Chapter 315: The Disappearing Alley

Du Jinsong naturally knew what Tian Wei wanted to ask, but they couldn't say it, so he could only offer a perfunctory response: "Liu Yiyi escaped, Chief Editor Gu's whereabouts are unknown, and Su Yan is bound to be anxious and frantic. It's only natural that her words are a bit sharp."

Tian Wei's features twisted into a knot. "Brother Du, do you still intend to keep me in the dark even now? I discovered it long ago—your attitude toward Su Yan is exceptionally different every single time."

Previously, she had thought Du Jinsong had some feelings for that woman, but now she had another, more absurd thought.

Despite her resistance, her heart knew that the thought was likely true.

"You're overthinking it," Du Jinsong denied.

Tian Wei could not understand why Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing both knew this secret, yet specifically chose to hide it from her.

Was she really so unworthy of their trust?

"What exactly is Su Yan's identity?"

Since they were playing dumb with her, she decided to ask more directly.

"Tian Wei, now is not the time to discuss this. The priority is to find traces of Liu Yiyi as quickly as possible." This time it was Zhang Ximing speaking; he knew Du Jinsong's predicament and wanted to divert her attention to change the subject.

"I didn't say I wouldn't look for Liu Yiyi, but is it not possible for me to just want the truth right now? In your hearts, is that Su Yan more important than me, your teammate?" Tian Wei could no longer control her rising fury.

This was what she truly cared about.

Listening to her loud questioning, Du Jinsong's already agitated mood grew even more chaotic.

"We don't know Su Yan's identity either. As for her abilities, didn't you just experience them yourself just now?"

He was telling the truth. Aside from knowing that Su Yan possessed formidable strength, they didn't know much more about her than Tian Wei did.

"Brother Du..."

"Tian Wei, to make up for our mistake, the entire action team has already been deployed. Rather than obsessing over Su Yan's identity here, it would be better to think about how we can capture Liu Yiyi as soon as possible."

This time, Du Jinsong was truly angry, and he didn't even give Tian Wei the chance to continue pestering him.

Tian Wei bit her lip hard, a heavy shadow falling over her face.

"You're blaming me for my dereliction of duty allowing Liu Yiyi to escape, aren't you?"

Du Jinsong didn't actually think that way, but Tian Wei's unreasonable behavior left him with no choice but to not deny it. "Your dereliction of duty is our team's dereliction of duty. If something truly happens to Gu Yang, all three of us will be held accountable."

Originally, keeping Liu Yiyi imprisoned within the barrier should have been foolproof, but Tian Wei had insisted on interrogating her alone. Furthermore, in order to make Liu Yiyi talk, she had even obtained the method for entering and exiting the barrier from a Master.

But unexpectedly, they failed to get the information they needed, and instead gave Liu Yiyi the opportunity to escape.

By the time they realized what had happened, Liu Yiyi had already vanished without a trace.

For such an incident to happen within a Special Operations Team was nothing short of a major blunder.

The Captain had already spoken to him clearly: even if Liu Yiyi was captured and brought back, their team would still face punishment, though it would have to wait until after Liu Yiyi was caught.

Yet, Tian Wei showed no awareness of the gravity of the situation, still focusing her mind on irrelevant matters.

"I'll take responsibility for my own actions; I won't implicate you all!" Tian Wei said, exasperated.

If it weren't for their secrecy, she wouldn't have allowed Liu Yiyi to find a loophole.

Even Zhang Ximing could no longer tolerate her words. He spoke with a stern face, "Tian Wei, we are a team, bound by life and death. We won't abandon you, but likewise, your actions represent both me and Jinsong."

"Then why did you hide Su Yan's business from me?" After all that circling, Tian Wei had somehow brought the topic back to the starting point.

Both Zhang Ximing and Du Jinsong fell into a state of deep helplessness; even if they felt anger, they could only do their best to suppress it.

Fortunately, they arrived at the bottom of Gu Yang's dormitory building at that moment. Du Jinsong skillfully parked the car, and he and Zhang Ximing got out at top speed.

Tian Wei was completely ignored by the two of them.

Her breathing was uneven, so she chose not to get out of the car.

Since they no longer needed her, there was no need for her to act with them.

Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing moved very quickly, and a few minutes later, they walked back out with tense expressions.

Even without asking, it was clear that Gu Yang had not returned to the dormitory at all.

"Chief Editor Gu isn't at the publishing house, nor is he at the dormitory. I'm afraid the worst has happened."

Back in the car, Zhang Ximing spoke this cruel fact to Du Jinsong.

A brief silence finally brought a flicker of unease to Tian Wei's eyes.

More than Gu Yang's life or death, she cared more about the punishment she would face next.

"Stop. There's no need to walk further." Su Yan halted her steps.

They had walked the same path three times in total, yet they had found nothing each time, and that road sign had not changed at all.

The publishing house had simply vanished without a sound.

It wasn't just the publishing house; the entire Yongxiang Road had disappeared.

Even for Su Yan, this was the first time she had encountered such an eerie occurrence.

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan's breathing became somewhat unstable. Although they couldn't be certain something had happened to Gu Yang, it was possible that the longer they delayed, the more danger the missing Gu Yang would be in.

Looking cautiously at Su Yan, they understood the logic she surely understood even more clearly.

Right now, they could not see even a hint of emotion on Su Yan's face.

It was like the calm before a storm.

Su Yan stared intently at the road sign that had changed its name, until a glint in the corner of her eye caught sight of a pedestrian walking from not far away.

It wasn't strange for there to be pedestrians on a road, but since they had already accepted that this place was abnormal, the appearance of a pedestrian was very strange indeed.

"Someone's over there!"

Ma Chulan also saw the newcomer and became excited, immediately wanting to rush forward to meet them. However, in the next second, she was pulled back by her arm by Ma Chulong.

"Little sister, don't be impulsive."

What if the person was a problem?

No, they were definitely going to be a problem!

Su Yan shared his thought; all three of them simultaneously took on a defensive posture.

The newcomer walked with a very normal gait, approaching them unhurriedly.

By the time they could clearly see the person's face, not only Su Yan, but even the Ma siblings were stunned.

It was a completely ordinary woman, so ordinary that there was nothing out of place about her.

She looked like a woman just out and about, preparing to head home, but she suddenly stopped as she passed Su Yan.

"You are Su Yan, aren't you?"

Hearing the other party actually say her name, Su Yan's gaze beneath the black cloth instantly turned sharp.

"You know me?"

"Of course I know you. Aren't you Chief Editor Gu's girlfriend?" The woman's single sentence made the atmosphere incredibly heavy.

The Ma siblings didn't even wait for Su Yan to speak; they immediately stepped forward and backward to block the woman's path.

This woman definitely had a problem!

(End of Chapter)