Chapter 0001: A Sudden Calamity

Gentlemen, we have finished work. If there is anything you need, please come back tomorrow. We are open on Saturdays and Sundays, huh?

Generally, private companies prefer to hire experienced accountants with many years of work experience, while entering government departments often requires connections. When Zhuang Rui first arrived at China Ocean, he spent over a month without finding a suitable job. Ultimately, it was his university classmate and dormitory leader at China Ocean who helped him secure a position at this newly established pawn shop.

The bandit chief, separated from Zhuang Rui by a security screen, angrily cursed, expressing his dissatisfaction with the quality of his subordinates. It was also possible that he was reacting to the doubts raised by his men. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but want to laugh at the absurdity of it all; who would have thought there were robbers still adhering to the principles of "Five Talks, Four Beauties, and Three Loves" in this day and age! However, his amusement was short-lived, as a dark gun barrel was aimed at him through the safety window.

Uncle De is very fond of Zhuang Rui, this diligent and hardworking young man, and has the intention of bringing him into this profession. However, although Zhuang Rui enjoys reading historical novels, he is not particularly interested in antiques. He tends to let Uncle De's teachings go in one ear and out the other, often diverting the conversation to a historical figure or story, which frequently frustrates Uncle De to the point of fuming.

The bank teller who was familiar with Zhuang Rui shouted urgently at Zhuang Rui inside the counter, but there was no response. The hall, where a gun had just been fired, was filled with the strong smell of inferior gunpowder, and their hearts gradually sank.

While speaking with the robber, Zhuang Rui sat back down in his chair. His hand had already reached for the alarm button. As soon as he pressed it, the police at 110 and the nearby precinct would immediately receive the alert, and they could arrive within five minutes at the fastest. This was not a movie; over the past year, there had been several drills conducted on-site, and Zhuang Rui had great confidence in the police who responded quickly each time.

Zhuang Rui is 24 years old this year, born into a single-parent family in an ancient city in northern Jiangsu. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, although not conventionally handsome, he has a warm smile that gives a friendly impression. His demeanor reveals a hint of composure, making him appear a few years older than his actual age

The day's work is about to conclude. Although it has not been particularly busy, a hint of fatigue is still evident on Zhuang Rui's youthful face. Perhaps it is due to the approaching end of the year; having not returned home for a year, Zhuang Rui feels a sense of homesickness.

From outside, bloodstains can be seen inside the counter, but the security door cannot be opened. The crowd outside is at a loss. After a few minutes, the police, having received the emergency call, arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area around the pawnshop. Several robbers, their heads covered, were taken away in police cars. However, everyone anxiously watched the counter, where only a patch of scalp belonging to Zhuang Rui was visible, waiting for someone from the pawnshop to arrive and open the security door.

In December, the nights in Zhonghai City are long and the days are short. Just past six o'clock, the sky outside gradually darkens, and the streetlights on both sides of the road begin to illuminate, allowing the city to continue basking in light. The crowd of people leaving work fills the streets and alleys of this metropolis like a vast spider web, with various sounds echoing in the air above the city

Two individuals stood in front of the counter, while another person ran directly towards the pawn area. Judging by their movements, they seemed to be quite familiar with this pawn shop

Who the hell are you cursing at? Let me tell you to be civilized. Damn it, how many times have I told you to speak Mandarin

Zhuang Rui pulled down the rolling shutter of the store halfway, carried several iron boxes that were packed and sealed with labels to the counter, and casually closed the security door. The items inside these boxes were worth millions. Usually, there are two security guards who assist Zhuang Rui with the handover, but today is the weekend, and the security company is conducting training, so they were temporarily called back.

Uncle De, whose full name is Ma Delin, worked as a young assistant in a pawnshop in Zhonghai before the liberation. He later engaged in the excavation and appraisal of cultural relics, specializing in miscellaneous items and paintings. He holds a high reputation in the Zhonghai cultural relics and antiques collection community. Considerable effort was invested before the pawnshop opened to invite Uncle De, who had retired from the Zhonghai Museum, to serve as the chief appraiser and manager of the pawnshop, which was named "The Chief Steward" in the former pawnshop location. He enjoys a significant reputation in the Zhonghai cultural relics and antiques collection community.

