3. The Dormitory Theft

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed. At last, when he was fifteen, Ye Feng managed to endure his years at secondary school. Since 2018, Huaxia had merged junior and senior high into a single four-year secondary school, and Luo Ming entered university a year earlier than Ye Feng.

Originally, Luo Kai intended for his son to attend the prestigious Pearl University, a renowned private institution in Haifeng City. However, Luo Ming insisted on enrolling in Haifeng University, the city’s top public university. In the end, father and son each compromised: Luo Ming agreed to study abroad after graduation and, upon his return, take over the family business.

Thus, Ye Feng found himself attending the same school as Luo Ming once more, though Luo Ming was a year ahead—already a sophomore, while Ye Feng was just starting his freshman year.

Interestingly, something occurred during Ye Feng’s first days at university—an incident that had not happened in his previous life.

It took place on the very first day he arrived at Haifeng University. After being introduced to his three new roommates, the four of them set out to explore the campus together. Although Ye Feng was already quite familiar with the area, he spent the time with them for the sake of camaraderie.

But calamity struck when they returned to their dormitory.

"My wallet!" someone cried out.

"My phone! I just bought that Nokia!"

"Damn it, where are my new Nike sneakers?!"

In room 218 of Building 26, a chorus of hoarse voices echoed in anguish, sounding so desperate that an uninformed passerby might have thought some tragedy far worse had befallen them.

The four stared helplessly at the door’s pried-open lock. Anyone would have been distraught—their belongings were stolen on the very first day! And this being a freshman dormitory, it was clear they’d been targeted as newcomers.

What could be more frustrating than losing your things the very day you start university? The misery was almost on par with watching the national football team play.

They frantically checked their belongings, except for Ye Feng, who stood frozen at his bedside, his gaze fixed on his pillow as if it had miraculously sprouted a flower.

"Hey, last one," the second roommate, Qin Qiong, asked with a tinge of envy, "did you lose anything?"

Ye Feng slowly turned his head and, after glancing at him, asked a question that frustrated Qin Qiong even further, "What did you say?"

"I asked if you lost anything!" Qin Qiong snapped, his voice tinged with irritation—not only had he lost his brand-new phone worth over five thousand, but he was being ignored as well.

"Oh, I don’t know yet. My things are all in chaos," Ye Feng replied, donning a face that looked on the verge of tears.

The commotion in room 218 quickly drew a crowd. Some were sympathetic, some secretly delighted in their misfortune, and some were righteously indignant, demanding the dorm manager intervene. But being all freshmen and lacking experience, it wasn’t until an upperclassman—none other than Luo Ming, who cared about Ye Feng—intervened and called the police, that the crowd dispersed.

Ye Feng himself wasn’t sure what to feel. At first glance, it looked like a burglary, but a closer look revealed something odd. The others’ belongings had been rifled through in a haphazard way—disorganized but not thoroughly searched. In contrast, Ye Feng’s things had been completely turned over, as if searched more than once. Clearly, he was the primary target; the theft of his roommates’ things was merely a smokescreen. That was why Ye Feng hadn’t even heard Qin Qiong’s question earlier.

"Let it go, don’t get too down," the eldest roommate, Wu Tian, tried to console Qin Qiong. Though he’d also lost some things, Qin Qiong’s loss was the most expensive, and knowing someone else was worse off made Wu Tian feel a little better about his own misfortune.

Huang Luan, the third roommate, added, "Come on, let’s go eat. We’re men, aren’t we? So we lost a few things. If I ever catch that thief, I’ll hack him to pieces!"

Qin Qiong rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say—you lost the least. Fine, let’s eat, but you guys are paying. I lost the most, I’m broke now."

No one objected, and Wu Yuan, the eldest, patted his shoulder, saying, "Alright, alright, just this once since you’re pitiful." And so, the four of them left.

After a hearty meal and a few drinks, the four returned to their chaotic dorm, too disheartened to clean up. They tossed their things on the beds, deciding to sort it all out the next day, and promptly went to sleep.

The following morning, the four clumsily began organizing their belongings. To be honest, aside from Ye Feng, the others were all pampered, so it took them all morning to tidy up a few simple items.

While sorting through his stuff, Ye Feng found a peculiar button, diamond-shaped and engraved with the letters MJL. He showed it to his three roommates, but none claimed it as theirs. Ye Feng had been the first to move into room 218, and there had been nothing in the room apart from the beds and nightstands. What did this mean?

