Chapter 7

That car, it turned out, was really the black Nissan SUV depicted on the second page of the Book of Revelation.

Recalling the incident with the bus, he couldn't help but wonder: Could this SUV also be involved in a car accident?

His unfortunate luck seemed to be influencing the events around him again. In the past, it had only made him poor, but since the last accident, it had started to threaten his life.

His thoughts raced, and he suddenly felt the urge to back out.

The tall, thin man turned his head and called out, "Hey, the one without a seat, come sit in this car."

Xu Mo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, gradually calming down, and said to the tall, thin man, "I get carsick in small cars; I'll end up vomiting all over the place." Then he turned to the people in the car and asked, "Anyone want to switch places with me and sit in that car?"

He thought to himself: If no one switches places with me, I'll go back. No matter how important earning money is, it can't compare to my life.

The driver also chimed in, "Who wants to switch? Who wants to switch?"

A man weighing over 200 pounds stood up, glanced out the window, and said, "I'll switch with you."

Xu Mo was taken aback, then thought: If this person switches places with me, wouldn't he be taking my place in a potential accident? Would I be the one causing his death? Should I tell them about the accident to make them cautious?

But even if I told them, who would believe me? And is that car really going to have an accident?

While he was still undecided, the fat man had already gotten out of the car. The tall, thin man had already opened the passenger door, ready to sit down, and glanced at the fat man, "Phew! You sit in the passenger seat."

Given the fat man's size, it was unlikely he could fit in the back seat with the other two people.

The fat man laughed and walked to the passenger seat, while the tall, thin man and the other two sat in the back. The SUV then drove away.

Xu Mo was still in a daze when the driver turned around and urged him, "Hurry up and sit down, we're about to start."

Xu Mo said, "Oh," and walked to the seat the fat man had vacated. The bus started, and he leaned out the window, watching the SUV, his mind in turmoil, a thought circling in his head: Is this SUV really going to have an accident?

Suddenly, a man in the front row turned around and looked at Xu Mo, "Hey, buddy, getting carsick in a small car is pretty rare."

He had a half-smiling, half-mocking expression, the same man who had stood next to Xu Mo and asked the first question. His expression clearly showed he didn't believe Xu Mo.

Xu Mo absentmindedly replied, "Yeah."

His eyes were still on the SUV, and his thoughts had shifted to: When will this SUV have an accident? Can I find a way to stop it?

The man suddenly took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and asked Xu Mo, "Want one?"

Xu Mo shook his head. The young woman sitting by the window, about twenty years old with big eyes, looked like a college student doing a part-time job. She frowned and showed a look of disgust.

The man took out a lighter and was about to light the cigarette when the driver saw him in the rearview mirror and turned around, pointing at him, "Smoke outside the car."

Xu Mo couldn't help but glance at the man, thinking that with his muscular build, he must have a short temper. He thought the man might lose his temper, but to his surprise, the man just paused, said nothing, and put the cigarette away calmly.

Xu Mo was taken aback and softly said, "Huh."

The man heard his voice and turned around again, looking at him. Xu Mo smiled faintly but said nothing.

The man seemed interested in making conversation and asked, "What's your surname?"

Xu Mo was taken aback but still answered, "Xu Mo." He then asked, "And you?"

"Me?" The man smiled, "Liu Qian, Liu as in Emperor Gaozu, Qian as in Emperor Qianlong. How about that, not a bad name, right?"

Xu Mo found it amusing that he was so proud of his name. The young woman next to him couldn't help but giggle.

Liu Qian immediately turned to her, grinning mischievously, and said, "Beautiful lady, what's your name?"

The big-eyed girl clearly didn't like his attitude and became serious but still answered, "Su Yan."

Liu Qian immediately praised, "Great name." His expression was exaggerated, and he leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of the seat, smiling at her and asking, "Which SU? Which YAN?"

Xu Mo couldn't help but think: You don't even know which characters are in her name, and you're already calling it a great name?

Seeing Liu Qian's expression, he realized that Liu Qian was just using this as an excuse to flirt with the girl.

Su Yan was repulsed by this approach but suddenly remembered something and asked, "Have you been to the mountain lodge in Beishan? How is the environment there? Is it beautiful?"

Liu Qian was delighted that Su Yan was talking to him and said, "It's okay, run by Shen Bancheng."

Shen Bancheng?

