novelraw Chapter 833: Greed
Chapter 833: Greed
“What is it?” ‘Arnold’ asked, taken aback.
Caroline sat down and said seriously, “Do you remember I mentioned that on the day Livia died, my bank card was stolen?”
‘Arnold’ nodded and sat down as well.
Caroline continued, “Actually, that card was temporarily entrusted to me for safekeeping… The person said the money inside was problematic and shouldn’t be touched. I’m not clear on the details, but that guy said if the money was moved, it could attract the police.”
‘Arnold’ furrowed his brow and suddenly said, “Are you saying… it’s dirty money?”
Caroline shook her head. “I said I don’t know. I was just helping someone keep it safe, and after it was done, that person promised to give me a substantial reward.”
She glanced at ‘Arnold’ and added, “There was a password written on that card, and I couldn’t resist sneaking a peek… The amount inside was a bit shocking!”
‘Arnold’ suddenly asked, “How much?”
Caroline showed a hint of caution. “The key point isn’t how much money there is, but I feel that Hailey will definitely try to withdraw it because he doesn’t know that the money can’t be touched.”
“Then…” ‘Arnold’ pondered for a while before suddenly asking, “How are you sure that this money really can’t be moved? And why would that person let you safeguard such a large sum and even write the password on the card?”Caroline sighed and said, “Otherwise, do you think a completely ordinary person like me would have access to such a large sum? If I had that capability, why would I be here hiding and fearing a Boston boss? Plus, I don’t understand why he wrote the password on the card, just like I don’t know why he chose me to keep it safe… But I always feel like that person isn’t ordinary. Someone who would give such a large amount of money to someone like me for safekeeping must have some kind of confidence.”
‘Arnold’ fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Is this mysterious person really that dangerous?”
Caroline nodded seriously and reflected, “On the night the incident happened, our neighborhood's boss Neymar was assassinated, and a trusted aide of a powerful boss next door was also killed. Because of this, the two gangs went into a frenzy fighting each other. You know, Livia planned to run away for a few days because her family situation was too chaotic…”
She glanced at ‘Arnold’ casually and then said with a bitter smile, “But she probably never imagined that it was even more dangerous outside.”
“Condolences,” ‘Arnold’ said in consolation, then cautiously added, “So you think this money is related to the conflict between the two gangs?”
Caroline shook her head. “How would I know so much? I’m just an ordinary person… But I feel like there might be some connection? Otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened on the same night. But honestly, it’s probably for the best; I was too impulsive to take that job out of greed. That kind of money isn’t something someone like me can handle… Now that Hailey has stolen it, it’s better for him to deal with whatever happens.”
“That guy actually killed Livia… I guess that’s a form of retribution,” Caroline sighed, then looked at ‘Arnold’ and suddenly said, “I’m sorry; it wasn’t intentional. After all, Hailey is still your…”
‘Arnold’s face looked a bit unnatural, and he shook his head, saying, “It’s fine. We’ve long been out of touch. Whether he lives or dies doesn’t matter to me…”
The topic fell into silence, and ‘Arnold’ seemed lost in thought.
Seeing this, Caroline suddenly said, “Then… how about I help you out?”
‘Arnold’ was taken aback, looking at Caroline with confusion.
Caroline held her palm up as if grasping something, then moved it up and down a few times, biting her lip as she said, “I’m sorry… I-I only know this way to comfort men… I feel like you must be feeling pretty bad.”
“No… you don’t have to,” ‘Arnold’ abruptly stood up from the sofa. “I… I think I’ll go for a walk outside… Just a walk. If you… don’t have anything to do, it’s better if you don’t go out.”
Caroline nodded to indicate she understood.
Arnold quickly got dressed and left the dorm. After waiting for a moment, Caroline hurriedly put on a loose jacket and quietly followed him out.
She had lost everything— not just that bank card, but even her savings had been taken by the Boston boss… All because of that guy named Hailey.
