Chapter 2: The Five Recruiters

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“Taozi, quickly agree to him—the chance to pick up easy money has arrived.”
“Son, your chance to get rich has come; you have to seize it.”

Zhang Tao was speechless when he saw this flood of messages from a bunch of fools, but he noticed the number of viewers in the livestream rapidly climbing—from the usual steady two hundred to five hundred in an instant, and still rising.

This was a prime opportunity to catch the wave of traffic.

He glanced once more at the comment section, filled with identical remarks, with just one or two urging him not to be fooled, but those quickly drowned in the overwhelming calls to sign up.

“Taozi, hurry and sign up! Even if you don’t have 100,000 yuan, at least let us see the Qin Dynasty.”
“Quick, quick, quick! If you don’t sign up soon, we’re unfollowing.”

Such heat, Zhang Tao wasn’t about to give up.

If this was a scam, it would make a perfect video topic.

After weighing the situation in his mind, Zhang Tao made up his mind.

“How do I sign up?” he asked.

Jiang Ye quickly pulled a contract from his backpack. “Take a look and see if there are any issues. If there aren’t, just sign it.”

Zhang Tao aimed the camera at the contract so that both he and the viewers in the livestream could read its contents.

After carefully reviewing it, the contract was perfectly clear—compensation and safety warnings were spelled out in full. Once payment was made, there was no withdrawal, and the travel fee was non-refundable. Likewise, the destination was clearly stated: the Qin Dynasty two thousand years ago. If this was not fulfilled, compensation of 100,000 yuan would be paid.

Onlookers seeing Zhang Tao actually about to sign couldn’t help but warn him.

“Young man, you better think this through.”
“This looks like a scam. If they trick you into going to northern Myanmar, you might never come back.”

Zhang Tao hesitated under their cautions. Jiang Ye, sensing trouble, quickly spoke up, “Our company is a legitimate travel agency, established for more than twenty years. I’m a certified tour guide, not a shady one. You can check my credentials on the official app under ‘Tour Guide Home.’ It shows my professional information.”

Zhang Tao didn’t immediately agree; he still had reservations. But if there were more people, it might be different—after all, they could watch out for one another. If something went wrong, a group had more strength to handle it.

He looked around and asked, “Anyone else want to sign up with me?”

Among the crowd stood a middle-aged couple, dressed plainly, their trouser cuffs and sleeves stained with paint, both covered in dust—clearly just off a construction site. They had been standing there for a while, seemingly aware of the situation.

The couple stared fixedly at the 100,000 yuan written on the whiteboard.

Upon hearing Zhang Tao’s question, the middle-aged man steeled his resolve, grit his teeth, and stepped forward. “Count me in.”

His wife hastily tugged at his sleeve, “Don’t go! What if it’s a scam?”

“It’s fine,” the man patted his wife’s hand. “If it’s real, we can get 100,000 yuan.”

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“Then I’m going too.”

As soon as the wife spoke, the man stopped her. “No. If it’s a scam and they lure us to some deserted place to sell us, who would take care of the kids? I’ll go alone. If anything happens, at least you’ll be here for the children.”

Listening to the couple’s candid conversation, Jiang Ye wanted to say something.

Hey, if you’re going to speculate, don’t do it right in front of me, making him look like a human trafficker from Myanmar.

“If he’s not a scammer, we’ll get the 100,000 yuan, and that will pay for Erbao’s medical treatment.”

People around listening to the couple’s words and seeing their worn appearance understood their plight without needing further explanation. Their eyes were filled with sympathy and pity.

In contrast, their gaze toward Jiang Ye grew less friendly.

Li Jianguo’s wife’s eyes welled with tears. “Old Li.”

Faced with the crowd’s unfriendly stares, Jiang Ye cleared his throat and said, “Um, maybe it’s better not to sign up.”

He genuinely meant well, considering the travel fee was 1,000 yuan per person.

But as soon as he said this, many onlookers looked at him even more harshly.

“We three will sign up too.”

At that moment, a rough voice came from the crowd.

Everyone turned to see three handsome young men stepping out. They exuded a strong aura of righteousness.

Their bearing suggested they were either from a formal military unit or had undergone rigorous training as martial artists.

Jiang Ye felt a surge of joy.

He hadn’t expected the task of five people would be fulfilled today.

Of course, he wasn’t naive—he saw these three looked ready to “expose” any fraud, and perhaps also wanted to protect the middle-aged man.

Luckily, Jiang Ye was not faking anything and wasn’t afraid of their scrutiny.

Looking at the five of them, Jiang Ye said, “If you’re sure, then sign the contract and pay.”

At this moment, Zhang Tao turned to the viewers and said, “Family, I’m really signing the contract?”

Many viewers, seeing Zhang Tao’s timid demeanor, erupted into laughter and teasing.

“Sign it, sign it! Once you sign, no more chicken talk.”
“Son, this is definitely a chance to get rich. Hurry and sign, what are you afraid of? If anything happens, we’re here for you.”
“If you sense something wrong, we’ll report it immediately. We won’t let anything happen to you. When you get the 100,000 yuan, don’t forget us.”

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“Hey, hey, hey, stop joking around. If something really goes wrong, it’ll be a disaster. Blogger, I advise you to think carefully.”
“Hahaha, look at Taozi’s scared face—is he afraid?”
“Taozi, don’t chicken out, sign boldly.”
“100,000 yuan—don’t leave it on the table.”
“If you don’t take it, I will.”
...

Zhang Tao glanced at the three men again, then at the steadily rising number of viewers in the livestream. Gritting his teeth, he signed his name on the contract.

Then he handed the pen to the others. Li Jianguo took it and quickly signed his own contract.

The other three men also didn’t hesitate, swiftly signing their own contracts.

Jiang Ye placed the payment QR code nearby, and the five took turns scanning it.

Five thousand yuan transferred instantly. Jiang Ye glanced at it, but immediately saw the system withdraw the sum a second later.

Seeing the five of them all sign the contracts, some nearby people, tempted by the compensation amount, became interested.

“Give me one too, I want to sign.”

Jiang Ye promptly packed up the small table and politely declined. “The slots are full. Sorry, sorry.”

The rejected person was displeased. “Don’t you want to make money? Why refuse?”

Jiang Ye apologetically replied with a polite smile, “There’s no more room. Please understand.”

He quickly gathered his things and said to the five guests, “Follow me.”

Jiang Ye led the five into the alley where the travel agency was located. The alley was narrow, lined with low residential buildings covered in ivy, giving the place a quiet, secluded feel.

Along the way, neighbors greeted Jiang Ye warmly.

“Xiao Ye, bringing clients again?” a kindly aunt asked with a smile.

“Yes!”

An old man next door, carrying a birdcage, saw Jiang Ye and the five behind him and chuckled, “Hey, Xiao Ye, business is good today.”

“Just so-so.”

The five, witnessing this familiarity between Jiang Ye and the neighbors, grew even more puzzled. They didn’t seem like scammers, but the idea of being taken to the Qin Dynasty felt utterly absurd no matter how they thought about it.