Chapter 2 Exposing Scams

The man took the money, examined it carefully, then pulled out a very sophisticated device from his bag.

Under the puzzled gazes of the onlookers, the man pressed a button and the device immediately emitted a beam of faint blue light.

Holding the device against the money and moving it back and forth a few times, he said, "It's real money, no mistake. This is the latest model of a counterfeit detection lamp, it's definitely accurate!"

"Wow, it's really Xi Luo currency!" Faces of those seated lit up with excitement.

At this, the bus attendant promptly said, "Then give me the money, and consider it as your fare."

But at that moment, a bank employee said to the woman, "The current exchange rate between Xuan Country currency and Xi Luo currency is seven yuan and forty-five cents. Your Xi Luo currency bills are all ten yuan each, he still owes you change for one."

At this, the bus attendant's eyes suddenly reddened.

Damn it, it was ten bills just a moment ago, now it's down to one, this won't do!

However, as soon as the bank employee finished speaking, the passengers began telling the woman, "Pay only as much as you should, don't be so generous. You've just escaped from home and you'll have many places to use money!"

The woman, moved to tears by the bank employee and the passengers, said with a choked voice, "Thank you all, thank you."

After speaking, the woman handed five Xi Luo currency bills to the bus attendant and said, "Big brother, sorry for the trouble, I'll give you a bit more."

"All right, find yourself a seat," the bus attendant took the money, his face softening slightly, wishing he had collected the money earlier.

At that moment, the woman turned to everyone and said, "Who can help me make change? The gentleman just mentioned that one bill can be exchanged for over seventy, you all just give me fifty for each, I need some money to get back home."

"Can this stuff be exchanged at the bank?" someone asked aloud.

"Big banks in the city can do the exchange," the bank employee responded.

Seeing the hesitation among the crowd, the woman immediately said, "Big brothers and sisters, please help me out. How about this, I'll exchange one for thirty yuan!"

Thirty?

Suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, "I'll exchange, I'll take ten!"

The bank employee hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll take fifteen!"

The bank employee taking money out of his own pocket to make the exchange wiped away the last trace of doubt from the crowd!

"If anyone is worried about not being able to exchange it later, you can come to the city to find me. I just feel too sorry for Sister here; I detest men who hit women the most in my life. Let's help her out if we can!"

The bank employee spoke with righteous indignation, and instantly, people began reaching into their wallets with ready cash.

At that moment, the girl seated next to Zhao Yang also took out money from her pocket. Noticing that everyone else was participating and only the person beside her was watching coldly, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at him and uttered a disdainful "Tch."

This person is too cold-blooded, too heartless. Facing such an event, he won't even offer this small favor.

Nowadays, who leaves home without three or five hundred yuan? If you really don't have the money, exchanging one bill would still be an act of kindness.

Zhao Yang watched the incident unfold with a cold eye, suddenly feeling that something was amiss.

The woman began exchanging Xi Luo currency for everyone starting from the front row. In everyone's eyes, it was a win-win situation, the woman got the money to return to her hometown, and everyone else got a good deal, ready to double their principal by making the exchange whenever they had time to go to the city.

Soon, the woman made her way to Zhao Yang's row.

Just as the girl was about to hand over the money, she realized her wrist had been grabbed.

Looking down, she saw that the hand that had been blocking her forehead was now gripping her slender wrist.

At that moment, any slight fondness she had for Zhao Yang instantly disappeared.

"Let go!" the girl said in a low voice, frowning.

"Don't be recklessly kind, you hear?" Zhao Yang finally spoke up.

"What's it to you? Take your hand off!"

"Girl, if your man thinks it's inconvenient, just forget it," the woman suggested.

"He's not my man!" the girl's face turned red as she struggled to free herself from Zhao Yang's grip, passing over the fifteen hundred yuan she held and said with a smile, "Sister, just give me twenty bills, I won't take advantage of you."

Hearing the girl's words, everyone was shocked.

Fifteen hundred yuan for twenty Xi Luo currency bills – the girl was exchanging at the international rate!

Originally she could have exchanged for fifty pieces, but she only wanted twenty.

