Chapter 117: Forget It, Let’s Take a Gamble
Although Shen Lan admitted with her own mouth that she had framed Shen Lu, in the end, nothing came of it.
After listening to the two police officers give her the runaround, Shen Lu took it quite well.
Or rather, she knew from the very beginning that nothing more would come of it.
’So why keep the police around? Wasn’t that just making things more complicated?’
Shen Lu just didn’t want Shen Lan and her mother to stir up trouble with that doctored video again. By making it an official police matter, the accusation that the original owner had stolen the necklace would be wiped clean.
Moreover, the Shen Family’s reputation in the Upper City District would take a huge hit. For Shen Lan and Mrs. Shen, the damage was practically devastating. For a long time to come, any mention of the two would immediately bring to mind what happened at the birthday party.
Regardless of whether the mother and daughter had a medical episode or something else, they were now classified as people with questionable morals—the kind you shouldn’t get too close to.
Having successfully wrecked the birthday party, Shen Lu grabbed Bai Wanwan and Bai Lei and made a quick getaway.
"Thanks for your help today." Shen Lu found a place to change back into her own clothes and returned the borrowed dress and jewelry to Bai Wanwan. "When I have some free time, I’ll treat you guys to a meal."
"It’s already dark out. You shouldn’t go back. Just stay at my place for the night," Bai Wanwan said.
"I can’t, the shop needs me," Shen Lu said, waving her hand. "I’m off."
"Hey!" Seeing that she couldn’t convince Shen Lu to stay, Bai Wanwan complained unhappily to her brother, "Can you believe it? I offer to let her stay, and she’s not even interested."
"Sis, what do you think got into Shen Lan and Mrs. Shen today?" Bai Lei was still savoring the recent events. He’d never seen a scene like that in his entire life. It was a real eye-opener.
"Who knows," Bai Wanwan said with a scoff, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe they had a sudden attack of conscience."
...
Shen Lu didn’t head straight for the pharmaceutical company. First, she went to a mall that was still open and bought the Light Brain she had promised Fu Cheng.
She picked a mid-range model, spending a little over ten thousand Star Coins. After specifically asking the clerk for a proper invoice, she tossed the item into her System Warehouse and headed for the pharmaceutical company.
On the way, Shen Lu checked her mission status for the day.
As she expected, the daily mission was complete, but the bonus mission was a failure.
’Tsk. It must have been Gao Jie and his friends. They must have given me an incredibly low satisfaction rating.’
’Probably not even half a star.’
The pharmaceutical company was located in the southwestern part of the Upper City District. This area was mostly home to various cutting-edge corporations, such as those researching new materials or advanced agricultural techniques.
Even late at night, the buildings here were brightly lit, showing no signs of anyone going home.
’Are they working around the clock?’ Shen Lu wondered. ’That’s taking work ethic to a whole new level.’
After finding the pharmaceutical company’s building, Shen Lu circled it, trying to figure out how to get inside.
The entrance had not only security guards but also facial recognition. Security was tight.
Just as Shen Lu was racking her brain, the back door opened and an older janitor came out.
The man was taking out the trash. He dragged two large bins to the dumpster station in the back alley.
After emptying the bins, the man headed back toward the door. He stopped halfway, apparently taking a phone call.
He seemed to be in a great hurry. He left the two bins by the back door, sent a quick message to someone, and rushed off.
Shen Lu’s eyes lit up. ’Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?!’
’I can disguise myself as the janitor and slip inside. I’m just here for a quick look around today anyway, not planning anything major. Half an hour should be enough.’
’The only question is how long the janitor will be gone.’
’Oh well, time to take a gamble.’
Shen Lu took out the Nanometer Super Realistic Mask and put it on, focusing her thoughts on the janitor she had just seen. Five minutes later, Shen Lu had vanished. In her place, a rather thin man emerged from the corner.
Shen Lu took a deep breath to steel herself.
’Don’t be scared. If things go south, just run.’
The security at the back door wasn’t as strict as the front; there was only facial recognition. As long as she could pass the scan, Shen Lu could get into the pharmaceutical company without a problem.
Reaching the back door, Shen Lu tentatively looked up at the camera mounted near the entrance.
A green scanning line swept across Shen Lu’s face. A moment later, with a soft BEEP, the door opened.
Shen Lu couldn’t help but give a small internal "Yes!" ’This thing from the System is actually pretty good.’
Shen Lu dragged the two bins inside. The moment she stepped through the door, a blast of cold air washed over her, making her instantly alert.
The faint smell of disinfectant filled her nostrils. Shen Lu leaned the bins against the wall and carefully surveyed her surroundings. The pharmaceutical company wasn’t anything special; it just looked like a hospital without any patients.
The hallways were deserted, but she could occasionally hear the whirring of equipment.
Shen Lu grabbed a broom and dustpan from a corner and pretended to be cleaning, while actually just wandering the halls.
There were security cameras everywhere, so she didn’t dare get too bold. All her actions had to be consistent with what a janitor would logically be doing.
After wandering through nearly all the corridors near the back door, Shen Lu had found nothing of interest.
’Did I really come all this way for nothing?’
"You, come here." A woman suddenly appeared, coming down from the second floor. She shouted at Shen Lu, "Come up to the second floor. We need something moved."
Shen Lu immediately nodded and followed her upstairs.
The woman wore a white lab coat and a mask; she was probably a researcher of some sort.
When they reached Room 2109, the woman stopped and ordered Shen Lu, "Move these boxes of nutrient liquid to the warehouse."
’The warehouse?’
Shen Lu panicked slightly. ’I don’t know where the warehouse is!’
"Remember, it’s the one at the far end of the first floor, for the discarded nutrient liquid. Don’t take it to the wrong one," the woman added, clearly not trusting her completely. This, however, was a huge relief for Shen Lu.
’Even though I still don’t know exactly which warehouse it is, at least I have some information to go on. With my wits, finding it shouldn’t be a problem.’
Shen Lu picked up the box from the floor, which was filled to the brim with nutrient liquid. As she headed downstairs, she came face to face with an older woman also dressed in a janitor’s uniform.
"Old Zhao, didn’t you say you had a family emergency and had to step out for a bit? How are you back so soon?" the woman asked in surprise.
Shen Lu’s fingers tightened on the box. She gave a dry laugh. "It turned out to be nothing, so I came back. Wouldn’t want to get caught slacking off."
"That’s true. They dock you 100 Star Coins if you get caught. We don’t make enough in a month to be able to afford a hit like that."
"Yeah, yeah," Shen Lu replied vaguely. "I should get back to work."
She hurried down the stairs and randomly turned in a direction.
Her luck was pretty good; she found the first-floor warehouses quickly.
There were two warehouses, right next to each other, with no labels. Shen Lu was stumped. How was she supposed to know which one was for the discarded nutrient liquid?
Just as Shen Lu was struggling with her dilemma, a figure appeared behind her, pressing a knife against the small of her back.
"Don’t scream and don’t move. Give me what you’re holding."
The person behind her spoke in a low, muffled voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Shen Lu.
"Okay, okay, just don’t hurt me! I’ll do whatever you say."
Shen Lu cursed her rotten luck. ’I’m just a fake janitor who snuck in to scout the place, and I run into an actual thief trying to steal nutrient liquid?’
’But isn’t this thief afraid of being caught on camera?’
Shen Lu obediently handed the box of nutrient liquid to the person behind her. The person took it and then gave her a vicious kick in the back.
’OW! MOTHERFUCKER!’
’I was being so cooperative, and they still kicked me! What a total cheap shot!’