Chapter 1: The Heir of the Divine Thief

In a rented apartment on the fifth ring road of BJ City in 2010, a boy with a delicate appearance was fiercely working on a computer, his hands rapidly typing commands. The network of a five-star hotel seemed defenseless against this top-tier hacker. After implanting the information he had prepared into the system, he flashed a smug smile.

The boy's name is Li She. At fourteen, he didn't know who his parents were. He was adopted by his master at the age of three, and the name "She" was given by his master, which means "abandonment," to constantly remind Li She that he was abandoned. Under his master's long-term, iron-fisted, and ruthless education, Li She became cold and cautious inside, while outwardly he remained cheerful and carefree, a contradiction as if he were two different people.

Under such nearly heartless education, he spent ten years by his master's side. His master could unlock any lock and spoke over a dozen foreign languages. More impressively, the master's hacking skills, even at the age of eighty, were among the best in Asia. The master's explanation was that he wanted to better appreciate Japanese adult films. The master said he was a "infantryman" and decided to learn to decode better. Li She inherited his master's ideals and pursued them with determination, and his hacking skills improved rapidly under this grand vision.

Everything Li She knew was taught by his master. A year ago, his master, who had cancer, passed away, and at fourteen, Li She began wandering alone in various cities. His master had always said not to stay in one place for more than a year. The master never told him his real name, only that people in the underworld called him "Old Ghost."

Today, Li She's target was the hotel he had just hacked. A charity gala was being held tonight, attended by high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals. The auction items were all jewelry worth millions, with tight security. However, Li She's target was not the heavily guarded jewelry.

Taking out the box left by his master, he applied makeup, and the youthful face disappeared. His healthy wheat-colored skin, light flaxen hair, and brown contact lenses transformed him. He changed into a tailored Armani suit and put on legendary height-increasing shoes, reaching a height of 1.8 meters. A European-American mixed-race appearance with a sunny smile appeared in the mirror. Li She left the room.

He went to the car rental place and picked up the Porsche he had rented with a fake passport, driving to the hotel.

Tall and elegant receptionists were busy at the entrance of the Crown Hotel, the long red carpet welcoming various luxury cars. Beautifully dressed women were competing for attention, and each wealthy man's companion was adorned with jewels. Even the bachelor tycoons and noble ladies were exceptionally handsome.

With a screech, a black Porsche stopped at the hotel entrance, and a professional receptionist quickly opened the car door. A mixed-race man in a high-end Armani suit stepped out.

Li She's sunny smile and wheat-colored skin caught the attention of many beautiful and elegant women.

Li She walked to the reception desk, took out his invitation, and the receptionist quickly checked the computer. "Albert Chen, chairman of a listed company."

The beautiful receptionist smiled and said, "Welcome, Mr. Chen." She then had the staff lead Li She to the venue.

The young, wealthy, and mixed-race man was naturally popular, and the receptionist guiding him was very attentive. Li She maintained his elegant smile.

Under the dim lights, soft music played. Li She, holding a glass of champagne, walked through the crowd, smiling and saying "sorry" to those he bumped into. His mixed-race appearance naturally attracted many noble ladies and young women. Li She skillfully interacted with the crowd, and his witty and humorous jokes gathered many noble ladies and young women around him.

Each circle has its own rules. Those outside the circle yearn for the life inside, and this seemingly aristocratic life is filled with opulence. Small celebrities go to great lengths to get an invitation or follow a wealthy man to enter, while the nouveau riche feel honored to attend such a gala.

On the stage, a slender actress was singing, pretending to be a pure maiden. Although Li She found her singing monotonous, the audience applauded enthusiastically. When a popular host took the stage, Li She had already left the venue under the dim lights.

He walked to a blind spot of the cameras, hid in the emergency exit, and took out a prepared package from the fire hydrant. He took off his Armani suit, revealing the heavy hidden pockets inside, and put the suit in the package. He then took out a blue-black electrician's uniform and put it on.

He smeared his face with oil, put on a gray-white wig, and transformed completely. Li She walked out of the employee entrance, and in a large hotel with hundreds of employees, coming and going was quite normal. After leaving the hotel, he took a bus and quickly left, getting off at the nearest subway station. He boarded the subway, and in the crowd, the oil-stained blue-black electrician's uniform and messy hair made Li She blend in like a migrant worker in Beijing.

The noble ladies and young women at the charity gala found that the jewelry they brought to show off, worth millions, had disappeared, and the charming and humorous Albert Chen was nowhere to be found. By then, Li She had already returned to his rented apartment.

The rent was 2,000 yuan per month, and in Beijing, this price could only get a 40-square-meter room with a public toilet outside. Old power poles were covered with various advertisements, from infertility treatments to name feng shui. At night, the small red-lit houses emitted the giggles of women. The mixed environment was exactly what Li She needed, as the people here were mostly migrants, each minding their own business, and no one knew who lived next door. The landlord usually only appeared to collect rent. The noise and other inconveniences were tolerable to Li She, as he had experienced all kinds of environments while with his master. Training in the primitive forests of Xishuangbanna and in the cold of Siberia, he had endured everything.

He followed his master's principle of not staying in one place for more than three months, so he had only paid for three months' rent in this remote apartment. After completing this job, he would move to a new place.

