It's a hell game, who can still be a human being?

Chapter 637 Main Text: The Pawnshop
The pawnshop is not close to Jiahe New Residence; it is more than 40 kilometers away.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Zheng still called the driver.

"Colonel, how's the accounting going?"

he asked.

"It's almost settled. Do you want to rent a car?"

The driver seemed unwilling to say more.

"Correct."

"For now, I can only rent you a regular car."

the driver said.

"Then just rent me a sports car."

"Okay, where are you? I'll drive right over to you."

"I asked the driver."

"I'm at the entrance of Jiahe New Residence Community."

"it is good."

The driver hung up the phone and arrived in front of Liu Zheng a few minutes later in a gold sports car.

"Colonel, you call this an ordinary car?"

He looked at the sports car, whose rims were even plated with gold, and his lips twitched slightly.

"Hmph, I'm the team manager. If I say it's ordinary, then it's ordinary."

The driver said arrogantly.

It's clear that he still harbors resentment about the audit.

"Alright, it's up to you."

Liu Zheng got into the driver's seat, and with a press of the accelerator, the car transformed into a golden streak of light.

In reality, if he drove a car like that, he would definitely turn heads, and anyone trying to stage an accident would have to think twice before committing a crime.

But in the deserted streets of the metropolis, he could only enjoy his solitude alone.

A dozen minutes later, Liu Zheng arrived at the entrance of Zhengwen Pawnshop.

After thinking for a moment, he drove a little further, parked the car in an alley, and then walked back to the front of Zhengwen Pawnshop.

Despite being called a pawnshop, the storefront of the Zhengwen Pawnshop looks more like an antique shop from the late Qing Dynasty in a TV drama.

The two-story wooden building is made of wood with a fine grain, yellowish-green color, and occasional brownish-red, which reflects a golden light under the setting sun.

If you smell it carefully, you can also detect a faint fragrance.

"Using Phoebe zhennan wood to build a house is a bit presumptuous."

Liu Zheng recognized the type of wood.

Golden nanmu was reserved for the imperial family from the Qin Dynasty onwards, and the Ming Dynasty explicitly prohibited its use by the common people through law.

Although there is no emperor in the metropolis, it is still a bit too conspicuous for a pawnshop to use such expensive wood.

But that's it.
He looked at the four characters "Zhengwen Pawnshop" written on the signboard.

It is square and neat, and even people who don't understand calligraphy can tell that it is well written.

However, no name was written on the signature; only a three-finger fingerprint was pressed.

The plaque is made of brass, yet the handprint is incredibly clear, showing even the fingerprints and the lines of the knuckles, as if they had grown out of the plaque itself.

Liu Zheng withdrew his gaze and strode confidently into the pawnshop.

As soon as I entered the pawnshop, a shop assistant wearing a melon-shaped hat and a long cloth robe came to greet me.

He sized up Liu Zheng, and his expression changed slightly when he saw the restaurant uniform he was wearing.

"May this gentleman have good fortune."

The waiter bowed respectfully.

"Yes, may you also have good fortune."

As Liu Zheng responded, he looked around the pawnshop.

This pawnshop is quite interesting; it looks like an antique shop from the outside, but inside it looks like a library.

Rows of bookshelves stood side by side, filling the hall to the brim. Some shelves were filled with books, others with utensils and paintings, and still others with things he didn't even know what they were.

"Ahem, sir, are you here to redeem something or to pawn something?"

The guy coughed to get his attention.

"How do you redeem something? How do you pawn something?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"To redeem something, you simply bring the pawn ticket, pay the full amount, and take the item. If you notice any problems before leaving, you can raise them on the spot. If you discover any problems after leaving, our pawnshop will not be responsible."

“Pawned items are divided into ‘live pawn’ and ‘dead pawn’. A live pawn stipulates a pawn period, and if the original owner does not come to redeem or renew the pawn after the expiration date, the pawned item becomes a dead pawn.”

"After the item is pawned, it becomes the property of the pawnshop."

The waiter explained.

"What if I don't have a pawn ticket but want to redeem something?"

he asked again.

"That depends on what you want to redeem."

"I want to redeem a painting by the Fauvist master Henry Claw."

Liu Zheng said.

"Henry Claw's painting".

The waiter was startled upon hearing this.

"May I ask, sir, do you intend to keep this painting for your own enjoyment or give it away?"

"I don't know either, I bought it for someone else."

He shrugged.

"Help whom?"

The waiter pressed for an answer.

"Does Professor Newt from the First Municipal University know about this?"

"Oh, I know, I know. That dog is really vicious."

