35: A phone call (3.2K, please update!)

Beyond the corridor adorned with neon strips lay club's top-floor office.

Inside the office, holographic murals projected a dazzling galaxy, and genuine leather sofas gleamed with expensive luster, forming a stark contrast to the dilapidated Slums outside. Noli stood by the table, watching the unhurried Moli, and finally couldn't hold back.

"Miss, how should we deal with Wang Defa?"

Moli stood up, her black tight-fitting dress accentuating her dangerous curves, her skin above the bustier incredibly fair.

She walked to the panoramic window, looking down at the myriad of people below club, the flickering neon lights reflecting their hunched shadows.

"Don't deal with him," she suddenly turned, a glint flashing in her eyes: "Keep him for now."

"Keep him? Miss?" Noli thought she hadn't heard clearly.

"Jiang Feng." Moli pursed her lips, her eyes reflecting various pieces of data. She suddenly turned off her wristband.

"This man is interesting. He has such good skills, yet he only now decided to use them to earn money. It's as if overnight, he transformed from a cautious old man into a man-eating piranha licking blood from a knife's edge."

"Moreover, he is quite devoted to his wife."

"You want to bring him into the fold," Noli understood this time, stating it directly.

"Clever." Moli walked towards her, her high heels clicking: "I want you to 'invite' Han Tianyu tonight, and then notify Jiang Feng that we have prepared a gift for him."

Noli bowed slightly, a frown creasing her brow: "Let him do it?"

"Of course." Moli's red lips curved slightly. She recalled the photo of Lin Xiaoyu she had just seen, a flicker of fire in her eyes.

"I want to see how much backbone our Engineer Jiang truly has!"

Her gaze suddenly became playful: "More importantly... I need to get something on him."

Noli exhaled, nodded, and turned to leave, stopping abruptly at the door: "What if Jiang Feng doesn't act?"

Moli had already settled back into the leather chair, her two black-stockinged legs crossed and resting on the table.

"Then, right in front of him, we'll sink those two idiots in the wastewater treatment plant." She idly fiddled with a dagger: "Otherwise, who will crack the Galaxy Heavy Industry software for me?"

"Are you sure he has that ability?" Noli stopped.

"The Hackers I found online were all unreliable, and two of them even tried to sell information about the 'wreckage'."

"Don't you think, this time, it's more important to set aside the technology for a moment and find someone trustworthy to do the job?"

Noli nodded slightly, recalling the Hackers she had 'dealt with'—all greedy fools whose brains were ruled by their lower instincts.

"So, whether Jiang Feng acts or not, you'll have him crack an unimportant machine first, and then..."

"I bet he will act!"

Moli watched Noli leave. Once the automatic door closed, Moli reopened her wristband.

Jiang Feng's data floated in the air: thirty years old, former supervisor of a mineral processing plant, now a partner at Mingyuan Maintenance.

Finally, there was a candid photo taken by a Dancer. Jiang Feng was repairing a zero-gravity combat cage, the lines of his profile as cold and hard as if carved by a knife.

"What a pretense of being a gentleman..."

Moli's finger poked at Jiang Feng's face in the image, passing right through the holographic projection.

Thinking of Jiang Feng's unmoving demeanor earlier, she suddenly annoyed, turned off the projection and dialed an encrypted channel.

After three rings, a hoarse male voice answered: "Sister Jasmine?"

"Brother Tang." Moli's voice was as sweet as honey: "I heard your Iron Hand Gang is looking for trouble with Jiang Feng?"

On the other end of the line, Brother Tang sat behind his desk, gasping for air, filled with regret: 'Damn it! It's over! This kid really has backing. My brothers were too rash, too quick to believe the initial investigation results.'

After a few seconds of silence, he tried to compose himself: "That kid crippled a dozen of our brothers, his methods were brutal."

"Give me face." Moli interrupted him: "He's my man."

A longer silence, and finally, Brother Tang sighed: "As Miss Moli wishes."

The call ended. Moli closed her wristband, smiling like a satisfied cat.

She turned her chair to look out the window. The neon lights of Sector 03 cast an enchanting glow on the glass. Cheers of victory and defeat from the arena below drifted up, but her thoughts had already drifted to a few hours later.

She wondered what expression would appear on Jiang Feng's perpetually calm face when he saw those two traitors?"

"Don't disappoint me... Mechanic." She murmured softly, her nails leaving five faint marks on the leather armrest... The neon lights of club receded behind Jiang Feng.

Zhao Mingyuan beside him was extremely excited, but he simply walked calmly in the wind.

"Brother Feng! You're amazing! Not only was the job successfully completed, but you also got connected with Miss Moli! I bet your story will be known to everyone within half an hour!"

"This way, we'll have a reputation, and the next time we take a job, our chances will be even greater!"

Jiang Feng opened the car door: "Get in and talk."

The cramped space inside the car was filled with the smell of engine oil and cheap cleaning fluid.

Jiang Feng turned on the car's system, and the red light on the dashboard turned green.

"Listen." He turned his head to look at Zhao Mingyuan, who was sitting in the passenger seat: "This matter ends here. Lock up the studio tonight."

The rear car door closed with a 'thump,' Gold-Wrapped Silver getting in and closing the door in one swift motion.

"Brother Feng?" Zhao Mingyuan looked bewildered: "What exactly was the job Miss Moli gave us?"

