Chapter 74

The water of this infinite city is very deep, indeed. ☆→

Even if Lin Yifan knew nothing about this place, he could sense a bottomless abyss of terror from Zhou Xin's few short words.

Amidst the bustling and dazzling surroundings, who could say how many dirty deeds were hidden in the towering buildings behind?

However, Natalia ignored Zhou Xin's warning, shaking her head: "I don't care about your dirty deeds. I only know that these people have committed the crime of defrauding newbies."

Zhou Xin's face was not good, and he gritted his teeth, lowering his voice: "Prosecutor Natalia, don't make trouble where there is none. We can coexist peacefully with the cycle travelers; their affairs have little to do with us."

"What do you mean 'little to do'? Defrauding newbies is a crime!" Natalia was so angry that her whole body trembled, her chest heaving. She couldn't understand why Zhou Xin was so numb.

Unable to communicate with Natalia, Zhou Xin didn't know what to say. Irritated, he paced back and forth, then leaned close to Natalia: "I'm telling you, you'll end up like me eventually. When I first took office, I thought the same way, but I found out I was wrong. You'll also realize that what you're doing now is meaningless!"

"I'll think about it when I find it meaningless." Natalia, arms crossed, remained steadfast in her beliefs.

Unable to persuade Natalia, Zhou Xin left in a fit of anger, not forgetting to give Lin Yifan a final glance as he passed by: "Don't harm Natalia, stay away from her, you jinx!"

Lin Yifan, masked, remained unmoved, watching Zhou Xin until he drove away in the police car.

After Zhou Xin and his subordinates left, only Lin Yifan and a few others remained at the dock, along with the boat full of cycle travelers.

Shifting his gaze from the road to Natalia, Lin Yifan noticed that her eyes were slightly moist, but he didn't say anything.

"Prosecutor, let's send the criminals away," Lin Yifan said.

Lin Yifan pointed to the ferry.

Natalia took several deep breaths to calm herself, then nodded: "Alright, let's go."

Of the six security officers, five followed Zhou Xin, leaving only the new female officer with Natalia.

It was clear that the newly appointed Prosecutor Natalia had little respect among the security officers.

The five of them boarded the ferry, with the new security officer operating it. Lin Yifan stood on the iron deck, looking down at the cycle travelers in handcuffs, and couldn't help but ask: "What crimes did these people commit?"

"Defrauding newbies. They usually get detained for a few days, and most are bailed out within a day. But I think it's not enough, so I'm applying to you for a thirty-day detention period."

"What? Applying?"

Lin Yifan was taken aback. Natalia was sending the criminals over first and then applying, quite a unique approach.

"Don't be so petty. I'm just borrowing your prison. If I had a prison, would I need to ask you?" Natalia was不服气 (unwilling to back down), adding: "I'll pay you the fee according to the Infinite City's rate."

Lin Yifan, stroking his chin, scanned the thirty cycle travelers present. At a low-risk rate of 500 each, that was 15,000 for thirty people. Plus, a daily income of 50 per person, it wasn't a bad deal.

Looking ahead, the ferry slowly approached the prison island, the vast sea unusually calm, with gentle waves lapping against the bow.

Turning his gaze back to the boat, he saw the unconscious prisoners and couldn't help but ask: "How do they carry out the fraud?"

"I didn't know at first, mainly relying on reports from cycle travelers. Later, I went to the slums to gather evidence, and many homeless cycle travelers had suffered from their fraud."

Listening to Natalia's explanation, Lin Yifan became even more confused. What could ordinary cycle travelers have to offer?

Seeing Lin Yifan's silence, Natalia couldn't help but chuckle: "Why are you less informed about cycle traveler affairs than I am? When you advance to a higher rank, there's a reward mission: robbery. The amount you can get depends on your ability."

"You mean that reward mission attracts some people with ill intentions?"

Natalia nodded, picking up her phone and pointing to a picture: "Of course, you can't do the mission alone, right? You need help, and that's where the opportunity lies. Different people perform different tasks."

Lin Yifan glanced at it and immediately understood.

The reward mission involved robbing a virtual bank. Usually, three or four people work together, with two entering the bank and the others waiting outside in a car. As long as they evade the police in the mission, they can return.

In other words, the one who gets the money can return without waiting for the others.

"I see. They're targeting cycle travelers who haven't joined a group or are from other groups?"

As for how they deceive, Lin Yifan could guess. It's simple: play the emotional card, call them brothers, or use small favors to win over newbies. Once the newbie advances... well, they take everything back, including the initial investment.

Does it sound dark? Lin Yifan didn't think so. This was just the tip of the iceberg; he had seen such tactics in the real world.

By now, the boat had slowly docked at the old pier on the prison island. If it weren't for the fact that the prison island only had this one place extending outward, one might not even recognize it as a pier.

No one knew how long it had been there. The originally flat concrete had deteriorated and cracked over time.

Lowering a metal plank, Lin Yifan stepped onto the ground. The old accountant drove up in a newly purchased prisoner transport vehicle, the cheapest kind, just for transporting prisoners on the island.

As soon as they disembarked, Nan Liang and the others quickly dragged the prisoners onto the vehicle, treating them like piglets.

Seeing them almost done, Natalia handed over a tablet with an electronic contract.

"Confirm the receipt, sigh." Natalia sighed, her mood not good, seemingly depressed after the argument with Zhou Xin.

Lin Yifan glanced at the content on the tablet, noticing her unusual state, and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Not happy?"

"Who can be happy with a mischievous brother?"

Lin Yifan raised an eyebrow: "Mischievous brother? I think Zhou Xin is quite mature for his age, knowing more than you, Miss Prosecutor who stirs up trouble."

Natalia pouted: "Don't be cheeky. I've known him since he was a kid. We live in the same residential area, so you could say he's my neighbor."

Signing his name calmly, Lin Yifan pondered. It seemed the Infinite City had other subspaces, including residential areas for the natives, which explained why there were so few pedestrians in the Infinite City.

After signing, the slightly disappointed Natalia shook hands with Lin Yifan: "Thank you, the funds will be transferred to your prison account."

Nodding, Lin Yifan took out his phone to check the new 15,000, but when he refreshed the account page, he found no change in his balance. Instead, it had decreased due to the purchase of the prisoner transport vehicle, leaving him with over 120,000.

"That's strange? The funds should have arrived immediately."

Natalia, who had been listless, was taken aback. After a three-second pause, her face turned angry: "Damn it, they even withheld the funds I applied for!"