Chapter 60: Logging In

The thing Qiong Cang had the most of was books. After the two of them rummaged through the study, they had gathered almost everything, and He Jueyun took charge of carrying it all back.

With another person suddenly in the house, it instantly became lively.

Qiong Cang organized things inside the room while He Jueyun moved all the rarely used items stacked in the hallway to the garage.

He bustled up and down the elevator. After half an hour of going back and forth without finishing, he began to regret his choices. Wouldn’t it have been nice to just pay for a mover? Why did he have to act so down-to-earth in front of Qiong Cang? When did he acquire this persona?

As He Jueyun rode the elevator up once again, he heard someone calling out “Boss” when he passed a certain floor. That familiar voice and tone left no doubt as to who it was.

He Jueyun rushed downstairs and, sure enough, saw a young man poking his head around in front of his tightly shut door.

Seeing him, Song Shu raised a hand in greeting. “Boss, so you were upstairs?”

He Jueyun unconsciously lowered his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t come to work today and only posted an announcement on the backend, so I wondered if you needed help.” Song Shu insincerely pulled a stack of documents from his backpack. “And to bring you some warmth while I’m at it.”

He Jueyun grabbed him and tried to stuff him into the elevator. “Are these documents that absolutely must be signed today? Since you love work so much, do you need me to bring you some warmth too?”

Song Shu struggled to resist, crying out, “You’re trying to cover something up, I don’t believe you! My super-intelligent robot was moved by you. You either want to throw it away or you’re moving. Tell me, did you find a pretty lady behind my back?!”

Startled, He Jueyun quickly covered his mouth and twisted him to the side, muffling his cries. “Do you want me to add a line to your epitaph?”

Shoved into the elevator, Song Shu grumbled reluctantly, “Aren’t you going to keep me for dinner? I want to eat with a pretty lady too!”

He Jueyun snapped, “Like hell I am! All you think about is eating!”

The young man clicked his tongue, putting on a knowing expression. “Boss, you’re something else. So there really is a lady.”

The elevator doors closed, and the person inside made a final face at him.

He Jueyun watched the elevator descend, then walked over to the window in the stairwell to look down.

Before long, Song Shu walked out of the main entrance, looked up, angrily made a gesture toward him, and swung his backpack as he turned to leave.

Relieved, He Jueyun finally turned to head back upstairs.

Just as he rounded the stairs, he saw Qiong Cang, who had already changed her clothes and shoes, standing quietly by the door with a devout expression.

Meeting her head-on, He Jueyun was startled, thinking she might have overheard something. But looking closely, her expression didn’t seem quite right for that.

“What are you doing?”

Qiong Cang held up her phone to show the time and said solemnly, “It’s six o’clock. Time to eat.”

He Jueyun twitched his lips with a complicated expression. He really had to hand it to her.

He was about to sidestep past her to go inside, but as he brushed past Qiong Cang, a thought that made him feel flattered suddenly popped into his head. He Jueyun whipped his head back and asked, “Are you treating me to dinner?”

“Of course, it’s only right,” Qiong Cang said with a smile. “After all, I’ll need you to look after me in the future, not to mention you’ve helped me so much this time. Even to an ally, I should show some sincerity.”

He Jueyun felt a jolt of excitement, keeping his steps measured as he walked inside. “Alright, let me change first. Wait a moment!”

Ten minutes later, the two of them were sitting in Sanyao’s spacious lounge.

He Jueyun rested his forehead on one hand and let out a weary sigh.

This incident fully proved one thing: Qiong Cang’s sincerity was worthless.

He should have known better. One shouldn’t indulge in wishful thinking.

Qiong Cang was highly satisfied.

Originally, she had wanted to live with He Jueyun to show her sincerity in having no contact with Fan Huai. But after moving in, she suddenly realized that since the apartment was so close to Sanyao, she was about to experience the free trial of a life winner.

Worth it.

