I deliver food in a bizarre world

"I investigated further by looking at Lily's financial records and social media. In recent months, she did have frequent contact with a middleman codenamed 'The Collector'."

"A middleman?" Chen Mo instantly thought of Lin Jing from last time.

This person is very mysterious. Although he hasn't erased his traces, it's impossible to find any more information about him. All that's known is that he specializes in dealing with shady antiques and strange items.

She switched pages, and several blurry screenshots of chat logs and edited photos appeared on the screen.

Chen Mo read it once and a thought struck him.

He always felt that the other party was just deliberately setting up a decoy, and if he continued to investigate, he would be like a fish that had taken the bait.

Li Wenjing waited a while before continuing, "A week before entering the Silent Mansion, Lily met with several unidentified people through the collector's introduction."

"They seem to be looking for some kind of ancient imprint, and they mentioned a word..."

Li Wenjing turned the screen towards Chen Mo and zoomed in on a sharpened image.

It was in the background of one of Lily's live streams, in an inconspicuous corner of a notebook, with a word written on it in messy handwriting.

"Return to the Ruins".

These two characters are written in seal script, crooked and twisted, exuding a creepy and eerie feeling.

"The term 'Guixu' is recorded in ancient texts. It usually refers to the bottomless valley in the deep ocean, where all waters converge, and carries the meaning of ending and destination."

Li Wenjing's tone became serious: "But I searched through all the existing databases and ancient books and found no relevant information."

"In the circle that Lily is involved in, the term 'Guixu' seems to have been given a different meaning. Although I haven't found a more specific reference yet, I just feel like something's not quite right."

Chen Mo stared at those two words, his brows furrowing slightly.

Return to the Ruins...

He had never heard of the word before, nor was it associated with any known power or phenomenon.

But its appearance in Lily's notebook and its connection to that mysterious "collector" could not possibly be just a simple coincidence.

"Continue the investigation," Chen Mo said in a deep voice. "Focus on investigating this collector and all clues related to Guixu. Don't overlook any trace, no matter how small. Make sure you do it yourself and don't arouse their suspicion so they can follow the trail."

"Understood. I'll have Mingyu help if necessary."

Li Wenjing closed her laptop, her eyes filled with a determined spirit of inquiry.

When they returned, Chen Cen was on duty. Chen Mo stopped his electric scooter and shouted.

"Xiao Cen!"

"Huh? Brother Chen? What's wrong?" Chen Cen poked his head out from inside the security room.

"Let me ask you, didn't you say you heard an old man coughing the other day? Did you answer the phone before that?"

"No! I've set all my phone numbers to Do Not Disturb. I get too many telemarketing calls; people usually contact me directly through social media."

"Okay, then that's all!"

With so many people in the Great Xia Kingdom, it's already outrageous that only one person is chosen each month and appears in Jinghai three times in a row.

He sent another message to Chen Xing.

A moment later, Chen Xing replied: "I know, Dad just told me yesterday."

The construction team that Chen Mo hired was very efficient; the renovation project of the apartment building was nearing completion in just three days.

The entire building has been renovated, and the lobby is also brand new. Several desks are placed against the wall, all equipped with computers and necessary equipment, as well as a full range of small appliances.

In the corner, a tea room has also begun to be used, with coffee machines and juicers adding a touch of life to this new space.

Chen Mo stood in the center of the hall, watching Su Yifan and Zhou Mingyu climb the ladder together and hang a custom-made dark wooden sign on the wall by the door.

The signboard is engraved with five neat characters in regular script: "Moxing Agency".

He chose the name himself, taking the character "默" from his own name and the character "星" from his younger brother Chen Xing's name, making it simple and easy to understand.

"Brother Mo, the basic framework of the website has been set up, and the backend database has been debugged."

Zhou Mingyu returned to his computer and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

Three screens were placed side by side in front of him, with code flowing like a waterfall.

"OK, OK!"

Su Yifan handed a printed document to Chen Mo and said, "Brother Mo, for the rules, terms, and disclaimers, I've taken into account the lawyer Lin Jing you recommended and made the most risk-mitigation measures. However, there aren't any specific regulations in this area yet, so we'll need to update it again later."

Although the laws in this area are not perfect, it goes without saying that the relevant systems are on the way to being improved, and the establishment of the public opinion survey office is a clear signal of this.

Chen Mo glanced at it and saw that the document was mainly divided into four parts.

The first principle is the acceptance principle, which roughly means that we will not accept orders from those with malicious intentions, those who intend to harm others, those who seek to satisfy their own desires, or those who are engaged in commercial espionage.

The commissions they accept must comply with all laws and regulations of the Great Xia Kingdom.

The studio will also assess whether to accept a commission based on its own situation and resources. If the risk of the incident is very high, they will provide advice and terminate the commission.

If the termination is initiated by the studio, all fees will be refunded.

Secondly, clients must truthfully disclose the entire background of the incident and absolutely obey the instructions of the on-site field staff.

If any concealment, fraud, or misleading behavior is discovered during the commission period, the cooperation will be terminated immediately, and no fees will be refunded.

Seeing this, Chen Mo nodded. Wanting to solve the problem but refusing to say anything—that's the kind of incompetent teammate you need!

If the other party conceals key information, it may cause their plans and schemes to fail, triggering unpredictable crises and putting studio members in danger. The studio will absolutely not bear, nor is it capable of bearing, such losses and responsibilities.

Especially during specific times and in specific areas, any actions outside of instructions are strictly prohibited; otherwise, if certain consequences arise, the studio will hold the individual accountable.

The third part concerns pricing. Initial consultations are free. If an on-site inspection is required, a starting fee of 5,000 will be charged, which is non-refundable under any circumstances.

At first, Su Yifan and Lin Xiao thought the price was too high. They thought they could earn five thousand yuan just by making one trip without doing anything.

Li Wenjing had a clear idea. She thought the price was too low. If it was set at a few hundred or a thousand, what if someone just sat there doing something silly?

With such a large population, there are all kinds of people.

A thousand isn't a small amount, but it's not a large amount either. Basically, anyone with a decent job can afford it.

In the end, it was these words that persuaded Su Yifan.

Based on the consensus reached by everyone, the service will not be priced at a fixed rate, but will be quoted based on a comprehensive assessment of the complexity of the event, the time required, the resources consumed, and the level of potential risks.

Once the cooperation is confirmed, 50% of the total cost must be paid as a deposit.

Once the task is completed and the customer confirms that the problem has been resolved or effectively controlled, the remaining 50% balance will be paid.

No one in the studio had ever considered defaulting on their debts.

If a boss can solve problems, does that mean a boss can't create them?

Moreover, causing destruction is much easier than solving problems!

Of course, no one said it out loud...

Keep these dark thoughts to yourself; if you were to say them out loud, you would definitely be scorned by others!