Chapter 35

When Li Mu and Zhao Kang boarded the train, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Sitting on the train, Li Mu noticed the barely concealed excitement and agitation in Zhao Kang's eyes.

Not to mention Zhao Kang, even Li Mu, who had lived two lives, found it hard to remain calm. Eight hundred thousand yuan, in today's terms, was truly a sum that ordinary families could only dream of.

Zhao Kang was still in a frenzy over his new phone, fiddling with it as soon as he sat down, unable to put it down.

"How did you explain it to your parents?"

At the mention of this, Zhao Kang immediately perked up.

"I didn't say anything. I just gave them my phone number and told them to call me if there was an emergency. When they pressed me for details, I didn't answer."

"Awesome..." Li Mu gave him a thumbs up.

Zhao Kang shook his head and smiled bitterly. "If my parents weren't so strict and didn't respect my wishes at all, I would have told them everything."

"Also, I don't even have the right to buy my own clothes. My mom buys them for me or takes me shopping. The clothes I like, she doesn't. She buys clothes based on price and quality, not style, so I end up looking like a little old man all day..."

Sighing, Zhao Kang continued, "I already gave them a heads-up, saying that I probably wouldn't pass the third-tier college entrance exam this year. They've been discussing retaking the exam for the past two days, without even consulting me. They're talking about whether they can find someone at the No. 1 High School to help me get into the regular class, saying that the teachers in the retake class are too lax, while the regular class teachers are strict because of the pressure to improve the college admission rate..."

"What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"You, don't be too confrontational with them," Li Mu, who understood Zhao Kang's situation, said. Otherwise, he wouldn't have run away from home during his retake year in his previous life; it was all a result of being pushed to the limit.

Zhao Kang said, "I've already thought it through. After we sell the 'Stone Age Overlord,' you'll definitely tell Uncle Li and Aunt Xiao the truth. I'll do the same, saying that I can make a lot of money with you, so I have to go to Beijing with you. If I retake the exam, I won't have the chance to make money with you."

Li Mu nodded. "Telling the truth is good, but if your parents accept it, only our two families should know. Don't spread it around."

"Don't worry," Zhao Kang said immediately. "I know what I'm doing."

The train moved slowly, and both were eager, their minds already in the northern city of Pengcheng. Li Mu even missed the high-speed rail era of the future, where this journey would take just over an hour.

At 10:15, the train arrived ten minutes late. The first thing Li Mu and Zhao Kang did after getting off was to hail a taxi to take them to the largest branch of the Construction Bank in Pengcheng.

At the Construction Bank, Pengcheng branch, Li Mu and Zhao Kang each got a bank card.

After leaving the bank, Li Mu bought a local SIM card from a nearby newsstand and inserted it into his Nokia.

Back at the bank, Li Mu pointed to the waiting area and said to Zhao Kang, "Before the transaction, I need to show them the program and code on the computer. This is the most critical part. If they run off with the computer, we'll be in trouble. So, doing it in the bank is safer. Once they confirm the program is fine, they can transfer the money directly, and then they can take the CD and leave. We'll leave quickly too."

"Okay," Zhao Kang nodded. "I'll stay outside and keep an eye on things."

"Alright," Li Mu agreed. Although he didn't expect any problems, it was better to be cautious with eight hundred thousand yuan.

Zhao Kang, looking confident, patted his chest and said, "I have good stamina. They won't be able to run away with the computer."

Li Mu laughed. "That's true, you run faster than a dog."

Li Mu then said to Zhao Kang, "I'll go inside and wait. You find a spot outside to keep an eye on things."

"Okay."

Li Mu called Sun Peng, who had already been in Pengcheng for a few hours, had breakfast with his partner, and was waiting for Li Mu to contact him.

Seeing the incoming call, Sun Peng recognized the local number. In those days, phone numbers were simple: 13X, followed by the local area code, and then four digits. He had looked up some information about Pengcheng before coming, so he knew this was a local number.

Since it was a local number, it must be the person he was looking for.

"Hello, how are you?"

"Hello."

This was their first time communicating over the phone.

"Where are you?" Li Mu's voice was no longer that of a young boy, having passed through puberty.

"We're at a breakfast shop on Qinglong Road."