Hearing this strange name, Xu Mo couldn't help but shift his attention from the SUV to Liu Qian.

He heard Su Yan ask, "Shen Bancheng? Is there someone with that name?"

Her voice was a bit loud, and Liu Qian quickly shushed her, then lowered his voice, "Keep it down, he's the boss of Beicheng."

"Boss of Beicheng?"

Xu Mo frowned, sensing it might be related to the mafia.

Su Yan also looked puzzled. Liu Qian hesitated for a moment and then said, "You don't know who the boss of Beicheng is?"

Su Yan, seeing his expression, also became nervous and whispered, "Is he in the mafia?"

Liu Qian quickly said, "Shh! Don't say that." He pointed behind him.

Xu Mo and Su Yan understood he was referring to the driver. Su Yan, curious, asked, "Why do you call him Shen Bancheng? Is that his name?"

Liu Qian explained in a low voice, "Not exactly. Bancheng means half of Huai City is under his control. In this area, almost all the nightclubs and bars are his."

Su Yan thought for a moment and said, "So when you said Beicheng boss, you meant the northern part of the city?"

Liu Qian praised, "You're smart."

Su Yan seemed very interested in this gossip and asked, "If there's a boss in the north, is there one in the south too?"

Liu Qian said, "There are two in the south, Boss Feng and Boss He. Boss Feng is in the east, and Boss He is in the west."

Su Yan continued, "So among these three, Shen Bancheng has the most power."

This was a simple deduction, but Liu Qian still praised, "You're smart. That's right. Shen Bancheng has the most power, far more than Boss Feng and Boss He. But if you combine Boss Feng and Boss He, they have a bit more power than him. Their relationship is like the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu."

Xu Mo had no interest in the mafia and turned his attention back to the SUV, vaguely hearing Su Yan worry, "If they're in the mafia, what if they refuse to pay us after we finish the job?"

Liu Qian laughed, "They're doing so well, they wouldn't be short of your small amount of money." He lowered his voice even more, half-kneeling on his seat, leaning forward, and whispered, "I'll tell you, in Shen Bancheng's nightclub, they sell hallucinogenic drugs. They're very effective and not addictive. They say they make them themselves."

Su Yan said, "Oh," and suddenly felt afraid, not daring to ask more.

Xu Mo, however, was intrigued. Hallucinogenic drugs, made by themselves, not addictive—what kind of drug is that? Could it have any effect on his current breathing technique?

He wanted to ask Liu Qian more but laughed to himself. Even if such a drug existed, what could he do? It would be much more expensive than a quilt. If he could afford such a drug, he might as well buy a quilt or some clothes. If he wasn't cold, he wouldn't need to worry about the breathing technique.

He thought: After this part-time job, I'll buy a quilt. As for the breathing technique, it's just something I came up with in desperation. It can't be taken seriously.

Reflecting on this, he found it amusing. He told himself: No matter how difficult the future is, no matter how bad my luck is, as long as I don't give up, I won't die of cold or hunger.

He looked at the SUV again and suddenly felt nervous. If the SUV really has an accident and the tall, thin man dies, will it affect my part-time job?

Thinking about his bad luck, he felt that this might really happen.

He then remembered the green fruit, the man with his face covered by hair, and the frozen river in the Book of Revelation. He wondered: These things are clearly from the mountains. If I don't reach Beishan, how can these things appear? If the tall, thin man dies in an accident, how can I reach Beishan?

Is the hint from the Book of Revelation real? If it is, did the tall, thin man survive the accident? Or did someone else take over the part-time job after he died?

Who is the man with his face covered by hair? What does his appearance on the fourth page mean? Could he be one of the people on this part-time job?

He couldn't help but look at the people in the bus, trying to find that person, but the man in the book didn't show his face and had taken off his coat, making it impossible to recognize him.

The two cars left the city and soon entered the mountains. Xu Mo's heart grew even more tense.

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PS: I suddenly realized a cliché plot. Writing urban fiction, it's almost inevitable to write about the mafia. It makes sense, after all. If this kind of novel doesn't write about conflicts and struggles, it would just be a simple romantic story.

If you think about it, the mafia is like the various sects in ancient fantasy novels.

I want to clarify that as the protagonist's abilities grow, I will try to avoid weakening the government's role or not writing about it at all to avoid the book being censored. If you find any inconsistencies, please be understanding. Just consider it a free country. After all, it's a fictional urban story.