Chapter 55 Things are starting to feel a bit wrong

The Capitalist Phantom hearing this was overjoyed.

He thought Chen Mu truly was a pushover, surrendering so quickly and even preparing to recruit fresh scapegoats for him.

The Capitalist Phantom produced two cards, handed them to Chen Mu, and said:

"Write your invitation on these cards and send them to your friends.

If they come holding these cards—as long as two people arrive—you will be free to leave safely.

Of course, you will still need to pay 100 million to buy a villa."

Accepting the cards from the phantom, Chen Mu uttered a sentence that left the phantom utterly astonished.

"Two is too few. I have many friends; I need at least four cards."

A look of sheer surprise crossed the Capitalist Phantom's face.

Given Chen Mu's intelligence, it was impossible for him not to know that writing these cards meant scamming one's friends.

Simply put, it meant exploiting a friend's trust to lure them here, trading a friend's life for one's own!

Two cards could doom two good friends.

Yet Chen Mu complained that two cards were too few and wanted four?

Good grief, this was literally pushing one's friends into a fiery pit!

"If your friends receive the cards and are unwilling to come to Sanshui Courtyard, it will be of no use," the Capitalist Phantom reminded him.

"Oh, of course. My friends trust me implicitly; they will all come without fail."

Chen Mu replied with absolute certainty.

Opening the cards, Chen Mu penned the invitation inside:

[Dear friends, I have encountered something truly incredible.

The owner of Sanshui Courtyard is without a doubt the finest phantom I have ever met. He has actually promised to gift the entire Sanshui Courtyard to me.

This is simply exhilarating!

I want to share this joy with you.

Upon receiving this card, please come to Sanshui Courtyard at your utmost speed. I will take you on a tour of my new home.

Your forever good friend—Chen Mu.]

Upon reading what Chen Mu had written, the Capitalist Phantom nodded in satisfaction.

Just like many victims before him, in order to lure their dearest loved ones over, they would resort to lies directed at those who trusted them most!

In the eyes of the capitalist boss, Chen Mu was precisely such a person.

In order to entice his friends to show up, he intentionally deceived them by claiming that the owner of Sanshui Courtyard was wonderfully kind and had gifted the entire estate to him.

Hahaha!

Chen Mu was truly shameless; to lure his friends over, he blew boasts so big he discarded his face entirely.

Who did he think he was?

I am not some idiot; why would I give the entire Sanshui Courtyard to you?

This was easily the funniest joke the Capitalist Phantom had ever heard.

In the phantom's mind, Chen Mu was now firmly labeled as a pretentious show-off.

Young, wealthy, devoid of influence, yet fond of putting on airs—if he didn't fleece him ruthlessly, he would be doing Chen Mu a disservice!

Having finished writing the cards, the Capitalist Phantom said:

"There are phantom carrier pigeons in Sanshui Courtyard. Tell me the address, and I will have the pigeons mail them out."

Unexpectedly, Chen Mu shook his head and said:

"No need. Someone is waiting for me outside; I'll have him deliver them."

With that, Chen Mu took the four cards and walked toward the exit of Sanshui Courtyard.

Feeling somewhat uneasy, the Capitalist Phantom stealthily followed behind to spy.

He watched as Chen Mu approached the air barrier, outside of which a taxi was parked.

Chen Mu tossed the cards through the taxi window, and the vehicle promptly turned around and drove away down the highway.

So the "someone waiting for him" that Chen Mu spoke of was actually just a taxi.

The Capitalist Phantom breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Chen Mu genuinely lacked any powerful connections; he was merely a wealthy lone wolf.

After all, the Nether Taxi looked no different from an ordinary cab on the outside. It was completely normal that Chen Mu had only realized something was amiss after getting inside it initially.

While waiting for the cards to be delivered, Chen Mu returned to Sanshui Courtyard, where the Capitalist Phantom was waiting for him.

"Mr. Chen, what kind of people are those friends of yours?" the Capitalist Phantom inquired.

"My friends..." Chen Mu mused, "Just ordinary people. They might have a little money and a bit of status, but nothing extravagant."

Hearing this, the Capitalist Phantom felt entirely at ease.

People with a little money and status, yet lacking massive wealth or formidable backing, were the absolute epitome of prime leeks!

A single slice would yield a massive profit without any fear of retaliation.

If they wanted to exact revenge on him, they should first see what weight they carried!

The Capitalist Phantom had always bullied the weak and feared the strong. Now, feeling thoroughly delighted, he looked at Chen Mu as if gazing at a lamb awaiting slaughter.

"Since you've got nothing to do right now, why don't you go ahead and pay the 100 million underworld coins?"

The Capitalist Phantom's tone carried a hint of a command. He dropped honorifics like "Mr. Chen" or "little brother," his contempt for Chen Mu now entirely unmasked.

Chen Mu was merely a primary-tier phantom commander and a lone wolf with no background or backing. Now that he had fallen into his clutches, what was there to fear?

Yet, contrary to expectations, not only did Chen Mu refuse to pay, but with a flick of his finger, he swept up and collected all fifty million underworld coins currently on the ground!

"I know you're in a rush, but don't rush," Chen Mu said with a chuckle:

"I'll take these funds back for now. First, take me to see my villa.

We can pay when we sign the contract, and it won't be too late then.

Of course, that assumes you still want my money by then—in which case, I will certainly give you every single penny."

The Capitalist Phantom wore a sneering smile, utterly baffled as to why Chen Mu would utter such brain-dead nonsense.

What did he mean by "if you still want my money by then?"

Wasn't that stating the obvious?

Of course I want your money!

Did he expect me to give him the villa for free?

Moments later, the Capitalist Phantom led Chen Mu to a small, remote, and dilapidated villa, pointing at the structure as he told Chen Mu:

"This is the villa being sold to you. 100 million underworld coins, not a single coin less!"

For such a rundown shanty, let alone 100 million underworld coins, even 100 million human dollars would easily buy it!

In the phantom apocalypse, underworld coins held vastly greater value.

This was a blatant humiliation of Chen Mu.

Yet Chen Mu maintained his beaming smile throughout, appearing entirely unbothered by the phantom's insults.

Chen Mu walked into the villa. The interior lacked any decoration whatsoever—it was a completely unfinished skeleton house!

Unfazed, Chen Mu sat down right in the middle of the hall, wearing a calm and serene smile.

For some reason, upon seeing that smile, the Capitalist Phantom felt a sudden creeping chill in his heart.

What is wrong with this kid? He's getting fleeced blind, yet he's still smiling like an idiot?

Just then, a chorus of sharp crow cawing echoed across the sky above the villa.

The Capitalist Phantom knew well that raven cries signaled the arrival of a new victim entering Sanshui Courtyard.

If nothing unexpected happened, it must be Chen Mu's friends!

His friends arrived awfully fast; what wonderful friends indeed!

Yet, why did he harbor such an ominous premonition that things were starting to go awry?