“Since we left your place, you haven’t seen her again?!” Xu Song widened his eyes. A missing person case, even before the mutation, might not necessarily yield results, let alone now! Previously, they could at least report to the police, but now? Who should they turn to? Who would send people to help find a missing person?
Su Tanji repeatedly shook his head, saying, “Luo Wen’an and I have been together the whole time, just a few steps from our place to the bathhouse…”
But a living person just disappeared like that!
“Let’s not panic for now.” Yue Zheng furrowed his brow. They still didn’t know the extent of the safety measures in the shelter. While there were military personnel patrolling and overseeing the area, they were still in the dark about the internal situation as newcomers.
Was it common for people to go missing, or was it an exception? What worried them even more was that Liu Shishi was a girl, although she appeared ordinary, she was a young girl… Regardless of before or now, when a girl goes missing without reason, it always causes more concern.
“Let’s first find Luo Wen’an and ask the people responsible for maintaining order in the base about the situation.” It wouldn’t be ideal for Luo Wen’an to wander around alone. Yue Zheng got up and took out their jackets, handing one to Xu Song.
Su Tanji hurriedly went to the door, while Xu Song stayed behind. He whispered to the hiding Xiao Shu at the foot of the bed, “You stay here and guard the house. If anyone forcefully enters… take action and protect them both!”
Fortunately, they had Xiao Shu at home. Its combat capabilities were more than enough for ordinary people. Otherwise, knowing that someone they knew had gone missing, they wouldn’t dare leave the two children alone at home. Even if they were to go out to find someone, they would have to carry the children with them.
Xiao Shu trembled and grew taller again, its branches swaying, and one of its roots tapped against its “chest,” indicating that it would fulfill its duty and not let any outsiders trespass into the house.
Patting the tree crown of the Xiao Shu, Xu Song put on his jacket and followed Yue Zheng.
With flashlights in hand, they searched for Luo Wen’an while keeping an eye out, hoping to unexpectedly come across Liu Shishi.
“Where is Luo Wen’an now?”
Hearing Xu Song’s question, Su Tanji wore a distressed expression. “We parted ways on the street to the east. I searched all night but couldn’t find him, so I came back to check first…” In other words, even these two guys were separated now?
Xu Song felt a headache coming on, while Yue Zheng walked ahead with the flashlight. “Let’s go to the place where you split up first.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Sure enough, after passing two intersections, they heard people arguing up ahead, and one of the voices sounded very familiar. If it wasn’t Luo Wen’an, then who else?
After a day of running around without eating or drinking, even the strongest person would reach their limit. Luo Wen’an looked exhausted, and his face didn’t look good either. But he was furious, yelling at the soldiers who stopped him.
“In broad daylight, and someone vanished? You guys are responsible for maintaining order in the city, how can you not even investigate?!?”
One of the soldiers seemed fed up with his incessant complaints, “People go missing every day! It’s already good enough that we can register the cases for you! Now your girlfriend can’t be watched, and you come here causing trouble for us? Who knows if she climbed up with someone influential and left on her own?!?”
“What did you say?!” Luo Wen’an’s eyes turned red with anger, and his fist swung towards the man’s face. As a speed-enhanced superhuman, his punching speed was much faster than an average person’s, and the man wasn’t able to react in time and got hit.
Several armed soldiers quickly surrounded Luo Wen’an and tried to restrain him, ready to take him away.
“Luo Wen’an!” Seeing that they were taking him away, Yue Zheng hurried his steps.
“Luo Wen’an!”
Seeing more people arrive, and not just one, the soldiers stopped from directly taking him away, wearing grim expressions as they stopped them. “Is this person your friend? What’s going on? Getting physical and disturbing public order, don’t you know?”
Yue Zheng quickly apologized, “We’re really sorry, our friend has been searching for someone all day, and he’s become very anxious. We apologize for his impulsive behavior.”
Su Tanji stepped forward, holding onto the struggling Luo Wen’an, who finally stopped cursing. After a whole day of running around, he had exhausted his mental energy.
Xu Song approached and joined Yue Zheng in speaking on their behalf. In the end, they also handed a few cans of canned fish and two packs of cigarettes to the man who was hit, trying to smooth things over. The soldiers reluctantly let the matter go.
A soldier, holding a cigarette, furrowed his brow and said, “You guys should advise your friend. The situation has never been peaceful, and since the shelter was established, there have been people missing from the city every day. Don’t just focus on his girlfriend who went missing today. People should also pay attention to their own families and search for them regularly.”
