"It's just as you suspect, let's talk in the car first."
Ming Yan took the initiative to invite Duan Chen to talk in the car.
She raised her somewhat slender hand and covered her mouth, coughing twice. The color of her lips turned a little pale for a moment.
Duan Chen frowned. As he opened the passenger door and got in, he asked Ming Yan, "What's going on? And you, why did you come out with your injuries not yet healed?"
Ming Yan sat in the back seat. Duan Chen didn't recognize the driver, but he had met him a few times before. He was indeed from the Spirit Hunter Guild.
He glanced at him a few more times, then dismissed it from his mind.
Ming Yan smiled somewhat helplessly. The convoy started and slowly moved away from the village hidden in the mist.
Only then did she speak to Duan Chen, explaining.
"The injuries are minor. My physical strength is not bad. Although further healing is needed, I can walk normally now without any issues."
A fleeting dark glint flashed in Ming Yan's pupils. She said softly, "This time, I'm afraid I've gotten in someone's way."
"Gotten in someone's way?" Duan Chen's expression was grim. "Whose way? The Capital District's?"
Ming Yan sighed and shook her head.
To be honest, she didn't really know what was going on.
But it was clear that this mission's ranking had an extraordinary disparity.
There couldn't be such an obvious error from the guild headquarters. If anything, someone must have tampered with it.
Otherwise, such a problem wouldn't have occurred.
She let out a breath. "Don't worry about this matter. I will find a way to handle it. With your current status, you cannot get involved."
Duan Chen instinctively wanted to retort, but when he looked up and met Ming Yan's gaze in the rearview mirror, he paused.
Finally, Duan Chen clenched his fist.
"Alright."
Every word conveyed his unwillingness.
A smile appeared on Ming Yan's face.
She changed the subject, not wanting Duan Chen to dwell on it further.
She asked, "You went to that village. Did you find anything?"
Speaking of this, Duan Chen's expression became extremely serious.
It was precisely because he had been to that village that he could clearly see how much the person behind it wanted to harm Ming Yan.
That place, without precautions and special means, was a death trap.
He thought of the strange object he had found.
After much hesitation, Duan Chen chose not to report it.
He said, "That place is indeed extremely dangerous, filled with perils. Without preparation, venturing in rashly would only lead to certain death."
"Right!"
Suddenly, Duan Chen remembered Ming Yan's teammates he had seen in the villa.
And the news he had heard at the Spirit Hunter Guild before arriving at the village.
His expression immediately turned serious. "Sister Ming Yan, your teammates..."
Before he could finish, Ming Yan interrupted him.
Ming Yan was silent for a moment, a look of pain flashing across her face.
She bit her lip, waved her hand, "I already know. I will handle the issues concerning them."
Since Ming Yan already knew, Duan Chen didn't press further.
It was a sad matter, after all.
He was silent for a moment and didn't say anything else. Sitting in the passenger seat, he closed his eyes, recuperating from his internal injuries.
When he returned to the Su City Spirit Hunter Guild, as soon as he stepped out of the car, Duan Chen's phone rang.
A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes as he took out his phone and answered.
A voice filled with panic came from the other end.
"Mr. Duan! Xue'er is missing!"
What?
Duan Chen's pupils immediately contracted.
Mi Xue'er.
He almost forgot about everything else and rushed out immediately.
Bai Ye and Wang Zihao had just gotten out of the car. Before they could say anything, they felt a gust of wind flash past them.
Immediately after, the keys in their hands vanished.
"What's wrong with him?"
Bai Ye froze, watching the receding car exhaust and Wang Zihao, left behind, they could only exchange bewildered glances.
Meanwhile, Duan Chen was already speeding towards Mi Xue'er's home.
It wasn't exactly Mi Xue'er's home. Since Su City was destroyed, he hadn't returned to his original house and had been living at the Spirit Hunter Guild.
Mi Xue'er and Zhong Yu, of course, weren't as destitute as Duan Chen.
Duan Chen hadn't returned because he was still grieving the sudden deaths of Old Zhang and Gao Tiankai.
After all, they were living people, and it wasn't easy to move on.
So, he subconsciously didn't want to face people he knew.
He never expected that after going out on a mission, the next news he'd hear about Mi Xue'er would be her disappearance.
For Duan Chen, this was incredibly unbelievable.
He sped through multiple red lights and rushed to where Mi Xue'er and Zhong Yu were currently living.
As soon as he knocked on the door, it was immediately opened.
Zhong Yu, who was usually arrogant and aloof in the workplace, was now just a mother worried about her daughter.
The makeup on her face couldn't hide her exhaustion, and she looked frail.
Zhong Yu clutched the front of her clothes with difficulty. Her lotus-purple dress made her look even more like a mother.
Tears streamed down her face, making it almost impossible for her to speak clearly.
Duan Chen strode in, his brow furrowed, and asked, "What happened? How did Xue'er suddenly go missing?"
Zhong Yu sobbed.
She said with a choked voice, "Ever since the chaos in Su City, our business here has also been affected. I've been busy dealing with work matters."
"Xue'er also told me not to worry, and besides, Qin Ze was with Xue'er, the school reopened classes, and she had bodyguards and a driver."
A look of pain appeared in Zhong Yu's eyes, and she appeared utterly devastated.
She took a deep breath before finishing her words.
"A few days ago, the group had a project that needed surveying. As the CEO, I had to go to the site personally. The signal there wasn't good..."
"I didn't expect that when I came back, the news I received was that Xue'er was missing."
The look in Duan Chen's eyes was firm and sharp.
He suddenly asked, "What about the bodyguards and driver who were protecting Xue'er?"
Zhong Yu shook her head.
"They're dead."
She opened her mouth, and her words revealed a chilling implication.
"Everyone is dead, their bodies were just lying there, the car was full of blood."
"Only Xue'er disappeared."
Zhong Yu wiped her tears and choked back a sob.
A deep hatred welled up in her eyes.
"If I had known, I would never have..." She trailed off, realizing that saying more wouldn't help.