Chapter 57

After entering, she realized that the so-called shop was actually a very small supermarket, divided into an inner and outer section. The inner section had three or four rows of shelves, half of which were empty. The counter was placed horizontally at the partition between the two sections, along with another empty shelf, blocking customers from walking further inside.

A sturdy man, wearing only a tank top on his upper body, lounged on a reclining chair next to a shelf behind the counter. Since no one was currently at the counter for trade, he appeared quite relaxed, his eyes drooping as if resting. However, his gaze subtly scanned every customer who entered for transactions.

With this simple setup, the inner shelves functioned like an old-fashioned general store, where customers had to request items from the shop staff, pay first, and then receive their goods at the counter.

Currently, the currency in circulation was various goods and supplies.

The outer section was slightly larger, with windows along the walls, though all were tightly shut, making the air stagnant. The moment she stepped inside, she caught a strong fishy smell.

Turning her head, she saw that the outer section was crowded with people—those who had entered before her—eagerly pushing forward with their items for trade.

Two men were busy behind the counter—one was responsible for inspecting the trade items, while the other, wearing rubber gloves, retrieved fish from a pile on the floor after the first man assessed the value of the goods.

The pile of fish was stacked on a thick plastic sheet against the wall. They must have been freshly caught from the Qinghe River, as she recognized crucian carp, common carp, catfish, and bass among them. Most were already dead from the journey, but a few were still twitching on the pile, their cold, lifeless eyes staring blankly as their mouths opened and closed in a final struggle.

The overwhelming fishy stench emanated from this pile.

Even standing at a distance with a mask on, Shu Fu found the smell hard to bear. However, the buyers seemed unaffected, not even picky. They simply handed over their goods, took the fish, stuffed them into their bags, and left in a hurry.

She noticed that the items used for trade varied widely—some offered usable tools and knives, while others exchanged small appliances, wristwatches, and even valuable gold rings and bracelets.

One particularly large gold ring caught her eye. The woman trading it hesitated visibly, reluctant to part with it. But after inspection, the evaluator quoted a price—just two fish.

The woman had brought along a boy around ten years old, likely to help carry the fish.

The fish from the Qinghe River were sizable, ranging from four or five pounds to eight or nine. When the boy heard they could get two, his face lit up with joy.

He eagerly unfolded his nylon bag, meant for carrying the fish, and tried to flatter the man handing out the fish, calling him “Uncle” and explaining that they had more family members at home—his little sister also loved eating fish—hoping for a bigger catch.

The man glanced at the boy, selected two fish around nine pounds each, and placed them in his bag. Then, he picked up a small one-pound bass from the corner, saying it was too small to be of value to anyone else, so he was giving it to them for free.

The three fish weighed the bag down heavily, making it too much for the boy to carry alone. As he struggled, he called for his mother.

The woman quickly stepped forward, took out the bass, and placed it in her own bag for the boy to hold. Then, gritting her teeth, she tied up the bag with the other two fish and lifted it with effort.

The mother and son hurried out into the rain.

With this wave of customers gone, Shu Fu was left alone in the outer section.

The tall, lean man in charge of inspecting goods turned to her, his gaze briefly scanning her mask before shifting to the black plastic bag in her hand. “Trading for fish?”

“No,” Shu Fu replied, stepping forward and opening the bag. “I’d like to trade fish for other supplies.”

Inside were two fish—one bass and one whitefish. The smaller one was just under two pounds, while the larger was around four or five pounds. They were of average size, nothing particularly special.

Seeing the fish, the man took the bag and emptied its contents onto the plastic sheet among the other fish. Then, he casually gestured toward the counter, indicating that she should ask for items there.

Just then, a few more people entered, also looking to trade for fish. The two men got busy again.

Shu Fu walked to the counter and addressed the sturdy man lounging in the reclining chair. “Excuse me, do you have sanitary pads?”

The man frowned, his tone rough. “Does this place look like it would have those?”

Shu Fu remained calm and tried again. “What about AA batteries?”

“We do, but your two fish aren’t worth even one.”

No matter the circumstances, batteries were always valuable supplies. However, since this town still had electricity, most appliances could be charged, so she had assumed batteries wouldn’t be in particularly high demand. Yet, to her surprise, even a single battery was out of her reach.

The difference between buying and selling was enormous. It seemed that some supplies were truly scarce in this town.

“Can I trade for some clean water instead?” she asked.

“Only 100ml,” the man responded. He stood up and held out his hand, waiting for her to provide a container.

