After sending Fatty Long packing, Wang Zhuo and Cheng Tiankun took a cab to the Shengxin Pawn Shop.

"Keep your mouth shut in there, don't say anything you shouldn't," Wang Zhuo cautioned.

"What shouldn't I say?" Cheng Tiankun asked.

"Nothing about these things, not a single word!" Wang Zhuo patted the canvas bag slung over his shoulder and lowered his voice. "They're loan sharks; do you think you tell people like that about this kind of stuff? You need to keep your distance from them."

"Got it, got it," Cheng Tiankun realized with a start. Running a loan shark operation was already illegal, and if those people found out he could clone bank cards, he'd be in serious trouble—a stain that wouldn't easily wash off.

Shengxin Pawn Shop wasn't on the main road; its frontage was rather grand, featuring eight marble steps at the main entrance and two two-meter-tall bronze lions flanking the entryway.

The two men circled to the back of the building and went up to the third floor, where a slightly ajar security door marked the rear entrance to Shengxin Pawn Shop. Wang Zhuo peered through the gap to confirm it was clear before ushering Cheng Tiankun inside.

"Who are you looking for?"

A large man in a tight-fitting tank top approached them. A fierce tiger was tattooed across his shoulder, and one look told you he wasn't a man to be trifled with.

Wang Zhuo spoke calmly, "I have an appointment with Boss Ding; he’s expecting me."

The large man sized up Wang Zhuo and Cheng Tiankun, then tossed his head: "Follow me."

Led by the big man, Wang Zhuo and Cheng Tiankun descended to the second floor via an interior staircase, arriving at Ding Ren’s office.

"You can leave now," Ding Ren waved off the tough guy, pointing to the sofa opposite his desk. "Sit down."

The sofa was perfectly proportioned, both firm and comfortable. It wasn't like those intentionally low and soft couches many offices used to make visitors feel uneasy and force them to look up at the boss, creating an inherent sense of submission.

"So, you're the kid who ran off?" Ding Ren asked Cheng Tiankun with a smile.

Cheng Tiankun could only offer a wry smile: "I didn't do anything; it's all a frame-up..."

Ding Ren nodded. "This shouldn't be difficult to handle, but I'm not a saint, you understand what I mean, right?"

Cheng Tiankun looked distressed. "I, I don't have any money..."

"It's alright if you don't have money. You were brought by Wang Zhuo, so I can't just ignore you because you're broke. But I can't do this favor for free," Ding Ren said flatly. "You can work for me, though. What are you good at?"

"I can fix computers, cell phones, home appliances—anything! And I can modify them too!"

"Got some skills, huh?" Ding Ren mused, then pointed to the desk phone. "Can you plant a listening device on this?"

Damn it, why did it jump straight to that! Wang Zhuo quickly interjected, "Uncle Daozi, you can't ask him to do anything illegal!"

Ding Ren looked at him and chuckled, "What do you call illegal? Is what I'm doing for you right now not against the rules?"

Wang Zhuo fell silent. To get Wang Zhengdao out of prison early, he would definitely need to grease the palms of relevant personnel—that was already bribery. What right did he have to worry about someone else?

Seeing Wang Zhuo remain silent, Cheng Tiankun gritted his teeth and said, "I, I can install it!"

He had already pinned all his hopes on Ding Ren. At this point, if Ding Ren asked him to confess everything about cloning the bank cards, he would spill it out like beans from a bamboo tube. As for Wang Zhuo's warning earlier, he'd worry about that after they got through this hurdle. Cheng Tiankun had figured out that Wang Zhuo had lost control of the situation; now, this man named Ding was calling the shots.

Fortunately, Ding Ren's thinking wouldn't drift into that far-fetched territory. As long as Wang Zhuo, Cheng Tiankun, and Jin Chengyou kept quiet, no one else would ever know.

"Wang Zhuo, you're overthinking things," Ding Ren laughed. "We're putting a bug in the phone to make debt collection easier. Aren't those people who refuse to repay their debts also breaking the law?"

Just then, Ding Baoji walked in and, upon seeing Wang Zhuo, greeted him warmly, "Yo, Wang Zhuo is here?"

"Brother Ji Ding," Wang Zhuo nodded back.

Ding Baoji suppressed a laugh. "What Brother Ji Ding? Call me Brother Ji!"

Wang Zhuo chuckled, thinking to himself how he seemed to be running into fat guys all day; this was the third one already.

Ding Ren asked again, "Can you drive?"

"No," Cheng Tiankun replied. "But I can fix automotive circuits."

"Oh?" Ding Ren's eyes lit up. "Then if I wanted to install something discreetly in a car—say, a GPS tracker—what I mean is hidden installation?"

Cheng Tiankun glanced nervously at Wang Zhuo, then nodded. "Haven't tried it, but I can definitely install one."

Wang Zhuo was speechless. It seemed he had come to the wrong place today; less than ten minutes after sitting down, Cheng Tiankun was already being pulled into something shady.

Ding Baoji heard this and got interested too. "Buddy, you're a tech guy, huh? What's your name?"

"Cheng Tiankun. Everyone calls me Chengzi."

"Chengzi? Sounds a bit like a bug," Ding Baoji joked amiably. His power of association was about that level, far less formidable than Fatty Long's.

Ding Ren tossed a set of keys over and told Ding Baoji, "Take him to test his skills. I'll wait for your call."

Ding Baoji led Cheng Tiankun away. Ding Ren stubbed out his cigarette and asked, "Wang Zhuo, how was the exam?"