Upon hearing the name "Miniature Man," the guy's expression relaxed, and he even made a sarcastic remark.

"Of course! Look at my face, it's turned into this state after just one walk around."

Liu Zheng complained.

"You dare to walk Professor Newt's dog? You must be the one."

The guy gave him a thumbs up.

"Tindaros is just a little too enthusiastic, but his dog character is still pretty good."

He still offered a defense for the dog.

"Can I redeem my things now?"

“Since Professor Newt sent you, then of course there is no problem. However, we don’t have any paintings by Master Henry Claw in our pawnshop’s dead pawns. If you want to redeem your pawned items, you can only redeem them as live pawns, and you need a pawn ticket to do so.”

The waiter said with difficulty.

Liu Zheng understood immediately. He glanced at the man's long robe and saw that it seemed to have no pockets, so he directly reached his tentacles into the man's sleeves.

"I'm sure you offer a pawn ticket purchasing service, right?"

He asked with a smile.

"Which period of painting by Henri Claw Master would you like to buy?"

After feeling the thickness of the money, the shopkeeper's face showed a more genuine smile.

Which periods are included?

Liu Zheng was somewhat curious.

He had never been to a pawnshop in real life, so a pawnshop in this extraordinary world was even more novel to him.

"Master Henry Claw was a druid who loved to draw from a young age, so his creative periods can be divided into adolescence, middle age and old age, and after the legend."

"During his teenage years, Henry Claw had not yet mastered the technique of transformation, so his works during this period all came from the imitation of wild animals, which were immature but innocent."

"In his middle and later years, Henry Claw had become a master of transformation, often transforming into various wild beasts to observe the world from the perspective and mindset of real wild animals. This period saw the greatest number of his works, and his style was also the most varied."

"After ascending to legendary status, Henry Claw Master had created his own unique beast forms. This period saw the fewest of his works, with a very consistent style, but the subject matter became even rarer."

The waiter explained.

What does "the subject matter is even rarer" mean?

Liu Zheng asked.

“Let me give you an example. There is a famous painting from the legendary period of Henry the Claw called ‘The Bound Red Dragon Queen’.”

The waiter gave him a knowing look.

"Oh~"

He nodded knowingly.

Indeed, they wouldn't have been able to find such a model if they hadn't become legends.

"Can this painting be redeemed?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"The Bound Red Dragon Queen" sounds very much in line with the average values ​​of people in the metropolis.

“It was redeemed a long time ago. If you like this subject, I recommend another painting to you, ‘The Mother Thunder Lizard Giving Birth’.”

"That's what the guy said."

"how much is it?"

"The transfer fee for the pawn ticket is about 100,000 yuan, and the redemption fee for the pawned item is about 500,000 yuan."

The waiter did some mental calculations and said, "It's alright, not too expensive, I'll take it."

He nodded.

"Our store is committed to creating the most reliable redemption environment in the metropolis, promoting commodity circulation and economic development. Profit is not our primary objective."

"That's what the guy said proudly."

"That's a really high position. Hmm?"

Liu Zheng suddenly realized that "正文" (Zhengwen) put together is the character "政" (Zheng).
It seems that the pawnshop's backing is even stronger than he originally expected.

"Give."

He readily paid the money.

"Okay. Please wait a moment while I process your paperwork. If you're bored, you can read any of the books on the first floor, just don't damage them or take them with you."

The waiter took the money and went upstairs; it's unclear whether he made a phone call or filled out a pawn ticket.

Since he had nothing better to do, Liu Zheng did as he was told and started reading.

He scanned the bookshelves one by one and found that the contents of these books were all sorts of strange and unusual.

There are serious ones like "Practical Teaching of Official Document Writing," and less serious ones like "How to Win the Heart of a Divorced Woman with Two Children."

However, they all have one thing in common: they have a certain collectible value.

For example, the book "Practical Teaching of Official Document Writing" is an author-signed version, with a note indicating that it is the signature of the current deputy director of the Policy Research Office of the General Office.

The book "How to Win the Heart of a Divorced Woman with Two Children" is a limited collector's edition, which includes a DVD of the author's "practical" video tutorials.

"Damn it."

Liu Zheng looked at the disc with a secret resentment in his heart.

His crappy phone can't even connect to the internet, let alone watch DVDs.

With a sigh, Liu Zheng picked up a copy of "The Complete Collection of Racist Jokes in Metropolis" and started reading.

Just as he was watching the dragon's joke, the guy finally came down from the second floor, carrying a cotton bag.

"Sir, this is the painting you requested."

