"What can I do to help?" asked Liu Ming’s girlfriend, her face etched with annoyance. "And stop talking about where he is! We'll discuss that once we find him."

Liu Ming calmed down. In truth, he probably couldn't help much, and might even make things worse.

"If Zhong Yun really has returned, he will surely come looking for you. If he doesn't, there must be a reason. I heard he’s made quite a few enemies. Even if we go looking for him, we must be extremely careful not to let anything slip and cause him more trouble."

Liu Ming nodded gravely.

If there was anywhere on this planet where the government's surveillance capabilities were weak, it was only the primitive forests outside the cities. It wasn't that they couldn't monitor them, but rather that it wasn't deemed necessary.

Kedo Planet enjoyed a high degree of democracy, and government spending was highly transparent. Setting up comprehensive surveillance in the remote, untrodden forests would immediately be opposed by the general populace. Taxpayer money wasn't to be wasted so carelessly.

Zhong Yun was hiding in the forest. No matter how powerful the forces of the Kedo or Zeng families were, they couldn't extend their reach into the wilderness. If they dared to come looking for trouble, they would only meet their end.

He had been waiting here for two days, and Yun Qi still hadn't arrived. Saying he wasn't anxious would be a lie, but all he could do was wait patiently. If she was on another planet, it would take several days just to reach Kedo Planet.

He dared not imagine the devastation he would feel if Yun Qi wasn't even in the Mings Kingdom. Finding someone within a single nation was already this difficult; searching for her across the vast expanse of the universe without a single lead? There wouldn't be a shred of hope.

Zhong Yun pulled up the data on the tens of millions who had entered the Mings Kingdom that month Yun Qi arrived. He meticulously screened it all over again, checking for any oversights.

He loosened the criteria, searching them one by one, scrutinizing every photograph. The clarity of the official photos was sufficient, but due to equipment limitations, the expressions in their eyes were somewhat distorted. Recognizing Yun Qi from these alone would be exceedingly difficult.

He searched tirelessly for several days, still with no breakthrough.

Ten days passed. The advertisements outside continued to play, but Yun Qi still hadn't appeared.

A faint dread began to creep into Zhong Yun’s heart. Had Yun Qi truly left the Mings Kingdom? Or perhaps, something untoward had happened to her?

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck his mind. He shot to his feet and re-entered the database, bringing up the files of those millions of people again, inputting the screening conditions.

He waited anxiously for the results. These past days, he had overlooked one crucial possibility: that Yun Qi had encountered an accident here, causing the break in communication with his father. He had trusted Yun Qi’s abilities too much; he had given her many extremely powerful defensive weapons. With those, she should have been able to handle even the most dangerous situations.

But the world was unpredictable. Perhaps Yun Qi had run into something she simply couldn't manage.

The results came in. So far, among this group, a total of eight hundred and sixty-seven people had gone missing within the Mings Kingdom. Just as Zhong Yun was about to review them one by one, the alarm suddenly blared.

Someone had breached the nearby perimeter. Zhong Yun’s heart leaped. He opened the video feed, and though initially disappointed, he was profoundly surprised. The person arriving wasn't Yun Qi, but it was someone he recognized: Su Xing, who bore a striking resemblance to Yun Qi.

Why was she coming here? Zhong Yun felt a flicker of confusion. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to meddle further.

He sat back down and began flipping through the files of the eight hundred and sixty-seven missing persons. He had only examined a few when the alarm sounded again. Another intruder.

Zhong Yun was astonished. Not a single person had shown up for over ten days. What was so special about today that two groups had arrived consecutively?

It was a group of about ten people dressed in white, moving furtively. Zhong Yun glanced at them and immediately became alert. These individuals were clearly not ordinary; could they have been sent by the Kedo or Zeng families?

Zhong Yun monitored their every move and soon realized they weren't after him. Their target was clearly Su Xing.

Zhong Yun was somewhat curious. While Su Xing was a rare beauty, she wasn't overwhelmingly stunning, she was older, and notoriously sharp-tongued. Her family background wasn't particularly impressive either. Looking at her from any angle, she didn't seem like the type to warrant such surveillance.

These white-clad individuals were no joke. Although they were far inferior to those sent by Wei Wei’s father, they still represented a significant force. Su Xing must have some secret.

Don't interfere with other people's business, Zhong Yun cautioned himself internally, redirecting his attention back to the files of the missing persons.

Su Xing was just an ordinary person. Although a police officer, she was merely a clerk in an office. She might be slightly tougher than the average woman, but the difference was marginal. Forget a dozen experts—any moderately strong man could subdue her.

The group in white quickly caught up to Su Xing and surrounded her.

Seeing the sudden appearance of this group, Su Xing’s face went pale. She crossed her arms defensively and snapped, "You... what do you want? I am a police officer! Assaulting an officer is a serious crime!"

