Chapter 11: The Marvelous Flower Danmu

Chapter 11: The Marvelous Flower Danmu

The tense two-day college entrance examination came to an end quickly. Bai Ge relied entirely on genuine skills; after all, knowledge learned and stored in his mind belonged to him.

During the final English exam on the second day, Bai Ge finished the test paper well in advance.

Bored, he pretended to check his answers while actually closing his eyes, resting his head on his hand, and immersing his thoughts entirely into the Brain Hole.

“The final fruit… it’s almost done…”

At that moment, Bai Ge was designing an exquisitely beautiful yellow flower in his mind, using as materials various plants and herbs he had bought from the flower market after yesterday’s exam.

He was secretly studying his abilities right in the exam hall, though, of course, no one could discover the Brain Hole; at most, they might think he was dozing.

“This flower of mine must be the most beautiful in the whole world.”

The earlier idea of a super factory wasn’t impossible to achieve.

Since transforming physical substances incurred costs, pursuing quantity was out of the question—focus had to be on quality instead.

What was rare was precious. With the same level of energy expenditure, creating a mass of handicrafts paled in comparison to crafting a singular, bizarre object never seen in Reality.

Bringing in steel rebars or rare earth metals, even if what Bai Ge made was utterly beautiful—maximizing artistic value—how much could such things really be worth?

Diamonds did hold some value. He made a few, but they appeared cloudy. Clearly, such shaping hadn’t yet reached the microscopic precision of molecular structures.

Plants, however, were different. Once decomposed and with the Soul removed, he could manipulate them freely. Mixing and matching as he pleased produced seemingly new plant life.

Moreover, he firmly believed that what others didn’t possess was inevitably the most valuable.

“All done, Danmu!”

Now floating within the Brain Hole was an extraordinarily beautiful flower.

Its petals were golden yellow, its stems a deep crimson—straight and lengthy—with dense roots and intricate foliage. Sixteen petals surrounded it, resembling an orchid but bearing significantly larger fruit.

At the flower’s center lay a bright vermilion, perfectly round and translucent fruit, resembling a blood-red pearl.

This was the result of Bai Ge extracting numerous medicinal herbs, processing and shaping them within the Universe of the Brain Hole World.

The design referenced “Danmu,” an unusual plant described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (specifically the ‘Chapter on the Western Mountains’), which possessed a vermilion seed said to grant immunity to fire if consumed.

The actual shape did not exist in Reality; such a uniquely exquisite flower could never be found globally.

“Too bad though, as soon as I take this out, apart from its splendid appearance, nothing else about it is accepted by Reality. Such a shame.”

Bai Ge admired the Danmu. He had endowed it with numerous extraordinary properties, and coupled with its foundation in Reality’s physical substance, this flower was absolutely the most divine marvel within the whole Universe of the Brain Hole.

Yet, when taken into Reality, it could only be sold as a beautiful flower.

“Not sure how much it might fetch. I heard stories of flowers selling for millions. Real flower lovers, seeing such a wondrous plant, would certainly be willing to pay generously.”

The moment the exam session ended, Bai Ge handed in his paper immediately.

With the gaokao over, he couldn’t wait to find a wealthy buyer for his flower.

Leaving the exam hall with an utterly relaxed expression,

Bai Ge received a phone call from Zhuang Ze almost as soon as he finished the test.

He checked in almost daily, inquiring.

Zhuang Ze dared not show up in person himself. If people noticed they shared identical looks, it would spell trouble.

Throughout the three-day gaokao, he pretended to go for the exams each day but actually hid away playing in a hotel.

“Bai Ge, how did it go?” Zhuang Ze almost called daily to ask.

“Covered. Believe me, just pick your universities freely when applying.” Bai Ge didn’t need to estimate his score—he felt absolutely certain.

“Really? I heard this year’s questions were super hard!” Zhuang Ze responded.

“Hard?”

Bai Ge eyed the surroundings: Numerous students were miserably complaining to their parents.

They lamented that this year’s gaokao was extremely difficult with many oddly specific topics.