MJL... MJL... Ye Feng quickly finished tidying up, all the while turning the button over in his hand. The abbreviation was familiar, but he couldn’t immediately recall what it stood for.

They were all hungry by noon, so they went out for lunch. During their meal, a conversation between Qin Qiong and Huang Luan jogged Ye Feng’s memory.

Qin Qiong asked, "Hey, do you play ‘Angel’ too?"

"Yeah," replied Huang Luan, "I’m a mage, level 95."

"Are you free tonight?"

"Sure, classes don’t start until the day after tomorrow, so I’m free."

"Then come with me tonight to fight the ultimate boss, Michael."

"Alright, I’ve always wanted to see it."

At that, Ye Feng suddenly realized what MJL stood for—Michael! It was the Michael International Security Company.

Ye Feng recalled that Michael International Security Company first emerged in 2032, unnoticed at first, but within a month it had absorbed the top ten security companies in the world, shocking everyone with its strength. Although it called itself a security company, it actually functioned as a mercenary and assassin organization, reputedly employing only ex-military personnel, forty percent of whom were former special forces. They were especially favored by war-torn countries. The operatives were considered killing machines; anyone targeted by Michael was as good as dead.

But it was only 2028—how could Michael already exist, and targeting him in particular? Could the people who killed his parents have been from Michael? They only worked for money, so who had hired them? Ye Feng felt as if he’d stumbled into a web of mysteries.

A barrage of questions left Ye Feng with a headache, but one thing was certain—the button could not be left behind! After committing its appearance to memory, he casually tossed it out the window.

On a whim, Ye Feng searched for Michael International Security Company online but found nothing. Searching just "Michael" only brought up news about the online game "Angel." There were no useful clues.

By noon, the four had gone for another meal. Unbeknownst to them, shortly after they left, a shadow slipped in through the window and began searching the dorm with care, putting everything back in its original place. As he searched, the intruder muttered, "Where is it…?"

After combing the entire room and finding nothing, the man slipped back out the window. He was careful, but fate—or misfortune—intervened, and someone happened to glimpse his retreating figure.

Not long after the four had ordered their food, Ye Feng received a call from Luo Ming, whose voice was urgent. He told Ye Feng that someone had just jumped out their dorm window and urged them to check immediately if anything was missing.

When the other three heard of yet another theft, they panicked, abandoning their lunch and racing back to the dorm. Ye Feng, seeing them run, quickly excused himself and followed.

On the way, Ye Feng thought, There shouldn’t be anything missing; that person was probably looking for the button.

The four burst back into the room to find everything untouched, which infuriated the other three. They suspected Luo Ming had played a prank on them and threatened to confront him, but Ye Feng managed to placate them by promising a lavish meal.

That evening, instead of staying with his roommates, Ye Feng invited Luo Ming out to dinner.

They went to Classic Western Restaurant, a well-known place near Haifeng University. Normally, Ye Feng would never have chosen such an extravagant spot, but Luo Ming, though not a spoiled rich kid, certainly knew how to enjoy life, especially when it came to food. Since Ye Feng was finally treating him, Luo Ming intended to make the most of it.

They chose a small private room, sipping red wine and savoring steak as they chatted. Luo Ming joked as he cut into his medium-rare steak, "What’s gotten into you, stingy? This is the first time you’ve bought me dinner in years."

Ye Feng smiled inwardly. After his parents died, he’d become frugal, always tagging along with Luo Ming for meals.

"Didn’t I make a bit in the stock market last year? But you’d already graduated from secondary school and were at Haifeng University, so I didn’t get the chance to treat you."

"At least you still have some conscience."

They laughed and talked idly as they ate. Near the end of the meal, Ye Feng casually brought up, "By the way, my three roommates have a bit of a grudge against you."

Luo Ming was puzzled. "Why? Did I upset them?"

"You mentioned at lunch that our dorm had been robbed again," Ye Feng replied offhandedly.

"Yeah, I saw someone jump out of your window—pretty agile, too," Luo Ming said, still confused.

"After you told them, they rushed back without eating, only to find the dorm untouched. They think you played a prank on them," Ye Feng continued.

"But I really saw it, I swear."

"Yet when we got back, everything was spotless, as if no one had been there."

"That’s odd. I clearly saw a man, dressed in black, about 1.75 meters tall, with short, choppy hair, jump out your window. I wanted to chase him, but he was so fast he vanished in a few strides. He must have had some training."

Their conversation drifted to other trivial matters. Ye Feng didn’t know if the room was bugged, so he dared not say much.

After their meal, the two returned to the dorm together.

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