The person who ran to the absolute zone naturally could not find anything, and called out towards Zhang Yang in a strong Northeastern accent

Wow ... ... ''

The last rays of the setting sun streamed into the store through the glass door. Suddenly, Zhuang Rui felt a shadow in front of him as three figures slipped in through the partially closed rolling shutter.

Seeing that the bandit leader standing at the counter seemed distracted by the sound of brakes from outside, Zhuang Rui took the opportunity to crouch down beneath the counter, where it was a blind spot for shooting. The bandits outside could not do anything to him. However, the swivel chair Zhuang Rui was sitting on slipped, causing him not to crouch down but to slide back more than a meter, ending up face to face with the bandit leader.

With a loud bang, Zhuang Rui's head struck violently against the glass box outside the alarm button. The immense impact shattered the square glass box, and blood instantly stained the side of the counter where the alarm button was installed. Zhuang Rui's head rested on the counter, and he had already lost consciousness.

During his university years, Zhuang Rui was also someone who enjoyed lively gatherings. However, after leaving school, a series of misfortunes caused him to become much more reserved, and he matured significantly. Aside from cursing a certain team while watching games, he now spends most of his time after work reading historical novels in the rented apartment. Just a few days ago, he purchased a set of "Kangxi the Great" by Er Yuehe. If he weren't concerned about the potential negative impression, he would have wanted to bring it to the office to read.

The personnel structure within the pawnshop is quite simple. Chief appraiser De Shu also serves as the manager of the pawnshop, along with two young appraisers who have returned from abroad, primarily responsible for the appraisal of foreign artworks and luxury goods. Both are in their early thirties and have been in this field for some time, having received formal training. However, these two tend to have a high opinion of themselves and have never been favored by De Shu. Additionally, there is the cashier Xu Ling and the sales staff in the unredeemed goods section.

Zhuang Rui was momentarily taken aback. Although the cash delivery vehicle usually arrives a little earlier during the weekend library hours, it would still be around 6:20. Since the few people who entered were backlit, Zhuang Rui could not clearly see their faces at first. However, he also knew that these individuals were not bank cash delivery personnel, as he could see that there was no bank cash delivery vehicle parked at the entrance.

However, apart from the initial panic, Zhuang Rui quickly calmed down, as the counters of the pawnshop were all designed according to bank anti-theft and anti-robbery standards. The steel window grilles completely isolated the counters from the outside. If they had arrived a little earlier, they could have stolen items from the secured area. However, now that he had moved all these items inside, Zhuang Rui was confident that with just these few people, they would absolutely be unable to break through that security door in a short time.

Zhuang Rui realized that he had encountered a robber. Although the local police station had conducted several drills, he never expected that, apart from banks, even pawn shops would become targets for these individuals

Zhuang Rui has encountered many glamorous men and women adorned with gold and silver. Upon arriving here, he directly exchanges the jewelry and accessories he does not favor, and then proceeds to the exchange area to seek items he prefers. In this way, not only do the exchanged items circulate, but it also prevents the situation of capital being tied up.

When it comes to pawnshops, people's first impression is likely that of a pawn shop. And when thinking of pawn shops, the words "moth-eaten and rat-bitten, bare boards without fur, a tattered coat" from the recently aired television drama will immediately come to mind.

In fact, with the development of the times, pawnshops have become multifunctional places that integrate financing, online shopping, and storage.

It is only 6:10, and the bank's vehicle usually does not arrive this early

You little rascal, you are playing tricks

The pawnshop closes at six o'clock in the evening, while the bank's cash transport vehicle usually arrives around six thirty. At six o'clock, Uncle De and the staff from the pawn area had already left, and the two high-salaried appraisers were particularly strict about clocking in and out. Only Zhuang Rui remained. After pulling down the rolling shutter halfway, he sat inside the counter waiting for the bank personnel to arrive. According to regulations, the cash box and the box containing valuable jewelry must be collected by the security personnel, who will also check the integrity of the seals.

