I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 94

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

094-Confidence
94.
Guangzhou fell into minor chaos.
It was because of people wandering in and out of restaurants everywhere, searching for candy.
Those half-crazed by the candy were scouring every corner to obtain it.
Some observant individuals noticed the QR code printed on the wrapper and kept the packaging,
but most people dismissed it as cheap candy distributed by restaurants and discarded the wrapper without even examining its surface.
Moreover, with the belief that they could obtain candy for free at restaurants, the thought of purchasing it never crossed their minds.
Fearing someone else might claim it first, they abandoned all reason in their urgency.
Convinced they had to reach a restaurant faster than anyone else, they began searching through various establishments and cafes.
They would rudely barge into any restaurant and rummage through the counter searching for candy, and if it wasn’t there, they would simply spin around and leave without a word of apology.
Angered by this, restaurant owners began posting signs outside stating they had no candy, while some even reported the matter to the Public Security Bureau.
From the restaurant owners’ perspective, they were furious that people would burst in without warning and hover around the counter, touching it carelessly, but conversely, the Public Security Bureau had no measures available beyond telling people to stop.
People hunted obsessively for Candy Coin,
restaurant owners were irritated by these people,
and the Public Security Bureau could do nothing but leave it unaddressed.
As a result, the chaos only intensified.
.
.
.
Designer Liu Mei
had created exceptional designs that reflected 100% of the client’s requirements while maintaining a keen visual sensibility.
Even if it was merely a sign for a neighborhood jianbing shop.
But the problem came after that.
When I had eaten the candy, every line in the world I saw was vivid, every color was clear—but now the world seemed to have turned to grayscale.
To be precise, it wasn’t grayscale.
It was the color I originally saw.
I had returned to my original world.
But I didn’t like that world.
I wanted to see the colors I saw back then.
I wanted to feel the emotions I felt back then again.
I wanted to return to that world again.
The place where I now stand is not the right world.
My colleague who had given me the candy seemed to feel the same way.
“Want to go back there?”
“Where?”
“Where we got the candy.”
“Yeah, let’s go right now.”
Without hesitation, the two of us ran to the Park where we had received the candy.
We wandered through every corner of the Park, but there was no one distributing candy.
I combed through the Park, but there wasn’t a single dropped candy to be found.
Just as disappointment began to drain my energy,
I discovered a candy wrapper on a bench in the Park.
At first, I was delighted thinking I’d found the candy itself, then disappointed to see it was just an empty wrapper, then I cheered when I noticed the QR code on it.
“Finally… I found it.”
.
.
.
Jun Kai, who operated the Convenience Store, had been irritated by the strange customers over the past two days.
Customers who entered with vacant eyes indiscriminately grabbed chocolate and jelly.
Like people possessed, they tore open the packaging as soon as they picked up the chocolate.
They chewed and munched while bringing it to the register.
Even when I told them not to make a mess, they didn’t listen.
Women, men, young, old—it didn’t matter. They all acted the same way.
I was annoyed because I had to clean the floor again after those people left.
They dropped so many crumbs everywhere.
Several of these crazy people came and went today as well.
I’m tired of even trying to stop them now.
At first, I tried to stop them, asking what they were doing, but their vacant eyes seemed unprepared to listen to me.
They didn’t listen even when I spoke.
It was frustrating.
Just now, someone came and rummaged through the merchandise before leaving.
No matter how many times I told them not to, they wouldn’t listen.
After they left, I went to organize what they’d scattered.
Huh? The items are gone?
The chocolate bars, chocolate, jelly, and candy were all empty.
That person rummaged because they couldn’t see those candy items.
I failed to understand the customer’s desire to search desperately for items because there was nothing in stock.
‘I was wrong.’
Jun Kai reflected on himself.
But when did all that candy sell out?
I thought sales were good today, but I didn’t think it would be completely depleted.
To get an accurate picture, I opened the register and checked.
That’s right.
Everything sold out today.
Chocolate and jelly usually sell well, but I’d never seen sales like this before.
It was remarkable.
This wasn’t the time to be standing around.
I immediately opened the ordering system and began placing orders.
I ordered jelly, chocolate, candy, chocolate bars, and more.
It was three times the usual amount.
All of it was a consideration for our customers.
We can’t have the customers feeling inconvenienced.
*******
Guangzhou Public Security Bureau.
Public Security officer Ming Wei stood in front of a vending machine to get coffee.
Ci Hao, his academy classmate, approached Ming Wei as he was retrieving his coffee.
“It’s been a while.”
“Tell me about it. We work in the same building but it’s hard to even see each other’s faces. Want some coffee?”
“Sure. I’d appreciate it.”
Ming Wei dispensed another cup and handed it to Ci Hao.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
“Just got back from a dispatch call?”
“Yeah. I went out four times just today. I don’t know what kind of day this is.”
“Really? I made three trips myself today.”
“Was your dispatch also because of that? The candy?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I don’t understand what the fuss is about with that candy. People are going crazy looking for it, and restaurant owners are demanding we keep those people away.”