Zhuang Ze spoke over the phone: “Truly, I hear that from loads of people.”

“Ah, well, everyone got hit by the same thing.” Bai Ge genuinely hadn’t perceived any extreme difficulty.

“But… can I apply to Peking University? My only hope rests on you now… It’s not that I doubt you, but honestly, I feel uneasy deep down. Can you grasp my feeling?” Zhuang Ze explained.

Bai Ge walked into a restroom. Moments later, he stepped out, his face already back to his original appearance.

“Suit yourself. I delivered everything I could.” Bai Ge said confidently.

“Anyway, you can disguise. Why not pretend to be an exam grader yourself and infiltrate…”

Zhuang Ze clearly thought Bai Ge’s strength lay outside academia. Witnessing his shapeshifting prowess made Zhuang Ze feel covert operative work suited Bai Ge best.

“My job was to take your test slot, not infiltrate… Enough said. I’ve got pressing matters.”

Bai Ge decisively hung up. If he let Zhuang Ze continue, there was no telling what ridiculous idea might tumble out next.

Though working for money, he retained strong autonomy. Being nagged and bossed around by an employer would render him little different than an underling.

Besides—he was bursting to market that spectacular flower from the Brain Hole right now.

…

Normally, selling flowers required visiting a plant market.

But Bai Ge knew one thing: Selling it there, none there could likely afford the sky-high price tag he envisioned for his wonder flower.

Fortunately, while preparing to attract clients earlier, he had investigated quite a few wealthy individuals thoroughly.

Though not intimate details, he gathered quite a bit regarding affluent hobbies and interests.

Suddenly, he remembered someone. That very person assuredly would bid big money for it.

“I’ll reach out to Mr. Chen. Need him to arrange an introduction.”

Exiting the school and hopping onto a vehicle, Bai Ge phoned Mr. Chen at once.

When the call connected, Bai Ge didn’t mention the flower upfront; first, he inquired about follow-ups to their prior task.

That earlier job involved Bai Ge stealing ownership agreements worth tens of millions for Mr. Chen—just for an upfront of ¥20,000.

That job lingered in his mind; he had been itching to wrap up loose ends.

“Mr. Chen, how about… arranging time for collection?”

Then came the reply: “Oh, Xiao Bai… You stay remarkably informed… Haha sure, come along now. I’m over at Hu Hanlong’s place… Actually—it’s my place now.”

Bai Ge froze: Hu Hanlong happened to be his last target’s residence. To find out Mr. Chen had bought that very villa was jarring.

Apparently, Hu Hanlong’s career suffered catastrophe due to Bai Ge’s past assignment.

“Alright, arriving now.”

After hanging up, Bai Ge sped straight toward Huangjia Garden District.

This time, there was no need to dodge surveillance. He entered Hu Hanlong’s house openly.

Indeed—this was now property under Mr. Chen’s name.

The instant he arrived, a pudgy, round-faced man came up grinning warmly, flanked by a bodyguard nearby.

That ‘Mr. Chen’ named Chen Song ran construction conglomerates carrying quite some wealth. Bai Ge had once quietly investigated him: Chen Song sat under a ¥100,000,000 bank loan.

Years ago, his wife almost conspired fraudulently with his own friend to seize his entire business empire. That was how Bai Ge got acquainted—by volunteering secret intelligence to Chen Song exposing the entire plot; later becoming a steady client over time.

“Xiao Bai, your last job proved stellar. Settled that payment long ago; square deal between us. Though, knowing you enjoy bringing closure, rest assured. To prevent your planted gadgets becoming snafu, I deliberately scooped up the whole villa—your planted kit got cleared off comprehensively.” Chen Song chuckled heartily.

Bai Ge understood men like Chen Song quite well. Buying the mansion during distress sales guaranteed rock-bottom discounts.

He’d been too preoccupied with recent Brain Hole experimentation to monitor Hu Hanlong’s fate, but collapse appeared obvious enough.

“Much appreciated for diligence then, Mr. Chen. Mind if I give those swept gadgets one final look?” Bai Ge responded with a slight smile.

