The trio headed down to the B4 underground parking lot directly from the elevator.
All three players were astounded by what they saw.
Luxury cars filled the space from end to end. There were limited-edition supercars, prestigious vintage sedans—vehicles they'd seen only on rare occasions, if ever. Here, even a recognizable Lamborghini model would rank near the bottom.
Angela Yu took a deep breath. "The air reeks of wealth."
Luo Shu's attention was drawn elsewhere. "Seems like by 2029, electric vehicles are mainstream here. Look, every spot has a charging station."
Though they couldn't be certain it was the same world, Angela still sneaked a look at her phone to check the stock prices of electric car companies. Just in case they returned to the outside world, she thought, it might be a chance to make some money with this insider knowledge.
Frederick Chen started up a classic Mercedes-Benz van and drove them out, merging onto the crowded Garden Road in Central, Harbor Island.
In the back seat, Luo Shu glanced back at the towering office building they were leaving. It soared skyward like a colossal blade, crowned with a glowing sign: "Honghu Industrial Group."
He checked his phone, searching for Hunter He.
According to his profile on Baidu, he was one of Harbor Island's top financial moguls, dealing in private equity, venture capital, and futures trading—pretty much everything.
Of course, that was just the public side.
Luo Shu dug deeper on other sites and pieced together Hunter He's real identity from numerous curses and criticisms. A self-made tycoon who'd risen through the black-market economy, primarily running underground banks. Nearly half of Harbor Island's illegal casinos and money-laundering operations were under his control.
"Whoa... No wonder he has that aura. This guy's basically the black emperor of Harbor Island's underworld," Luo Shu remarked.
From the middle seats, his teammates looked back with questioning eyes. Luo Shu shared the information generously, helping them grasp a clearer picture of their employer.
Frederick Chen, still driving, added, "I've just sent you the latest police investigation report, along with the forensic autopsy. Take a look on the way and stay sharp. Remember, if those bombs around your necks go off, your heads will be splattered like watermelons."
Luo Shu pulled out his phone, confirming the message had arrived.
With their lives on the line, the three of them silently read through the reports, lost in thought.
The police report… was disappointing.
It outlined the investigations around Yvonne He's acquaintances. Despite her wide circle in business, she had few close contacts.
Her biological father, Hunter He, was out of the question—the police wouldn't dare investigate him, nor was it necessary. If he'd killed his own daughter only to demand an intense investigation with timed explosives… Only someone with a split-personality disorder at an SSS level could do something like that.
Her mother had passed away 32 years ago in childbirth.
Husband? None. As for boyfriends, she'd had two publicly known ones—one, a British doctor she split with a decade ago, and the other a psychiatrist, now the director of a mental hospital on Harbor Island, whom she broke up with two years prior. The police were currently questioning him, though he hadn't left the hospital for days, while her time of death was recorded at 3 a.m. today.
Even without reading too closely, Luo Shu knew the police were just putting on a show under pressure. They were aware this line of inquiry would likely go nowhere but needed to pacify Hunter He's wrath somehow.
Yvonne had few female friends, most of whom had faded out of her life over the years. She had largely cut off any nonessential social ties in recent years, dedicating herself solely to her career.
There was a male bodyguard, but he was only around for major public events, and he hadn't been in the country recently, so he was ruled out immediately.
Beside him, Frank Zhang was about to lose his mind. "Damn it! This is all worthless! What's the point of reading this?"
He shut off his phone, pressing his hands to his head, drumming his fingers in frustration.
His success as a Level 4 player had come from his tenacity and skill with mechanics. But this brain-teasing, scripted world was driving him to the edge.
No terrifying ghosts or monsters had appeared, but the timed bomb around his neck had dropped his Sanity Level to a precarious 70%.
In his livestream, his fans were equally anxious.
[What's going on? Nothing's happened, but his Sanity Level keeps dropping!]
[Yeah, it's been all talk so far, no action. What's with Frank?]
[Easy for you to say. How about you try it with a timed bomb strapped to your neck?]
[I wouldn't be such a coward!]
[Then go solve the case with your keyboard.]
[To be real, it's no joke. I felt something similar during my college entrance exams. With the last two math problems, I knew if I had enough time, I could solve them—or maybe not—but as the minutes ticked away, the pressure nearly drove me to hallucinate. I can only imagine the pressure they're under right now.]
After another ten minutes of driving, the car slowed to a stop.
"We're here," Frederick Chen announced, turning off the engine and getting out.
Right then, the explosive devices around Luo Shu, Frank Zhang, and Angela Yu's necks began to beep ominously.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]