Chapter 887: Chapter 887
The hall was crowded with people, yet order was maintained.
Uniformed clerks were handling business in an orderly fashion behind various counters, while electronic screens continuously scrolled through waiting numbers.
Everything looked very much like a real bank.
Most regular customers queued in front of the counters, while a dedicated VIP channel was set on one side of the hall.
Fang Cheng saw a short, chubby man being led by a voluptuous female employee towards an exclusive elevator leading to upstairs private rooms.
As he scanned the crowd, he noticed that most people here had a faint mist obscuring their faces.
You couldn’t clearly see their facial features, only roughly distinguish between male and female, young and old, tall and short, fat and thin.
However, there were a few whose faces were not shrouded in mist, showing their real appearances.
Of course, that could be due to disguises similar to the special methods used by Bai Ling.
Earlier on the way, Yuan Datou had already explained.
This veiling effect is a built-in function of Night City, designed to protect personal privacy. Simply activating it with a thought upon entering is enough.
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but think of his own Inner World, which could also cover the faces of summoned individuals with mist, concealing their true appearances.
The two indeed had quite a bit of resemblance.
He then headed to the information trading area, choosing the counter with the shortest queue, waiting quietly.
After about half an hour, the people ahead of him finished their business and left.
Fang Cheng stepped forward.
"Hello, what business do you need to handle?"
Behind the counter, a competent-looking female clerk wearing glasses asked without raising her head.
"I’d like to inquire about the intelligence related to the ’Tian Nan Province Chen Family curse case.’
Fang Cheng said calmly.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
The clerk swiftly tapped on a strange-looking computer keyboard and soon looked up:
"I found it. There are currently two sets of related intelligence: one is the original file and the other is an expertly edited version by our professionals."
Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng asked:
"I’d like to know who has purchased this intelligence."
The female clerk glanced at him and decisively refused:
"Sorry sir, according to Article 3 of the ’Customer Privacy Protection Regulations,’ we are explicitly prohibited from disclosing any customer information, so we are not authorized to reveal other customers’ purchase records to you."
This formulaic response wasn’t unexpected by Fang Cheng. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Okay, I’ll purchase the edited version of the intelligence."
The clerk expertly operated again, moments later quoting a price:
"Considering its rarity, acquisition difficulty, and data detail level, this intelligence has a grade of B+ and is priced at 1,050 Credit Coins."
"I just arrived and have no Credit Coins."
"You can also pay using real-world currency."
The clerk seemed accustomed to this, picked up her calculator, tapped it a few times, then turned its display towards Fang Cheng. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel{f}ire.net
"According to today’s official exchange rate of 1:983, it amounts to 1,032,150 yuan, with an additional 50% channel fee, totaling 1,548,225 yuan."
Her speech was rapid and clear, obviously having repeated this many times.
"So expensive? The fee alone is over 500,000?"
Even with his steady nature, Fang Cheng was startled by the price.
This was daylight robbery.
"Sir, all real-world currency transactions require processing through multiple anonymous channels to ensure the absolute security of funding sources. This involves professional personnel hiring, risk hedging, and channel maintenance costs."
The clerk’s expression seemed matter-of-fact:
"We ensure that every step of the transaction is untraceable by any real-world organization, so you can buy with peace of mind, value guaranteed."
"Of course, considering this is your first transaction, I can apply a 10% discount for you."
Standing at the counter, Fang Cheng quickly calculated internally.
All that talk sounds nice, but it’s just money laundering.
A hundred thousand plus, he could afford to spend.
But thinking it over, spending this amount seemed unjustified.
After all, intelligence isn’t a physical commodity that disappears after one sale.
Naihe Bridge could sell the same information repeatedly, exploiting both buyers staggeringly, even more ruthless than printing money.
If such a large sum was just for buying intelligence, it wasn’t unlike being a sucker.
More importantly, transferring real-world currency, regardless of their bold claims, posed a risk of identity exposure.
He had no specialized accounting team to handle these ends.
If someone were keen to investigate, they might trace it back to him.
As for the Credit Coin, it didn’t seem obtainable in a short time.
Seeing Fang Cheng remain silent, the female clerk showed a hint of impatience, urging:
"Sir, are you going through with it or not? There are others waiting in line."
Looking at her indistinct face, an idea suddenly struck Fang Cheng.
Then, leaning slightly forward, he asked sincerely:
"Miss, do you think... I’m handsome?"
The female clerk was stunned, looking at him like he was crazy:
"Your face is covered in mist, how should I know if you’re handsome or not?"
Fang Cheng’s eyes suddenly brightened.
He casually glanced around and at the ceiling, not spotting any camera-like monitoring devices.
Currently, his face was shrouded in mist, obscuring his appearance.
Even if Night City’s controllers or the "Thousand-mile Eye" above could dispel the illusion to see clearly, his body still had a layer of protective light.