Li Mu said, "Take a taxi to the Pengcheng branch of the Construction Bank. I'll wait for you there."

Sun Peng, hearing this, immediately said, "That won't do. We haven't seen the program yet."

Li Mu replied calmly, "Come quickly. We can look at the program and code in the bank. If we finish quickly, I can still make it home for lunch."

Li Mu's plan was simple: to make the other party think he was a local, which would not only avoid future trouble but also make them think twice if they had any ulterior motives during the transaction.

Sun Peng, hearing this, didn't think much of it. Since the phone number was local, he assumed the seller was a local.

Moreover, he didn't dare to act rashly. He was secretly worried that Li Mu might take advantage of being a local. This transaction involved the fruits of several days of labor for Li Mu and all the savings of Sun Peng and his partner, so he was more concerned about any issues.

When Sun Peng and his partner arrived at the bank, they immediately recognized Li Mu.

The reason was simple: although there were many people in the waiting area, only Li Mu had a laptop on his lap.

Fortunately, Li Mu had shaved and styled his hair, making him look less his age. An 18-year-old would see him as a peer, and someone in their early 20s would see him the same way.

"Hello, I'm Sun Peng, also known as Big Peng."

Sun Peng sat across from Li Mu and extended his hand.

Li Mu nodded, shook his hand, and looked at the man next to him, asking curiously, "What's your name?"

The man also extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Zhu Ziweng, Sun Peng's partner."

Li Mu shook his hand and then handed the computer to Sun Peng. "Take a look. The final version of the program and the source code are both on it."

The "final version" meant that the trial period restrictions had been removed. As for the paid verification part, they would have to handle it themselves, which was very simple for someone experienced in commercial cheats.

Sun Peng took the computer, thinking to himself that if he had the ability to teleport, it would be great, given that it was eight hundred thousand yuan...

But he only thought about it.

Soon, Sun Peng had a rough look at the software and source code. Li Mu, being cunning, only let him look for five minutes before asking, "How is it? Any problems?"

Although he had only seen a little, Sun Peng, being a programmer, knew it was genuine. However, code is complex, and anything beyond his ability was hard to understand, so he gained nothing in those five minutes. Li Mu was confident that Sun Peng wouldn't understand his code for two to three years, even though it was relatively simple to him.

"No problems," Sun Peng nodded, returning the computer with trembling hands.

Although the software and code were fine, he was still worried, fearing that Li Mu might change his mind.

After all, this was a decision worth eight hundred thousand yuan, and the pressure was immense as the moment approached.

Li Mu noticed his worry and smiled. "I won't touch 'Stone Age' again, but I might follow other games. So, I can't promise anything else, but you can operate 'Stone Age Overlord' with peace of mind. If I develop cheats for other games in the future, we can consider collaborating."

"Really?" Sun Peng's worry was significantly alleviated.

"Just a consideration. I have the skills to write code, but I might not be as good at operations and sales as you." Li Mu didn't want to make absolute promises, so he was cautious.

"Great!" Sun Peng was no longer worried. They were both in the cheat business, and they might meet again in other games. If he couldn't outdo Li Mu in cheats, there would still be other business opportunities. Sun Peng firmly believed that the online game market was just opening a small window, and the potential was enormous.

The rest was simple. Li Mu took the CD out of the computer but didn't give it to him immediately. Instead, he asked him to fill out the transfer form together.

Sun Peng didn't argue. They filled out the form together, and Sun Peng only knew that the young man he was dealing with was Li Mu from Pengcheng and his phone number. What he didn't know was that, except for the name, everything else was fake.

After filling out the form, they went to the counter together. Li Mu watched the bank clerk's every move as the eight hundred thousand yuan was transferred from Sun Peng's account to his.

The form was printed, and Sun Peng signed it but didn't immediately give it to the clerk. He first showed it to Li Mu and then handed it to the clerk.

The clerk then gave him a receipt.

It was done. The deal was sealed.

Li Mu felt a sense of relief but didn't show it on his face.

At his age, he had the maturity and composure to keep his emotions in check.

Sun Peng's face was pale, as if everything had been drained from him. Although he knew Li Mu wouldn't cheat him, this was all their savings!

Looking at Li Mu, who remained calm and composed, Sun Peng thought, "He's not an ordinary person."

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