Chen Song paused in surprise and said, “I’ve already had someone deal with it. What? You don’t trust me?”

After speaking, his face turned cold.

He was on top of the world now, no longer the pitiful figure Bai Ge had met, and he wanted to assert his authority.

Bai Ge hurriedly smiled and said, “How could I not trust you? It’s just…”

As he spoke, he suddenly walked towards a painting and reached out to take a bug off it.

“It’s just that your people probably didn’t get them all clean.”

Chen Song’s face froze; seeing the bug in Bai Ge’s hand, he immediately glared fiercely at the bodyguard.

The bodyguard felt wronged and hurriedly explained, “I didn’t mean to! I genuinely couldn’t find a few…”

Chen Song shouted angrily, “It’s right there on the painting, so obvious! How could you miss it? And you lied to me, saying you’d found them all!”

Bai Ge smiled and said to the bodyguard, “Excuse me, how many did you find?”

The things he had hidden weren’t easy to find. This bodyguard must have searched for a long time but still missed several, and to get the job over with, he claimed he’d found them all.

Sure enough, the bodyguard said, “There are still six cameras… and I didn’t find any of the bugs.”

Hearing this, Chen Song flew into a rage and berated the bodyguard harshly, but then he realized he still very much needed Bai Ge.

After all, cameras were easy to locate because one could identify their angles from surveillance footage.

With six still missing under those circumstances, it proved how cleverly Bai Ge had hidden the spots he used.

Once Chen Song calmed down, he turned to find that Bai Ge had walked around and was holding six cameras and twelve bugs in his hand.

Bai Ge had already found all the remaining devices.

Chen Song hurriedly spoke gently again, “You’re still amazing! My people are far inferior to you—they’re all useless.”

Bai Ge smiled and said, “You’re too kind. Everyone has their own expertise!”

Chen Song shook his head and said, “To be honest, I owe much of where I am today to you. Not one person around me can do the job you do. Work for me? I can pay you two million a year!”

“Take one cent, do one job. I don’t accept long-term employment, sorry,” Bai Ge firmly refused.

Chen Song’s face darkened, and he felt a bit annoyed but held it in.

Although through the last mission, he had successfully dragged Bai Ge down into the fray, making him compromised too.

Yet he knew Bai Ge was aware of too many of his affairs, so threatening or controlling him was unrealistic.

“Sigh, think it over. You can find me anytime,” Chen Song said disappointedly.

Bai Ge smiled and said, “I didn’t expect to be held in such high regard. Actually, I came this time hoping Mr. Chen could introduce me to some big clients.”

Hearing that, Chen Song knew the idea of recruiting Bai Ge as a subordinate was now more remote than ever.

Still, he smiled and replied, “Actually, I’ve mentioned you to a few friends, but I didn’t give them your name or contact details. Since you’ve asked, I can make an introduction for you.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Ge knew what was happening.

Chen Song had been plotting to win Bai Ge over, so he kept his name secret to prevent others from hiring him away.

Now, though, it seemed Chen Song had given up, deciding instead to build a good relationship.

Bai Ge asked, “Mr. Chen must know… Luo Wendi, right?”

Chen Song paused in surprise and said, “You want to meet Young Master Luo? I can only barely get a word in with him, and I can’t give you his number—he has to reach out to you first.”

Bai Ge pondered and said, “Please tell him for me that I have a rare flower I’d like to show him.”

“A rare flower?” Chen Song asked back, “I’ve never heard of Young Master Luo liking flowers.”

“Luo Wendi doesn’t care for plants,” Bai Ge said, “but he’s twice bought rare strains of orchids at high prices. For someone who dislikes flowers to do that can only mean… there’s someone very important to him who loves exotic blossoms and odd grasses.”

Chen Song froze, then remarked sentimentally, “Seems you came prepared. Well, I didn’t even know my brother and ex-wife… betrayed me, yet you knew… sigh.”

Then he added, “What rare flower is it that you’re so confident will win him over?”

Bai Ge smiled and said, “This flower is unique—one of a kind in the entire world!”