Chapter 36: The Joker Card and Lu Wei’s Broken Appointment

Zhai Da drew back the curtain and, facing the sunlight, carefully examined the newly acquired "Joker Playing Cards."

His first impression was exquisite craftsmanship.

The case was a thin metal box, opening much like a Bluetooth earphone from his past life, with a magnetic snap.

A flick of his thumb revealed a neatly arranged set of fifty-four playing cards inside.

Zhai Da picked one out; the edge was surprisingly sharp to the touch...

According to the system, they were made of tin alloy. He had seen similarly thin metal cards before, such as the “Buddha’s Blessing Amulets” sold at temples, but the texture of this one was different—soft yet resilient.

Apart from the weight, the card could bend nearly as much as a standard playing card, though it required considerable force.

The back of the metal cards was matte gray-black, adorned only with a large ornate “J,” presumably standing for Joker.

He almost expected the system to stamp a massive “ugly” character on it.

The front was primarily white with an enamel-like finish. The design matched ordinary playing cards: four suits with thirteen cards each, and the J, Q, and K featured no particular uniqueness. Zhai Da wasn’t well-versed in card designs.

Oh, there were some differences—the two Jokers bore images of envelopes, each with a heart at the center, replacing the usual clown motif... one in black and white, the other in color, distinguishing the big and small Jokers.

Zhai Da smirked; there was no need to boast about the “synthetic material” aspect in such trivial details.

“Besides inheriting the properties of two materials and slightly enhanced, the biggest difference lies in its form as playing cards and the special effect ‘Spotlight.’ To activate it, I’ll need to complete an unlocking task…”

Actually, he wanted to say such a unique item naturally drew attention in itself...

He tried to practice some tricks, but since the "Joker Playing Cards" were rather heavy, his hands felt clumsy, and even shuffling wasn’t smooth.

Zhai Da picked a card and flicked it with all his might.

The metal card shot swiftly toward the wardrobe’s edge, striking with a sharp sound and leaving a scratch.

Of course, without any technique, it was only a shallow mark. The card clattered crisply onto the floor.

“Besides the unlocking task’s ‘close-up magic,’ maybe I should learn some throwing card tricks too… I could use the ‘Old Man TV’ to watch some videos...” Zhai Da mused.

To use it well, he’d have to learn a bit. Still, even as a buff-giving equipment, it was quite good.

Setting humor aside, lies, magic, tricks, and sweet talk that were hard to see through would prove quite practical.

Especially the latter... Sorry, I meant the former.

He was engrossed in his play when a voice came from outside the door—Yu Xiaoli calling, “Xiao Da! Have you checked where Lu Wei is? Shouldn’t you go downstairs to pick her up?”

“Oh! I’ll ask right now!” he replied.

Zhai Da pocketed the cards and stepped outside, sending Lu Wei a message: “Where are you?”

But no reply came for a long time.

After waiting a while, he decided to go downstairs and wait at the apartment gate.

He fiddled with the cards occasionally; the craftsmanship was truly exquisite, growing on him more with each glance.

But after more than ten minutes with no sign of her and no reply, Zhai Da had no choice but to climb back upstairs.

“Mom, did you not start cooking the vegetables?” he asked.

“Not yet, I’m just waiting for the person to arrive before putting them in. Everything’s ready. What’s wrong?”

“Lu Wei might be running late. I messaged her, but she hasn’t replied.”

Yu Xiaoli looked at her son skeptically: “You have her number?”

She herself didn’t... Lu Wei didn’t seem to have a phone since the first day of work; Yu Xiaoli had asked then.

“That’s trivial. I’ll go down and wait a bit more. Maybe her phone is dead.”

After all, the Nokia 3310 she gave her was a relic from the millennium, with a swollen battery; it wasn’t impossible.

Returning to the gate, this time she waited for over half an hour.

Still no one came, and there was no message reply.

Already far beyond a reasonable delay, Zhai Da felt a creeping unease.

Back home for the third time, Yu Xiaoli sat on the sofa, her expression worried.

“Should we… eat first?” Zhai Da tentatively suggested.

Yu Xiaoli shook her head. “I’m worried about Lu Wei. Could something have happened to her? I just called the factory. The registered address is 273 Labor Street, Sunmazhuang. Xiao Da, ride your bike and check it out via Xingfu Road.”

Zhai Da tilted his head. “Makes sense, but why not take a taxi? It’s several miles.”

“What if you miss her by taxi? Riding might get you there by chance—and it’s good exercise.”

This was ridiculous…

Zhai Da could only mount his old bike and head toward so-called Xingfu Road.

He thought the approach rather foolish. People used to big cities might understand searching for someone differently than in a small town. To him, this was outrageously inefficient. In Shanghai, he couldn't even find someone a few hundred meters away, let alone several kilometers.

Searching for someone was anxiety-inducing.

But for Yu Xiaoli, who had lived in Dongyang County all her life, every street and corner was familiar. She likely saw no problem with riding in reverse to find someone, especially since it was 2008.

Sunmazhuang was a township under Dongyang County, but due to its proximity, it had gradually merged with the city over the past decade.

The difference was it was a bit more rundown.

Setting aside the surrounding wasteland and farmland, the core area was small—few buildings rose above four stories.

The neighborhood encompassed just a few streets, circling a potholed national highway often thundered over by heavy trucks. Zhai Da’s palms started to sweat as he rode.

He hoped not to get run over by a dump truck...

A few minutes later, Zhai Da found 273 Xingfu Road.

An old, crumbling two-story residential building with dirt-yellow walls and small, square windows.

Such eccentric apartment blocks, of course, were factory-built—haphazard and with a certain reckless charm.

Outside, several adult men squatted smoking, all sporting crew cuts, some with tattoos.

Zhai Da glanced from afar, pursed his lips...

The worst had happened.

Instead of walking straight over, he bought a pack of Red Su cigarettes and a bottle of mineral water from a nearby shop.

He ruffled his hair with the water, resembling a hedgehog.

He rolled both sleeves up to his shoulders.

Changing his social facade.

Feeling something was still missing, he lifted his shirt to expose a slightly chubby belly.

Limited conditions prevented him from wearing a chain, but this look would suffice.

If he wasn’t crazy, he looked like a reckless street kid.

Zhai Da approached with a swagger.

His foolish stride caught the attention of the men.

He lifted his chin in greeting, flicked the cigarette pack, sending two sticks popping out, and tossed one over.

“Brothers, you’re here looking for Lu Benqing too?”