Superpowers Used for Fraud

Old Yang leaned against the doorframe, his mind reeling as if he’d blacked out from drinking too much.

The next moment, he saw several burly men carefully carrying out his prized vintage Tannoy speakers.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait—what are you doing?!"

Old Yang exploded, his voice cracking like an enraged lion as he charged forward.

"Damn it, who are you?! Who told you to touch my stuff?! This is robbery!"

The movers froze at his sudden outburst, exchanging bewildered glances.

The pawnshop leader frowned and stepped forward. "Boss Yang, you agreed to this yourself. Are you backing out now?"

"I did not! That’s nonsense! Put everything down! If anyone dares move another inch, I’ll fight them to the death!"

He shielded his beloved speakers like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Just then, Old Yang clutched his head with a pained groan as fragmented memories flashed through his mind—a blurry young face, desperate and pleading.

"Dad, if you don’t give me the money, I’ll die..."

Lin Mo walked over and deliberately asked, "Old Yang, didn’t your son tell you to sell these?"

The pawnshop leader nearby nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, wasn’t it your son who said to sell them? You even rushed us to appraise them so you could sell this shop at the real estate agency too."

Old Yang stiffened. "My son? When did my son tell me to sell these?"

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

"You little brat! Are you selling my shop?!"

The voice on the other end paused. "What are you talking about? Why would I sell your treasures? I’m on a business trip in Australia right now. Everyone knows how much you cherish that stuff—why would I bother selling your junk?"

Lin Mo heard every word and turned back to the pawnshop leader.

"Have any of you actually seen this man’s son?"

The pawnshop workers looked utterly confused, shaking their heads and pointing at Old Yang. "No, this old man came to us himself. He said his son owed debts and asked us to take his things for appraisal."

Lin Mo immediately sensed something was off.

He needed to find that person first before removing whatever was affecting Old Yang’s mind.

But it wasn’t a big issue—he had other ways to handle this.

Meanwhile, Old Yang rubbed his temples, bewildered. He had no memory of going to a pawnshop or arranging this.

Setting down his phone, he glanced nervously at his old neighbor and Lin Mo.

"Tell me… do I have dementia?"

Lin Mo patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t worry. There’s a problem, but it’s definitely not dementia."

Old Yang stared blankly, not understanding.

Lin Mo then pulled the pawnshop leader aside and slipped two hundred yuan into his hand.

"Sorry about this. Old Yang might have early Alzheimer’s. This is for your trouble—thanks for coming all this way."

The leader sighed, pocketing the money. In the pawn trade, last-minute reversals were common, and compensation was rare.

Seeing Old Yang’s age, he just waved it off.

"Fine, we’ll put everything back and leave."

Old Wang helped Old Yang to a recliner under the banyan tree. "You really scared me! One minute you’re selling everything, the next you’re back to normal."

Old Yang, slumped in the chair, could only wonder if he’d truly forgotten something.

Lin Mo then asked casually, "Old Yang, do you remember the tube amplifier you kept in the shop? Was it sold?"

Old Yang shot up from the chair like a spring.

"What?! My amplifier’s gone?!"

He rushed inside, gaping at the empty spot on the floor, then clutched his chest in despair.

"My treasure! My precious treasure!"

Lin Mo approached the pawnshop group again.

With a flick of his wrist, he produced a pack of Huazi cigarettes and handed it over.

"You took the amplifier too, right?"

The leader took one, lit it, and pushed the pack back.

"Yeah, it’s a live pawn. Boss Yang should still have the ticket—he can reclaim it. But weirdly, he insisted on cash, no bank transfer."

He lowered his voice.

"That amp was pawned for about 120k. It’s worth 170k, honestly. A dead pawn would’ve gotten him 140k."

Live pawns allowed redemption; dead pawns meant outright sale.

Live pawns earned interest but fetched less upfront. Miss the deadline, and the item belonged to the shop.

Dead pawns paid more but forfeited ownership.

Luckily, Old Yang had chosen live pawn—meaning whatever was influencing him hadn’t fully overridden his judgment.

The "son’s debt" story was the flaw.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. He thanked them and walked away, pulling out his phone.

Time for their good friend Liu Zheng to make an appearance.

The call connected instantly.

"Province Lin’s top dog, what’s up?"

"If you want to get close to that ‘Oriental Leaf,’ hurry to Tao Street. There’s an unusual case here."

Liu Zheng paused.

"Care to elaborate? I’d like to prepare."

"Sure. Check recent fraud reports around Tao Street, plus old property sales records."

Lin Mo outlined the key details.

"Fraud? Why not just call the police?" Liu Zheng sounded annoyed.

"Ordinary fraud, sure. But what if it’s supernatural fraud?"

"Using powers for scams? What genius would waste them like that?"

Then again, it wasn’t impossible.

Liu Zheng grumbled but agreed to bring Old Bai over.

As for Shouzhen?

Better leave him at the rental. No telling if Lin Mo shared North Profound’s dislike for Quanzhen Taoists.