Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

Had rat-catching prices risen this much lately?

Even at the height of the recent plague, it wasn’t at this level!

Feng Yi used his phone to check the current market rates for the pest control industry.

For standard door-to-door rat catching, some charged per rodent, while others charged per visit. At a per-rodent rate, it was usually between fifty and a hundred yuan. For slightly higher difficulty or when hiring high-end companies with better equipment, it could reach several hundred or even a thousand yuan. Prices had spiked during the plague, but now that the crisis had passed, the rates had dropped back down.

Ten thousand for one? That must be for rat-catching in extreme environments!

Seeing the two men staring at him with such excitement, Feng Yi didn’t know what to say for a moment.

After a brief silence, he spoke to the pair, “Let’s head upstairs to talk.”

Judging by the reaction of the Hu brothers just now, there were clearly details that weren’t convenient to discuss out in the open.

Hu Yi’s brother said gratefully, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Once they reached his home, Feng Yi gave them each a bottle of mineral water and tilted his chin. “Speak. What kind of warehouse and what kind of rat is worth this price?”

Hu Yi’s brother took a sip of water to moisten his throat, his face etched with worry. “Actually, it’s just a standard cargo warehouse, but the goods inside are quite special.”

He began to explain the difficulties of the situation.

The warehouse was roughly the size of two basketball courts and was filled with goods. These items were quite expensive, mostly reagents used for experiments and testing. Some of them required protection from light, even with packaging, because clients sometimes requested on-site unboxing to verify the physical goods; some of the more precious chemicals were checked individually. Consequently, the warehouse windows had been treated to prevent direct sunlight. The interior was kept quite dark, with lights only turned on when necessary.

“There was another rat in the warehouse during the plague. The boss hired someone to catch it and even used some of the latest rat-repelling tools. In the end, the rat wasn’t driven out: instead, it was provoked and ran wild, knocking a reagent box off a shelf. The reagents in that box required gentle handling to avoid shaking or impact; it was ruined the moment it hit the floor. Eight hundred for that one box.”

The image of the boss’s face, pale with rage at the sight of the ruined reagents, flashed through the brother’s mind again.

“Even though the shelves have guardrails, because of the frequent transactions lately, the rails are kept retracted to make it easier for the transport robots to move things.”

The purpose of a warehouse is classification, storage, and easy shipping. It was impossible to have everything displayed exquisitely behind protective glass like a high-end shop.

“The current stock is even more expensive; some boxes go for eight thousand. Although we’ve taken protective measures with the outer packaging, we’re worried the rat will use the boxes to grind its teeth. That would be a massive loss.”

Feng Yi understood now.

After all that explanation, the point was that the goods were too expensive and specialized. Many standard pest control tools couldn’t be used, leaving the exterminators with their hands tied.

Between the tool restrictions, the fragile goods, and the transport robots wandering around being a nuisance, they didn’t dare to go all out. If they accidentally bumped into something, their own injury would be a minor issue; if even one box was swept off a shelf, they might end up paying so much in damages that they’d be reduced to eating dirt.

So, who would take the job?

Rather than spending so much time on such a nerve-racking and troublesome task, they would be better off taking several other standard orders!

The warehouse owner had taken his money to the top-tier pest control companies, but they would likely need to discuss whether the order was even worth taking. Even if they eventually accepted, the owner couldn’t afford to wait.

Looking at it this way, if ten thousand yuan could solve the problem, the boss was certainly willing to pay.

Of course, ten thousand per rat was the price for actually catching it.

If the rat wasn’t caught, there was still a fee for the effort, but it certainly wouldn’t be that high.

Feng Yi did a mental tally of the money he had spent on food and supplies this month.

He had no job and no income. Although there were still seventy million yuan untouched in his bank account, he still felt a sense of urgency. If simply catching a single rat could earn him ten thousand yuan, making the trip wasn’t a bad idea.

Besides, he could use this opportunity to practice his sense of smell.

“Just one?” Feng Yi asked.

“Yes, yes! Just one! It’s hiding in the warehouse!” Hu Yi replied.

He had only thought of seeking out Feng Yi after hearing his brother’s complaints. Feng Yi’s speed at catching rats was godlike: no complex process, just a whoosh, and the problem was solved. Wasn’t that better than those people who spent ages fussing around without ever catching the thing?

Feng Yi didn’t agree too easily and instead asked, “What is the layout of the warehouse? Tell me about it.”

“The shelves are mainly light-duty and medium-duty. There’s only one row of heavy-duty shelves, over here…”

Hu Yi’s brother sketched a simple layout on a piece of paper. Merely discussing the shelf layout didn’t involve any secrets. Furthermore, explaining this was for the convenience of catching the rat, so there was no harm in being clear.

Once he had a general understanding of the layout, Feng Yi asked about the related facilities inside the warehouse.

The brother gave a summary.

Feng Yi sketched the general layout in his notebook and confirmed once more, “Is that all?”

The brother nodded. “Yes, that’s roughly the situation.”

Feng Yi thought to himself, It doesn’t… seem that difficult.

He searched for the address the brother provided. It would take an hour to drive there.

He checked the time.

“Alright. It’s seven-fifty now. Give me ten minutes; we’ll depart exactly at eight.”

“Now? Oh, okay, thank you! Sorry for the trouble! It might be more difficult at night.” Hu Yi’s brother showed a look of gratitude.

He assumed the ten minutes Feng Yi requested were to select various rat-catching tools and prepare for the nocturnal hunt.

However…

The Hu brothers both watched in a daze as Feng Yi sat there eating his midnight snack. He polished off the tea cakes one after another; in the blink of an eye, he had also finished more than half a bottle of water.

“Do you two want some?” Feng Yi asked.

“No… no thanks.” The brothers shook their heads.

Feng Yi continued eating.

Hu Yi’s brother watched as Feng Yi finished every last tea cake in the box, rinsed his mouth, changed into a tracksuit, and then picked up a medium-sized backpack and a long box before heading out the door.

It was exactly eight o’clock.

“Just… going like that?” Hu Yi’s brother asked.

“Otherwise? Is there some other process I should follow?” Feng Yi asked back.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I was just saying…” Seeing that Feng Yi only carried a long box, the brother offered a subtle reminder, “If you’re missing any tools, you can tell us; I can have someone prepare them in advance.”

“This is enough. I don’t know how to use the other tools anyway!”

“…”

Hu Yi’s brother choked. Only now did he truly realize the weight of what Feng Yi meant when he said he “wasn’t a professional exterminator.”

It made sense; if he didn’t even know how to use the professional tools, how could he be a professional?

The brother wanted to say more, but Hu Yi nudged him with an elbow, and he swallowed his words. Thinking that catching the rat would likely consume a lot of time, he said, “Then I’ll book a hotel first. Once the rat is caught, you can rest there directly. We wouldn’t want you driving while fatigued.”

“Why book a hotel? Let’s go. We’ll settle this quickly; I’m coming back to sleep after I catch it!” Feng Yi urged.

NOTES

[TN1] Tea cakes (茶饼): A traditional snack often made with tea-infused flour or filled with tea-flavored paste. Feng Yi is eating these to fuel up for the energy-intensive process of using his new senses. 

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