Volume One, Chapter 16: A Call from a Close Friend

Twenty minutes later, Qin Shang had composed himself.

Inside the Divine Path, he felt nothing, but upon emerging, a wave of hunger struck him. He had entered the Divine Path around noon, and now it was the early hours of the morning.

It seemed that time inside the Divine Path flowed exactly as it did in reality. He casually searched online for urban legends about the “Death Train” in nineteenth-century London.

Perhaps because he was still within the country, there was scant information available.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qin Shang searched for the term “Swindler” on Baidu.

The results mostly comprised academic articles—histories of the profession, mainly focusing on real-world swindlers. According to the encyclopedia, a swindler is someone who redistributes resources through deception and plunder.

Put elegantly, they are swindlers; put bluntly, they are con artists…

There was no specific description of the Divine Path profession, nor any discussion threads related to it.

If not for the small silver card in his hand, Qin Shang might have thought the entire experience inside the dungeon was just a dream.

Clutching the character card, a panel of basic information appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Qin Shang]
[Race: Human]
[Profession: Swindler]
[Divine Path ID: Fiercely Licks Cockroach’s Jade Foot]
[Experience: 0%]
[Inventory: Letter from Ai’er]
[Skill: Inheritance {Each use requires a thirty-minute cooldown; can inherit hints and quests from a deceased target; this skill cannot be actively used; killing another player does not grant inheritance of tasks or hints}]
[Skill: Decipher {Teacher-exclusive skill; as the name suggests, can decode all forms of writing}]

Qin Shang furrowed his brow slightly, studying the little card carefully.

It was hard to imagine that all he had just experienced stemmed from such a small silver card.

At that moment, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Night had fallen. Slightly startled, Qin Shang instinctively answered the call.

“Hey? About Jiang Qiqi’s case, over in Yanjing they’ve officially classified it as a missing person. Those lazy security officers—do you want to try contacting the orphanage again?”
“See if the old director there has any information related to Jiang Qiqi’s friends or family.”
“Even orphans usually have some relatives alive, right?”
“They’re just brushing it off as a missing person case. I don’t think they intended to investigate properly. Want me to get some old colleagues to apply pressure…”

Hearing the rapid-fire voice, Qin Shang immediately recognized the caller.

It was his best friend, Xu Mingyang.

He was calling because he had heard about the morning’s events from other channels.

Jiang Qiqi’s “relic” had been sent to her husband, Qin Shang, so Xu Mingyang was worried about Qin Shang’s mental state.

During the ninety days since his wife’s disappearance, Qin Shang had never stopped worrying about her safety.

In fact, for a perfectly alive person to vanish without a trace for nearly three months…

Besides being murdered, the other possibility was abduction.

The official security officers’ classification of the case as a missing person was understandable.

Others might give up, but Qin Shang, as her husband, could not.

He and Jiang Qiqi had met through his close friend Xu Mingyang. At the time, Qin Shang had just been released from prison after serving two years for a fraud conviction; his life was bleak.

No education, no job, no house, no car.

Yet Jiang Qiqi—beautiful, lively, outgoing—had instantly taken a liking to him at a dinner party, dismissing a crowd of suitors and quickly falling in love with Qin Shang.

They say a man pursuing a woman faces mountains; a woman pursuing a man faces only a veil.

Which man can resist a sexy, sweet, lively girl in a pink dress?

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

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

He often wondered what would have become of him if not for Jiang Qiqi.

There was no answer to that question. All he knew was that his wife was his sole reason to live.

Those two years, life gradually improved in a steady rhythm...

Until half a year ago, when misfortune struck again. Qin Shang fainted at work without warning and was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Jiang Qiqi sold everything—house, car—to pay for his treatment.

But as two orphans, their financial resources were clearly insufficient to cover the exorbitant medical bills.

Yes, both of them were orphans...

Despite piecing together funds from all sides, the medical expenses remained unaffordable.

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

“You haven’t even let me enjoy a good life yet, and you want to just give up? I won’t allow it. You’re going to live properly.”

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

She said she had found a way to keep Qin Shang alive during this trip.

She never revealed the specifics, but the hospital always received the medical payments on time each month.

After Jiang Qiqi’s disappearance, Qin Shang gave up treatment altogether.

The doctors said he had at most six months left.

Before death, Qin Shang’s only lingering wish was to find his wife...

Thinking this, he stared at the silver card in his hand and pressed his lips together as he spoke into the phone.

“Xu Mingyang, I have some leads on Qiqi’s case.”
“No need to trouble the old director anymore...”

Xu Mingyang was momentarily stunned by this.

“Leads? What kind of leads do you have?”

Seeing Qin Shang was alright, Xu Mingyang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to chatter.

“Damn, you really scared me today. I called you all day, fearing something had happened.”
“I thought maybe seeing Jiang Qiqi’s things made you despair and try to harm yourself...”
“Enough with the suspense—if you have leads, share them quickly. I’ll see if I can use my connections to dig some information. Let’s find Qiqi soon!”

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

Coincidentally, Xu Mingyang worked at the Yanjing Security Bureau, though not in the district handling Jiang Qiqi’s case.

Since her disappearance, Xu Mingyang had used his network extensively to help Qin Shang gather clues from colleagues in Yanjing.

Unfortunately, all efforts were in vain; Jiang Qiqi seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Qin Shang hesitated, aware that Xu Mingyang had already done more than enough for them.

Unlike himself, a man facing imminent death with only months left, Xu Mingyang had a bright future ahead.

The Divine Path game was treacherous—next time in a dungeon, Qin Shang might become nothing more than a lost soul in the hands of a godslayer.

He shouldn't drag his friend into this mess, even though as a security officer, Xu Mingyang had much easier access to information than he did.

With this thought, Qin Shang softly said:

“It’s nothing, just a clue.”

“Can you stop being so secretive? You sound like you’re not in a good mood.”

Qin Shang knew his friend’s nature—never thinking before speaking—and didn’t take offense.

“I’m fine, just tired. My head’s been bothering me today, so I slept all day. I wasn’t avoiding your calls on purpose!”

“Hmm... Headache? You’ve been out of the hospital for over three months now. Is your follow-up appointment coming up? Take care of yourself. If you want to find Qiqi, don’t overwork yourself.”

“Bro, I don’t want to bury a loved one before their time.”

Qin Shang gritted his teeth.

Truly... you can’t expect pearls from a sow’s snout.

“Every time I talk to you, I feel my IQ plummeting. I don’t know how I’ve managed to hold back the urge to kill you all these years.”

“Enough—I’m going to bed now.”

After this, seeing that Qin Shang’s mood wasn’t as bleak as expected, Xu Mingyang quietly hung up, sighing without a word.

As a security officer, he understood all too well: every year, countless people went missing nationwide, most either dead or trafficked.

The chances of rescue were minuscule.

The possibility of the couple reuniting within the next three months was pitifully small.

Thinking this, Xu Mingyang, far away in Yanjing, closed his eyes and murmured with sympathy:

“Fate is cruel.”