Chapter 8

Thank you to Yingpulisi for a generous donation of 10,300, making you the second Grand Patron of this book. Thank you to Jia Da Xue Gaocai Sheng for a donation of 4,364, and to Kuku Wai Chuan DE Mao, AnKou_Java for donations of 588, and to Wo Meng Xiang Shi Ge Shouzi for a donation of 200, and to San Shi Yi Bian, Jun Yi Xiao Ran, Jonesw, Shuyou141110192023673, Wanggi for donations of 100.

---

Of course, Lin Bai couldn't fix the hard drive yesterday, but he could today. He possessed the evil "Dark Regeneration" magic, which could repair the hard drive even if it was completely shattered.

Lin Bai pretended to inspect the hard drive, connected it to his computer, and acted as if he was examining it for a while. Then he said to the two men, "This hard drive is severely damaged, but it's not impossible to fix. If I put in a bit more effort and replace a few important parts, it can be repaired... However, these parts are imported from Germany and are quite expensive... It will cost at least five..." He was lying through his teeth, using a common trick of repairmen to overcharge. He initially wanted to quote 500 yuan, but as he was about to say it, he felt a bit guilty. After all, the hard drive was broken because he had thrown it around. If he charged a high price for repairs, it would seem unreasonable.

Before he could finish, the man in the floral suit, Hong Ge, reached into his jacket, pulled out a wallet, and took out a stack of bills. Without counting, he slapped them on the table in front of Lin Bai. The stack was about one or two thousand yuan. "Is this enough? Remember, the most important thing is the data inside. As long as you can recover the data, use whatever parts you need—German, American, or even alien parts..."

Money! A big stack of money! One or two thousand yuan! The mafia is the mafia, with their arrogance, their menace, and their foolishness. They threw down one or two thousand yuan without blinking.

To be honest, Lin Bai had repaired many computers in his life, but he had never earned so much in one go. Usually, he would install operating systems, help with virus removal, or fix minor issues for ten to twenty yuan, and at most a hundred yuan. This was the largest sum he had ever faced in his short 23-year life. No wonder he was classified as a "Diao Si" (loser). If a rich and handsome guy saw a thousand or two yuan on the ground, he probably wouldn't even bother to pick it up... But Lin Bai was like he had been injected with adrenaline, getting excited immediately.

"Alright, just leave the hard drive to me, and I'll... " He paused, thinking: To fix this hard drive, I need to use Dark Regeneration, which involves magic incantations and black energy. How can I do that in front of them? Besides, the faster you fix something, the less likely you are to get a high price. If you act like it's a big deal and take a lot of effort, you can charge more.

Lin Bai said solemnly, "The damage to this hard drive is very severe, and it will take a long time to fix. Come back in two... no, three hours. I'll use the most advanced technology to repair it, and I guarantee that not a single byte of data will be lost."

The two mafia members looked at each other. Hong Ge said, "The data on this hard drive is too important. We can't let it out of our sight. You have to fix it in front of us."

Lin Bai's face twitched. "What? In front of you? If I shout 'I bought a watch last year' and shoot out a black energy beam, how can I fix it? What kind of data is on this hard drive? Is it some passionate video of you two? I don't want to see that! I might as well give up."

But... one or two thousand yuan is a "high" reward, and it's not something you can just give up. Lin Bai's mind raced. No, I have to earn this money. Fine, I'll fix it in front of you. I don't believe you won't go to the bathroom or eat lunch... As long as you're distracted for two or three minutes, I can recite the spell and fix it.

He pulled open a drawer and took out a bunch of tools. "Alright, it's time to show my true skills."

He laid out a row of screwdrivers on the table, some as thick as a rolling pin, others as thin as a wire. This made him look a bit more professional.

Hong Ge and the man in the floral suit exchanged glances.

The man in the floral suit whispered, "I thought this guy couldn't do it... The data on the hard drive can't be seen by others, so we can't take it to a big place to be fixed. We can only find someone like him. If the news leaks, the cops will be on us... Now, looking at him, he might be a computer expert. We might have found the right person."

Hong Ge lowered his voice. "I hope so. If the data can't be recovered, you'll be the one to blame. The boss will tear us apart."

The two men stopped talking and focused on Lin Bai's "skilled" hands.

Lin Bai didn't have any skilled hands. No matter how skilled, no one could repair a hard drive, a precision instrument, so easily. He picked up a small screwdriver and started unscrewing a screw on the hard drive, not caring what it was for or what would happen if he unscrewed it.

Hong Ge and the man in the floral suit exchanged glances again. The man in the floral suit whispered, "He's going straight for it, diagnosing the problem so quickly? How does he know the issue is here?"

Lin Bai unscrewed one screw and then another, and took out a soldering iron from a nearby drawer, plugging it in with a snap. His movements were smooth and confident, his left hand holding the soldering iron, his right hand unscrewing screws, without any hesitation. He looked very confident, and it was hard not to admire him.

"This guy must have been repairing computers for at least ten years!" Hong Ge and the man in the floral suit were even more impressed. Their mood lightened, and they felt that the hard drive would definitely be fixed, the mission wouldn't be botched, and their lives would be saved.