The shop assistant took the picture frame out of the cotton bag, then peeled off the acid-free paper wrapping the picture, revealing it.

"Ah~"

Liu Zheng's expression showed that he couldn't bear to look at him.

It's not because Henry Claws was poorly drawn, but because he was exceptionally good at it.

The intense and unrestrained colors made the scene in the painting seem completely unreal, but the difficulty of the Thunder Lizard giving birth was depicted with uncanny realism, making him feel a phantom pain in his anus.

He took the picture frame, and an item description immediately popped up.

Title: Famous Painting "Mother Thunder Lizard Giving Birth"

Type: Miscellaneous Items

Quality: Average

Effect: None.

"Note: This is a work from the legendary period of the Fauvist master Henry Claw. He himself insisted that the egg in the painting had no blood relation to him."

"Can it be taken out of the instance: Yes"

"No problem, it is indeed the work of Master Claw."

Liu Zheng pretended to examine the painting for a while, then put it into his system space.

"The payment is settled, and we owe each other nothing. Sir, is there anything else you wish to redeem?"

"I asked the waiter."

That's all, goodbye.

He waved his hand and left the pawnshop.

Driving his golden sports car back to Jiahe New Residence, Liu Zhengyang went straight to Building 7, Unit 1503 without stopping.

"Professor, I've gotten the painting you requested."

Upon entering, he immediately retrieved the painting from his system space and placed it on the coffee table.

"Okay, Tindalos, take good care of the guests. I'm going in to make a phone call."

The miniature man glanced at the painting and went straight into the bedroom.

"Uh, Tindalos, do you want to play chess?"

Seeing the eager hunting dogs, Liu Zheng cleverly took out a set of Chinese chess from under the coffee table.

As it turned out, this was not a wise decision.

When the miniature man came out of the bedroom, he had already lost three games in a row, and his three tentacles had become Tindaros's snacks.

"That set of military chess actually belonged to Tindalos."

The miniature man said with a hint of amusement.

"Professor, please tell me about important things earlier next time."

Liu Zheng complained, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"It's important to others, but it seems to be okay to you."

The miniature man placed a note in front of him.

"We've already communicated over there. You can just call them directly. The code word is 'delivery person.'"

"What is the identity of the owner of this number?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but they're staff members at the Grand Theatre."

"That's what the miniature man said."

"Okay, thank you, Professor."

"Just remember to bring the black swan to me, preferably alive."

"That's what the miniature man said."

"I try my best."

He nodded, stood up, and took his leave.

After leaving the residential compound, Liu Zheng dialed the number on the note.

"Who?"

When the call connected, a hoarse and unpleasant voice came from the other end.

"Delivery boy."

He gave the code.

"Wait a moment."

I could hear footsteps coming from the other end of the phone.

"Okay, you can talk now."

After a while, the other party stopped and said.

"Do you know what I'm going to say?"

Liu Zheng countered with a question.

"I don't know. My orders are to cooperate with you as much as possible, and if there are things I can't do or am unsure about, I should ask my superiors for instructions."

The other party answered honestly.

"I see. Would it be convenient to meet and talk then?"

he asked.

"Okay. See you at the Bird Club in an hour."

The other party said.

"Wait a minute, let me take a look."

Liu Zheng opened the map and found the location of the Bird Club, which was about 70 kilometers away from Jiahe New Residence.

"I should be there in about half an hour."

He said.

"Then go in first and use my membership card number to book a private room. My card number is 7734."

The other party recited a string of numbers.

"it is good."

Liu Zheng hung up the phone and then started the car.

He arrived at the entrance of the Bird Club a little earlier than expected, in just twenty minutes.

The architectural style of the Bird Club is somewhat similar to that of the Bloody Restaurant. It is also a three-story villa with a white facade covered with colorful paintings of various birds.

At the main entrance of the guild hall stands a phoenix statue, which, judging from its material, should be carved from paulownia wood.

Upon seeing this, Liu Zheng silently put away his simple phoenix cloak.

Although it seems that the phoenix, the king of birds, doesn't have much prestige in the metropolis, it's not here to challenge anyone, so it's better to keep a low profile.

"We have guests! We have guests!"

As soon as he entered the clubhouse, he heard a cacophony of business chatter overhead.

Liu Zheng looked up and saw that it was an African grey parrot.

This parrot is one of the most intelligent birds, and also one of the most capable in terms of language and abstract thinking.

"hello."

He smiled and said hello.

"Hello."

The grey parrot responded enthusiastically, then defecated in his mouth.

(End of this chapter)