About forty minutes later.
Lin Yi and Wei Nan got off the bus.
This was the Old Town District, with its dilapidated facilities and dim streetlights.
Everything in sight revealed a state of decay, steeped in the heavy atmosphere of a bygone era.
"Here…"
Wei Nan took out a black face mask and handed it to Lin Yi.
"What's this for?"
Lin Yi was a little confused, but he took the mask anyway.
Wei Nan gave Lin Yi a mysterious look.
"Just put it on. Come with me!"
Seeing that Wei Nan didn't want to say more, Lin Yi didn't press the issue.
He put on the mask and also pulled the hood of his tracksuit over his head.
Copying Wei Nan, he did his best to hide his face.
He followed him, walking along the side of the road.
They passed one dim, yellow streetlight after another.
A smell of decay permeated the air between the buildings.
The Old Town District was exceptionally quiet.
They walked for a long time without seeing a single soul.
It was a stark contrast to the bustling city center.
After walking for more than ten minutes, Wei Nan led Lin Yi to the front of a supermarket.
Inside, rows upon rows of shelves were stocked with all sorts of food and drinks.
A female shopkeeper, a woman in her thirties, sat behind the counter watching a TV drama.
From time to time, she would pick up a tissue and gently dab the tears from the corners of her eyes.
She didn't even notice when Wei Nan and Lin Yi walked in.
"Ma'am, two bottles of Tianshan Mineral Water!"
Hearing this, the shopkeeper finally turned her head.
She sized up Wei Nan and Lin Yi for a moment before saying, "The mineral water is in the back. Go get it yourselves!"
"Alright…"
Wei Nan nodded and gave Lin Yi a meaningful look.
He headed straight for the back of the supermarket.
The whole mysterious affair was making Lin Yi inexplicably nervous.
It felt like some kind of clandestine rendezvous…
"Wei Nan, you're not about to sell my kidneys, are you?"
Once they were deeper inside the supermarket, Lin Yi couldn't help but ask.
Wei Nan glanced back at him. "I brought you here to *earn* money, not to be *sold* for money. Just follow me, and you'll be fine!"
In front of one of the shelves, Wei Nan grabbed two bottles of mineral water.
He handed one to Lin Yi, who glanced down at it.
The label clearly displayed the three words: "Tianshan Mineral Water."
Just as he was hesitating, 'Are we really here just to buy a bottle of water?'
Wei Nan walked over to a back door and pushed it right open.
"Come on, get in!"
Lin Yi clutched the mineral water.
When it came to Wei Nan…
He chose to trust him.
'After all, could so many years of friendship just be thrown away in an instant?'
He passed by the shelves and went through the back door.
The moment Lin Yi stepped through, he was stunned by the scene before him.
It was a courtyard, surrounded by four rooms.
A number of people were gathered outside each room.
Like Wei Nan, they all wore hoods or hats.
Their clothes were also chosen to wrap them up as tightly as possible.
Every single one of them wore a mask, a face covering, or sunglasses.
It was as if they were terrified of being recognized.
The strange thing was, none of these people were interacting.
The entire courtyard was exceptionally quiet.
They all kept their heads down; some were lost in thought, while others stared at wooden plaques in their hands.
Whenever someone passed by them…
…they would become extremely vigilant.
Just as Lin Yi was about to ask what exactly this place was…
Wei Nan turned back first and made a "shushing" gesture at him.
Then, he waved his hand, beckoning for Lin Yi to follow.
They came to the outside of one of the rooms.
A long line was formed here, with people filing inside one by one in an orderly fashion.
Every so often, someone would walk out holding a wooden plaque.
Some would stop right there, carefully studying the plaque in their hands.
Others would leave immediately through a different door…
The bizarre atmosphere made Lin Yi increasingly uneasy.
'Is this a meeting place for some kind of cult?'
'Or a hideout for a criminal organization?'
No one here showed their real face.
Every last one of them maintained an air of mystery.
Worse, they had no interaction with each other, never speaking a single word to those around them.
The dark, crowded courtyard felt silent and oppressive.
Even though there were dozens of people here, it was utterly silent…
Lin Yi lined up behind Wei Nan, slowly inching forward.
Once he was inside the room,
he saw a desk under a dim light.
Behind the desk sat a man wearing a Sun Wukong mask.
His face was hidden, his age impossible to guess.
Wei Nan walked to the desk and handed his mineral water to the man.
The man took the water, nodded,
and tossed a wooden plaque to Wei Nan.
After receiving the plaque, Wei Nan didn't linger; he turned and walked out through an exit on the other side.
Before he left, he gave Lin Yi a meaningful glance.
When Wei Nan had done all this, he had deliberately slowed his movements.
He wanted to make sure Lin Yi, who was behind him, saw exactly what to do.
Copying Wei Nan's actions,
Lin Yi also handed his mineral water to the man.
When the man saw Lin Yi, he looked him up and down a few times.
Then, he took a wooden plaque from under the desk and gave it to Lin Yi.
After receiving the plaque, Lin Yi also walked away through the other side.
As he came out of the room,
he glanced down at the plaque. A few small green words were written on it—Number Twenty-Eight.
'What does this mean?'
Lin Yi was puzzled.
Just then, Wei Nan came over.
"Follow me!"
With that, he headed toward another room in the courtyard.
There were very few people here, and no need to line up.
Just like the other room, there was a desk under a dim light.
However, the person sitting behind this desk was a girl.
She wore her hair in two pigtails and had on a Sailor Moon mask.
When Lin Yi handed her his wooden plaque,
she seemed a little surprised.
Then, she took out a file folder and handed it back to Lin Yi along with his plaque.
The file folder was also marked with the number "28".
Once he had the plaque and the file folder, Wei Nan pulled Lin Yi toward the exit.
He didn't say a single word the whole time.
They walked out a back door into a narrow alley.
The long, dim alley was flanked by two high walls.
There wasn't a single residence in sight, and the muddy, pitted ground was difficult to walk on.
Only after they had left the alley did Wei Nan lower his voice and say, "Keep your plaque and file folder safe. Those are the tools you'll use to earn your money…"
"I know you have a lot of questions you want to ask me right now.
But this isn't the time to answer them. Let's get out of here first!"
After he finished speaking,
Wei Nan pulled Lin Yi to the bus stop.
Lin Yi did, in fact, have many questions he wanted to ask.
However, seeing Wei Nan's vigilant expression,
he suppressed his curiosity.
But as they reached the bus stop, Lin Yi couldn't help but ask, "It's so late. Are you sure there are still buses running?"