With a rustling sound, Li She dumped the contents of the hidden pockets onto the bed, inspecting his night's haul and nodding in satisfaction. As the leader of the Divine Thief sect, he could identify the authenticity of any item at a glance. His master's appraisal skills were even more impressive, and he was considered the best in the country.

Li She turned on his computer and logged into QQ, a popular Chinese chat app, and clicked on the friend with the wealth god icon.

"God of Wealth, do you want some grains and beans?" Li She typed.

"Show me the proof!" The originally gray icon regained its color.

"Rice, green beans, yellow beans! Give me a price," Li She took out a camera, arranged the items, and sent the photos to the other party.

Green beans represented jade and emeralds, rice represented diamonds, and yellow beans represented gold jewelry.

Li She's haul was significant, including four old pit jade bracelets, five diamond necklaces and bracelets, and two Vacheron Constantin and two Patek Philippe gold watches.

"Wow, Water Lady, you're always generous. The items are good, 300," the God of Wealth typed.

Li She was speechless about his QQ nickname, as it was his master's. The God of Wealth, a middleman, had been cooperating with him for many years.

"Damn! Bloodsucker!" Li She cursed. The items he stole today were worth at least 7 million yuan on the market, and the God of Wealth was offering 3 million less.

"Can you go a bit higher? 400! Take it or leave it!" Li She typed.

"Wow, dear, I'm already being fair. You know, I also take risks, processing costs, labor fees, and so on. Okay, okay, don't be angry. 350," the God of Wealth replied.

Li She smiled helplessly and replied, "Bloodsucker, transfer the money to my account!"

The other party sent a smiley face.

Every profession has its rules. In his line of work, they never harmed lives or dealt with stolen goods. Although they earned less, this maximized their protection and avoided exposure. Over time, middlemen like the God of Wealth emerged, handling the acquisition and sales, sometimes even bringing clients to people like Li She. Strangely, Li She had never met the God of Wealth, and the God of Wealth had never met Li She. They only communicated online.

After finishing, Li She took off the oil-stained electrician's uniform, washed his face, and hung the only thing his master left him, a small token with "Divine Thief Sect" carved in seal script. The three-finger-wide token, passed down for generations, was said to have existed since the founding of the Divine Thief Sect. The black token, neither metal nor iron, was extremely hard, with a large hand and inverted mountains, rivers, and sun carved on the back.

After setting everything up, he lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and sat in front of the computer to start his decoding project. He downloaded the latest Japanese and Korean adult films from a fast video site, but they were all cavalry works. Adhering to his master's principle that infantry was the best, Li She began to decode, watching the blurry jungle become clear, feeling extremely excited. Although he had seen these actresses many times, each time he decoded the blurry mosaic, he felt a great sense of achievement.

While Li She was busy decoding, a sudden thunderstorm broke out outside, with heavy rain pouring down, as if the sky had a hole. Lightning and thunder split the night sky.

The strong wind blew down many trees on the roadside. With a 2,000 yuan monthly rent, the environment was like this, with old buildings close to power poles and trees.

A flash of lightning, and the ancient power pole in front of Li She's door collapsed. Alternating current, high voltage, and lightning from the sky surged into Li She's computer.

A thousand volts of electricity spread through Li She's body, and he fainted. The current that could have incinerated a human body was completely absorbed by the "Divine Thief Token" hanging on his chest.

The mountains, rivers, and sun carved on the back of the token glowed, and the inverted hand seemed to move.

In a void, Li She slowly woke up. His strong mental fortitude led him to deduce that he might, or probably, had died, and even died while decoding. He sighed, "Looks like I can't break the 10,000 decoding record. Big Brother Ox Head, Big Brother Horse Face, where are you? I'm new here, is anyone there?"

A harsh voice replied, "What are you shouting about!"

The abrupt response startled Li She. It wasn't the soul-collecting voice of Ox Head and Horse Face but a tough, angry shout.

"Sorry, sorry, I just died and don't know the rules. Sir, what's your name?" Li She quickly smiled and asked.

"Name? Sigh, after so many years of the Divine Thief Sect, finally someone can enter. Didn't the Divine Thief Sect's records mention me?" A sigh echoed in the void.

Li She frowned. The Divine Thief Sect had always been passed down to a single disciple. Besides his dead master, there was no other senior. He humbly asked, "I don't know who you are, sir. I am Li She, the 99th generation leader of the Divine Thief Sect."

"99th generation, hah, I didn't expect you to unlock the secret of the Divine Thief Token. Destiny, I am the spirit of the Divine Thief Token, or rather, I am the Divine Thief Token." The shadow of the "Divine Thief Token" appeared in the void. Li She was amazed that the voice came from the token.

Li She stammered, "Spirit brother, what do you need me for? Is there anything I can help with?"

The "Divine Thief Token" vibrated and said, "I didn't call you. Simply put, you were struck by lightning. If it were anyone else, they would have been obliterated. But the lightning gave me energy, waking me from my slumber. You are here in a spiritual form, while your body is unconscious from the small current."

"Ah? Out of body? What's going on?" Li She murmured.

The "Divine Thief Token" didn't waste words. A flash of light, and a surge of information entered Li She's soul. The intense pain felt like his body was being torn apart, and Li She screamed, exiting the void of the Divine Thief Token.

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