"Heh, exceeded expectations," Wang Zhuo planned to tell everyone the same thing, hoping to downplay the impact of scoring exceptionally high.

"Then let me congratulate you in advance," Ding Ren sounded genuinely pleased. "What are your plans for the summer break? Want to get your driver's license? Uncle Daozi can find you a car to practice with."

That was a pretty good suggestion. Wang Zhuo smiled and agreed.

"Wang Zhuo is here?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind him. Wang Zhuo turned to see Yuan Dakai walking in, his face pale, leaning on a crutch.

"Brother Yuan, you still haven't recovered?"

Wang Zhuo was slightly puzzled. An appendectomy was a minor surgery; it had been over ten days, so why was Yuan Dakai still using a crutch, looking quite unwell?

"Damn it, don't even mention it," Yuan Dakai leaned back against the sofa, clenching his teeth. "It healed for a couple of days and then got infected again. The wound just won't close, and the pain is terrible."

"I don't know what's going on," Ding Ren sounded confused too. "Normally, even after a C-section, someone should be fine by now."

Yuan Dakai gave a bitter laugh. "A C-section is for taking out a baby, seven or eight pounds! My little appendix is barely worth two ounces, at best."

Wang Zhuo couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Ding Ren's analogy was crude, but the point was sound—an appendix removal recovery shouldn't be slower than a Caesarean section. Could there have been a problem with the surgery?

Thinking this, Wang Zhuo activated his X-ray vision and looked toward Yuan Dakai’s lower abdomen.

Yuan Dakai was wearing a pair of oversized pajama bottoms, the waistband pulled up below his navel. Wang Zhuo’s X-ray vision penetrated the sleep pants, passed through layer after layer of gauze on the right side of his abdomen, and saw the festering incision.

The cut was about five centimeters long. Looking through the tissue on either side of the wound, Wang Zhuo realized the situation was worse than he imagined. Not only had the tissue on both sides of the wound failed to heal, but it had also become infected and was suppurating, a gruesome sight.

Seeing this, Wang Zhuo couldn't help but frown. "Brother Yuan's healing ability isn't good?"

Yuan Dakai lifted his shirt slightly and shook his head, laughing. "If my healing ability were bad, I would have kicked the bucket seven or eight times already."

Wang Zhuo then noticed the multiple centipede-like scars winding across his body, likely from fights. Two of them were in locations that could have been fatal. It seemed Yuan Dakai’s healing ability wasn't poor; otherwise, he really would have died long ago.

So what was the deal with this festering wound? Wang Zhuo decided to get to the bottom of it and used his X-ray vision again.

This time, Wang Zhuo looked straight through the incision and saw the internal organ tissue. He confirmed the appendix had been cleanly removed and the stitching was done well; the wound had completely closed. But where the appendix used to be, there was now a black object, the size of a finger.

What in the world was that?

Wang Zhuo scrutinized it for a full two seconds before realizing with shock that it was a piece of hemostatic gauze! A piece of gauze, stained black by clotted blood!

What kind of veterinarian performed this surgery, stitching gauze inside the patient’s abdomen?! With something like that inside, it would be a miracle if the wound healed at all. Medical malpractice at its worst!

Wang Zhuo withdrew his gaze, having mentally cursed the surgeon eight times over.

Yuan Dakai sighed helplessly. "I have to go for physical therapy later, getting blasted by that red infrared lamp every day, but I haven't seen any improvement."

Wang Zhuo’s eyes darted around. "Brother Yuan, could it be that the appendix wasn't completely removed, and the inflammation hasn't cleared up, which is why the wound won't heal?"

Yuan Dakai shook his head. "Who knows? I can't just peel open the incision to check."

"Why don't you switch hospitals and get another scan?" Wang Zhuo suggested smoothly. "Hospitals nowadays are all shady; the right to know is crap. They won't tell you if something is wrong."

Yuan Dakai thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll switch hospitals tomorrow to get it checked."

One day delayed meant one more day of danger. Just as Wang Zhuo was about to urge him further, Ding Ren interjected. "Hospitals aren't reliable these days. I saw a news story where a doctor performing a C-section stitched a hemostat inside the mother's womb. That woman nearly bled to death. When it was discovered, the hospital refused to admit fault, claiming the woman stuffed it in herself, trying to extort the hospital."

Wang Zhuo was utterly stunned and couldn't help but ask, "What happened after that?"

"I don't know; the news cut off there," Ding Ren spread his hands helplessly. "You know how Shandong TV always airs trash like that. I figure even if that woman didn't die, the hospital probably made her sick with anger."

Yuan Dakai broke into a cold sweat, pushed himself up, and stood. "I'm going to change hospitals immediately to check. Where's Brother Ji?"

The phone on the desk rang just then—speak of the devil.

"Uncle, this kid is amazing. He can handle all four cars in our garage. Keep him," Ding Baoji's voice was filled with excitement.

Ding Ren said, "Good. Bring him up here, and while you’re at it, send Big Head downstairs and take him to a proper hospital for a check-up."

A moment later, Ding Baoji and Cheng Tiankun arrived. Ding Ren nodded to Cheng Tiankun. "You officially start working today. Five thousand a month, room and board included. I'll put in a word with the criminal investigation unit; you'll be in the clear in a few days."

Cheng Tiankun was instantly effusive with thanks. His crisis was averted, and he landed a job paying five thousand a month—nearly four times his previous salary. Could this be considered finding fortune in misfortune?

Wang Zhuo scratched his head. Five thousand a month already? It seemed even loan sharks needed talent.