The white-clad figures were unmoved by her threat. One of them spoke, "Miss Su, we merely wish to invite you back to meet someone."

"I won't go see anyone with you! Stay away from me—" Su Xing had never been in the field and had never encountered anything like this. She was terrified and intensely regretful. If she hadn't been asked by someone, why would she have come to this desolate place, and why would she run into a group of thugs?

Zhong Yun suddenly sighed and stood up, moving toward the exit. If someone was abducted on his turf, how could he face anyone?

The lead white-clad man signaled, and another stepped forward, reaching out to grab her.

Su Xing shrieked and scrambled behind a nearby tree.

But how could an ordinary person escape his grasp? The white-clad figure blurred, instantly appearing behind Su Xing, reaching to seize her.

At that moment, the first white-clad man shouted, "Careful!"

The man reaching for her was startled. His vision blurred; Su Xing had vanished from in front of him. Shock flooded his heart. A living person had simply disappeared right before his eyes—he had never encountered anything like this.

When he looked again, a figure was standing in the center of the group. Su Xing was cradled in his arms.

None of the white-clad men saw how he appeared; a collective chill ran down their spines.

"It's you?" Su Xing was stunned. Just moments ago, she thought she was doomed, and then her savior suddenly appeared, rescuing her at the critical juncture. Even more unexpectedly, her savior was that shameless scoundrel who had deliberately bumped into her and then cursed her out. She stared blankly at Zhong Yun, her expression a complex mixture. She never dreamed that this enemy would one day save her, leaving her completely unsure how to react.

"Who are you, sir? Must you interfere in this matter?" the leader of the white-clad group asked, his expression grave.

"This is my territory. Get out," Zhong Yun said, having no patience for pleasantries. If they didn't heed his warning, he certainly wouldn't be polite.

A few of the white-clad men were greatly incensed by Zhong Yun's arrogance and were about to erupt. The leader’s face darkened. "Do you know whose people we are?"

"I don't care if you're the cat's meow or the dog's tail. Get out now. If you are not out of my sight within three seconds, you will bear the consequences," Zhong Yun said irritably.

"Arrogant!" Even with the leader's deep self-control, such an insult ignited his rage.

As he spoke, the dozen or so white-clad figures moved simultaneously.

Zhong Yun let out a cold snort. Dozens of long, rhomboid purple crystals suddenly materialized around him, bristling like the quills of a porcupine.

The moment the leader saw the dense array of crystals, his spirit shuddered, and he roared, "Retreat!"

But it was too late.

The purple crystals surrounding Zhong Yun shot out like rain in all directions, accompanied by continuous hissing sounds.

More than ten screams erupted almost simultaneously. Those struck by the purple shards were pierced straight through, instantly turning into grotesque gourds of blood. Each man was impaled by at least two crystals, with viscous blood spraying from the wounds.

The gruesome scene caused Su Xing to scream hysterically.

Zhong Yun clapped his hands over his ears, cursing internally: Damn it, she's a cop, and she can't even handle this much?

"Silence!" Zhong Yun roared, drowning out her shrieks.

Su Xing covered her mouth, staring at Zhong Yun. Her wide eyes were filled with terror, and facing his dark expression, she stumbled back several steps.

"Scream again and I’ll bleed you dry," Zhong Yun glared at her menacingly.

Su Xing shook her head fearfully, indicating she wouldn't make another sound.

Just then, three small robots emerged from the woods, terrifying the already jumpy Su Xing half to death. Those robots were there to clean up the corpses.

"Why did these people try to capture you?" Zhong Yun asked.

Su Xing shook her head. Seeing his brow furrow, she grew anxious, releasing her hands from her mouth and speaking hurriedly, "I... I don't know either."

"If you don't know, never mind," Zhong Yun said casually. "Then why did you come here? You don't look like the type to take solo sightseeing trips into the forest."

"I..." Su Xing was about to answer when Zhong Yun's expression shifted. He muttered, "What day is it today? Why are more people coming?"

"If you have nothing else, you should go. I'm expecting someone." Zhong Yun waved his hand, signaling Su Xing to leave. He was already growing impatient waiting for Yun Qi; he had no time to deal with her petty affairs.

"Zhong Yun!" an urgent voice called from the sky.

Zhong Yun sighed helplessly. She had found him after all. That voice—he knew it intimately—it belonged to Wei Wei, the woman who would have given her life for him two years ago.

Hearing the voice, Su Xing’s face changed drastically, and she whispered tremulously, "Is she calling you?"

Zhong Yun didn't notice, listening to the increasingly urgent calls from the sky, his heart softening. She must have suffered a lot these past two years. He called out, "I'm here!"

P: Recommending a history book, Burying the Song (Book ID: 1273428). Let us lead you to bury this tragic era.

First release