“Right? But from what I heard, they apparently put samples of the candy on the counter, and people want more of it.”
“I heard something like that too, but shouldn’t they just buy it then?”
“Apparently they don’t know where to buy it.”
“What?”
“They want to buy the candy but don’t know where it’s sold.”
“Isn’t that what marketing and samples are for?”
“I don’t get it either. Why would they do that?”
“What if…”
“What if what?”
Ming Wei glanced around to confirm no one was nearby, then spoke quietly.
“What if it’s not actually candy… but drugs?”
“What??”
“Think about it. Why would so many people go crazy searching for just some candy like this? This is exactly how drug dealers operate.”
“That’s true.”
“That’s why I keep suspecting it might be drugs. I heard recently that a new type of drug was discovered in Macau.”
“Really?”
“This place is geographically close to Macau anyway. It’s definitely a possibility.”
“But if it were drugs, would they really distribute it in such large quantities like this? It would be hard enough to smuggle it in, let alone scatter it randomly like that?”
“That’s exactly why I can’t definitively say it’s drugs. In China, you get executed for selling drugs—even kids in the neighborhood know that. There’s no way someone would recklessly scatter drugs around like this. So that’s why I keep second-guessing myself.”
“If we could get a sample, we could just analyze its composition and be done with it, but we can’t seem to get one.”
As they talked and drank their coffee, the cups emptied.
Just as the two were about to part ways, Ming Wei’s junior arrived at the vending machine with an exhausted expression.
“Coffee? Would you mind making me a cup?”
“I’d be delighted to.”
“Why do you look so exhausted? Did you just get back from a dispatch?”
“Yes. What on earth is this candy? This is my third dispatch today alone.”
“Hahahaha. We’ve been talking about that very thing until just now.”
“Have you heard about this as well?”
“What story?”
“They say that candy has been found in Shenzhen, Xiamen, Fuzhou, and Shanghai?”
“What??”
The two of them trembled with inexplicable dread.
*******
Li Yuantao, a City Hall official, had finally obtained the candy.
Obtaining the candy proved far simpler than anticipated.
Scanning the QR code on the candy wrapper redirected to Ashland’s social media account.
One simply navigated to the purchase site listed on the social media and completed the transaction.
The payment had to be made in something called Candy Coin, but the process itself was straightforward.
Even if it had been difficult, I would have persisted,
and even if it had been written in a foreign language, I would have used a translator, but mercifully it was written in Chinese.
Upon payment, several photographs arrived.
Instructions to find the location where the medicine was hidden.
Following the photographs to the specified location, I reached out and found a small pouch containing Ashland.
It contained ten pieces.
They don’t sell individual units.
Ten is the minimum.
At fifty yuan per piece—roughly ten thousand won—it wasn’t cheap, but there was no choice but to complete the purchase.
It was far faster and more efficient than wandering through restaurants and streets searching for candy of unknown location.
As I placed another Ashland tablet on my tongue, the sweet taste and electric sensation spread throughout my entire body once more.
‘Yes, this is the feeling.’
My body surged with vitality, and my mind became crystalline.
Everything that had been chaotic organized itself with perfect clarity.
Information about the flower market materialized in my mind like a monitor display.
I could position things here this way, and security personnel could be deployed like this,
that’s right. If I altered the traffic flow here, it would be far more effective.
Only then did the meaning of the cryptic report become comprehensible.
I could finally decipher the report I had written myself yet failed to understand, having struggled with it for quite some time.
As the medication’s effects began to wane, I consumed another Ashland tablet.
My spirits lifted once again.
Completely isolated from the outside world, I immersed myself in my own realm.
Like playing a city-building game, like assembling Lego blocks.
Li Yuantao had become a perfect creator, constructing his own world.
.
.
.
‘Phew. Finally done.’
I have no idea how long it took.
One night? Two nights? I couldn’t say.
I simply wanted to capture every scenario swirling through my mind in this operational plan.
To avoid the screen cutting off mid-work and showing that cryptic display again, I kept consuming Ashland while working.
As a result
I had completed everything flawlessly: 【Basic Operational Plan】, 【Detailed Operational Plan】, 【Operations Manual】, 【Duty Assignment Table】, 【Budget】, 【Expenditure Plan】, and 【Organizational Chart】.
I had even prepared a PowerPoint presentation for the report during all of this.
By page count alone, it exceeded 5,000 pages—an enormous volume.
The operational plans were stacked like a mountain on one corner of my desk.
Just looking at them filled me with satisfaction.
‘I actually created this.’
So this is what they mean by feeling full without eating.
Before reporting to the Manager, I reviewed the materials one more time.
Perfect.
Even upon another check, it was excellent.
Outstanding.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Li Yuantao. I’m here to report on the flower market operational plan.”
“Come in.”
Li Yuantao gathered the Basic Operational Plan and the presentation PowerPoint from the over 5,000 pages of documents and entered the Manager’s office.
