A Dead Friend's Call

Twenty minutes later, Qin Shang had adjusted himself back into shape.

He had not felt it while he was in the Divine Path, but after coming out, a wave of hunger hit him. He had entered the Divine Path at around noon, and when he came out, it was already the middle of the night.

It seemed that time inside the Divine Path passed just like it did in reality. He casually searched online for urban legends about the nineteenth-century Death Train in London, England.

However, perhaps because he was in the country, there was not much information online.

Next, Qin Shang hesitated for a moment before searching Baidu for the words "swindler."

The results were basically all academic materials, such as the history of the profession's development. They all concerned swindlers in the real world. The encyclopedia even stated that swindlers redistributed resources through deception, plunder, and other means.

Put nicely, they were swindlers. Put less nicely, they were con artists...

There was no specific description of the Divine Path profession, nor could he find any discussion posts related to the Divine Path.

If he had not been holding that small silver-white card in his hand at that moment,

Qin Shang might even have thought that everything that had happened inside the instance just now had been nothing more than a dream.

He closed his hand around the Character Card, and a panel of basic information immediately appeared before him.

Name: Qin Shang

Race: Human

Class: Swindler

Divine Path ID: Fiercely Licking Cockroach Jade Feet

Experience: 0%

Inventory: El's Letter

Skill: Inherit {Each use of this skill requires a thirty-minute cooldown. It can inherit the hints and quests of a deceased target. This class cannot actively use this skill. When a player actively kills another player, they will not inherit the target's quest information or hints.}

Skill: Decipher {A skill exclusive to the Teacher class. As the name suggests, it can decipher all written languages.}

Qin Shang furrowed his brows slightly as he examined the small card.

It was hard to imagine that everything he had just experienced had originated from such a tiny silver-white card.

Just then, the phone on the table suddenly began to vibrate.

It was already night. Qin Shang looked somewhat startled and instinctively answered the call.

"Hello? I checked Jiang Qiqi's case. The authorities over in Yanjing have classified it as a case of a missing person. Those useless Public Security officers. Should you try contacting the orphanage again?"

"See if the old dean has any information related to Jiang Qiqi's relatives and friends?"

"Even if she was an orphan, she should still have some other relatives alive, right?"

"They're trying to brush it off with a single missing-person report. I don't think they ever intended to investigate properly. Should I get some old colleagues to help apply pressure...?"

Hearing the other party rattle off one sentence after another, Qin Shang immediately realized who was calling.

It was his best friend, Xu Mingyang.

He had probably heard about what happened that morning through other channels.

Jiang Qiqi's "belongings" had been mailed to her husband, Qin Shang, so he was worried about Qin Shang's mental state.

During the ninety days since his wife's disappearance, Qin Shang had not gone a single day without worrying about Jiang Qiqi's safety.

In fact, when a living person disappeared for no apparent reason—and for nearly three months at that—it could only mean one of two things.

She had either been killed or abducted!

It was normal for the official Public Security officers to close the case by classifying her as a missing person!

But others could give up. As her husband, Qin Shang could not.

He had met Jiang Qiqi through his friend Xu Mingyang's introduction. At the time, Qin Shang had just finished serving two years in prison after being implicated in a case and convicted of fraud. His life had been shrouded in darkness.

He had no education, no job, no house, and no car.

Yet Jiang Qiqi, whose striking looks and lively personality stood out, had taken a liking to Qin Shang at first sight during the dinner gathering. She had cast aside all her other suitors and bootlickers, then quickly fallen in love with him.

They said it took a mountain for a man to pursue a woman, but only a layer of gauze for a woman to pursue a man.

Which man could resist a sexy, sweet, lively, passionate lolita in a pink dress?

For the next two years, the couple lived a peaceful and ordinary life.

During that time, Qin Shang forgot many people and learned many things...

Qin Shang often wondered what he would have become without Jiang Qiqi.

There was no answer to that question. He only knew that his wife was his sole reason for going on living.

Over those two years, their lives had gradually become orderly and better...

Until half a year ago, when misfortune struck on top of misfortune. Qin Shang suddenly collapsed at work and was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Jiang Qiqi abandoned everything, selling their house and car to pay for his treatment.

But as two orphans, the couple obviously could not afford the exorbitant medical expenses.

That was right. Both of them were orphans...

They scraped together money from every possible source, but the medical fees were still not enough.

Qin Shang had thought of giving up several times, but Jiang Qiqi had said:

"You haven't even let me enjoy a comfortable life yet, and you're already thinking of leaving me? I won't allow it. You'd better live properly for me..."

After that, Jiang Qiqi changed jobs and went to Yanjing on a business trip.

She said that she had found a way to keep Qin Shang alive by taking advantage of the business trip.

She did not explain what that method was. She only made sure that the hospital received his medical fees on time every month.

After Jiang Qiqi disappeared, Qin Shang completely gave up on treatment as well.

The doctor had said that he had at most another six months to live.

Before he died, Qin Shang's only wish was to find his wife...

Thinking of this, he stared at the silver-white card in his hand, then pressed his lips together and said into the receiver,

"Xu Mingyang, I have some leads about Qiqi!"

"There's no need to trouble the old dean..."

As soon as he said this, Xu Mingyang froze.

"Leads? What leads do you have?"

Seeing that Qin Shang was fine, Xu Mingyang relaxed and immediately opened the floodgates.

"Damn, you scared me to death today. I called you all day, afraid something had happened to you."

"I thought you had seen Jiang Qiqi's things and, overwhelmed by your memories of her, killed yourself..."

"Enough with the suspense. Share the leads quickly. I'll see if I can use my connections to look into it for you. Let's find Qiqi and bring her back as soon as possible!"

Jiang Qiqi had not disappeared in Jizhou City, but in Yanjing.

By coincidence, Xu Mingyang happened to work at the Yanjing Public Security Bureau, though he was not in the same jurisdiction as the bureau handling Jiang Qiqi's disappearance.

Since Jiang Qiqi vanished, Xu Mingyang had made no small use of his connections and resources, helping Qin Shang contact his colleagues in Yanjing to obtain leads.

Unfortunately, everything had sunk like a stone into the sea. There was not the slightest trace of her, as though Jiang Qiqi had evaporated from the face of the earth.

Qin Shang thought about it and hesitated.

Xu Mingyang had already done more than enough for the couple.

Unlike Qin Shang, who was on the verge of death and had been told by doctors that he would not live more than six months, Xu Mingyang had a bright future ahead of him.

The Divine Path game was deep water. The next time he entered an instance, Qin Shang might end up as a dead soul in the hands of a God Slayer.

He should not drag Xu Mingyang, an outsider, into these murky waters. Even if, as a Public Security officer, Xu Mingyang might have a much easier time obtaining information than he did...

With that thought, Qin Shang said softly,

"Nothing much. Just a lead."

"Can you stop keeping me in suspense? You don't sound like you're in a very good mood..."

"Those idiots from the Public Security Bureau said they were sending your belongings over today, and it pissed me off. I asked them, 'Who the hell told you those were belongings? They're just useless evidence and leads!'"

Well, you do have a way with words...

Qin Shang knew his friend's temperament. Xu Mingyang never thought before he spoke, so he did not take it too seriously.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired. My head felt a little uncomfortable today, so I slept all day. I wasn't deliberately ignoring your calls!"

"Hmm... Your head feels uncomfortable? You've been out of the hospital for more than three months. Isn't it almost time for your follow-up examination?"

"Pay more attention to yourself too. Take care of your health. You need to find Qiqi, but don't overwork yourself."

"I don't want to be the one who buries a young friend."

Qin Shang bared his teeth.

Honestly... nothing decent ever came out of that dog's mouth.

"Every time I talk to you, I feel my IQ dropping. I don't know how I've survived all these years without giving in to the urge to kill you."

"Get lost. Your father is going to bed."

After saying this, Xu Mingyang saw that Qin Shang did not seem nearly as pessimistic as he had imagined.

He silently hung up the phone, let out a sigh, and said nothing.

As a Public Security officer, he also knew that countless people disappeared across the country every year. They either died or were abducted.

The chances of rescuing them were minuscule.

The odds of his best friend and his wife being reunited within the next three months were pitifully low.

Thinking of this, Xu Mingyang, far away in Yanjing, closed his eyes and murmured sympathetically,

"What a cruel fate!"