Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Getting Money
The cash he’d brought back from the wasteland had other uses and couldn’t be touched for now. However, there was still a good amount of gold left from the Stone Statue Apocalypse, which he could sell to deal with his urgent need for cash.
But even if he sold it all, it would only amount to a few million, a drop in the bucket for his future plans.
If he wanted to be adequately equipped to protect himself before entering the mission worlds, he needed sufficient financial backing.
For example, the True Apocalypse Game now allowed him to enter mission worlds with clothes on. If he could get his hands on a suit of exoskeleton armor, or even just a simple Kevlar vest, it would be far better than going in wearing a T-shirt.
A gentle breeze caressed his face. Shen Feng stretched comfortably on the roof of the vehicle. ’No ubiquitous nuclear radiation, no war-torn landscape... now this is comfortable.’
"Robbing a bank isn’t the solution. I need a different approach. It’s basically an electronic heist anyway... Can we get on the dark web?" Shen Feng asked.
He wanted to avoid throwing his own world into chaos and had no desire to wreck the financial system.
"The dark web is bullshit." Jingwei’s tone was utterly dismissive. "It’s just data accessed via dynamic web page technology. Right now, there’s only one and a half truly powerful AIs in the entire world. I count as one, and you’re the half. We are the masters!"
Shen Feng nodded obediently. Although he now possessed the skills, his bearing hadn’t caught up yet. ’I need more practice.’
"Then let’s start with black money. The pig-butchering scams in Southeast Asia, predatory loan schemes, financial fraud, the Lone Eagle in South America, dark web criminal organizations, and all that other garbage. Let’s drain their funds dry first," Shen Feng said, gazing at the brilliant star Antares in the sky.
"The pig-butchering scams in Southeast Asia... I like it. The financial fraud schemes aren’t bad either. Let’s go after these guys with no powerful backing first." Jingwei was raring to go. "I’ll go find some leads!"
"It’s settled then!" Shen Feng said, closing his eyes. His consciousness sank into his Silicon-Based Brain, and in the next instant, he appeared within a visualized, vast, starry sky.
Next to him was a spatial gate dozens of meters high, likely the base station closest to them.
Countless points of light flickered around them, each one a terminal device connected to the base station.
Jingwei, in its little bird form, met Shen Feng’s gaze and said, "Remember, don’t lose yourself in the sea of data. Think of yourself as a fish in the ocean—a shark, of course."
The man and the bird shot through the spatial gate in an instant, plunging into the endless sea of data...
The so-called "pig-butchering scam" in Southeast Asia is a fraudulent scheme that has emerged in recent years.
A group of scammers sets up a company in a small Southeast Asian country, recruits employees from their home country, and after training, has them assume various identities. They lure their compatriots into a trap under the guise of a romantic relationship, then swindle them out of money through fake investments, gambling, and other means.
The training for this racket is highly professional, boasting they can "become a woman for a man, a man for a woman, or a kindred spirit for someone gay." They specialize in deceiving emotionally vulnerable or dejected individuals, particularly older, single men and women and those on the fringes of society.
The scammers refer to these emotionally lonely victims as ’pigs.’ The process of cultivating a relationship with them is called ’raising the pig.’ Finally, luring them to a fake investment or gambling platform and running off with their money is called ’butchering the pig.’
They ’butcher a pig’ approximately every three months, which is to say, they defraud the victim of their funds once the emotional connection has matured.
The consequences range from losing a huge sum of money to complete financial ruin and broken homes.
The most despicable part of this scam is that it preys on emotions, exploiting people’s kindness and their desire for a beautiful romance.
Although domestic law enforcement has been working tirelessly to crack down on these crimes, even conducting joint operations with authorities abroad, it has proven difficult to stop the victims, who are often thoroughly brainwashed.
Shen Feng had long heard of this racket, and today he would get to see it for himself.
The search method for Shen Feng and Jingwei was quite simple. They found the account information of some victims directly from news reports, then used the transaction records to trace the funds to the fraudulent companies’ overseas accounts.
Then, after breaching the firewall of the bank where the fraudulent company held its accounts, they could begin transferring the money.
Before the firewall of a bank in Southeast Asia, Jingwei watched as Shen Feng began to merge with the firewall, preparing to phase through it completely. With a scornful expression, it said:
"In the end, aren’t you just robbing a bank?"
Shen Feng quickly retorted, "Punishing scammers, fighting evil and promoting good... can you call that robbing a bank?"
What followed was a bunch of incomprehensible talk about "social welfare," "Buddhist karma," "the butterfly effect," and so on. The digital air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Soon, they had completely plundered the accounts of over a hundred fraudulent companies. The total amount was enormous, far exceeding Shen Feng’s earlier estimates!
The man and the bird worked in tandem, channeling the funds through a dozen global charities before beginning to continuously transfer money back to the victims’ domestic accounts.
The sum of money was enormous; it was impossible for Shen Feng to keep it all for himself, as that would draw too much attention.
Less than five percent was left for Shen Feng. It was transferred to several accounts in Cyprus, then routed through the most complex Hong Kong money flows in staggered, unequal installments into one thousand domestic accounts that Shen Feng and Jingwei had just opened.
Of course, all these identities were expertly forged to appear real.
It took over an hour for all the money to be transferred.
Looking at the balance of over a million displayed in one of the accounts, Shen Feng couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.
’It’s enough for now.’
At that moment, he also came to understand the true power of an internet-based consciousness like his and Jingwei’s.
If they wished, they could plunge the entire world into turmoil; they could even manufacture a global apocalypse.
Just like Poseidon had once done.
They were the Ghosts of the digital world.
With the money secured, Shen Feng felt much more at ease. After all, he’d done a massive good deed and saved who-knows-how-many people. With that, he lay back on the vehicle’s roof and fell sound asleep.
When he woke up the next morning, he received a message from Jingwei.
The courtyard had essentially been purchased. Jingwei had just contacted the owner directly and wired a 200,000 deposit on the spot.
The courtyard’s owner was endlessly grateful, practically ready to kneel on the other end of the line. He desperately needed the money for a life-or-death situation.
The two parties agreed to sign an electronic agreement first. In a few days, the owner would rush back to sign the physical contract and handle the title transfer at the property management bureau.
Furthermore, the owner told Shen Feng he could move in immediately, as he himself had no plans to return.
The owner also informed Shen Feng that beneath the two-story, unfinished building was a basement garage. The entrance, he added, was behind the building, which had originally been intended for use as a warehouse.
Shen Feng immediately drove the missile launch vehicle inside. The clearance was high enough. He let out a long sigh of relief only after shutting the large gate.
Just then, the roar of more vehicles sounded from outside. It was a crew of construction workers, pulling up with a truckload of components for prefabricated buildings.
Clearly, Jingwei had arranged this as well.
The crew was highly efficient. In no time, they had erected several prefabricated structures in the courtyard and enclosed the second story of the unfinished building, making it look less like a ruin from the outside.
After the workers left, Shen Feng couldn’t help but exclaim:
"Jingwei, you’re incredible. You’re basically my Jarvis! Maybe I should give you a more impressive nickname? I remember there was a superintelligence in *The Three-Body Problem* called ’Zhi Zi.’ How about I call you..."
"Get lost."