Before entering the Manager’s office, I consumed another Ashland to calm my nerves.
Courage surged through me.
Confidence overflowed.
The materials I created were the best.
I delivered an enthusiastic presentation for over thirty minutes with the PowerPoint displayed.
But the Manager’s expression listening to it was not favorable.
Before I had even finished half the presentation, the Manager interrupted me.
“Wait. Hold on.”
“Yes. What’s wrong? If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to explain.”
“You did good work. I can see it’s well made. But here’s the thing—did you write this assuming Chinese people would follow order?”
“Pardon??”
“Look here—’enter in sequence,’ ‘distribute numbered tickets and enter in turn.’ You really thought this would be possible?”
‘Damn. I didn’t think of that.’
“And here too—’allow voluntary use’? What does that even mean? Are you only running the event for an hour? If you leave it to voluntary compliance, someone will steal something, break it, or damage it.”
“······”
“And if you put the restroom down there, what happens? If people don’t want to go, they’ll just defecate anywhere. How are you going to handle that?”
“···..”
“I understand you’ve put in effort over the past few days, but this seems too difficult to implement as is. Revise it and bring it back.”
“······.”
.
.
.
Li Yuantao was furious.
Absolutely seething.
They were rejecting such a flawless plan?
I was infuriated with the Manager for failing to comprehend this meticulously crafted scheme, perfected from A to Z.
Revise this plan that I’d constructed with such meticulous precision?
All we needed to do was execute it as is.
The consciousness level of Chinese people?
Why was that even a problem?
If people wouldn’t act that way naturally, wasn’t it our civil servants’ role to make them act that way?
Why would someone become a civil servant only to shirk such responsibilities?
This plan wasn’t rejected because my proposal was insufficient—it was because the Manager was incompetent.
The Manager was too foolish to properly understand this plan,
and lacked the execution capability to even attempt it.
The failure of this plan wasn’t my fault—it was the Manager’s.
I bore no responsibility whatsoever.
I was not wrong.
I held this conviction with absolute certainty.
.
.
.
Zhou Wei Hang, the painter, walked toward the Gallery with confident strides, carrying his artwork.
It was the masterpiece of my life, created over several days of dedication.
Though I’d received some assistance from Ashland, I was certain it was still my own creation.
“You’re here?”
The Gym Manager greeted Zhou Wei Hang.
“Coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’d like to show you the painting first.”
“Really? You seem confident. Then let’s see it.”
Zhou Wei Hang placed the painting on the easel with overflowing confidence.
After removing the wrapping paper, a single canvas emerged.
Upon seeing it, the Gym Manager set down his coffee and stood properly before the painting to examine it again.
“You painted this yourself?”
“Yes. I’ve been working on it for several days. It’s no exaggeration to call it the masterpiece of my life.”
“There’s not a trace of your usual style in this. I’ve been following your work for quite some time because I genuinely appreciate it, and I’ve even sponsored you. But this is far too different.”
“This time, I expressed the depths of my inner self. So it might feel a bit unfamiliar.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Then perhaps hiding some of it wouldn’t be a bad idea. The painting is quite repulsive.”
“Pardon?”
“I find it revolting. I feel like I’m going to be sick. I’d appreciate it if you’d remove the painting quickly.”
“How could you···”
“If you’re going to keep painting like this, I don’t think I need to come here anymore.”
“···.”
“Now go.”
I was practically thrown out of the Gallery.
But Zhou Wei Hang refused to yield.
The Gym Manager simply didn’t know how to appreciate art.
He couldn’t understand artistry—he only saw money.
All that was revealed was the shallow level of a Gym Manager who only knew how to buy and sell paintings.
My work remained magnificent.
.
.
.
This wasn’t something that happened only to Li Yuantao or Zhou Wei Hang.
It was appearing sporadically throughout Guangzhou.
“How could this food possibly taste bad? Do you not have a tongue?”
“You don’t understand this? Do you even know how to read?”
“If you can’t grasp this logic itself, do we even need to have a conversation?”
“You find this difficult? Then that’s a problem with your level.”
“I was wrong? No, you were the one who was wrong.”
The problem lay in what they created after taking Ashland.
After taking Ashland, they claimed their creations were the best, but those who saw them disagreed.
They used phrases like ‘difficult to apply to reality,’ ‘hard to understand,’ ‘obscure’—but what they really meant was garbage.
Yet those who took Ashland refused to bend their will.
They believed what they made was the greatest.
The more such people there were, the better Jun Kai’s Convenience Store business became.
He simply filled one wall of the Convenience Store with high-sugar candies, sweets, and chocolates.
People who entered the Convenience Store devoured them eagerly.
Jun Kai only needed to ring up the sales.
Good grief.
The chocolates were already running low.
I thought I’d ordered generously.
I picked up my phone and began placing another order.
“I’d like to place an order. Yes, yes, yes. Actually, I think I need to order about ten times more than last time… And what’s the price on jelly these days? And candy? Yes, yes. Please ship it quickly. Yes~”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————