She didn’t know if this ‘Arnold’ was really Hailey, but perhaps this trip would lead her to a clue.
People die for wealth.
---
After finishing a day’s work, Mr. Alfie got home earlier than usual tonight. When he returned home, he found the servant, Barbara, hurriedly approaching him with a worried expression.
“What happened?” Mr. Alfie asked with a frown.
Barbara shook her head. “Sir, I’m not sure how to say it… Maybe you should take a look yourself. Mr. Franky seems a bit off today.”
Mr. Alfie was taken aback and frowned again. “Where is he?”
Barbara quickly replied, “He’s in the workshop in the backyard.”
Mr. Alfie tossed his briefcase onto the sofa and went with Barbara to the backyard workshop— which was really just a small wooden shed used to store miscellaneous items and some household hardware.
When Mr. Alfie and Barbara arrived, they saw Dr. Franky sprawled on the floor. He held a piece of chalk and was rapidly writing something on the ground.
It was a series of complex formulas made up of various symbols and equations— not just on the floor, but even on the walls and the table; any visible blank space was filled with all kinds of formulas.
Dr. Franky seemed to have fallen into a frenzied state, with chalk remnants strewn all over the floor.
“How long has he been like this?” Mr. Alfie’s frown deepened.
“It’s been a while,” Barbara replied. “Mr. Franky came straight here after he returned in the evening. I didn’t pay much attention at the time. When I finished dinner and went to call him, I discovered all of this. No matter how much I called him, he wouldn’t respond.”
At that moment, Mr. Alfie walked directly behind Dr. Franky, intending to speak, but Dr. Franky suddenly stood up, exclaiming, “Harry, I’ve told you so many times that the quantity of rocket propellant and the engine parameters cannot be calculated using just the Tsiolkovsky equation! That formula is outdated!”
Mr. Alfie was startled by Dr. Franky’s outburst.
His expression changed slightly as he watched Dr. Franky seemingly talk to an old brown bear plush toy on the table… Mr. Alfie had no idea what was happening to Dr. Franky, but to him, it looked like Dr. Franky was completely talking to himself.
“This is Harry,” Barbara said, walking over and pointing at the brown bear plush toy. Then she pointed at an old CRT television nearby and said, “This is Bouwef.”
Under Mr. Alfie’s incredulous gaze, Barbara helplessly pointed out the remaining items in the workshop—hammers, electric drills, fishing rods, and more—naming each one.
Finally, she picked up a deflated soccer ball from the ground and said with a bitter smile, “This is you, Mr. Alfie… The doctor said you were in his way while he was working, so he kicked this… Oh, I mean, he kicked the ball aside.”
Each time Mr. Alfie heard Barbara mention a name, his expression grew darker.
Barbara hesitated to speak but eventually called out to Mr. Alfie, nervously gesturing to her own head. “Sir, is there something wrong with Dr. Franky?”
“These guys were all from back then…” Mr. Alfie suddenly jolted.
He firmly grasped Dr. Franky’s shoulders, looking intently into his eyes. However, Dr. Franky seemed oblivious, mumbling to himself, “High-energy propellant, need a more effective propellant with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio… The structure of the first and second stage rockets should be lighter, it could be even lighter… Just a little more, just a little more…”
“Old man!” Mr. Alfie shook Dr. Franky’s shoulders vigorously. “Can you hear me?! Wake up!!”
“Still not working… still not working… Maggie, help me run the simulation again; I think I’ve come up with a new breakthrough…”
“Maggie is dead!!” Mr. Alfie suddenly roared.
Dr. Franky paused in shock, then looked at Mr. Alfie with confusion. He furrowed his brow and said, “Who are you? Why are you in my laboratory? Don’t disturb my work! The next experiment starts in six months! Get out of here, you’re in the way!”
Dr. Franky shrugged off Mr. Alfie’s hands, grabbed the chalk in his hand, and turned back to wipe off some of the equations on the table, continuing to write.
