Card Room

Chapter 46 - Financial Crisis 6: Escape Route

The decorations market.

Yu Hanjiang came here and heard some workers complaining. “Today I went to buy goods and the price of wood has doubled. What’s going on?” “The prices of tiles, utensils and household appliances all went up! I thought I saw a ghost!”

Next to them was a middle-aged woman who was yelling at a decoration company. “Why isn’t it installed? I paid you the fee yesterday and you suddenly broke the contract today? Are you saying that a contract doesn’t count? There are laws!”

The young man next to her whispered, “Boss, aren’t you being too much? The contract has been signed and the advance payment paid. It is good to stay today. I am waiting for this house to finish before I get married.”

The woman cried out, “Yes, my son is getting married three months later! If you say that the house won’t be installed then I will sue you!”

The boss of the decorating company was also very firm as he placed the contract on the table. “The prices of all the materials have doubled. The deposit you gave me isn’t enough for me to buy sand and cement! I have to push off all my customers. If you want to sue me then I will join my ancestors (go to die)!”

The woman grabbed the man’s collar. “Are you using this as justification?”

The group of people suddenly fought and the sound of banging came from the decoration company.

Today’s decoration market was very chaotic. A few days ago, the deposit was paid but the price had doubled today. The customers wouldn’t accept the new price and the boss didn’t want to sell at the original price. The two sides argued endlessly and Yu Hanjiang almost became deaf.

Fortunately, he had chosen the most hidden underground warehouse.

At this time, only a few companies in the underground warehouse were unloading things. Yu Hanjiang bought the best quality locks from a nearby hardware store and replaced the locks on the warehouse. Other people might not think to steal the decorations at the market warehouse but it was safer to change the locks. The anti-theft locks he bought were very strong and hard to open.

After changing the locks, Yu Hanjiang calmly left the underground warehouse.

He put on his invisibility cloak that gave 30 minutes of invisibility and moved around the market.

No signs of any challengers were found.

It was no wonder since most challengers would go to the supermarket to gain goods first. Who was free enough to go to the decorations market to buy furniture?

After the investigation, he drew strokes on the paper to map out the layout of the entire decorations market. If someone ransacked the warehouse in the middle of the night, the escape route was also marked.

Then he turned back and found that the situation of the decorating company was really bad. The glass was smashed and because the staff demanded their salary be doubled, the boss refused and the staff said they would goon strike.

It could be seen that there would probably be a wave of strikes in all walks of life in this city.

The salary was calculated on a daily basis. This was a giant pit that the Keeper of Spades dug for this world!

***

The supermarket.

Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge were so shocked by the spectacular sight in front of them that they couldn’t speak.

Last night, the supermarket had been orderly and now it was completely messed up. It was crowded from front to back with people and there were long queues at the checkout. The shelves with daily necessities, mineral water, instant noodles, milk, chocolates... they had all been emptied!

The entire supermarket was full of people but the shelves were empty. It was like a catastrophe.

Shao Qingge frowned and said, “There are many people who are cautious and sensitive in this world. It seems that once the price doubled this morning, everyone was alarmed and ran to the supermarket to stock up.”

Prices had only doubled at the moment and there was no need to be too afraid with savings in hand. They were more worried that prices would continue to soar so there was nothing wrong with hoarding goods.

There were many people who bought rice and noodles. One old lady directly pushed a trolley full of pork meat.

The queue at the checkout was getting longer and longer and people who reacted late in the morning were still rushing into the supermarket.

The slower it became, the more the crowd became restless. Finally, a person carrying a box of milk didn’t give money and directly ran out of the checkout railings. The security guards hurriedly started to chase him while the people behind him started to shout. “Someone is running away!” “Can you hurry up?” “What are you doing at the checkout? There are things I have to do at home!”

Several of the cashier employees were sweating.

There was no mobile payment in this world. The things bought had to be accounted for and then the change found. The checkout sister was crying. “There isn’t enough change. Call the manager to come!”

The manager came to maintain order but there were more and more people in the queue. One old man had a heart attack and fell to the ground. There was another riot in the crowd. Due to the insufficient change, the cashier couldn’t give out change. It was unknown who took the lead but someone pushed their shopping cart and rushed out. “Fuck, they want us to pay when the prices are doubled and now they want to steal our money?”

There were also a few young and strong guys who fled without giving money.

However, most people were still relatively patient on the first time. The price doubling was still within everyone’s tolerance range. Although many people were impatient, they still waited for the manager to get the change.

Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge glanced at each other.

If the first day was like this then... they couldn’t imagine it.

To avoid being affected by the large crowd, the two quickly left the supermarket.

***

Once Xiao Lou came back, Xiao Lou was making lunch in the kitchen.

