[November 23, 10:47 PM, Talin City, South District, Bridge Road, Seventh Alley]
After Chen Qi made his Wish, a detailed time and location appeared in his mind, complete with a precise map.
"Is that all?"
Chen Qi was completely bewildered. He had expected the die to display some incredible power.
That's it?
But given the die's previous wonders, Chen Qi believed there had to be more to it.
November 23rd was tomorrow, which perfectly fit the "within two days" condition.
All that was left was to wait!
······
The autumn rain fell nonstop for a day and a night.
During this time, Chen Qi dutifully stayed inside his rented apartment to avoid any "sudden accidents."
At 7:35 PM on the 23rd, the drizzling rain finally stopped, and Chen Qi headed for his destination.
At 10:30 PM, Chen Qi arrived at a small diner just 500 meters from his destination.
While not quite the slums, this area was a playground for gang members.
He frequently saw drunken punks and members of biker gangs.
'Strange, why would it be a place like this?'
Chen Qi found it hard to connect such a filthy, chaotic place with becoming a billionaire.
But holding onto his faith in the Bronze Die, Chen Qi continued toward his destination as planned.
At 10:40 PM, Chen Qi reached the Sixth Alley.
"BANG BANG BANG BANG!"
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted in the distance, growing more frequent and distinct.
A flicker of panic went through Chen Qi, but he quickly calmed himself. He couldn't back down now.
······
"Dammit, where'd that kid go? Get after him, keep chasing!"
"He killed so many of our guys and even sliced off the Boss's nose, and he thinks he can run?"
A group of gun-wielding gang members, reeking of blood, passed menacingly not far from Chen Qi.
Chen Qi huddled in a dark corner, not daring to breathe.
'Dammit, how could I run into something like this? Is it all going to be for nothing?'
Chen Qi was only about twenty meters away from them. If it weren't for the moonless night and the pitch-black alley, they could have spotted him with a single glance.
If they decided to spread out and search, he'd be completely exposed.
Fortunately, Chen Qi soon realized that for all their shouting, the men didn't actually dare to enter the dark alley.
Their behavior was clearly a Bluff; they were just going through the motions.
'Whoever they're after must be a real badass,' Chen Qi concluded.
Sure enough, the group quickly left, "chasing" their target down the brightly lit main road.
······
At 10:46 PM, Chen Qi finally reached the designated location.
But the place was completely empty. There wasn't a soul in sight, not even a stray cat.
'Twenty, nineteen, eighteen...'
Chen Qi's heart was pounding. He counted down the seconds, waiting for the moment to arrive.
"THUD!"
At 10:47 PM, in sync with the final beat of Chen Qi's countdown, a figure suddenly crashed down at the mouth of the alley.
'It's him! Jomoya Chris!'
Perhaps because his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Chen Qi recognized the man in an instant, despite the distance.
Jomoya Chris. 32 years old. He had built the Chris Group in just five years, making him one of Talin City's most outstanding young entrepreneurs—and a notorious playboy.
Over the past two days, Chen Qi had studied Jomoya's file so thoroughly he could recite it by heart.
'But why would a billionaire like him be here? And so badly injured?'
······
'No way... Am I supposed to save his life, and in return, he'll give me his company out of gratitude?'
The thought surfaced in Chen Qi's mind before he could stop it.
"COUGH, COUGH!"
"Help me... get me to a hospital. I'll give you three million."
Jomoya Chris forced the words out, clinging to his last breath.
He cursed his luck. He'd just been teaching another "Mortal" who dared to offend him a lesson, same as always. He never expected to be so careless as to get shot in the heart.
But in the end, fate was still on his side, just as it always was.
That petrified bystander in the alley was his only hope.
······
'Three million?'
Chen Qi froze. This wasn't how he'd imagined things would go.
"If you're worried about getting involved, just help me stop the bleeding. I'll arrange for my own rescue."
"As payment, this Star of Opal diamond watch I'm wearing is worth five million. You can take it."
"But if I die here, the police will definitely find traces you left behind."
"Trust me, my status is enough for them to make you the Substitute Ghost."
Seeing no reaction, Jomoya immediately upped the ante.
He felt he had covered all the bases. Whether the man was driven by kindness or greed, he had no reason to refuse.
And for a moment, Chen Qi was indeed swayed. He subconsciously started to lift his foot.
But in the next instant, he placed it back down again.
······
"Huh?"
"PFFT!"
Chen Qi's hesitation sent Jomoya's emotions on a rollercoaster.
The strain caused the wound in his heart to tear open again, and the strength he'd been holding onto vanished.
"You... you..."
Jomoya glared at Chen Qi with pure hatred, thinking the man was deliberately toying with him.
"It's not what you think! I'm not trying to rob you or anything!"
"It's just... there's a logical problem I need to figure out."
Chen Qi said to Jomoya with a solemn expression. To Jomoya's astonishment, he realized the man was being completely serious.
'What the hell is going on?'
······
'I made a Wish, and the Bronze Die is supposed to grant it. But It only gave me a time and place.'
'That means as long as I show up here at the correct time, my Wish will come true.'
'If I help Jomoya, putting aside the fact that he has no intention of giving me his company, even if he promised to, whether he'd actually follow through would be entirely up to him.'
'Doesn't that mean Jomoya would be the one deciding if my Wish comes true? That clearly conflicts with the power of the Bronze Die.'
'So there's only one explanation: Jomoya himself is not important. Whether or not I become chairman of the group has nothing to do with him.'
'It's a strange conclusion, but I'm sure it's the right one.'
The Mist in Chen Qi's mind cleared. After that, no matter how Jomoya threatened or pleaded, he simply stood his ground, motionless.
"Why? All you had to do was move half a step... just ten centimeters... and I could have taken your heart."
"I can't accept this!"
Those were Jomoya's last words. In his final moments, his eyes were filled with confusion.
"WHOOSH!"
At the very instant he died, a ball of purple light was stripped from his body.
As the light was stripped away, Jomoya's corpse underwent a dramatic transformation, changing into that of a completely different person.
The Jomoya he knew was blond, handsome, tall, and imposing.
But the corpse now lying on the ground was a short, wretched-looking, middle-aged man with cheap blond hair, looking like some vagrant off the street.
······
'What's going on?'
The corpse's transformation left Chen Qi stunned; it was beyond anything he could have imagined.
But the purple light was even stranger.
It had transformed into a playing card, which was now spinning above the "Jomoya" corpse.
The moment the card appeared, Chen Qi knew instinctively that his Wish had been granted.
He took one step, then another, walking toward the floating card.
The card spun continuously. Its face showed the 7 of Red Hearts, while its back read [Jomoya].
Just as it began to flicker violently, on the verge of disappearing, Chen Qi snatched it from the air.