Uncle Has Gone Missing

The fatty wiped away non-existent tears from his face with a miserable expression, his voice wretched: "Brother Fan, I've had it so rough..."

"Talk while we walk."

Xiao Fan and the fatty exited the Login Administration. On the way home, the fatty recounted every detail of his month-long experience in the Novice Village of Zone 2.

As the second-largest area with the most abundant resources in the Novice Village, Zone 2 was also the place where the most novice Players gathered.

To put it simply, any family with a bit of power would do everything in their power to send their juniors into Zone 2, which led to a severe shortage of leveling resources in the area.

Slowly, novice Players began to band together to occupy leveling spots, and over time, various teams were formed.

Every year, after new Players entered Zone 2, the first thing they had to do was join a team, otherwise, they wouldn't even find a place to level up.

"What, you haven't found a team yet?" Xiao Fan asked in surprise.

Upon hearing this, the fatty slumped like a deflated balloon, his shoulders dropping and his face full of frustration: "I wanted to join one, but no team wants me." The fatty looked at Xiao Fan with teary eyes.

"Brother Fan, you're the only one who doesn't look down on me. Those teams in Zone 2 require at least a Mystic Rank Skill Chain, and the minimum requirement for attribute points is five."

Being stared at like that by the fatty, Xiao Fan couldn't help but shudder.

It was too pathetic! He looked like a ghost!

Xiao Fan roughly understood the fatty's situation. Those who could enter Zone 2 of the Novice Village were all quite capable; by comparison, the fatty, who had only learned a Yellow Rank Skill Chain, was a bit lacking.

"What about Zhang Chao and Zhang Yuanyuan? Didn't you all go to Zone 2 together? Where are they?"

Xiao Fan asked with a frown.

Hearing this, the fatty's face immediately darkened: "Don't mention those two to me, they're just two profit-seeking, disloyal scoundrels."

"What happened?" Xiao Fan asked.

"At first, when I was rejected by teams, they both firmly said they would stay with me to find a group to level up. But after two days, they joined a team, and later, they even mocked me when they saw me."

The fatty clenched his fists, intense hatred erupting in his eyes.

Xiao Fan was silent.

He wasn't surprised at all that Zhang Chao and Zhao Yuanyuan could do such a thing; they were never people who valued loyalty or friendship to begin with.

He could understand them abandoning the fatty for the sake of leveling up, but the mockery was going too far. Regardless, they were former teammates who had fought side by side; this kind of kicking someone while they were down was utterly shameless.

At this moment, Xiao Fan didn't know what to say. They weren't in the same zone, so he couldn't help the fatty.

"Brother Fan, seriously, let me transfer to Zone 18 to follow you." The fatty stopped in his tracks and looked at Xiao Fan with a serious expression.

"I don't have a problem with that, but do you know the cost of transferring zones?" Xiao Fan's expression turned stern.

"Your level will be reset to zero, skills will be wiped, and all your Core Power will be reclaimed by the system. It means all your hard work in Zone 2 for the past month will be for nothing. Are you sure you want to start over from scratch?"

The fatty nodded almost without hesitation: "Brother Fan, as long as I can follow you, what does starting over matter?"

Seeing the fatty's earnest look, Xiao Fan felt a bit moved.

Moreover, his current team was missing a main tank, and the fatty had previously learned shield skills, which fit the requirements perfectly. Since his skills would be wiped anyway, he could help him create an even more powerful Skill Chain.

"Fine." Xiao Fan nodded in agreement, then asked curiously: "What level are you now?"

A flash of embarrassment crossed the fatty's face as he lowered his head and whispered: "Brother Fan, to tell you the truth, I didn't do anything in Zone 2 for the past month. I'm still at the level of the trial exam."

Xiao Fan: ...

No wonder he gave up so easily; it turned out he had nothing to lose.

The two agreed to meet at the Login Administration in three days, and Xiao Fan headed home.

Having spent a month in the game, Xiao Fan felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Just as he reached his front door, a shrill cry of grief came from inside the house.

"It's Aunt! Could something have happened to Uncle?"

Xiao Fan's heart tightened. Without a second thought, he pushed the door open and rushed inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw his Aunt, cousin, and younger cousin huddled on the sofa, sobbing bitterly. He scanned the room but didn't see his Uncle's figure, and his heart sank, plummeting instantly.

Hearing the commotion, his Aunt looked up. Seeing it was Xiao Fan, her crying stopped abruptly, and she choked out: "Xiao... Xiao Fan, you're back."

His cousins also greeted Xiao Fan with red eyes: "Cousin, you're back."

"Yeah." Xiao Fan nodded at them and hurriedly looked at his Aunt in the middle: "Aunt, what happened at home? Where is Uncle?"

Hearing this, his Aunt's tears began to fall again: "Your Uncle... he's missing."

"Missing?" Xiao Fan frowned. At first, he thought his Uncle's illness had worsened, but he hadn't expected this outcome.

"How long has it been? Why would Uncle go missing? Have you called the police?" Xiao Fan asked.

"After you logged into the game, your Uncle said the company required him to go on a business trip for a while. Then, there was no more news. He wouldn't answer calls or reply to messages. At first, I thought he was just too busy, but later I found out he had resigned to join a Gold Farming Group for Jinsheng Company and had snuck into the game behind our backs."

His Aunt wiped her tears as she spoke.

A Gold Farming Group!

Xiao Fan's expression changed drastically.

This is a high-risk Profession. Due to the scarcity of Core Power, some companies recruit Players who can no longer make it in the game to enter and farm Core Power.

On the surface, they claim to provide protection for high-level Players, but in reality, if danger arises, they never care about those gold-farming personnel.

After all, for a Player to die in the game is the most normal thing in the world.

"Wuwu, I told him, we can earn money slowly if we don't have enough, he... he just wouldn't listen." Aunt collapsed, covering her face, her sobbing filled with heart-wrenching despair.

Beside her, her cousin Xiao Le hurriedly hugged her, also weeping uncontrollably.

Xiao Fan remained silent. Uncle was likely always consumed by guilt for spending all the family's savings on his illness. Given his stubborn nature and the family's situation, joining a farming legion was likely his only option.

Seeing the mother and daughter so heartbroken, it was clear they couldn't listen to reason, so Xiao Fan could only look at his cousin Xiao An, who was sobbing to the side.

"How did Uncle go missing later on?"

Although Xiao Le was heartbroken, he was a boy after all; he held back his tears, his eyes filled with pain.

"I don't know. Jinsheng Group only said that Dad left the farming area without authorization while farming, and that's when he went missing. We sent messages to Dad's game account, but there was never a response. According to the contract signed, they hold no responsibility."

"Do they have proof?"

"They have the recording from the game. We've seen it; what they said should be true." Xiao An's voice grew quieter.

Xiao Fan didn't know what to say.

According to the regulations, if gold-farming personnel leave the designated area and an accident occurs, the organizing company bears no responsibility.

"Did you see why Uncle left the farming area?" Xiao Fan asked again.

Xiao An thought for a moment and shook his head: "The recording shows that after Dad and the others killed a Fierce Beast, they sat down to rest. Not long after, he just got up and left on his own."

Xiao Fan's brows furrowed tighter. Uncle knew that areas outside the farming zone were unsafe, so why would he suddenly leave? This matter was rather strange.

Aunt, who had been crying the whole time, suddenly stood up, her face showing a resolve never seen before.

"I'm going into the game to find him!"

Xiao An and Xiao Le were stunned for a moment, then became anxious. Although their mother had entered the game before, she was low-level and didn't even have a complete Skill Chain. Entering the game in such a state was no different from seeking death.

"Mom, don't be impulsive, the game is too dangerous." Xiao An looked at his mother anxiously.

"Mom, you can't go. Dad is already missing; we can't lose you too." Xiao Le also grabbed Aunt's arm, crying and begging her.

Liu Xiujuan looked at the pleading eyes of her two children. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, but in the end, it became firm.

"An'an, Lele, have you ever thought that your father might be waiting for rescue in the game? We cannot give up on him."

"This..."

The expressions on Xiao An and Xiao Le's faces froze instantly.

Yes, if their father had only encountered danger, he might very well die due to a lack of rescue.

"Don't worry, Mom will definitely come back." Liu Xiujuan patted her children's heads, her eyes unfocused. She said this, but she knew better than anyone that if her husband had truly encountered danger, it would be very difficult for her to save him with her own strength.

However, she couldn't just give up.

Finally, she turned her gaze toward Xiao Fan.

"Xiao Fan, if I don't come back alive, I leave your younger brother and sister to you."

"Mom!" Xiao An and Xiao Le cried out simultaneously, and the three of them hugged and wept together.

Xiao Fan ignored the three of them; his mind was entirely focused on how to save Uncle.

Players can only leave the Novice Zone after reaching level twenty. With his current Core Power, he was nowhere near enough to level up.

Even if he leveled up as fast as possible, it would still take several months to reach level twenty.

Aunt couldn't wait, and Uncle certainly couldn't wait!

"There must be another way!" Xiao Fan's eyes were bloodshot. He forced himself to calm down and carefully searched his memory for everything regarding Cloud Sea.

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, one word suddenly lit up.

Mercenary.

A Profession that will do anything for you as long as the price is right.

"I have over 500,000 Core Power now; that's more than enough to hire someone."

Xiao Fan was completely willing. In his memory, after his parents passed away, Uncle and Aunt had always treated him as their own, even better than their own children.

Uncle had lost his job because of him and had even been beaten by the Chen Family, leaving him with chronic health issues. Even so, he had never resented him, but instead always comforted him and helped him move forward.

Such family was worth his sacrifice.

If the Core Power was gone, he could always earn more.

Without further ado, Xiao Fan interrupted the three of them.

"Aunt, if Uncle has encountered danger, you entering the game will be of no use."

Hearing this, Liu Xiujuan's face turned pale. Before she could speak, she heard Xiao Fan speak again.

"Leave Uncle's matter to me."

Xiao Fan's voice was slightly low, his tone carrying an unprecedented solemnity.

Liu Xiujuan turned back. At this moment, the young man's upright posture seemed to hold up the only hope for this family.