Qiong Cang tapped the ends of her chopsticks against the table to align them. Seeing him sitting there in a daze, she asked in a good mood, “What’s wrong? Is the food here not to your liking?”

He Jueyun took a deep breath and said against his true feelings, “It’s nothing. It’s delicious. After we eat, we can head over to submit an application for the closed beta.”

“Alright,” Qiong Cang praised. “You really are dedicated to your work.”

·

The dedicated man led Qiong Cang upstairs to fill out the forms.

The procedures for participating in the closed beta were highly complex, but fortunately, many of her documents were already backed up at Sanyao. He Jueyun vouched for her, bypassing some of the redundant steps. After completing the process, the staff handed them a green pass.

Qiong Cang took it. The process had gone much smoother than she expected.

He Jueyun pointed to the logo on the card. “The first batch of the closed beta officially starts in five days, and other Players will be participating with you. I must reiterate that during the period between the end of the closed beta and the start of the open beta, you must strictly abide by the non-disclosure agreement. You are not allowed to publish any misleading or inaccurate information afterward, otherwise you will face massive financial penalties. Don’t try to provoke Sanyao’s legal department; they look forward to making a collective debut every single day. The last person they offered up to the heavens is still carrying a mountain of debt.”

Qiong Cang nodded.

He Jueyun added, “Also, the closed beta will take quite a long time. Depending on the difficulty of the Instance, it could take anywhere from three days to a week. If there is no progress in the Instance for a long time, Sanyao will provide some external hints by placing evidence in relatively easier locations.”

Qiong Cang asked, “Why would it take so long?”

“Because some of the real-life prototypes will also make an appearance. Honestly, the game experience during the closed beta isn’t great.” He Jueyun waved for her to follow. “During the closed beta, you can ask any questions you have, even casual chatter is fine, as it helps us refine the character modeling. However, the questions must be about public information; sensitive terms will be set as banned words by us.”

Qiong Cang said, “Alright.”

He Jueyun explained a few more precautions regarding the closed beta, and then went to contact Fang Qi to have him conduct another psychological test on Qiong Cang.

·

Closed beta tests were never open to the public; they were always conducted quietly within Sanyao.

Five days later, Qiong Cang received a notification on her phone and walked to Sanyao with He Jueyun. He Jueyun led her to the corresponding room before heading to his own terminal next door.

Meanwhile, a group of people had gathered in the closed beta viewing room.

Xie Qimeng walked in behind a middle-aged woman and greeted the staff members in the room.

The woman wore a white chiffon shirt and black dress pants. Unsmiling and exuding a powerful authority, she was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Her short hair was neat, and her makeup was meticulous. At first glance, one might take her for a successful businesswoman. However, the calluses and scars on her hands revealed that she was a front-line detective who had fought her way up from the grassroots level.

He Chuanzhou, who was also the deputy leader of the Major Crimes Unit in charge of investigating this case.

Xie Qimeng turned on the screen in front of him and glanced at the list of beta testers. Stunned when his eyes swept over a familiar name, he pulled He Chuanzhou back and opened his mouth to speak. “She…”

He Chuanzhou made a gesture, signaling him to remain silent.

“Everyone is here so early.”

Fang Qi walked in with long strides, a grin on his face.

“Morning, thanks for your hard work.”

“Long time no see.”

“Thanks to you all, this is my first time participating in a closed beta.”

“To be honest, once you’ve done it once, you probably won’t want to do it a second time.”

The psychological evaluators knew each other. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they walked to their assigned seats and waited for the Instance to begin.

Around nine o’clock, the first batch of beta Players was in position. The room fell quiet as everyone turned their attention to the screens before them.

Fang Qi took off his coat and sat up straight. He watched as a line of text appeared against a black background while a bright scene gradually illuminated, indicating that Qiong Cang had officially logged in.

·

Welcome, Player, to the full-immersion simulation game 【Case Scene Analysis】 (Closed Beta Instance). Case-related memories have been locked. Please rely on your past experience, act freely, and cooperate with the characters to flesh out the plot details.

