Void Jigsaw Puzzle

One weekend morning, Guo Ling woke up from a nightmare.

He had a dream that his wife not only betrayed him, but also colluded with her adulterer to transfer the family's money in advance, causing him to lose not only his family but also his money.

It is almost impossible for a middle-aged man without money to stand up straight, even in front of his closest relatives.

So, when he woke up, he felt sore in his back.

However, when he looked at the pillow beside him again and found that there was still no one there, he still let out a long sigh.

He missed the soft, warm body beside him when he woke up in the morning. The owner of that body would lean over and gently bury her face in his chest, her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. He would lower his head slightly and gently kiss her forehead, between her eyebrows, and on her cheeks.

Now everything is gone, and I can’t even dream of such a warm scene.

Guo Ling felt a knot in his stomach. Even though so many days had passed and he had just had that dream, he still firmly believed that his wife would not betray him. And these days, his longing for his wife had always overshadowed the shame he felt at the possibility of being cheated on.

This momentum and strong determination to find his parents and son made him dare not neglect.

He got up, got out of bed, quickly washed up, grabbed his coat and went out.

A quarter of an hour later, he picked up Fan Ting at the gate of her community, and the two drove to the Sanduping area in the east of the city.

The Sanduping area is the most prosperous business district in Wuming City after the People's Square in the city center. A large river makes a sharp turn from east to south here, wrapping around a flat area shaped like a triangle. People gather here for business along the river and build a series of landmark buildings.

Linjiang Tower and Leyou Pavilion are representative examples. Linjiang Tower is the most stylish office building in Wuming City. While not the tallest, its property management and overall aesthetic are top-notch. From a distance, its exterior resembles a fisherman. Over time, people have forgotten why it's called "Linjiang Tower" instead of "Linhe Tower."

Leyou Pavilion is an entertainment venue, a place of decadence and extravagance, and is much more lively at night than during the day.

Linjiang Tower and Leyou Pavilion seem to be two sides of the same coin, one dominating the day and the other controlling the night.

Guo Ling originally wanted to take Zhong Chenmu with him, but the young man refused.

"I need to go to the library first. I'll be there a little later. You guys go ahead."

When passing by the People's Square in the city center, Guo Ling glanced at the magnificent building where he used to work, and his heart no longer had much excitement.

The day he was laid off, he felt like the sky was falling. However, his wife's disappearance and the loss of contact with his son's parents later made the layoff not such a bad experience.

Even though he had been unemployed at home for a while, he was back to the state where one person could feed the whole family, and his savings over the years were more than enough. In addition, after joining the Prophet Society, his interest in exploring the civilization outside the Nameless City grew day by day, and his desire to find his relatives was so strong that he had no time to feel sorry for himself.

"No news is good news. They've disappeared without a trace, which means they might still be alive and well somewhere..."

What's more, he also got to know Zhong Chenmu, a young man with mysterious superpowers, and the beautiful woman who was sitting in his passenger seat.

In his eyes, Fan Ting is a very charming woman, and she is also at the age of thirty, which he thinks is the best age for a woman. But this will not be a reason for Guo Ling to betray his wife. However, even if they are just colleagues and friends, who doesn't like to get along with someone who is pleasant to the eye?

When the two arrived at the conference hall on the third floor of Linjiang Building, it was just after nine in the morning, and the hall was already crowded with people.

As in previous Prophet Society events, Pierce began his energetic speech on the stage at the front of the hall.

"...Dear members, every time I meet you, I feel full of passion and energy. You are the reason for my existence..."

Guo Ling frowned.

Although he admired Pierce's theory of "incomplete civilization", he still found the beginning a bit disgusting.

"...Initially, we gathered in the City God Temple, with only a few dozen or a hundred people. Today, we can gather in the largest conference hall in Linjiang Building and witness our total number of members surpassing a thousand..."

"...If each of you hadn't experienced the pain of losing a loved one, or the pain of missing a loved one, our theory of 'incomplete civilization' wouldn't have been accepted so quickly. The birth and improvement of any new theory is inseparable from the continuous revision in practice... Today, we gather here to share with you: we have found a more reasonable method..."

Pierce's speech was as inflammatory as ever, and soon the atmosphere was aroused.

As his speech came to an end, the atmosphere in the hall reached a climax.

Many people raised their hands, tears in their eyes, and shouted loudly: "We will find our beloved! We will get rid of this broken civilization!"

Guo Ling and Fan Ting seemed a bit awkward and out of place in the crowd. Having both come back from near-death experiences, they weren't used to such exaggerated presentations. Furthermore, they were a bit surprised by some of the content in Pierce's speech.

Not to mention the slogan on the stage wall behind Pierce: "Get rid of the broken civilization and find a new world."

The two looked at each other and shrugged.

"If Zhong Chenmu were here too, at least we would have some company..."

At the same time, Zhong Chenmu had just run out of the library reading room and, breathless, arrived at the bus stop on the roadside, ready to take a bus to Linjiang Building in the east of the city. He couldn't wait to share his discovery with Guo Ling and Fan Ting.

Last night, he witnessed Pierce's secret conversation with Pu Yue and Qing Nian, and saw Qing Nian with his own eyes. He didn't sleep well all night, and his desire to understand Pierce, the retired old man, was stronger than ever.

So, he went to the library early this morning. Anyway, it was closed today and no one came to disturb him.

In the dim morning light, under the soft lamplight, he searched the system for Pierce's borrowing records - although Pierce read on site most of the time when he came, he would still borrow some books back. Sometimes he was not in the reading room, so the two did not meet.

However, the system faithfully records Pierce's borrowing preferences.

The more Zhong Chenmu looked down, the more obvious the excitement in his eyes became. It even jumped out of his eye sockets and danced freely on his face.