In anger, Mr. Alfie reached out to grab Dr. Franky’s arm, snatching the chalk from him, and shouted, “What’s wrong with you! I told you, Maggie is dead! You killed her!!”
Dr. Franky screamed in return, forcefully pushing Mr. Alfie away, “Security! Security! Get him out of here!! Security!!”
Dr. Franky frantically grabbed various tools from the table and threw them at Mr. Alfie.
Scissors, hammers, glue…
Seeing this, Barbara quickly pulled Mr. Alfie out of the workshop. “Sir, I think we shouldn’t provoke Dr. Franky… He’s not in a good state right now.”
“He’s gone completely mad!” Mr. Alfie cursed. “He doesn’t even recognize me!”
After Mr. Alfie and Barbara left the workshop, Dr. Franckyregained his composure and went back to scribbling on the floor.
Seeing this, Mr. Alfie angrily closed the workshop door and said, “Lock it! Don’t give him food; let’s see how long he can pretend to be insane!”
Mr. Alfie turned and left.
Barbara helplessly glanced at the window, while Dr. Franky acted as if nothing had happened.
Sighing, Barbara knew a bit about the family dynamics… Was this Dr. Franky’s way of retaliating against Mr. Alfie for forcibly resigning him from his research position?
---
Song Tianyou hadn’t slept this late in a long time.
Just before ten in the morning, he finally got out of bed, feeling energetic and fulfilled—nothing felt better than accomplishing a long-held dream.
“Sir, you’re awake.”
Uncle Wu had brought the servants with towels and other toiletries to attend to Song Tianyou.
Tianyou wasn’t in a hurry to wash up; instead, he asked, “Where’s Luo Qiu? Has he woken up? Was everything okay last night? It’s my fault for going to bed so early.”
“There’s nothing special to report,” Uncle Wu smiled. “Young Master Qiu was tired after a long day and fell asleep early too. But he’s awake now and is with the eldest son, planning to go get some food for you.”
Song Tianyou chuckled, “What do they want to eat? They can just have Old Wu make it—there’s no need to go out and buy it.”
Uncle Wu replied, “The eldest son said he wanted soy milk and fried dough sticks, so they went to Chinatown to get some… They should be back soon.”
Song Tianyou felt a wave of warmth, saying, “These two kids are thoughtful… Old Wu, help me get up.”
Uncle Wu quickly assisted Song Tianyou, saying, “Sir, be careful.”
Suddenly, a man hurriedly walked up to the door, respectfully saying, “Sir, your satellite phone, it’s a call from China.”
“China?” Song Tianyou furrowed his brows and quickly said, “Put it through.”
Uncle Wu waved his hand, and the servants orderly exited the room. After handing the phone to Song Tianyou, Uncle Wu also left and closed the door.
Only then did Song Tianyou speak seriously, “This is Song Tianyou.”
“Little brat from the Song family, it’s me.”
Song Tianyou sat up straight, his attitude becoming humble, “Sister Li, calling me so late, what’s the matter?”
This call was coming from Huaguo late at night… from the old matriarch of the Zhang family, Zhang Lifan.
“Little brat from the Song family, I found some information on the person you asked me to investigate. I think you’ll be very interested.”
“Please, go on,” Song Tianyou said, furrowing his brows.
“It seems that your family, the Songs, may have been secretly harmed,” Zhang Lifan said, looking at some materials in front of her. “I have a few documents here; let me explain…”
These were the materials sent by Shi Shijie, already organized. Zhang Lifan didn’t hide anything, calmly recounting what she had discovered.
“...That’s about it. My team is still looking into the attendance records and all personnel present at the scene back then. I hope to get you more information soon. Little brat from the Song family, are you listening?”
Song Tianyou remained silent for a while before slowly saying, “Sister Li, could I trouble you with one more thing?”
“What is it? Go ahead.”