Resurgence of the Unknown

Chapter 31: Your Inevitable Downfall

The shop owner was initially stunned by Yang Jian's eerie and emotionless gaze. However, he quickly regained his composure and, feigning bravado, pushed Yang Jian away, shouting, "What, you think you can just hit people? Try it, and I'll call the cops right now! You must be a thief, trying to sell stolen goods here. Now that you can't get away with it, you want to get violent? Get out of here with your junk before I have you thrown in jail. You really think I'm scared of you?"

"Everyone, look here! This guy is trying to sell stolen goods. Someone call the police!"

Not only did he attempt to cheat Yang Jian out of his phones, but he also turned the situation around, accusing Yang Jian of being the criminal. Some passersby began to take notice of the commotion.

Yang Jian now fully understood the shop owner's malevolent nature.

"Alright, since you're so eager to die, don't blame me for what happens next. You seem to love phones so much—how about I give you one more?"

A cold smile crept across Yang Jian's face.

Without another word, he grabbed a phone and slammed it against the shop owner's head. His hand emitted a faint red glow, and the eye on the back of his hand opened wide.

Thud!

The phone made contact with the shop owner's forehead, but when Yang Jian pulled his hand back, the phone had vanished.

"You really dared to hit me? I'm calling the police right now. Stay right here if you have the guts!" The shop owner, enraged, grabbed his phone and pretended to dial the police. But deep down, he was scared. If the police reviewed the surveillance footage and discovered his underhanded tactics, it would be him behind bars, not this young man trying to sell his phones.

"Go ahead and call. I need to make a call too," Yang Jian said calmly as he dialed a number.

Soon, the call connected.

Suddenly, the shop was filled with the sound of a phone ringing, the tune of "Liang Liang" echoing within the small space.

But the source of the ringtone wasn't from Yang Jian's phone or the counter. It came from inside the shop owner's head.

"Ahhh!"

The shop owner screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor as his body convulsed uncontrollably. Blood oozed from his nose, mouth, and eyes as he experienced an unbearable pain in his skull, as if it were about to explode.

Yang Jian quickly ended the call, picked up a pen, and wrote down an account number. "That phone? It's worth ten thousand. You have ten minutes to transfer the money. If I don't receive it, the ringtone will play in your head again. And by the way, if you ever want to get that phone out of your head, give me a call."

With that, Yang Jian took the rest of the phones, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and left the shop.

You thought you could cheat me? Now you'll suffer.

It took several minutes after Yang Jian left for the shop owner to shakily rise to his feet, still terrified and in pain. He felt something foreign lodged inside his brain, causing immense discomfort, as if his head would burst open if he didn't remove it soon.

He glanced outside the shop but saw no sign of the young man who had just been there.

On the counter was a piece of paper with a phone number and an account number written on it.

Ten thousand yuan? He had ten minutes to transfer the money, or the ringtone would play again?

Not wanting to experience that excruciating pain again, the shop owner quickly grabbed his phone and initiated a transfer to the account provided by Yang Jian. But as he was about to hit "confirm," he hesitated.

What if this was all a trick? What if the pain earlier was just a coincidence?

If that were true, transferring ten thousand yuan would be a huge loss.

No, I can't do it. I won't transfer the money.

The shop owner took a sip of water and tried to calm himself. Though his head still throbbed, it wasn't as intense as before. Maybe he should just go to the hospital and have it checked out.

However, ten minutes later, as Yang Jian walked down the street, he noticed that his phone hadn't received any transfer notifications. Without hesitation, he dialed the shop owner's number again.

"Liang Liang, the moonlight is like a river of longing..."

The ringtone echoed inside the shop owner's head once more, causing him to collapse in agony as his body convulsed, blood oozing from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Ahhh!"

Ten seconds later, Yang Jian ended the call and continued walking calmly down the street.

The shop owner's life was now in Yang Jian's hands. Cheat me? I'll take my time making you pay.

This time, it wasn't long before Yang Jian received a notification of a ten-thousand-yuan transfer.

Along with it, his other phone began ringing.

As soon as he answered, the shop owner's desperate voice came through: "P-please, let me go! I've transferred the money to you! Please, I beg you!"

"Money? What money? I haven't received anything. You must've sent it to the wrong account. You have three minutes left. If I don't get it, the ringtone will play again. This time, it'll cost you twenty thousand," Yang Jian lied effortlessly before hanging up.

Let's see who can outsmart whom.

The shop owner, clearly shaken by the previous pain, quickly transferred another twenty thousand yuan.

Soon after, Yang Jian's phone notified him of another transfer.

"B-big brother, did you receive it this time?" The shop owner called back, his voice trembling with fear.

"Yes, I got it. I'll give you ten minutes of peace. After that, the usual deal—another ten thousand," Yang Jian replied, then ended the call.

What? Another call in ten minutes?

At this rate, I'm doomed.

The shop owner was on the verge of tears. Why had he been so greedy for that phone? He had never had trouble like this before, but now he had run into a real tough guy.

Frantic, the shop owner tried calling Yang Jian back, begging him to stop the torment and fix the situation. But Yang Jian didn't pick up.

Realizing he was out of options, the shop owner scraped together another ten thousand and transferred it, then called Yang Jian again. This time, Yang Jian answered.

"This phone call is costing me so much," the shop owner sobbed, "Please, I beg you, let me go. I'll return your phones. I won't mess with you again. You've already gotten forty thousand out of me!"

Yang Jian replied, "Weren't you so confident before? If you think I'm extorting you, go ahead and call the police. I'm just around the corner, out for a stroll. But remember, ten minutes from now, another ten thousand."

"What? But I'm out of money," the shop owner said, despair creeping into his voice. "I've already sent you fifty thousand!"

"No money? That's okay. I know a few loan platforms—high interest, but quick and reliable. Should suit you well... If the money isn't in my account in ten minutes, I'll treat you to another round of 'Liang Liang.'"

"Y-you're robbing me!" The shop owner's voice trembled.

Yang Jian responded calmly, "Don't be ridiculous. This isn't robbery. Robbery isn't this fast. Anyway, this call is using up my phone credit."

Beep...

Yang Jian hung up, leaving the shop owner in utter despair.