Chapter One Hundred and Three: Xinyu’s Disappearance

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I finally breathed a sigh of relief—the third piece of equipment was at last blue quality. This confirmed I wasn’t dreaming. If all three had been purple gear, I might have started doubting whether I was secretly the son-in-law of the owner of Moon Eternal...

[Blood Moon Guardian] (Headgear – Blue Quality)
Defense: 64
Stamina: +32
Strength: +18
Agility: +36
Additional: Increases critical hit rate by 3%
Required Level: 35
...
Not bad. Xin Yu is already level 33, so she’s not far from being able to equip this. With her current leveling speed, three days should be enough.

Glancing at my own level, I had just reached 39 after defeating the Rhinoceros King. The level 55 golden boss Rhinoceros King not only dropped two pieces of purple gear and one blue piece, but also nearly 300 gold coins. Along with the almost 500 gold I already possessed, that alone was a small fortune. These days, gold coins were even more valuable than RMB; most level 30 players didn’t have that much money. Even if they managed to gather enough silver to teleport to the four major cities, they might still lack funds to buy potions or learn skills. At that point, some might resort to exchanging RMB for gold coins. Haha, a merchant like me could definitely profit from that!

I went straight back to the city and stored all three pieces of equipment in the warehouse. The Shadow Necklace required level 40; judging by my current leveling pace, that would take about two more days. As for the purple axe, I planned to wait a week until more players gathered in the city before putting it up for public auction. The system announced that on weekends, an NPC would hold an open auction featuring the most valuable items from the trading post. The auction rules remained the same, with the system charging a 2% fee. Honestly, even if the fee were 20%, it would still be better than private trades between individuals.

I repaired my nearly broken equipment and checked the time—it was already 7 p.m., yet no one had called me to log off. Puzzled, I logged out and went outside to take a look.

Right outside, I saw Xue Han with an anxious expression. Xu Lin was beside her, incessantly fiddling with her phone. There wasn’t even a single dish on the table, and the kitchen showed no sign of activity. The other girls were nowhere to be seen.

Something was wrong—this was unsettling!

I asked in surprise, “What’s going on? Where are Guozi and the others?”

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Xu Lin said anxiously, “Xin Yu hasn’t come back since this morning. We’ve tried calling her, but her phone seems to be off—like the SIM card was removed. Guozi and the others have gone out looking for her. It’s driving us crazy!”

I furrowed my brow and asked, “Have you reported this to the police?”

Xu Lin murmured, “Report to the police? Xue Han and I discussed it and thought it was still too early for that.”

I quickly put on my coat and said, “You all stay here and wait for news. I’ll go look for Xin Yu. She’s a grown woman and should know how to take care of herself. Something must have happened; otherwise, she wouldn’t make us worry like this.”

Xu Lin nodded, “Alright, go ahead. If there’s no news by eight o’clock, I’ll call the police.”

Xue Han opened her mouth as if to say something, then stopped. I glanced at her, but she remained silent as I stepped outside.

...

The streets were cold. I had no idea where Xin Yu might have gone, so I wandered aimlessly among the throngs of people, searching carefully for that familiar face. After nearly half an hour, I sat down on a stone railing by the roadside, feeling despondent. No news from Xu Lin’s side either. Where on earth was Xin Yu...?

“Hey, isn’t that Lin Fan?”

A sweet voice came from behind me. Turning around, I saw Coco and another girl looking at me with surprise. “Why are you sitting here so late? Aren’t you cold?”

I forced a bitter smile. “I’m looking for a friend. She’s been missing for a whole day.”

Coco blinked and asked, “Is it the one who went with you to KF Net?”

I nodded in astonishment. “Yes, that’s her. Have you seen her?”

“Yeah, about an hour ago I saw her go into the Shadow Bar.”

“How many people was she with?”

“Let me think... she seemed to be alone, and looked like she had just been crying...”

I gritted my teeth. What was Xin Yu doing there? From what I knew, the Shadow Bar was not a clean place; it was a gathering spot for idle troublemakers capable of anything. Rumor had it that even the son of a city official hung out there, and things had gotten completely out of hand. Six months ago, two girls were drugged with ecstasy and assaulted at the bar—most likely by this group.

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The bar wasn’t far. I zipped up my jacket and said to Coco, “I’m going to check it out. Thanks, Coco!”

Before she could respond, I vanished into the night. The biting cold stung my cheeks, but my anxiety left no room for discomfort.

I reached the entrance of the Shadow Bar in one breath. Two burly bouncers didn’t even ask questions before I slipped inside. Immediately, a complex mixture of smells hit me—alcohol, perfume, even the scent of unwashed bodies. What was Xin Yu doing in such a filthy, chaotic place?

At the bar counter, I scanned every woman’s face. The place was full of seductive and dazzling sights—bare skin pressed against bare skin; breasts pushed together by bras, trembling lightly under dim lights. Men’s gaze flickered lustfully between cleavage and hips, the tension between the sexes palpable. Everyone here was taking what they desired.

I searched every corner of the main hall but found no sign of Xin Yu. Had she gone into a private room?

I pushed open a door and looked inside—no Xin Yu. Apologizing with a smile, I said, “Sorry, wrong room, carry on~!”

That would have been fine, except some rooms were already scenes of blatant debauchery. I had to pull a man off a woman, and after confirming she wasn’t Xin Yu, I apologized again.

Having searched nearly every private room, I had made quite a few enemies. A couple of thugs approached and shoved me hard. “Hey kid, what the hell—trying to cause trouble?”

I stumbled against the counter, quickly laughing it off. “Just drinking... just drinking. Sorry, bartender, a bottle of red wine, please!”

“Damn it, watch yourself,” the thug growled and stalked off.

Frustrated, I was about to leave when a lewd laugh came from behind me. “Hey, miss, all alone? How about a few guys keep you company for a drink?”

Turning around, I was stunned speechless. There was Xin Yu, her face flushed red, sitting by the bar counter. Two empty bottles lay before her. A blond man was leaning close, leering at her with shifty little eyes roaming between her upright chest and hips.

Damn it, this time it’s serious trouble!