completely blending into the role of a college student, pretending he had discovered nothing.

The car stopped; Ning Chen glanced toward the window and saw the vehicle parked beside a tall building that stood out among the low structures. The driver in front remained silent, while the one in the passenger seat pushed open the car door first, got out, then opened the rear door. With a plain face devoid of expression, he said to Ning Chen and the girl: "We're here."

Ning Chen nodded, then stepped out first.

The girl returned to the appearance Ning Chen had first seen her with, as if her earlier hints to Ning Chen had been a mere illusion.

"This is our company," the person in the passenger seat said. "Come in; before your formal employment begins, we will show you some things."

Ning Chen clicked his tongue.

Such words sounded somewhat like those of a legitimate company, but this was Cangbei; while legitimate companies did exist here, Ning Chen was certain the company he was about to enter definitely did not fall within the category of legitimate.

At the same time, Ning Chen noticed this company was actually quite shabby: a cement floor with no tiles for decoration.

525. Sudden Attack, Creating Coincidence

On the first floor, five or six people sat, each with a computer before them, hands on mouse and keyboard, eyes fixed tightly on the screens, each one completely absorbed.

Nothing could truly be discerned on the first floor; rather than believing this was the actual work state of these people, one might better believe it was a facade they had put on, the purpose being to make him believe it.

The girl did not follow the man in the passenger seat upstairs; instead, she pulled a chair on the first floor and chose to sit there. Ning Chen glanced down several times, meeting her gaze.

By this time, the girl's face had turned completely ashen; she stared blankly at Ning Chen's face, as if in a daze.

This was vastly different from her lively image when she had actively spoken to Ning Chen before.

The man before him suddenly stopped; he pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door to the second floor.