novelraw Chapter 261: Million-Dollar Evacuation
Chapter 261: Million-Dollar Evacuation
Lin Wei understood perfectly.
These kinds of "black cards" used to circumvent regulatory oversight weren't hard to obtain through specific channels.
The catch was that these cards couldn't make phone calls;
they had no phone number, but they did have data. For Su Zhan, that was enough.
She quickly went out and soon returned with a brand-new, budget-friendly phone and an already activated data card.
Su Zhan took the phone, inserted the card, and powered it on.
The long-unseen network connection screen gave him a feeling of being transported to another era.
He swiftly opened a map app and a news app, starting to confirm his current location and information.
Lincheng.
A major industrial city in the northern part of Daxia.
Meanwhile, Vermilion Bird Academy, and the people from his memory like Wang Mingyuan, Ye Hongyu, and Liu Ziming, were all in the southern part of Daxia.They were worlds apart, separated by far more than a thousand miles.
This distance gave him a slight sense of relief, reducing the risk of being recognized by acquaintances.
Next, it was time to solve the most pressing issue: funds.
Using the phone, Su Zhan began searching for information on mid-level officials within Lincheng's government institutions.
These positions were neither too high nor too low. They held a certain degree of real power and opportunities for illicit gains, yet unlike high-ranking officials, they weren't as heavily guarded and were easier to overlook.
He focused particularly on officials who had recently appeared in news reports or public government information, whose home addresses might be indirectly inferred.
By cross-referencing snippets of information from real estate forums and social media, he initially filtered out several targets who likely had substantial illicit gains and whose residences were relatively easy to infiltrate.
During the day, he had Lin Wei go to scout the areas near these target residential complexes. She was to confirm the specific buildings and units, and observe the presence of security guards, camera distribution, and other details.
Su Zhan himself familiarized himself with the surrounding environment in advance, planning infiltration and escape routes.
The first target was locked onto an official surnamed Chen from the Urban Construction Department.
According to the information, he lived in a somewhat older, upscale residential community.
Late at night, at 2 AM.
Su Zhan changed into dark-colored clothes, put on an ordinary baseball cap and mask that Lin Wei had temporarily found for him, and silently arrived at the target community.
Avoiding the surveillance cameras at the main entrance, he chose a section of the wall that was relatively low.
A running start, a step up, and he vaulted over.
The movements were clean and efficient, landing without a sound.
Based on the daytime observations, he avoided several cameras within the community, used cover for concealment, and arrived at the building where the target lived.
The access control on the building's entrance was an old-fashioned coded lock.
Su Zhan extended his index finger. An extremely wispy strand of Mist Energy seeped from his fingertip, slowly worming its way into the gaps of the coded lock.
"Zizi..."
A faint, almost inaudible sound arose.
One minute later.
"Click."
The lock core of the access control had been quietly corroded and damaged. The door opened with a gentle pull.
Su Zhan reached the floor where the target lived.
The security door at the entrance was even sturdier.
Su Zhan employed the same method again, channeling Mist Energy once more to infiltrate the keyhole of the security door.
This time it took a little longer, but the effect was the same.
The internal structure of the lock core was corroded and destroyed, rendering the lock useless.
Su Zhan slipped inside and gently pulled the door closed behind him.
The interior was pitch black and utterly silent.
The sound of the homeowner's deep, sleeping snores came from the bedroom.
Su Zhan didn't turn on the lights, quickly beginning his search.
His targets were clear: cash, valuable and easily liquidated jewelry, gold bars, and the like.
Soon, behind a bookshelf in the study, he discovered a small, built-in safe.
This kind of household safe was very secure for ordinary people, but for Su Zhan...
Su Zhan directly placed his palm against the area of the safe's combination dial and keyhole. A stronger surge of Mist Energy flowed out, eroding the safe's locking mechanism.
"Zizi... Crack!"
After a more noticeable corrosion sound, the door of the safe was forcefully corroded open.
Clear signs of scorching erosion were left around the edges.
The contents did not disappoint: several thick stacks of hundred-yuan bills, estimated at two to three hundred thousand.
A few small, gleaming gold bars.
And some jade pendants and diamond jewelry that looked quite valuable.
Without any hesitation, Su Zhan took out a pre-prepared black backpack and swept all these valuables into it, leaving only some documents and seals behind.
He meticulously cleaned up any potential traces he might have left, like fingerprints.
Then, just as silently as he had arrived, he retreated from the room, gently closed the door, and withdrew from the entire community following his original route.
Returning to Lin Wei's pink safe house, he dumped the contents of the backpack onto the sofa for an inventory.
A rough estimate of the cash plus the value of the jewelry and gold bars far exceeded 2 million.
A million-for-the-escape.
"Enough," Su Zhan said flatly.
Lin Wei looked at the pile of valuables on the sofa, then at Su Zhan, the awe in her eyes deepening even further.
This lord's methods were truly extraordinary.
Su Zhan didn't feel any psychological burden about doing such a thing.
How does a mid-level official come by one or two million?
A monthly salary of 6,000, plus this and that, and you have 2 million every year, right?
He was absolutely certain that this type of person wouldn't dare report it to the authorities.
If the money was gone, they could only swallow their losses in silence.
Furthermore, although he had left traces of Mist erosion when damaging the locks, it would only make the other party certain it was an Aberrant.
With so many Aberrants out there, what reason would they have to trace it back to him?
Su Zhan looked at Lin Wei. "What's the progress on the Transcendence Society's test for you?"
Lin Wei answered seriously, "Things have been tighter this past month, so it's been delayed."
Su Zhan nodded.
Then they'd wait for this month to pass before discussing it further...
...
One month's time quietly slipped by.
During this month, Su Zhan lived a secluded life, spending most of his time in Lin Wei's pink apartment.
By constantly reading news, he successfully resolved the stuttering problem caused by not speaking for a long time, and his speech regained its fluency.
He also continued to follow external developments, gaining a general understanding of the major events that had occurred in Daxia over the past year or so, especially information related to the Transcendence Society and Mist incidents.
As for making money, after the first successful operation where the assets were assessed at 2.8 million, he didn't take any further action.
For him, having enough funds was sufficient. Frequently taking risks for more money wasn't worth the potential loss.
If he ran short of money, he could just "borrow" a bit more from those unscrupulous wealthy individuals.
During this period, he also used the materials Lin Wei provided to craft a new mask for himself.
It was a blue-faced, fanged demon mask, which looked more intimidating than Lin Wei's Black Cat Mask.
He returned the Black Cat Mask, which he had washed countless times, to Lin Wei.
Lin Wei took it, her expression a mix of disgust and reluctant acceptance.
Su Zhan was somewhat speechless, muttering to himself: Was it really that dirty?
The agreed-upon day finally arrived.
That night, the darkness was profound.
Both Lin Wei and Su Zhan changed into inconspicuous dark clothes, wearing the Black Cat Mask and the demon mask respectively, and left the residence.
Lin Wei was clearly very familiar with Lincheng's underworld.
She led Su Zhan through a winding maze of intricate alleys in the old city district.
The buildings here were crowded and dilapidated, the streetlights dim, and surveillance cameras scarce.