"She requested secrecy." Jiang Feng frowned and sighed: "But since it's you... she wants to crack something and asked if I knew any reliable Hackers. For this job, I acted as a go-between for them and earned a hush money."

Zhao Mingyuan finally looked enlightened. He nodded, after all, he had also sought out Jiang Feng before, precisely to crack an encrypted module.

"Too bad, it's not our business." He hung his head, a little unwilling.

Jiang Feng patted his shoulder: "Come on, safety is the most important thing. Some money, you might earn but not live to spend."

"Alright, Brother Feng." Zhao Mingyuan then brightened up again. He pushed open the door and got out, laughing cheerfully.

"I'm off!"

"Hmm, I don't plan to take any repair jobs for the next few days. I'll handle Moli's business first, and then I have some personal matters to attend to. Be careful in the dark alleys on your way, don't stumble."

"Don't worry, Brother Feng, I even got a rapid-fire taser. Thugs will definitely steer clear when they see this, right?"

Zhao Mingyuan patted the belt around his waist, waved his hand, and walked away with light steps.

Amidst the hum of the engine starting, Jiang Feng watched Zhao Mingyuan's figure shrink in the rearview mirror, his fingers unconsciously caressing the steering wheel. He mused: 'If Moli keeps her word, it won't be long before my troubles are sorted out.'

'It's just a shame that as old troubles leave, new ones arrive.'

'Galaxy Heavy Industry...' Jiang Feng's expression subtly hardened: 'Who cares, I'll deal with it when it comes!'

Having decided on his next course of action, Jiang Feng drove away, heading straight for the "Blue Moon" Hotel.

In the parking lot, he dialed Lin Xiaoyu's number.

The call rang five times before it was answered, accompanied by the lazy breathing of Lin Xiaoyu amidst the sound of fabric rubbing.

"Husband?" Her voice erupted, then quickly lowered: "Brother Feng, is something wrong?"

Jiang Feng showed a faint smile. She was so scared, her hair probably stood on end.

"That thing I told you about the day before yesterday, it's done. Made some money, about two hundred thousand."

The other end of the phone suddenly went silent, even her breathing disappeared. After a few seconds, the sound of a quilt fanning the air could be heard.

A moment later, everything became even quieter, clearly Lin Xiaoyu had moved to a more enclosed space.

"How much?" Lin Xiaoyu asked, while also turning on the video call.

Jiang Feng tapped the green video icon, repeating calmly: "Over two hundred forty thousand."

The image became clear. Lin Xiaoyu was in the bathroom, wearing Winnie the Pooh pajamas, the buttons on her chest half-open. Even through the screen, Jiang Feng seemed to catch a whiff of her milky scent.

However, her dark circles were quite heavy; she looked like she hadn't slept well these past few days.

"What kind of job was it, exactly?"

Lin Xiaoyu's nervousness was palpable. If she didn't know Jiang Feng so well, she would have thought he robbed a bank.

"The zero-gravity combat cage at club broke down. They didn't want to go through the original manufacturer, so they found us at a low price." Jiang Feng paused: "It was troublesome to fix, and the parts were difficult to obtain, so the remuneration was quite good."

There was silence again on the other end. Lin Xiaoyu bit her lower lip, her large, watery eyes filled with thought.

The money came too quickly; she felt like she was dreaming.

"Wait." She suddenly realized the crux of the problem. To earn a lot, one had to rely on the premium from selling parts individually.

But with the tariff war raging and everything increasing in price, it was impossible to make huge profits from parts, no matter the source.

"Brother Feng, where did you get the parts?" Lin Xiaoyu's voice was filled with concern.

She was probing, wanting to know if Jiang Feng had used fake or smuggled goods from the market. If that were truly the case, it would be putting their entire family's lives on a tightrope, and one slip could lead to eternal damnation.

"A good place." Jiang Feng smiled faintly: "This topic is not suitable for discussion over the phone."

Lin Xiaoyu bit her lower lip again, starting to brainstorm. Seeing her endless worry, Jiang Feng decided to tell her everything at once.

"These parts are of excellent quality and won't cause us trouble. Things are getting better, but I won't hide it from you, our situation has indeed become more dangerous. The Iron Hand Gang incident is the best example."

"I am not an executioner, nor am I a drug addict or a gambler."

"But I'm not a good person either. For our family to live better, someone has to get their hands dirty."

"Fool." Lin Xiaoyu's voice suddenly became close, as if she was right next to his ear.

"Do you think I care about whether it's legal or not?" She smiled and shook her head: "In this world, how much clean money is there?"

"I'm just worried about you, I don't want you to be in danger, that's all."

Jiang Feng's chest warmed. He looked into Lin Xiaoyu's eyes, understanding that she spoke from her heart.

"I want to buy a ticket later and come back to help you," Lin Xiaoyu suddenly said.

"No!" Jiang Feng refused reflexively: "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless I build a guard robot and completely solve the safety problem. By then, we'll work together."

Jiang Feng's words were decisive. Lin Xiaoyu understood that her man was very strong, and the decisions he made left no room for negotiation.

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Lin Xiaoyu's voice suddenly softened.

"Husband, I 'miss' you..."

She bit her lip, gently gathered her hair, her eyes almost trailing off.

Jiang Feng's breathing hitched. Why was it so hot in the car?