“Are there many missing people? Are there any who have been found?” Xu Song handed him a box of matches, showing his understanding.
The soldier took a drag from his cigarette and glanced at Luo Wen’an. “At least ten people go missing every day. And that’s just within the city. As for those who are found… well, surprisingly, there are a few cases. I remember one girl, she was quite pretty. It seems she was walking on the street and got knocked unconscious by someone. They took her home and mistreated her. But she managed to sneak out and was found by patrolling soldiers who took her back home. Some people get knocked out and robbed, but if they’re lucky, they can get back home. If luck isn’t on their side, they bleed out and die outside…”
With a wave of his hand, the soldier said, “Alright, it’s late. Don’t wander outside anymore. If you have any business, come out and search during the daytime. It’s dark now, and don’t think you’re young and invincible. Even if you go out during the day, don’t go alone.” After speaking, he returned to his team and continued their patrol.
“Let’s go back.” After hearing the soldier’s words, Luo Wen’an’s spirit deflated. Su Tanji supported him, and they slowly made their way towards their residence, following his lead.
On the way, none of the four spoke. They were all feeling heavy-hearted.
Xu Song and Liu Shishi weren’t close, and they didn’t communicate much. Initially, Xu Song had a negative impression of her, thinking of her as a playful and somewhat eccentric girl.
But after they met again, although Xu Song still thought she had a difficult personality and was argumentative, she managed to adapt to the post-mutation life. Moreover, she no longer complained about living conditions or the taste of food. Even when they faced hardships during their journey, she silently followed along without causing any trouble.
Upon reflection, besides her occasional clashes with Luo Wen’an, she was actually a generous girl.
And now, this relatively familiar person had disappeared without a trace, leaving Xu Song feeling uneasy.
However, as the patrolling soldier mentioned, it was not a good time to search for missing people. Moreover, Luo Wen’an and Su Tanji had already spent the entire day searching, and it was now nighttime, making it even more inconvenient.
On the way back, they didn’t encounter anyone else except for the patrolling soldiers they had encountered earlier. They didn’t come across a single ordinary person. Even those who were used to nightlife had lost their enthusiasm in the absence of electricity and streetlights. When night fell, it was time for everyone to return home and rest.
Upon returning to their residence, Luo Wen’an looked disappointed as he gazed at the empty doorway, once again realizing that his hopes had been dashed. Opening the door, the empty room indicated the absence of anyone else.
Su Tanji helped Luo Wen’an walk to the room and gently laid him down on one of the beds. He then turned to Xu Song and Yue Zheng, saying, “Thank you for your help. I’ll take care of him and let him rest tonight.”
“Get some good rest. We’ll help you search tomorrow morning,” Yue Zheng reassured.
Su Tanji nodded, feeling resigned. After hearing the soldier’s words, he had lost almost all hope regarding this matter.
The two of them climbed up to the fourth floor, opened the door, and saw the small tree trembling with excitement upon hearing their voices.
Its roots and branches sprang up like an octopus, but when it realized that it was Yue Zheng and Xu Song entering, it deflated and twisted back towards the bed. The two men’s gloomy moods improved slightly due to its antics.
“Brother Yue, what do you think… is going on?” Xu Song looked at the two little figures on the bed, still sleeping peacefully, their rosy faces pressed together and asked Yue Zheng.
“It’s hard to say…” Yue Zheng’s expression grew somber. He sat down on the edge of the bed, patted the bed gently, and said, “Come up and sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Xu Song quickly ran over, took off his shoes, and climbed into bed. When Yue Zheng lay down, Xu Song mustered up the courage to scoot closer to him.
Suddenly, Yue Zheng reached out his hand and pulled Xu Song into his embrace, one arm beneath his neck and the other draped over his shoulder, holding him tightly. Xu Song tensed up, as they were both awake. Was it really okay to do this? Wait, this was exactly what he secretly yearned for in his heart, right? And it was Yue Zheng who took the initiative…
“Tomorrow, we’ll act together, and we’ll see if we need to bring the twins along.”
“Ah? Oh.” Startled by the situation, Xu Song almost couldn’t understand what he was saying. “And, what about Liu Shishi…”
“Be prepared for the worst.” Yue Zheng closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth in his arms, and listened attentively to all the sounds nearby.
Hoping for the best… Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
Hoping for the best
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter♥️
Hope LSS’s safe🥺