He cooked two packets of instant noodles in the pot, put in a few green vegetables, seasoned it with salt and vinegar and added some chopped green onions and a few poached eggs. Three bowls of ‘sour noodle soup’ was successfully made.

The table contained such pickled radish, canned fish and dried meat, making a simple lunch.

Xiao Lou’s cooked noodles weren’t too soft or hard. The taste was just right and combined with the delicious sour soup, it was especially appetizing.

Yu Hanjiang only ate some biscuits for breakfast and faced with the hot noodles, he quickly wolfed down a bowl. He drank from the bowl, not leaving a single bit of the soup behind. Then he looked at Xiao Lou and asked, “Is there any more?”

Shao Qingge nodded while eating noodles. “Professor Xiao is good at this and I want another bowl.”

Xiao Lou laughed. “There is another pot and it should be enough.”

For Xiao Lou, this was the simplest dish. The sour noodle soup was very stomach-friendly and easy to make. It was fragrant and delicious, at the very least, it was much better than the noodles with heavy seasoning. That’s why he bought the box of instant noodles yesterday. He had access to fire and intended to make his own version.

After lunch, Xiao Lou opened a can of fruit, poured it into a disposable lunch box and gave the two people a plastic spoon.

Shao Qingge scooped out a spoonful of fruit and fruit juice, stuffing it into his mouth. His eyes were satisfied and gave off a ‘follow the god to eat meat’ mood. If he had stocked up on his own then he wouldn’t have thought of being this fruit!

Yu Hanjiang also felt emotional as he ate the sweet and fresh canned fruit.

If he brought Professor Xiao with him then he could travel away from home without worrying. Xiao Lou was a really careful, gentle and intelligent man. Any woman who married him would be too happy... Yu Hanjiang ate the fruit while having these thoughts.

This lunch cost less than 40 yuan, which was equivalent to 4,000 gold coins. However, the three people were particularly satisfied after eating.

In the afternoon, Yu Hanjiang continued to go out to investigate while Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge stayed at home with the air conditioning turned on.

Yu Hanjiang was used to suffering.

In the hottest time, he lay in ambush in the woods for several hours in the 40 degrees sun in order to catch a murderer. His entire body was full of mosquito bites but he didn’t mind. He just wiped some cool oil on himself and continued tracking. Meanwhile, at first glance, Professor Xiao was from a good family and had never suffered from childhood. Shao Qingge also didn’t seem able to endure suffering.

The outside temperature was more than 40 degrees and the three people didn’t need to act together. Therefore, Yu Hanjiang moved alone and didn’t let the two people follow. Xiao Lou had to stay in the room until he came back.

In the heat of the sun, the streets were about to melt.

This time, Yu Hanjiang’s excursion was to investigate the dynamics of the entire city and see where it was easy to go wrong.

This world’s residents were all free people with great variables. There were also many challengers. Yu Hanjiang was worried that there would be serious group violence/ disorder in a few days that would affect them.

Once they couldn’t stay in the guesthouse any longer, he would have to take Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge to transfer to another place.

It was always right to leave himself an escape route.

The surrounding construction sites and unfinished buildings were good places to go.

These places would at least allow them to shelter from the rain. They bought sleeping bags and could sleep on the ground for the night.

Yu Hanjiang borrowed a bicycle from the owner of the guesthouse and rode to the suburbs of the city. After riding for more than half an hour, he did find a construction site.

It was a three storey building that didn’t seem like a commercial house. It was more like a mall. The property had just been capped and the windows hadn’t been installed. The facade of the building hadn’t been painted and was the original red brick.

The construction site was in disarray after the prices doubled.

Many migrant workers demanded that their wages for today be doubled while the boss used a microphone to persuade everyone. The machines on the entire site had stopped working and the construction status had stagnated.

By the time Yu Hanjiang came, the workers were gathered together and angrily shouting about a strike. The boss tried to persuade everyone by saying he would find a way as soon as possible. The prices would certainly come down and the workers shouldn’t worry...

The worker’s mood stabilized a bit and the site was back to the normal operation.

Still, Yu Hanjiang knew this stability wouldn’t last long. Tomorrow, prices would rise and the wage wouldn’t be able to keep up with the crazily soaring prices. This site would be completely abandoned in three days.

There were three floors and many empty rooms. Although there were no windows, the survival room requirements shouldn’t be too high.

Yu Hanjiang would use this as an alternative base. Once they couldn’t live in the guesthouse any longer, he would take Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge to immediately transfer to this place.

Once he finished checking the construction site, Yu Hanjiang examined the surroundings. This was uninhabited and there shouldn’t be too much of a crisis to transfer later. They should survive.

***

Xiao Lou was anxiously waiting in the room.

