Becoming the Richest Man Alive

After dinner, Casper suggested that they visit Horington food street. Everything was already in place at

Horington food street. Earlier, Casper had commanded the installation of pinhole cameras at multiple

locations distributed along the length of the street.

Casper’s intention for heading there that day was not to partake in the sumptuous fare offered all along

the street. Rather, he wanted to capture those who were the masterminds of the fabled haunting of

Horington food street.

Stallion had helpfully brought a few of his lackeys along to add to their numbers.

Elena had been intimidated at first, but her curiosity soon convinced her to trail along.

She now sat inside one of the shops that had a clear view of the street outside, which she nervously

glanced at intermittently.

Two strapping brutes sat on either side of Elena, dwarfing her petite frame. They sat staring ahead

gravely, entirely focused on watching over Elena’s safety.

They, too, had pinhole cameras attached discreetly to them to record any untoward incidents that might

occur.

As an added layer of security, Stallion had set up a post in a private room within the shop, carefully

monitoring the live footage.

The pinhole cameras strategically placed throughout Horington food street covered practically every

angle and crevice conceivable.

Casper was hidden in a dark corner somewhere, like a predator waiting to spring.

Time ticked steadily away. When Elena checked her watch next, it read ten minutes to midnight.

“Anything?” Casper asked from his hiding spot in a room on the second floor of a shop along Horington

food street. Concealed by the curtains, Casper would remain invisible unless the situation became

irremediable.

Peering at his screen, Stallion replied shortly, “Nothing.”

The crowd had vanished, leaving in its wake the empty streets lit gloomily by the dim yellow glow of

several street lamps. Elena bit her lip, feeling a sudden surge of fear within her.

Sensing Elena’s concern, Casper muttered into his earpiece to soothe her, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

In Casper’s room was another setup from which he had the master control over all of the surveillance

cameras and their footage.

Besides, Casper’s room also afforded him an unobstructed view of the entire street.

Ding! Ding! Ding! The clock in the shop chimed, punctuating the silence. It was midnight.

Everything was about to begin. Elena twisted both hands together apprehensively, her gaze riveted on

the street beyond the window.

Just as the clock had struck twelve, dense white smoke had begun spreading from the end of the

street. Casper thought that he could detect black shadows moving within its cover. Casper, too, had

dressed entirely in black. Wearing a facial mask, he now peeked out from behind the window with his

eyes trained on the black figures below.

Elena was so tense that she felt as if her whole body had gone numb. She had prepared herself for

odd things to happen but was nonetheless still taken aback when they did.

All of a sudden, the fan in the shop turned on and began spinning energetically of its own accord.

“Ah!” Elena shrieked, reflexively clutching the muscular arm of the guard beside her.

He blanched and instantly stiffened. Elena’s fingernails had sunk deep into his skin as she hung onto

his arm for dear life. In a gruff voice, the guard stammered awkwardly, “Ms. Schneider, please let go of

me.”

Before they could protect her from anyone, Elena would already have put her guards out of action.

The guard’s pleas, however, seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Paralyzed by terror, Elena continued

clamping the guard’s arm.

At the sight of the peculiar scene before him, Casper hurriedly spoke into his Bluetooth earpiece, “How

are you all doing over there?”

“We’re fine. Ms. Schneider’s clinging onto me so tightly that I think she’s going to take my hand off,” the

guard replied ruefully.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Casper couldn’t help but break into a grin. “Elena, everything will be

fine,” he called affectionately.

When Elena heard Casper’s voice faintly emit from the guard’s earpiece, she felt somewhat comforted.

However, she insisted feebly, “I think there are ghosts haunting this place.”

“What ghosts? Those things don’t exist. Aren’t you a university graduate? How can you be so

superstitious? The white smoke is obviously artificial!” Casper reassured Elena confidently.

Privately, however, he was slightly distressed to find that the electrical supply had been shut off,

rendering his strategically-placed surveillance cameras useless. Fortunately, Casper had ensured that

each of them wore body cameras. Not all vision was entirely lost then.

“Come on, let’s go hunt some ghosts,” Casper said grimly. The thugs he had kept lying in wait in the

darkness now charged forth into the white smoke.

The guard sitting beside Elena, however, was helpless. Elena’s grip was like iron, and the guard could

not wrestle himself free for fear of hurting her.

Casper observed the situation as it unfolded before his watchful gaze. When the group enveloped

within the white smoke discovered that they were under attack, they had immediately dispersed and

fled.

Alarmed, Casper hastily asked into his earpiece, “What’s happening in the shop? They should have

discovered the surveillance cameras we placed in the shop. They’re escaping too quickly! Is everything

OK?”

There was no reply on the other end.

Panicking, Casper dashed down the stairs and outside. The men he had arranged to lead the assault

had all collapsed onto the ground.

The white smoke still hung thinly like a veil over the air. Casper could vaguely detect the smell of

chloroform wreathed within the smoke. Once inhaled, it would immediately knock one unconscious.

Surveying his surroundings, Casper decided to play dead and buy himself more time to devise an

alternative plan.

There were bodies strewn all over Horington food street. The ten thugs that Stallion had brought along

as extra manpower had, too, fallen. Even those seated within the shop had not been exempt from the

effects of the smoke.

Casper heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, then felt several pairs of rough hands binding

him up.

However, he wisely decided not to resist. Casper relaxed the muscles all over his body as if he were in

a deep sleep.

Casper only opened his eyes a tiny slit to watch them when he sensed that they had moved on.

Their enemy’s group consisted of a mere five or six men. All of them were attired entirely in white and

wore gas masks on their faces.

When they had finished tying everyone up, they dragged the motionless bodies of Casper’s group to

the entrance of the shop where Casper had been hiding, gathering them in a collective heap.

Sniggering, the man who was standing nearest to Casper said, “They got cleverer this time. They had

people lying in wait and had dozens of surveillance of cameras watching us.”

“What’s the use? We have total control of the electrical supply in this area. They should have saved

themselves the trouble, haha! When Logan turned on the fan, that woman’s yell was really something.”

Another voice replied him haughtily.

“Haha, how could they have let such a scaredy-cat follow along?” The first speaker agreed exultantly.

The two voices chatted idly for a little while longer. A few moments later, a truck pulled up at the

entrance of the shop.

“All right, let’s get these people up the truck,” The first speaker now ordered, panting with the effort.

“Got it, got it,” The other replied, springing into action.

Casper continued pretending to be asleep, allowing them to toss his body into the back of the truck.

When the men, grunting, had finished transporting the last of Casper’s group onto the truck, they

paused to take a break. Seeing that they were engaged in conversation, Casper took the opportunity to

secretly loosen his bonds.

It was not immediately evident, but Casper could now release himself with a simple shake of his wrists.

As he lay eavesdropping on their conversation, Casper discovered several significant facts about their

group.

The group ran an organ trafficking operation. They had concocted the tales of haunting in this street at

midnight to explain the mysterious disappearances of their victims.

Their control of the electrical supply also explained why the increased number of surveillance cameras

had been ineffective in deterring them.

The lack of any trace of activity had confounded the police. As time passed, the citizens had come to

accept it as a matter of course.

Horington food street, however, had earned a reputation for being a dreadful place. As time passed,

passers-by were afraid to linger, then eventually even enter the street.

The organ traffickers, however, stuck to the cover of night for their illegal operations. They carried out

kidnappings strictly only after midnight.