Shu Fu reached into her backpack and pulled out a slightly crumpled, used plastic water bottle. She handed it over, and the man took it, bending down to fill it.

It was only then that she noticed a water dispenser behind the counter, with a large jug of water on top. It looked clean—but what kind of water was inside remained unknown.

As soon as the man finished filling the water bottle, he handed it back to her. Sure enough, he had only filled one-fifth of it, not a drop more.

Shu Fu didn’t say much. She took the bottle, tightened the cap, tucked it back into the backpack under her raincoat, and turned to leave.

She had completed the store check-in task. Now, all she could do was wait.

A task with a base progress bar of 20%—it was unlikely to be that simple.

She didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, at the edge of the street adjacent to the store, she sensed someone tailing her.

**

There were two of them, dressed in military green split-style raincoats with front buttons, designed for ease of movement.

They seemed to be stationed near the store to keep an eye on people. That explained why she could walk into the town unnoticed, but the moment she left the store, she was immediately followed.

What she didn’t understand was why they were targeting her. Many people had left the store before her, all carrying bags of fish. Some of them, like the mother and child she had seen earlier, looked like much easier targets.

Why were they only following her?

On the other hand, if the town’s order had truly broken down that badly, that mother wouldn’t have dared to take her ten-year-old child out alone to exchange supplies. That would have been an open invitation to get robbed.

So, these people weren’t after her supplies.

That meant… they were after her.

But she was still wearing a mask. Her face was darkened with unscented BRUNETTE foundation, and she had drawn numerous freckles on herself with an eyebrow pencil. She hadn’t shown her face at all. Just how stunning would she have to be for someone to single her out based only on her eyes?

Shu Fu stopped in front of a single-story residential house along the small street. Just then, the door opened from the inside, and a man and a woman in raincoats stepped out, carrying bags. They looked like they were heading to the store to trade.

Shu Fu took two steps forward and greeted them, attempting to start a conversation.

The woman, hearing Shu Fu’s voice and realizing she was also female, was about to respond when the man beside her noticed the two people tailing Shu Fu. His brows immediately furrowed, and he grabbed his companion, pulling her away hastily.

The woman, confused, asked a few questions, but upon noticing the two followers, she fell silent and hurried off with the man.

The townspeople recognized those two men. They feared them and didn’t dare interfere.

The two men also realized Shu Fu had noticed them and immediately approached.

“Where do you live? Why haven’t we seen you before—” One of them started to speak but was cut off as the masked woman in front of him suddenly turned and bolted, not hesitating for even a second. Within moments, she had dashed into the rain, sprinted to the street corner, made a sharp turn, and disappeared into an alley.

“Shit!” The other man reacted and smacked his companion. “What are you waiting for? After her!”

“Why are you hitting me? You didn’t react either!” The first man smacked back, and the two cursed at each other as they took off in pursuit.

The rain made the roads slippery, but they didn’t believe a woman could outrun them. This town was their turf—where could she possibly escape to alone?

With this thought, they charged into the alley, one ahead of the other.

But the second man had barely taken a few steps inside when something struck him hard at the back of his neck.

Hidden between some garbage bags and a stack of cardboard boxes, Shu Fu had already shed her cumbersome raincoat. She still wore her mask, her eyes cold and sharp, and in her hand was a pry bar she had been using for lockpicking.

When the man instinctively lashed out at her, she swiftly stepped back, dodging his grasp.

She hadn’t aimed for his skull—this was her first time here, and she didn’t want to kill anyone. That would only create more trouble.

The man didn’t collapse immediately. He cursed, forced himself up, and charged at her.

Just like in the countless sparring sessions she had done with Han Lan, Shu Fu evaded his attack, seized his wrist at the perfect moment, twisted it forcefully, and used his own momentum to flip him over her shoulder.

“Fuck—” The man barely managed to get out a word before he was slammed into the rain-soaked ground.

By now, the other pursuer had realized what was happening. He had run too fast and was several steps ahead. Now, there was quite a distance between him and Shu Fu, but he could see she was about to swing her pry bar down for another blow on his companion.

In a panic, he shouted and threw the metal rod he was carrying straight at her.

The rod hit Shu Fu’s shoulder squarely before clattering to the ground with a metallic clang.

At the same time, Shu Fu’s pry bar landed. After two strikes, the first man was completely unconscious.

Shu Fu turned to face the one who had thrown the rod. Her masked face betrayed no emotion, her eyes calm and steady, as if she didn’t feel any pain at all.