Yu Hanjiang didn’t come back until five in the afternoon.

After seeing him, Xiao Lou was finally relieved and asked, “There is nothing?”

Yu Hanjiang gave him a reassuring look. “I’m fine. Today is only the first day and no one on the street would beat up or rob people. Only some workers were clamouring for a strike. The general public is a bit anxious but they can still endure it.”

Shao Qingge sighed. “Currently, the supply of water and electricity is normal. Officer workers are turning on their air conditioning and there is food in the kitchen so it isn’t too uncomfortable. Tomorrow is Sunday and the situation should worsen. On Monday, there is likely to be large-scale strikes.”

Xiao Lou was worried, “I don’t know how long we can continue to stay here.”

Yu Hanjiang patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ve found another place to stay.”

Xiao Lou wondered, “You went out this afternoon to find a backup place?”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “There is a building being constructed in the suburbs. It has three floors and the workers are threatening a strike. After a few days, they will really go on strike and the property will become a rotten building. If the city isn’t safe any longer, we will move over.”

Xiao Lou, “...”

On a hot day, Yu Hanjiang was covered in sweat and went out all afternoon to find an escape route.

Group Leader Yu was really reliable. Xiao Lou hurriedly took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him. “Outside is so hot. Group Leader Yu, first drink some water and then take a bath.” Seeing that Yu Hanjiang’s short-sleeved t-shirt was soaked in sweat and tightly attached to his body, Xiao Lou suggested, “Once you take a bath, change your clothes. I will help you wash the clothes later. It is all sweat and will be uncomfortable to wear.”

Yu Hanjiang replied, “Thank you.”

Shao Qingge looked at them with a smile. “I will go back to my hotel first. You talk.”

Xiao Lou asked, “Will you come over for dinner?”

Shao Qingge replied, “You don’t have to worry about me. I will eat my spare supplies tonight.”

Xiao Lou nodded. “Okay, be careful.”

Once Shao Qingge left, Yu Hanjiang took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to take a bath.

Yu Hanjiang had just finished taking a bath when there was a knock on the door.

Shao Qingge entered and calmly explained, “I went back to the hotel and the box of supplies hidden below my bed was stolen.”

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang, “......”

How could it be stolen so easily?

Shao Qingge pressed a hand to his temple. “Do I have a face that the thief likes?”

Xiao Lou didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. “It is probably because you exude the smell of a rich person from your body? Were you targeted when you checked into the hotel?”

Shao Qingge felt that things weren’t that simple. He lowered his voice and looked at Yu Hanjiang. “Group Leader Yu, I think the challengers staying in my hotel want to use another instance clearance method: stealing other challengers’ supplies. Just now in the hotel lobby, two girls were also crying about losing their things. I suspect there is a professional thief among the challengers.”

Yu Hanjiang’s expression immediately became serious. “They haven’t stolen things from the Shanshui Guesthouse because there are too many people here and it isn’t easy to act rashly. Then they will first pick challengers from other places to act first?”

Shao Qingge felt it was quite possible. “You can retreat to my room. I have been robbed already and it should be safer.”

Yu Hanjiang asked, “How big is your room? Will it be crowded with three men?”

“I booked a standard room. There are two beds but the area is quite large. We can take turns sleeping on the floor.”

Yu Hanjiang quickly decided, “Let Xiao Lou go to live with you, I will stay here.” Something sharp flashed in his eyes. “I’d like to see the person who dares to grab other people’s supplies to clear the instance.”

Xiao Lou opened his mouth. “I’ll stay too.”

Shao Qingge had a headache as he looked at them. “Aren’t you afraid of danger?”

Xiao Lou smiled. “Rest assured, we have a way to escape.”

If he detected that something wasn’t right, he could open the Peach Blossom Spring to enter and hide for half an hour. Moreover, Group Leader Yu was a policeman. It was common for Group Leader Yu to take care of a few thieves. Xiao Lou wasn’t worried about security issues.

The two people eventually stayed at the Shanshui Guesthouse.

However, nothing happened that night. No thieves came to the door.

At dawn, a prompt appeared on the floating boxes of all challengers.

[Affected by the financial turmoil, the prices in the city have doubled from yesterday.]

Xiao Lou, “......”

This 艹艹!

Yu Hanjiang saw the message and nearly cursed.

The 3 of Spades room was an exponential increase?

If the prices doubled every day, wouldn’t it soar to 128 times by the seventh day?

A 200 gold coins bottle of mineral water would become 25,600 gold coins on the seventh day. A 500 gold coins packet of instant noodles would increase to 64,000 gold coins on the last day? Foods such as canned fruit and chocolate would become luxury items that couldn’t be consumed.

This world was crazy!