After unscrewing several screws, Lin Bai decisively removed a circuit board from the hard drive, didn't even look at it closely, and soldered it back on with the soldering iron. Hong Ge and the man in the floral suit were on edge, but Lin Bai didn't seem to care. "Why are you so nervous?"

Hong Ge and the man in the floral suit quickly said, "Master Lin, be gentle... be gentle... don't make it worse."

Lin Bai sneered. "Am I the one fixing the computer or you? Do you know where to be gentle and where to be firm?"

Hong Ge didn't dare argue and quickly smiled. "Master, you're right."

Lin Bai hummed and continued soldering. He was actually just randomly soldering, and the hard drive was already completely ruined. If he were fixing a computer for someone else, he wouldn't dare to do this, but today he wasn't afraid. With "Dark Regeneration," he could restore the hard drive even if it was a pile of scrap. He just needed to wait for the right moment.

After a while, over an hour had passed, and Lin Bai was still randomly soldering. The two mafia members couldn't sit still anymore. Most low-level gangsters were uneducated and couldn't stay quiet for long. Although the hard drive was important, watching Lin Bai solder without understanding what he was doing was unbearable.

The man in the floral suit stood up. "Hong Ge, I'm going to the bathroom. You keep an eye on things here."

Hong Ge hummed. "Lazy people have more bathroom breaks. Go quickly and come back quickly."

The man in the floral suit whistled and walked out. At the end of the street was a public toilet. On the way, he stopped at an old man's cigarette stand, picked a pack of cigarettes, and put one in his mouth. He then grabbed a newspaper from the old man and walked while reading, sauntering into the public toilet.

Hong Ge shook his head and turned back to watch Lin Bai.

Lin Bai cursed in his heart. "Finally, one of them is gone, but the other is still watching me so closely. You have to give me a chance, right?"

At that moment, there was a "whoosh" sound from across the street. The roller shutter of "Jiajia Beauty and Hair Salon" was being pulled up. A woman in a sexy, low-cut dress poked her head out. Her makeup was heavy, and even from across the street, you could almost smell her perfume. However, she wasn't ugly; she was very alluring. Anyone familiar with the business knew that the girls always wore heavy makeup to hide their true faces. After removing the makeup, no one could recognize them, which was a way to protect themselves when they decided to leave the business.

Lin Bai, of course, recognized this woman. She was the owner, Jiajia, but Jiajia was her stage name. In this line of work, the girls all had stage names, like Jiajia, Honghong, Tingting, Rourou... If you used your real name, you'd be considered a fool.

Lin Bai quickly called out to her. "Hey, Jiajia, you're opening late again? Do you even want to do business?"

Jiajia laughed. "Little Lin, you virgin, who would come to my place so early in the morning? It's not even noon yet. This is considered early. The prime time is after dinner. When you lose your virginity, you'll understand the secrets of my business."

"Calling me a virgin is fine, but don't add 'little' in front of it." Lin Bai wasn't angry, as they were neighbors and did business on the same street. He and Jiajia were good friends and often chatted. He said, "Today, I had a big customer in my shop. He gave me this much for fixing a hard drive." He grabbed the stack of bills on the table and waved it.

Jiajia's eyes lit up and looked at Hong Ge. She ran over with a smile, put her hand on Hong Ge's shoulder, and lightly scratched his neck with her blood-red nails. "Big brother, do you want to play with a little girl? I have all types in my shop... guaranteed to make you happy... two or three together is fine too." Then she leaned close to Lin Bai's ear and whispered, "This is a thug from the Jinzhu Gang. You're a decent person, don't get involved with them. Finish fixing his hard drive and send him away quickly. I'll help you distract him for a bit."

Lin Bai nodded.

Jiajia laughed and pretended to flirt with Lin Bai, licking his ear. Then she turned to face Hong Ge, exuding a seductive aura.

Hong Ge shivered, his eyes moving from Lin Bai to Jiajia. Just one look, and he was entranced. Jiajia was indeed very beautiful and had a curvy figure. Although she wasn't innocent, she was very alluring, which was why she could run her own business.

Hong Ge smirked. "Hey... I don't want to play with a little girl. You come with me, and I'll go to your place."

Jiajia smiled. "Big brother, I'm the most expensive one in the shop."

Hong Ge took out his wallet and slapped it on the table. "Money? I have plenty."

Jiajia glanced at the wallet, actually giving Lin Bai a signal, and pulled Hong Ge's arm. "What are you waiting for? Let's go play..."

Hong Ge was already entranced and couldn't resist. He said to Lin Bai, "Fix the hard drive well. I'll be back in a bit... When it's done, you won't be short a penny. Remember, don't look at the data on the hard drive. One look, and I'll cut off your hand. Two looks, and I'll cut off your head and feed it to the dogs."

Lin Bai was secretly furious. "Mafia, are you great? Threatening me? Do you think I won't solder your nose with the iron?"

Of course, he didn't believe it himself. He smiled. "Don't worry, I'll meet your demands."

Hong Ge hugged Jiajia and went across the street. As soon as they entered "Jiajia Beauty and Hair Salon" and closed the door, Lin Bai quickly recited, "I bought a watch last year," pointed at the hard drive, and a black energy beam shot out.

(During the new book period, please support by adding to your collection, clicking, and voting.)

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends