Chapter 33: The Locked Room Disappearance

In the small apartment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed loudly across the floor.  

In no time, two Vigil Keepers met in the living room, their faces pale and their eyes filled with fear.  

“We… we couldn’t find them.”  

“I-I’ll call the boss.” One of the Vigil Keepers stammered and quickly dialed Huang Wei.  

…

Forty minutes later.  

Two off-road vehicles screeched to a halt as Ren Ye, Huang Wei, and others rushed out, heading straight for the apartment building.  

Moments later, the group took the elevator to the sixth floor, stopping at Unit 601. Inside, six Vigil Keepers stood in the living room, their expressions heavy with guilt and dejection.  

“Where’s my dad?!”  

Ren Ye stormed into the room, grabbing the closest Vigil Keeper by the collar and yelling, “Where is he?! Speak!”  

The Vigil Keeper lowered his head, his voice trembling. “He’s… gone. There’s no trace…”  

“Bang!”  

Before the man could finish, Ren Ye shoved him away, his emotions erupting. “What the hell are you all doing?! Huh?!”  

Huang Wei immediately stepped forward, trying to calm him down. “Ren Ye, take it easy. Let’s figure out what happened first.”  

“Take it easy?!” Ren Ye shook off Huang Wei’s hand and, with reddened eyes, shouted, “It’s not your dad who’s missing, is it?!” He pointed accusingly at Huang Wei. “What about the assurances you gave me? What about the plans you promised? This is your so-called official protection?! This is gross negligence!”  

His shouts reverberated in the room, and a heavy silence fell. The Vigil Keepers lowered their heads, guilt-stricken and unable to refute him.  

Huang Wei looked at the distraught Ren Ye and tried to steady his voice. “Okay, I admit…”  

“Admit what?!” Ren Ye cut him off furiously. “Do you remember what you told me that day in the interrogation room? You said one word, and I gave you my life! And now, you can’t even protect my father?!” He jabbed a finger at Huang Wei, his voice breaking. “I told you—joining this was my choice. Life or death, I wouldn’t blame you. But my family… that’s different!”  

“Ren Ye!”  

Huang Wei grabbed his shoulders and shouted, “I swear on the collective honor of the Vigil Keepers, if your father’s life is in danger, I will pay with my own life!”  

“What good is your oath? What use is your life to me?!”  

“And what good is losing your temper right now?!” Huang Wei countered, locking eyes with Ren Ye. “You’ve been in this line of work; you know better than anyone how to handle situations like this. Right? At the very least, listen to what happened first!”  

Ren Ye’s anger subsided slightly, and silence returned to the room.  

After a moment, the Vigil Keeper in charge of guarding Ren Daguo stepped forward and stood before Ren Ye. “If something went wrong, it’s our fault. I’m sorry… Little Ren.”  

The other five Vigil Keepers followed suit, bowing their heads in unison. “We’re sorry. We didn’t do our jobs properly.”  

Their faces were etched with exhaustion, their bloodshot eyes and sweat-stained clothes evidence of long hours in a confined space. Despite their weariness, their words and expressions conveyed no resentment—only deep regret.  

Although most of them didn’t fully understand Ren Ye’s situation or the details of the Qingliang Town Star Gate, they knew Ren Ye was highly regarded by the Shanghai Vigil Keepers and even the headquarters.  

Ren Ye looked at them, seeing a reflection of his younger self. His frustration burned within him, but he could no longer bring himself to speak harshly.  

Huang Wei steadied himself and turned to the leader of the group. “What happened exactly? How could the six of you lose track of Ren Daguo without noticing? That’s impossible!”  

The leader raised his head slowly, his eyes filled with equal parts confusion and disbelief. “The six of us split into three teams. One team stayed inside the building, another patrolled the perimeter, and the third monitored from an apartment we had just rented across the street, with a clear view of the living room window in Unit 601.  

“Just minutes before you called me to bring in Ren Daguo, both he and the editor were still in the living room. I saw them myself.”

Ren Ye and Huang Wei listened silently.  

“But after I took your call and walked over from the building across the street, the two of them suddenly disappeared. The entire process took less than ten minutes,” the team leader said, his expression filled with disbelief. “During that time, all six of us were stationed so close to the target building, yet we didn’t sense any Stellar Energy fluctuations. It’s just unbelievable… Even if it were high-level players—second tier, or even third tier—they couldn’t possibly have taken Ren Daguo from under the noses of six of us without using any extraordinary abilities!”  

The leader swallowed hard before continuing. “And as you’ve seen, there are no signs of a struggle in this room. The door was perfectly intact when we entered, with no signs of tampering. There’s no poison in the air, and the water and food were completely normal. This all suggests… no strangers broke into the apartment. Even if we consider the unlikely possibility that Ren Daguo and the editor were both players who suddenly received a Star Gate mission and were teleported away, it would’ve caused Stellar Energy fluctuations that we would’ve detected. But here… they vanished into thin air, without leaving a single trace.”  

Ren Ye immediately asked, “Do you have any means of tracking them?”  

“Yes.”  

The leader replied, “Although Xiao An is a Strength-system player, his occupational legacy includes an extraordinary ability that makes him highly sensitive to scents. After we realized they had disappeared, we asked him to track the scent. However, the trail stopped at the trash bin by the stairwell. The scent wasn’t strong, likely left when they took out the trash.”  

