[Resource Tycoon] is loading. Current progress: 0.1%...
The phone's screen was lit, displaying only this single line of text. There was nothing else.
Wu Jun tried pressing the back button a few times, but nothing happened. The volume keys were unresponsive, and so was the lock button.
"What the hell is this? Did my phone get a virus?" Wu Jun wondered, staring at the device in his hand.
'Still, a virus is better than it being completely bricked,' he thought. 'Tomorrow, I'll download some antivirus software and run a scan. Or I could take it to a repair shop to get it reflashed. Either way, it's cheaper than buying a new phone.'
'I have to go out and post flyers tomorrow, so I need my phone line to stay open. A phone is essential.' The thought that he could save some money by not having to buy a new one brought him a small measure of relief. 'Guess God doesn't close all the doors at once.'
Setting the phone aside, Wu Jun rolled over in bed, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
The next morning, Wu Jun woke up and habitually reached for his phone to check the time. But what he saw wasn't his usual lock screen, but...
[Resource Tycoon] is loading. Current progress: 30%...
'Whatever. Who cares what time it is? Time to get up!'
He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed into clean clothes. After pocketing his phone and locking up the supermarket, Wu Jun headed out.
As he passed a phone repair shop, Wu Jun hesitated. 'Should I just get it reflashed now? To hell with this [Resource Tycoon] thing.'
But he was also a little curious about whatever was loading. He pulled out his phone and saw the progress was now at 31%. 'I might as well wait and see what it is when it's done.'
'What if the phone goes back to normal after this thing finishes loading?'
'Getting it reflashed now would just be a waste of money.'
Wu Jun slipped the phone back into his pocket and continued on his way. He ducked into a copy shop down the street and had several large "SUPERMARKET FOR SALE" posters printed with his phone number on them.
Back in his neighborhood, he taped the "SUPERMARKET FOR SALE" posters to his shop's door and a nearby brick wall. He also posted a listing on a local classifieds website.
He dug out an old phone he had replaced last year, swapped the SIM card into it, plugged it in to charge, and turned it on.
'Good thing I didn't get rid of this...' Wu Jun sighed in relief, watching the old phone spring back to life, ready to serve one last time.
Throughout the morning, a trickle of customers came into the supermarket. Some asked why he was suddenly closing up shop when business seemed to be going well. Wu Jun simply told them he had family matters to attend to and was planning to return to his hometown, offering no further details.
Wu Jun kept glancing at the old phone on the counter. He was waiting for a call—a call from someone willing to take over the supermarket.
'My supermarket is consistently profitable, has a steady stream of customers, and I'm not even asking for a transfer fee. It shouldn't be this hard to sell.' Yet, not a single person had called to inquire all morning.
'If I came across a deal this good, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat!'
'In Shimen City, the transfer fee for a profitable supermarket like this would be at least 20,000.'
'But that would also mean it would take longer to sell. It's not easy to find the right buyer on short notice.'
To liquidate quickly, Wu Jun had no choice but to make an incredibly attractive offer: no transfer fee.
Around lunchtime, a man he had never seen before walked into the store.
The man was in his thirties, with a portly build, a bald head, and a round face. A gaudy, thick gold chain hung around his neck, and a full tattoo sleeve covered one arm. He wore an arrogant expression.
Wu Jun frowned. 'This guy looks like trouble.'
"You're Wu, right? Is this supermarket for sale?" the man asked, getting straight to the point after a cursory glance around the store.
"Yes, that's right. I'm Wu Jun, the owner. The supermarket is for sale; I just put the signs up today. And you are, sir?" Seeing that the man was here about the listing, Wu Jun decided it didn't matter if he was trouble or not. He came out from behind the counter, greeted him, and pulled out a stool for the man.
"The name's Wang. Wang Hongliang." After sitting, Wang Hongliang pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He flicked one out, and though he glanced at the "No Smoking" sign on the wall, he pretended not to see it. He lit the cigarette and began puffing away.
Wu Jun didn't smoke and strictly prohibited customers from doing so inside the store to avoid bothering others.
However, Wang Hongliang was the only person who had shown up all morning. Wu Jun didn't dare say anything, for fear of offending him.
Wu Jun got up, walked to the entrance, and hung a small "Temporarily Closed" sign on the door. After shutting it, he returned to face Wang Hongliang.
"Mr. Wang, so you're interested in taking over the supermarket?" Wu Jun began after sitting down. "Let me give you an overview of the business operations, the rent, and the current inventory."
"You already wrote all that in the online post, so let's skip the nonsense," Wang Hongliang said, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. "I don't like to beat around the bush. I'll tell you my terms directly. If you agree, we can handle the transfer in the next day or two. If not, you can just pretend I was never here."
"What are your terms?" Wu Jun asked, his brow furrowed.
Wang Hongliang said, "All this miscellaneous junk in here? You take it all with you. I don't want a single bit of it; I'm going to bring in all new stock. You made it clear in your post that the inventory is worth about 20,000. I'm not going to bother inventorying it all with you. Just knock that 20,000 off the price. Give me the supermarket for 60,000."
"That's not happening." Wu Jun rejected the offer without a second thought upon hearing it. A flicker of displeasure crossed Wang Hongliang's face.
'If I sell the supermarket but have to take all the inventory, where am I supposed to sell it? I'll be stuck with all of it.'
'The whole reason I'm waiving the transfer fee is so I can offload the inventory along with the business and get it all done in one clean transaction.'
'Besides, I'm desperate for the money. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in such a rush to sell, let alone waive the transfer fee.'
Wu Jun patiently explained, "Mr. Wang, all the inventory is well within its shelf life. It's all stuff I'm currently selling, so you can just continue selling it without any issues. Whoever heard of a supermarket sale that doesn't include the stock? Especially when I've already waived the transfer fee for you."
"Boss Wu, I'm definitely not taking the inventory. You can just run a big sale or something to clear it out," Wang Hongliang said, his expression smug, as if he had Wu Jun cornered. "You said it yourself, it's an urgent sale. An urgent sale requires an urgent price, doesn't it?"
"I can't agree to those terms." This was blatant exploitation. The man was being insatiably greedy. Running a clearance sale would mean another huge financial loss, not to mention a waste of precious time. Wu Jun refused again.
"So there's nothing to discuss, then." Wang Hongliang stood up, dropped his cigarette butt on the floor, and crushed it out with his shoe. He started for the door, tossing a business card on the counter as he left. "If you come to your senses, Boss Wu, give me a call."
After Wang Hongliang left, Wu Jun picked up the cigarette butt from the floor and threw it in the trash. He glanced at the business card on the counter. It read: Wang Hongliang, General Manager, Hongyun Rice Co., Ltd.
'"General Manager," my ass,' Wu Jun muttered to himself irritably. 'It's probably just some tiny rice mill. What's a rice peddler doing getting involved in this anyway!' He crumpled the card and tossed it into the trash.
His position was firm: 80,000, and not a cent less.
After airing out the smoke, Wu Jun opened the door for business again.
Whether it was due to low traffic on the classifieds site or some other reason, Wu Jun didn't receive a single phone call by the time he closed up for the night.
The date of the upcoming craniotomy was now one day closer, and Wu Jun was starting to feel anxious.
That evening, after closing the shop, Wu Jun returned to his room in the back of the supermarket.
He turned on his computer and pulled up the classifieds post he had made.
It had over 300 views in one day, but not a single person had called. Something was off.
Noticing a few comments under his post, Wu Jun curiously clicked on them.
He saw several comments from different user IDs, all of them trashing the supermarket.
They claimed the location was bad, the neighborhood was run-down, there was no foot traffic, and that most of the inventory was expired.
One person, claiming to be a local resident, even said the owner had been losing money for years, couldn't even cover the rent, and was just looking for a sucker to take over the failing business.
Reading these comments, Wu Jun nearly exploded with rage.
'Who are these people?!'
'What did I ever do to anyone to deserve getting smeared like this for no reason?!'
Suddenly, Wu Jun noticed one of the user IDs was a phone number. It looked familiar, like he had seen it somewhere just recently.
Wu Jun shot up from his chair, hurried out of his room, wove through the supermarket aisles, and went straight to the trash can by the front door.
He pulled on a disposable glove and rummaged through the trash until he found the business card.
He took Wang Hongliang's business card back to the computer and compared the number on it to one of the IDs smearing his post. "Son of a bitch," Wu Jun swore.
'It really is that bastard!'
'What a dirty trick!'
'With him sabotaging the listing, of course no one is going to call me!'
Wu Jun picked up his phone and dialed the number on the card.
"Well, well, Boss Wu calling so late? Have you come to your senses?" The call connected almost instantly. It was Wang Hongliang. Apparently, even though he had just shown up at the store, he had already saved Wu Jun's number.
Wu Jun suppressed his fury. "Wang, you know damn well what you did. Was that really necessary?"
Wang Hongliang just chuckled. "Don't be so hostile, Boss Wu. It's called strategy, you understand? Believe me, if you don't sell this place to me, you won't be able to get rid of it in a year, let alone a month."
"Alright, I'm going to bed. Don't call me again unless it's to sign the contract." And with that, before Wu Jun could get a word in, Wang Hongliang hung up.
"Damn it! What a piece of work!" Wu Jun swore, tossing his phone onto the bed.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on his other phone—the one that had fried while charging last night, which he'd left in his room all day. The screen now showed that [Resource Tycoon] had finished loading: 100%.
He curiously picked up the phone. ZZZT! A jolt of electricity shot through his hand, making his entire body shudder.
'What the... Is it shorting out?'
Terrified, Wu Jun tried to fling the phone away, but it was stuck to his hand as if held by superglue. He couldn't shake it off.
As he thrashed his hand about, he saw the text on the screen change, and the sensation of being shocked vanished instantly.
Curious, Wu Jun looked down at the screen.
A message had appeared on the screen...