In 2000, Zhuang Rui graduated from a prestigious university in Zhonghai City with a degree in finance and accounting. Under normal circumstances, graduates at that time would not have trouble finding a good marriage partner, and securing employment was not difficult. However, Zhuang Rui was not particularly fortunate; just a few days after graduation, he fell ill and missed that year's civil service examination. After recovering, he worked for a few days at a small company in his hometown but felt there was little opportunity for advancement. He then returned to Zhonghai and took a position as an accountant at a pawnshop.

Young man, stop talking nonsense and hand over the box next to you

Brother, everything here has been put away, there is nothing left, it's all very clean. Didn't you personally check this last time?

The pawn shop where Zhuang Rui works has a section for absolute items, featuring diamond rings, jade bracelets, luxury watches, and other valuables. Since the prices for these items are generally around half of their original value, once these items are pawned, the selling price will only be slightly higher than the price at which they were received. This presents a significant attraction for those who are financially constrained yet aspire to own branded luxury goods

No one noticed that the fresh blood seeping from Zhuang Rui's head gradually infiltrated the crevice of the alarm button, causing a surge of blue electricity to flow into Zhuang Rui's brain along with the blood, making his body twitch slightly. His hands, which had been covering his face, had long since dropped down. If someone were to see Zhuang Rui's face at that moment, they would discover a colorful halo appearing around his eyes, but it vanished in just a few seconds.

According to the regulations, the cashier Xu Ling was supposed to hand over the items from the absolute area to the bank's cash transport vehicle together with Zhuang Rui at the end of the workday. However, that materialistic woman left early today to have dinner with her Nth boyfriend at the Oriental Pearl Tower, using various excuses as she often does. Xu Ling is a local from Zhonghai, and this is not the first time; Zhuang Rui has become accustomed to it.

As Zhuang Rui was speaking, he suddenly realized that the three individuals who had entered the room were all men. What prevented him from continuing was that all three wore knitted hats, the kind that could be pulled down to cover the face, leaving only the eyes exposed. This type of hat had been quite popular a few years ago, but it was now rarely seen. Although it was December, the weather in Zhonghai was not cold enough to warrant wearing such hats, and an ominous feeling began to rise within Zhuang Rui.

The gunfire and alarm startled the bank couriers outside. The armed bank couriers quickly rushed into the pawnshop, while the gang leader's handgun appeared to be homemade. After firing the wicked bullet aimed at Zhuang Rui, it fell silent. There were no hostages inside the pawnshop for them to take. After a brief struggle, it was evident that the professional skills of these robbers were not very proficient, and soon three of them were subdued by several bank security guards.

Xiao Zhuang, Xiao Zhuang, how are you? Can you speak?

You are committing a crime; the bank security personnel will arrive shortly. If you do not flee now, you will not be able to escape later.

Zhuang Rui shuddered all over, and with force, pressed down on the alarm button, causing a piercing alarm sound to ring out. He believed that as long as he could hold on for a few more minutes, these few individuals would definitely not escape. However, at that moment, a sudden screech of brakes was heard at the entrance of the pawnshop. Zhuang Rui looked outside and felt a surge of joy; it turned out that the bank's cash transport vehicle had arrived early, which was quite normal on weekends.

With the bandit leader's furious shout, he abruptly pulled the trigger at Zhuang Rui. As the leader began to speak, Zhuang Rui instinctively leaned to the side, and the bullet grazed past his eye. Zhuang Rui only felt a flash of fire rush by in front of him, followed by a sharp, burning pain in his eye.

The eyes are the most developed and sensitive part of the human nervous system. Zhuang Rui's hands, which covered his eyes, had already begun to seep blood through the gaps between his fingers. The intense pain caused Zhuang Rui's body to spin around and fall backward. He could not see the position to which the back of his head was directed, but it was the location of the alarm button.