“Damn it!” The man cursed in frustration. He bent down, pulled a folding knife from his rain boot, and decided not to hold back anymore.

Without hesitation, Shu Fu grabbed her backpack, using it as cover while pulling out a nail gun.

The man instantly recognized the weapon. His curses turned into panicked yells as he skidded to a halt, trying to stop himself as fast as he had run forward.

But it was too late. Shu Fu had already pulled the trigger.

The man instinctively raised his hand to shield his face, but in the next moment, he let out a shriek—the nail gun had driven two nails straight into his palm, sending him howling in pain.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the street outside the alley.

A familiar female voice called out:

“She should be around here! …Yes! I confirm—they’re from Malaysia’s crew! Vice Captain Chen, hurry! That girl is alone…”

In just the span of a single sentence, the voice had already reached the entrance of the alley.

Shu Fu’s mind raced, analyzing the situation in mere seconds. She quickly stashed the nail gun back into her backpack, retreated to the wall, and deactivated her personal protective shield in an instant.

Without that layer of protection, the heavy rain immediately drenched her entire body. At the same time, the newcomers stepped into the alley.

The scene before them was unmistakable: the alley was littered with scattered garbage and cardboard boxes. In the center stood a tall man, while against the wall leaned a slender young woman, completely soaked. Her thin arms were visibly trembling, yet she still gripped the crowbar tightly, refusing to let go of her only means of defense.

The situation couldn’t be clearer. Deputy Captain Chen was furious. He strode forward and landed a harsh kick on the man. “What the hell is going on! Causing trouble on our turf again? How many times is this just this month? Is Malaysia trying to start a fight?”

The man either didn’t dare dodge or simply failed to react in time. He took the full brunt of the kick and groaned, his voice laced with grievance. “Deputy Captain Chen! It wasn’t us causing trouble! We were set up!”

“Wu Zhong, what bullshit are you spewing?” Deputy Captain Chen jabbed a finger toward the slim figure leaning against the wall, who was staring at him in a daze—whether from shock or something else, he wasn’t sure. He then turned back to Wu Zhong and delivered another hard kick. “You’re telling me she set up the two of you? Do you take me for an idiot?”

“You are an idiot—” Wu Zhong retorted stubbornly, but before he could finish, the group behind Deputy Captain Chen pounced on him.

None of them had the patience to listen to his explanations. The facts were clear: Malaysia’s people had repeatedly stirred up trouble on their turf, and if they didn’t retaliate, what were they? Hello Kitty?

As some of his men took over the task of “teaching a lesson,” Deputy Captain Chen tossed out a casual reminder: “Go easy. After the beating, we still have to send them back to Malaysia.” With that, he turned and approached the girl leaning against the wall, his tone softening. “Are you okay?”

Shu Fu looked up at him. Because of the scuffle earlier, his rain hood had slid back slightly, revealing a head of cropped short hair.

She felt a twinge of nostalgia. The last time they met, this person had been enthusiastically promoting a new bracelet, insisting they all buy the same style. She had said that pretty wrists were wasted without jewelry.

But now, she had cut her hair short, like a boy’s.

Their eyes met. Because they were close, Deputy Captain Chen got a clear look at her gaze. He froze for a second before his expression shifted into one of astonishment and joy. “…Xiao, Xiao Fu?”

Shu Fu felt a vibration on her wrist. She pulled her mask down slightly, wiped the rain from her eyes, and smiled at the woman before her. “Long time no see, Chen Fa.”

At once, Chen Fa turned and called out, “Raincoat!” One of her men immediately retrieved the raincoat that had fallen to the side.

She took it and helped Shu Fu put it back on. Her hands brushed against Shu Fu’s cold, soaked clothes, and something flickered in her expression. Her face darkened as she turned and shot a furious glare at Wu Zhong, who was struggling to get up from the ground.

Moments later, Shu Fu was half-supported by Chen Fa as they left the alley. Behind them, Wu Zhong’s voice, filled with grievance, rang out once more.

“Why are you hitting me again?! Hey, Chen Fa, you lunatic! Don’t think I’m actually scared of you! Ow, ow—stop! I give up, I give up! We weren’t even planning to make a move! We just wanted to see where she was staying…”

Shu Fu: …

“Don’t mind him. I’ll handle this,” Chen Fa said, sensing something. She patted Shu Fu’s back and quickened her pace, adding, “You’re soaked. Go take a hot shower. Right now… you can’t afford to get sick.”