Chapter 108: The Smiling Face

“Hold on a moment.”

Lin Xian’s demeanor shifted to one of seriousness as he fixed his gaze on CC. “Are you telling me that tonight, a shipment of water-damaged books is headed to the 314 Waste Disposal Plant? Can we trust this information?”

“Absolutely, it’s trustworthy! Have you forgotten?” CC picked up a gadget resembling a Bluetooth headset and waved it before him. “This device keeps tabs on the operations of various waste disposal facilities, including the routes of garbage trucks and their transportation schedules. How could it be wrong?”

“I make it a point to verify the task lists of several local waste disposal sites daily. I scrutinize them very closely and wouldn’t miss a detail. The 314 Waste Disposal Plant is nearby, right in the same district as the Time Bank, so it’s particularly on my radar. Their schedule last night included a note about dispatching a special truck to collect water-damaged books.”

“Let me double-check that for you.” CC attached the device to her ear. Her eyes glazed over, her pupils darting back and forth as if she were interfacing with something unseen.

“There we have it.” CC’s eyes refocused, and she began to explain to Lin Xian: “To put it simply, a major bookstore in the Eastern District had a pipe burst on the second floor, soaking the books below. They’ve settled their issues with the insurance company, and now they’ve scheduled special trucks to haul away the damaged goods.”

“The time... let me check, the 314 Waste Disposal Plant has arranged for four large trucks to handle the books. That implies a substantial quantity, needing four trucks.”

“Their departure time... and they’re set to arrive at the plant at 23:19. I got the time a bit off. Given the late arrival, they likely haven’t started the incineration process.”

“But you’ve already missed the window for today’s shift change at the supervisor’s station. Even if we head to the plant now, it’s too late. Besides...” CC glanced at the control room monitor showing the plant supervisor. “Getting out of here still poses a challenge. I plan to hide out until tomorrow’s shift change, then make my escape. I’m not sure what your plans are.”

“Thanks for the info, it’s a real lifesaver,” Lin Xian stood, resolute. “About that safe... if I ever make it inside New Donghai City, I’ll see what’s inside for you.”

CC looked puzzled, tilting her head at Lin Xian. “The next batch of garbage trucks is due soon. They’ll be transporting the safe shortly. What are you implying?”

“I need to leave,” Lin Xian checked his watch.

“Where to?”

“Home.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At exactly 00:42, a brilliant white light erupted, incinerating everything in its path, casting a brief illumination before plunging back into darkness.

He explained that he had organized a high school reunion for the fifth day of the lunar new year at a hotel near their university, Hangzhou No.1 High School’s new campus.

But!

He had posted the event in their class QQ group, and no one had replied! Not a single person! He had been obsessively checking the group every minute for the last half hour, and the silence was deafening! As class president, this was mortifying! He needed to save face!

“So, Lin Xian, please log into QQ right away and back me up in the group! Say you’ll attend! Mention how much you miss everyone! Surely, they’ll react if you do!”

“What standing do I have...”

“The founder of Rhine Cat! Sure, you’re not a celebrity, but your creation is famous! Who isn’t aware of Rhine Cat now? Isn’t that enough to make a splash? Come on, don’t leave your old class president out to dry, making me look bad!”

Reluctantly, Lin Xian reinstalled the QQ app. After a series of verification challenges, he finally managed to prove his identity and logged in. Upon accessing his account, he was bombarded with spam messages from compromised accounts of classmates and proceeded directly to the high school group chat.

The only message there was from Gao Yang: “Class Reunion Notice.” Indeed, half an hour had passed, and there was not a single reply.

Following Gao Yang’s instructions, Lin Xian crafted and sent a message: “Hey, everyone, it’s been too long! We definitely need to catch up! See you during the holiday!”

However... After waiting a few minutes, there was still no response. Lin Xian called Gao Yang back:

“Give it up. No one uses QQ anymore. You’d be better off using WeChat and reaching out to people individually. You’ll eventually get through to everyone that way.”

Gao Yang reluctantly accepted this reality. Just as they ended the call, a QQ notification pinged. Someone had finally responded in the group.

Lin Xian checked the chat— “Absolutely, Lin Xian! I’ll be there!”

The message was from an unknown name and profile picture. Following it was a simple, mysterious smiling face: ^^.

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation