Huang Zhuowang still lived in the Bamboo Grove where he had first settled. The little building stood on the edge of the Village, and hardly anyone ever came by. It seemed he was the only person living there. The place was remote, its address had never been exposed, and it was protected by the Instance System.
How had the address gotten out? And who would kidnap him?
Kidnap a programmer who couldn't hurt a fly? Someone who had always stayed on the fringes of the Otherworld? A guy who knew absolutely nothing?
The Laboratory? The Illuminati? Or had Huang Zhuowang simply been unlucky enough to run into some desperate criminals who had snatched him for ransom? Had they already killed him? Were his chances of survival slim?
A rooster crowed outside. Zuo Shenghang drew back the curtains and frowned at the drink bottles and snacks piled in the corner. "This guy's a bit of a slob."
"That's not the point. There are clear signs that Huang Zhuowang struggled in here, which means the kidnappers weren't professionals. A competent kidnapper wouldn't leave the scene in such a mess, or leave traces of their own."
Xu Gong wandered around Huang Zhuowang's room, stopping here and there, looking rather casual. Wearing a mask and a baseball cap, she glanced around, her expression hidden.
Beiwei leaned against the wall by the door in a light fall jacket and cargo pants. Since she wasn't entering an Instance, she hadn't brought all her jewelry. She stared at the floor as though lost in thought.
At those words, she raised her head to look at the two searching for clues.
"So you're saying Huang Zhuowang wasn't taken by some mysterious organization, but by a bunch of amateur kidnappers?"
Zuo Shenghang hunched over Huang Zhuowang's computer and switched