Enemies Are All Nourishment for My Fungi..

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Sudden Death from Illness is Not a Homicide
 

The mother and her three sons stared at the shop outside, where were the cars in need of repair?

This secret chamber was a place where the repair shop Boss Lady refashioned stolen cars. Three walls were stacked with plenty of car paint and coatings, resembling a storage room, but upon a detailed inspection, it was actually a modification room, where many stolen cars, whose whereabouts were unknown, were processed and sold.

This was their family’s illicit source of income.

Ye Nai’s brand-new motorcycle, once modified and sold, could be sold for at least 70% of its original value, firstly because it was a new bike, and secondly because it had an Awakener’s number plate.

Stealing a brand-new motorcycle belonging to an Awakener was simply a top-tier accomplishment.

There were indeed people in the circle who specifically sought out such number plates for nefarious purposes. Simply using and discarding it afterward was considered mild; some even used it to defame others. They would steal a car belonging to someone they had disputes with, commit crimes when the car owner had no alibi, then use the internet to write posts triggering cyber violence, leading to the victim’s social demise.

Don’t think it’s impossible; if someone really intends to harm another, they are capable of anything.

Especially now, since Awakeners were plentiful—there were numerous lower-tier Awakeners willing to take money for jobs. Once they tasted success, they would get addicted to it until the day they eventually messed with the wrong person and hit a giant stumbling block.

“So what do we do? We’ve already told the police that there were three men involved and so many neighbors saw what happened, disposing of the bodies now is impossible.”

“What to do, what to do, we can only plow ahead and deny knowing that person. You guys always rush forward at the smallest push, leaving me to handle the mess. Now that things have gone wrong, you think to ask what to do.”

The Boss Lady cursed in anger, but other than denying knowing the car thief, there really was no other excuse available at the moment.

“The police will be here any minute. Just say that the repair shop has always been managed by your dad and elder brother. You guys are young, your father didn’t plan for the whole family to rely on the repair shop for a living, he wanted you to learn other skills, understand? No more nonsense, got it?”

“Got it, got it.”

“Mom, don’t worry, we really are learning different skills. The truth, we won’t mess it up.”

“Ah, now that your dad and elder brother aren’t here to take the lead, Second son, you need to be the pillar of the family, be a bit more astute.”

“Okay, mom.”

Originally, with a shrewd father and elder brother to shield the family from troubles and garner money by various means, the three sons could freely develop themselves. Now, with the second son suddenly stepping up as the pillar of the family, he agreed outwardly but was completely unsure internally.

The police and ambulance arrived one after the other, but the scene had already been tampered with, leaving no valuable traces, only concluding that there were no signs of murder with a weapon.

The doctor examined the bodies in the secret room and initially concluded that all three had died of acute medical conditions. The Boss Lady, of course, objected, insisting it was impossible, but when the doctor asked if she wanted autopsies, she refused, stubbornly claiming that her husband and children were healthy and must have been harmed by someone.

At this point, a police officer interrupted and asked who might have wanted to harm them, to which the Boss Lady couldn’t provide an answer. She just kept crying and insisting they had been murdered, which to the police and the doctors seemed like emotional breakdown and denial of reality, so they proceeded with the standard procedures.

Since the family refused autopsies, the ambulance left. The police needed to verify identities to issue death certificates, and were surprised to learn that among the three bodies, only two were father and son; the third was a stranger, unknown to the family.

Therefore, they had to investigate who this third person was.

Since the Boss Lady continued to cry uncontrollably, the police asked her three sons to check the items in the shop to rule out the possibility of theft.

The three sons couldn’t specify what exactly was missing in the shop. However, the air pump and hose set that had been mounted on the wall at the front door to inflate tires were gone.

Upon closer inspection, the air pump which was mounted on the wall could be taken away by anyone strong enough. It likely got stolen during the earlier commotion when many neighbors were gathered around the scene.

The Boss Lady, upon hearing of the theft, stopped crying, scrambled to the door to look around, and immediately turned back to urgently ask her sons if they had seen the family’s van.

The van was also gone.

Upon hearing about the missing car, the police took the matter seriously and noted it down, but knew deep down that the chances of recovering it were slim. The urban village was too complex; a stolen car could be modified beyond recognition within a day, even placed in front of the original owner who wouldn’t recognize it.

The Boss Lady cried and cursed, wishing that whoever stole her air pump and van would suffer, be clumsy, and be continuously abused by men.

Upon further inspection, they discovered many tools missing, scattered here and there—big wrenches, socket sets, and a newly bought electronic screwdriver with its matching heads were gone, leaving only three scattered heads behind.

With so many onlookers around at the time, a crowd coming and going, someone could easily take one item, and they were lucky they didn’t strip the shop bare at that moment.

The police were kept busy by the family’s chaotic affairs until midnight. Neighbors who had initially gone home came back out to watch the excitement. Among the three deceased, who were two plus one, nobody recognized the “one”; at most, they found him vaguely familiar, possibly a local resident, but no one knew exactly where he lived.

In the complex environment of the urban village, neighbors often saw people passing by their doors and found everyone vaguely familiar, but didn’t actually know anyone specifically.

Ye Nai, of course, was sleeping in a hotel at the time, oblivious to everything.

After dawn, she checked out of the hotel and continued her day’s work as a personal shopper, spotting some good items.

An agricultural four-wheel tractor.

This was also a tool ideal for navigating mountains and rough terrains; the towing attachment at the back could be replaced as needed, even fitted with a carriage to transport people.

Mainly, Ye Nai remembered that time she encountered Cult Members during a task—three out of five vehicles broke down. In case she experienced a vehicle breakdown in the middle of a trip, having a tractor with a carriage could surely come in handy.

But that would require a tractor driving license.

Of course, she had no license, but buying the tractor first wasn’t a problem; she didn’t plan to drive it in the city.

Thus, after confirming that it was indeed one of the top brands domestically, and following over two hours of haggling with the salesperson, Ye Nai bought a high-horsepower tractor and six of the largest trailers, checked them in the warehouse, and stealthily moved them all into her Space, startling the salesperson into a high-pitched shriek.

Then, it was off to handle the paperwork—paying taxes, purchasing insurance, and getting the license plates for the tractor and six large trailers.

During the licensing, she released a large tractor and six trailers all at once in the back yard, which alarmed the transport office. The wall facing the yard at the office building had all its windows open, many people peering out to watch.

They hadn’t seen a Big Space User before.