The woman's nose suddenly tingled with emotion, and while crying, she forcefully stuffed fifty Xi Luo bills into the girl's hand, saying, "Sister, you are a good person, so much kinder than your man."

"Sister, he really isn't my man." The corners of the girl's eyes also moistened.

Zhao Yang's face flushed red and then white, thought for a moment, sighed, pulled out a few hundred bucks from his pocket, and handed them over, saying, "I'll take a few as well."

The woman's face bloomed into a smile, immediately counting out the tickets.

But just as the woman was handing out the tickets to collect the money, a sudden change occurred!

In an instant, the woman and Zhao Yang were clutching each other's wrists tightly, the woman's face a mix of shock and confusion!

The girl sandwiched between them looked at Zhao Yang with disdain.

The next second, something even more surprising happened, as Zhao Yang spat on his empty hand and pressed it onto the woman's chest skin!

Despicable!

The girl simply couldn't believe that Zhao Yang would do such a shameless thing!

What happened next shocked the girl even more!

As Zhao Yang's hand mixed with saliva rubbed forcefully over the woman's chest, when Zhao Yang lifted his hand, an astonishing scene was revealed!

The woman's previously slightly bruised skin, although still smeared with Zhao Yang's saliva, had turned white and clean!

The girl's eyes widened, scarcely believing the scene before her, as Zhao Yang's indifferent voice reached her ears, "The makeup is well done."

With the sudden twist, the surrounding passengers stretched their necks to see, and immediately let out an "Oh my god," stirring up a commotion!

This injury was fake, so could the money be real?

Scammer!

Realizing she had been exposed, the woman hastily withdrew her hand, fastened the buttons on her jacket, and at the same time, a burly man roared, "Nobody move a damn muscle!"

The chaotic scene was instantly subdued as everyone looked in astonishment at the burly man in front, realizing what he was holding—it was a homemade shotgun!

For a moment, the entire place erupted into chaos.

"I dare anyone to speak up, I'll blast you with this!" The man with the shotgun aimed at the people, immediately suppressing the tumult!

The woman adjusted the disheveled hair on her forehead, pulled off the adhesive tape from her face, revealing a scar half a finger length on her face, her expression turning ferocious.

The ticket seller just tried to stand up, but was forced back down by the "bank employee," who brandished a spring knife, its bright blade glinting menacingly, giving off a chilling air. The formerly polite face now bore a sinister look.

The man with the shotgun said to the driver, "If you dare to stop the bus, I'll kill you!" Then he raised his voice to the rest, "Stay put, everyone. We don't want to kill anybody!"

Zhao Yang watched the scene unfold, subconsciously clenching his fists.

"Kid, how did you figure out my wound was fake?" No longer needing to pretend, the scar-faced woman's voice became rough.

"At first, I just thought it was too coincidental, a woman holding a stack of money that nobody recognizes, and there just happens to be a bank employee on the bus."

The scar-faced woman furrowed her brow.

"However, coincidences can have their advantages," Zhao Yang smiled faintly and said, "It just so happens I study medicine, and I could tell at a glance that your injury was fake. If I couldn't see it clearly from afar, now that I'm so close and still couldn't tell, that would be embarrassing."

"You smart aleck!"

With a wicked smile, the woman turned to the passengers, who were now frightened birds, and said, "If we can't manage the little tricks, then we'll go for a bigger score. Everyone, hand over your money, and anything like jewelry, phones, and the like too!"

This is a disaster, even worse than being scammed!

Everyone's face turned pale with terror; the scammer had turned into a robber—this was escalating!

The "bank employee," holding a bag and brandishing a knife, coerced the passengers one by one to hand over money and belongings, while the woman stood with hands on hips, a menacing look on her face.

The gunman's eyes were sharp and fierce, and when his gaze passed over Zhao Yang, he noticeably paused, Zhao Yang reading in his menacing look that even if everyone else on the bus was left unharmed, he wouldn't be able to escape.

When the "bank employee" encountered resistance, a woman refused to hand over her money at all costs. The gold necklace around her neck was yanked off by the "bank employee," and with a painful cry, the woman began to fight back. In the chaos, the "bank employee" cut the woman's face with the knife, slicing off a piece of flesh from her nose!