Hearing this, Ren Ye felt both restless and baffled. Over the past two days, he had learned a lot about Stellar Scar Gates and players from Xu Peng. Based on the leader’s description, it truly seemed like Ren Daguo had vanished in a bizarre locked-room scenario.  

Huang Wei, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke. “I believe they weren’t taken by the Bell Society.”  

Moments earlier, colleagues from the Shanghai Vigil Keeper headquarters had confirmed the identities of Skinny Monkey and Fat Dragon, verifying that the Bell Society was indeed behind the recent incidents.  

Ren Ye looked at him, following the logical reasoning of a professional investigator. “You’re saying the two scenarios show vastly different patterns?”  

Huang Wei nodded, speaking quickly. “Based on Gu Nian’s account of the incident at university town, four Bell Society members appeared there and opted for a brute-force kidnapping. Most of their decisions seemed to have been made on the spot—otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen to act right outside a police station.  

“But here, your father and the editor disappeared without leaving a single trace.”  

“If the Bell Society had such silent abduction capabilities, why would they resort to brute force outside a police station? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just abduct your sister directly? Moreover, even if they were acting on two fronts, the timing of their actions would have to be synchronized. Otherwise, once we became aware of one incident, we’d inevitably strengthen defenses here.”  

Ren Ye understood what Huang Wei meant. He was suggesting that while Ren Daguo had disappeared, it was possible he hadn’t fallen into enemy hands.  

But even if that were true, how could Ren Ye feel at ease?  

A living, breathing person had vanished without a trace—and that person was his father, the only one in the world who had raised him!  

After a long silence, Ren Ye clenched his fists and retorted, “That’s just speculation. What if they’re running a dual operation to hedge their bets? What if the lack of synchronized timing was due to an unforeseen complication? And what if one of their players has an extraordinary ability that you haven’t encountered before? Or what if the Bell Society hired a high-tier player to do the job?”    

Huang Wei was momentarily at a loss for words because Ren Ye’s assertion was plausible.  

“Whoever took my dad, their ultimate target is definitely me. For now, I believe he’s safe. I’m certain.” Ren Ye turned to Huang Wei, his voice steady and firm: “Two things. First, before they contact me, you must find those Bell Society people. I don’t have enmity with anyone else—only them. Second, if you can’t find them, then no matter who tries to negotiate with me later, I will do whatever it takes to get my dad back. This decision is final, and no one will stop me. And don’t start telling me how important Qingliang Prefecture’s Star Gate is. I’m a son first, then a police officer.”  

Huang Wei gritted his teeth. “Fine. I respect your decision, but give me some time.”  

With that, Huang Wei stepped into the kitchen, closed the door, and immediately dialed the number of his superior, Yan Duoduo.  

…

In the Capital City, inside a bar near the imperial palace.  

Yan Duoduo, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, his hair neatly groomed, sat on a high stool, patiently waiting for a meeting. This meeting was a rare opportunity to personally report on Ren Ye’s situation to headquarters.  

Ring-ring-ring!  

The sudden ringing of his phone made Yan Duoduo frown as he pulled it out. “Hello?”  

“Boss, we’ve got a situation…” Huang Wei reluctantly detailed everything that had happened tonight, leaving nothing out.  

After listening, Yan Duoduo’s expression hardened, a trace of anger visible on his face. “Do you know who I’m meeting in the Capital right now?”  

“I… I know. You’re here to report on Ren Ye.” Huang Wei’s voice was barely audible, like a mosquito’s buzz.  

“And knowing that, you still managed to lose track of him?! Didn’t I send reinforcements? What have you been doing?” Even in his anger, Yan Duoduo’s expression remained composed, his tone controlled. “Handle this immediately—clean it up! In these extraordinary times, use extraordinary measures. I expect your call within 24 hours.”  

“Understood. I have a plan in mind.”  

“Don’t tell me you have a plan—I want results!” Yan Duoduo snapped, slamming the phone down. After a moment’s deliberation, he dialed the Shanghai headquarters: “Hello? Send reinforcements—elite personnel—to assist Qingfu District immediately. And no matter what Huang Wei asks for, comply fully. Yes, full citywide cooperation!”  

After issuing these instructions, Yan Duoduo stepped off the stool and walked toward a sofa.  

“Hey, Shanghai’s big shot, come take a seat!” A colleague waved at him with a grin.  

Yan Duoduo ignored the greeting, addressing an older man nearby. “Sir… Could you help me cancel tonight’s report? I have some materials that aren’t ready yet.”  

The old man nodded slowly. “Alright.”  

Five minutes later, Yan Duoduo left the bar, his face flushed with anger.  

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to report. But how could he possibly explain that the protagonist’s father had gone missing? Reporting that would likely earn him two resounding slaps right away.  

…

Back in Shanghai.  

Huang Wei led Ren Ye out of the apartment building and into a car. “The higher-ups are taking this case very seriously. To find clues faster, we’re heading back to the city. We’ll pick up colleagues from the intelligence department and then meet with a member of a very active player organization in Shanghai. They operate in the gray areas between law and crime and have excellent information channels.”  

Ren Ye raised an eyebrow. “What organization?”  

“The Fraudulent Merchants Association,” Huang Wei said as he started the car. In a low voice, he added, “Their motto is: ‘Every transaction is essentially a scam; the only question is whether your performance is convincing and brilliant enough.'”