Identity: Investigator (Law Enforcement)

Name: Qiong Cang (QC1361)

Player Rating: 97 (There is a song called ‘Step by Step Higher^[1]‘ that would suit you perfectly)

Character Compatibility: 100% (Please do not engage in behavior that violates core socialist values)

Investigation Progress: You still have absolutely no idea who the murderer is.

【Note】 The closed beta Instance takes a relatively long time. If you do not receive an immediate answer after questioning a character, please wait patiently or proceed to inspect other scenes first.

【Click here to view Instance details】

Qiong Cang took a step forward. As the mist in the scene receded, the view before her became clear.

She was standing in a grassy field. Left untended for a long time, the weeds had grown to half a meter to a meter high. A mixture of withered yellow and fresh green obscured the figure buried within.

The surrounding temperature was chilly, and the cool breeze raised goosebumps on Qiong Cang’s arms. The blare of large trucks honking sounded almost right in her ears, grating on the nerves alongside the whistling wind.

They were near the suburbs, right next to a road.

“The deceased, Ding Tao,” a deep voice sounded in her ear.

Qiong Cang turned her head and saw He Jueyun dressed in casual clothes, holding up a small booklet and reading the deceased’s information.

Their eyes met, and they nodded to each other with faint smiles.

He Jueyun continued, “The deceased, Ding Tao, fifty-four years old. At five-thirty this morning, a street sweeper cleaning nearby discovered his body and went to a convenience store close by to call the police.”

He Jueyun turned a page. “According to the forensic examiner’s preliminary inspection, the time of death was around two to three o’clock this morning. Livor mortis indicates that this is the primary crime scene. However, judging by the traces on-site, he was likely still alive when he was brought here. He smells strongly of alcohol, with no obvious external trauma. He had a small amount of cash in his wallet, and he was wearing a watch worth several hundred thousand yuan as well as a ring, none of which were taken. Some injuries will take time to show, so the exact cause of death will have to wait for the autopsy results.”

He Jueyun pulled an evidence bag from the satchel at his side. “There was a slip of paper in his pocket. It has the word ‘Lie’ written on it. Without it, this would look like an accident.”

Qiong Cang scoffed. “A familiar routine. But utterly baffling.”

Qiong Cang crouched beside the corpse, put on gloves, and turned his head to inspect both sides.

The smell of alcohol on the man was overpowering, completely masking the scent of the soil. There was a puddle of vomit on the ground, showing that the deceased had eaten only a small amount of meat and vegetables before drinking heavily. His face happened to be resting right in the vomit. After soaking in it overnight, half of his face had become bloated and swollen, making him almost unrecognizable.

Qiong Cang said, “He was well-off. Dressed in a full suit, probably out for business socializing. Find out where he went last night. Also, he didn’t return all night; didn’t his family worry?”

He Jueyun replied, “He lived near his company close to the city center. He has a son in graduate school who doesn’t live at home. His wife is a homemaker. She said the deceased frequently stayed out all night, so she didn’t suspect anything.”

He Jueyun turned and pointed outward. “The informant is over there.”

Qiong Cang looked in that direction. It was a middle-aged man wearing a thin jacket, looking rather awkward in the morning breeze. Holding his cleaning tools, he was looking down and speaking in a low voice to the person beside him.

Qiong Cang walked over and said to him, “Hello.”

The informant looked up at her, appearing very nervous.

He Jueyun dutifully played the role of a subordinate. “Hong Jun, forty-two years old.”

Forty-two?

Qiong Cang raised an eyebrow.

Looking at his graying temples and haggard face, Qiong Cang would have believed it if someone told her he was older than the deceased, Ding Tao.

Qiong Cang asked, “Premature graying?”

Hong Jun forced a weak smile.

He Jueyun added, “Socially anxious.”

Qiong Cang: “…”

She could tell.