At that moment, a slightly shrill ringing sounded. Michael Bolton came into the living room and, under his grandmother’s gaze, pressed the intercom button and said:

　　“Who is it?”

　　“Delivery.”

　　A voice came from the speaker.

　　Michael Bolton pressed the door release button. After two or three minutes, a courier in uniform came up by elevator, holding a package in his arms:

　　“Are you Michael Bolton?”

　　“That’s me.”

　　I didn’t order anything online… He signed for the package with a puzzled look, glanced at the shipping info—no sender listed, but the address was from Hangzhou, Jiangnan Province, next door.

　　He returned to his room, took a utility knife from his desk drawer, and opened the package.

　　Inside was a black card wrapped in shockproof air cushion, and a yellow envelope.

　　Michael Bolton picked up the black card, about the size of an ID. The material seemed metallic, but felt extremely smooth to the touch. The card was exquisitely crafted, with faint silver cloud patterns along the edges and a black full moon in the center.

　　The black moon was printed with great detail, its irregular surface spots clearly visible.

　　What is this? With a sense of confusion, he opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

　　“Yuanzi, I got something really interesting. I once thought it could change my life, but my abilities are limited—I can’t handle it. I think, if it’s you, it shouldn’t be a problem.

　　“As brothers, this is my gift to you.

　　“Brian Parker!”

　　……

Chapter 2 Disappearance

　　“Sent by Brian?”

　　After reading the letter, Michael Bolton frowned.

　　What does it mean, ‘change your life’? What does ‘can’t handle it’ mean?

　　Seriously, can’t he just be clear… He looked at the black card again, examining it repeatedly, confirming it was just an ordinary card. If there was anything unusual, it was only that it felt nice and the material seemed rare.

　　Could it be some kind of top-tier club’s VIP card? Only a unique guy like me could handle a 36D beauty.

　　Brian Parker was his childhood best friend, nicknamed Brian, two years older than him. Before his grandparents bought a new house, their families lived in the same alley.

　　Brian Parker had A grades in strength and speed, C in intelligence, and always looked out for him since they were kids—leading the charge in fights, covering the retreat when things went south. If anyone mocked Michael Bolton for being fatherless, Brian Parker would stand up for him.

　　So Michael Bolton always called him Brian.

　　Brian didn’t do well in high school, so he went to college in neighboring Jiangnan Province. Since then, with them living apart, they’d been in touch less often.

　　As Michael Bolton put the black card into his jacket pocket, he picked up his phone and sent a teasing message to Brian:

　　“Which club’s VIP card is this? At least give me the address or a contact number.”

　　Half an hour passed after sending the message, but there was no reply.

　　Michael Bolton simply called Brian.

　　After two rings, the call connected, and a man’s deep voice came through the speaker:

　　“Hello! This is Brian Parker’s father.”

　　“Uncle Parker?” Michael Bolton was taken aback, then said happily:

　　“Is Brian back in Songhai this week? Could you let him take the call? I need to talk to him.”

　　There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a heavy voice sounded:

　　“Yuanzi, I’m in Jiangnan Province. Brian is missing…”

　　Brian is missing?! Michael Bolton froze on the spot. After a few seconds, he asked, bewildered and anxious:

　　“What happened?”

　　How could Brian be missing? He just sent me something.

　　“He went missing the night before last. Your Aunt Zhou and I got the notice from the school yesterday and rushed over right away.” Uncle Parker sounded downcast.

　　“Did you call the police? What did the Public Security Bureau say?” Michael Bolton asked in a low voice.

　　Uncle Parker was silent for a long time, then said hesitantly:

　　“It’s hard to explain… Brian’s disappearance is a bit strange…”

　　Strange? What does that mean… Michael Bolton was stunned.

　　Uncle Parker said:

　　“Brian disappeared from his dorm the night before last. The police checked the surveillance in the dorm hallway and found that Brian never left the room all night, but by morning, he was gone.

　　“His roommates said they saw him before going to bed, but when they woke up, he was gone. They thought he’d just gone out.”

　　Michael Bolton blurted out, “How is that possible…”

　　Can a person just vanish into thin air? Even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe that.

　　Suppressing his anxiety, Michael Bolton lowered his voice and said:

　　“Mr. Parker, did Brian offend anyone at school?”

　　His first thought was that Brian had gotten on someone’s bad side at school, and the other party had some local power. That would explain why the surveillance showed nothing—because the school might be covering it up.

　　In this information age, anyone who’s been online has heard of things like this.

　　“The school leaders said they’d cooperate with the police as much as possible. The police told us to go home and wait for news—they’d investigate… Your aunt and I didn’t sleep all night.”

　　Uncle Parker’s tone was full of frustration and worry.

　　Just as I thought. Damn it… Michael Bolton took a deep breath and tried to comfort him: