863: Chapter 858 A penniless pauper

A Moscow subway station.

He blended into the rush hour crowd, using the signal jammer he carried to completely disable all of Chen Guangke's communication equipment.

He even managed to swipe one of Chen Guangke's spare magazines.

It was on that occasion.

Shen Yan realized that conventional methods could not catch him.

Franz was not an ordinary wanted criminal.

He was a genius.

You cannot deal with a genius using brute force.

You have to use your brain.

You have to use what he cares about most to lure him out.

The fourth month.

Jinghai City.

Shen Yan sat in his spacious office.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window was the bustling night view of Jinghai City.

He did not go out to chase him anymore.

Nor did he send anyone to intercept him.

He was waiting.

On the desk sat a cup of steaming hot black coffee.

Chen Guangke sat opposite him, looking completely bewildered.

"Brother Yan, aren't we going to chase him?"

"The system shows that this kid is currently in Jinghai City, seemingly browsing the Panjiayuan Antique Market."

"If we act now..."

Shen Yan waved his hand, interrupting Chen Guangke.

"No need to chase."

"He's been running for four months; he must be tired."

"Besides, I've cut off his supplies."

Chen Guangke paused.

"Cut off supplies?"

Shen Yan pointed to the computer screen in front of him.

"Over the past week, I didn't just use 'asking heaven' to hack all his anonymous accounts in the Swiss Bank."

"I also blocked all his channels for taking jobs on the dark web."

"Even his twenty-eight forged identity IDs have been canceled by me, one by one."

"Now, in this world, he is just a penniless scoundrel."

"He can't go anywhere except here."

This was the power of capital.

When capital combines with top-tier hacking technology, it can render a person completely paralyzed in this digital society.

Just then.

The office door was knocked upon.

Very light, three rhythmic knocks.

Shen Yan's lips curled up slightly.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open.

A figure looking somewhat disheveled walked in.

It was Franz.

His signature blond hair was a bit greasy, and his once expensive trench coat was wrinkled.

His eyes were dark, as if he hadn't slept for three days.

He was holding a half-eaten Jianbing Guozi (savory crepe).

This was completely incompatible with his Bavarian noble demeanor.

"Your Country H's mobile payment system is simply a nightmare."

Franz plopped down onto the leather sofa and tossed the half Jianbing Guozi onto the coffee table.

"I couldn't even pay for a Jianbing; that auntie took pity on me and gave it to me."

He slumped into the sofa, looking at Shen Yan with utter despair.

"You won."

"I can't run anymore."

"And I have no money left."

"Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"If it's hacking the Pentagon, or kidnapping a princess of some nation, I'll need a five-million-dollar advance first."

Shen Yan remained silent.

He took out a file from the drawer and slid it gently across the desk, stopping in front of Franz.

It wasn't a check.

Nor was it an assassination list.

It was the structural blueprint for the 'Underground Quantum Computing Center.'

Franz glanced at it casually.

"Building again? I told you I wouldn't..."

His voice abruptly cut off.

His previously dull eyes instantly became sharp.

He sat up straight abruptly and snatched the blueprint.

It was like a homeless person starved for three days seeing a lavish feast.

"This..."

"This mechanical structure..."

"Wait, is the cooling circuit here designed to cooperate with the stability of the quantum entanglement state?"

"And this... the anti-seismic design four hundred meters underground..."

Franz's fingers flew across the blueprint, spitting out a string of complex German words.

His breathing grew ragged.

The fatigue on his face vanished, replaced by an almost manic excitement.

"This is a work of art."

He suddenly looked up, staring intently at Shen Yan.

"Who drew these plans?"

"This absolutely defies the existing architectural logic on Earth!"

Shen Yan leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers.

"Who drew it isn't important."

"What's important is that I want to build it."

"In this world, only you can build it."

This sentence was like a powerful stimulant, hitting Franz directly in the main artery.

As a former physicist and current mad architect,

To personally construct such an epoch-transcending marvel was more tempting than being given a hundred million US dollars.

This was an undertaking worthy of being recorded in history.

Even dying on the construction site would be an honor.

Franz's hands were trembling.

He looked at the blueprint, then at Shen Yan.

The hostility in his eyes dissipated, leaving behind the fervor of meeting a kindred spirit.

Of course, there was also a trace of undisguised cunning.

"I accept."

Franz pressed the blueprint against his chest, as if protecting his child.

"But I have conditions."

"Name them," Shen Yan said generously.

"First, I want the best materials. No matter how expensive, if I ask for it, you give it to me."

"No problem."

"Second, I am the boss on the construction site. Your people cannot interfere."

"Agreed."

"Third, I want the best beer, flown in from Germany."

Shen Yan laughed.

"I'll buy you a winery."

Franz nodded in satisfaction.

He stood up, stretched, and his bones cracked audibly.

"Then it's settled."

"Arrange a place for me to stay, preferably with a bathtub. I need a shower."

"Being chased like a dog for the past few months has been utterly degrading."

Shen Yan pressed the communicator on his desk.

"Have Wu Ya take Mr. Franz to rest and arrange the best apartment."

Wu Ya quickly pushed the door open and led the bewildered Franz out.

Only when the office door closed again.

Did the silent Chen Guangke finally speak up.

"Brother Yan, can we rely on this kid?"

"The way he agreed so readily, why did his eyes look so shifty?"

Shen Yan picked up the now-cold coffee and took a small sip.

"He is a noble, and he is a scoundrel."

"I can probably guess what he's thinking."

Shen Yan's gaze fell upon the half-eaten Jianbing Guozi.

"He will definitely tamper with the project."

"For example, carving words mocking me into the ventilation ducts."

"Or designing all the screws to rotate in reverse just to annoy future maintenance workers."

"He might even implant an opera he sings himself as the startup sound effect for the control system."

Chen Guangke's eyes widened.

"Then why are you still using him?"

"Isn't this inviting a wolf into the house?"

Shen Yan put down his cup, stood up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The neon lights outside reflected a cold, hard gleam in his pupils.

"As long as the building doesn't collapse, as long as the computing center can run..."

"What does it matter if he vents a little bit of minor frustration?"

"Geniuses always have privileges."