0p0 Chapter 185 Missing
Chapter 185 Missing
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There is an ancient town called Nantang Town in the southernmost part of Shanghai. The buildings in the entire town have been preserved from the early Republic of China.
In order to protect this ancient building, the government has expressly prohibited any real estate developers from taking advantage of this area. At the same time, it has given Nantang Town a protection policy that is not available in other places, making this place a paradise to avoid war.
The good thing is that Nantang Town is indeed very well protected, and every brick and tile remains in its original appearance.
The downside is that it gives criminals the opportunity to exploit loopholes.
Because the public security in Nantang Town is strict and any force is strictly prohibited from fighting here, those who are being hunted can escape as long as they can finally escape into Nantang Town.
Over time, many underground forces began to develop in Nantang Town, wanting to use Nantang Town as their base.
But since ancient times, there can't be two tigers in one mountain. After many fights among these forces, only a gang called Chen Xinghui was left, occupying Nantang Town.
In an old house in the northeast corner of Nantang Town, several men in black carried a man covered in blood into the middle room.
"Brother Teng, this guy's head is shot through, can he still survive?" The beggar-headed boy said to Chen Yuteng who was standing in front of him.
Chen Yuteng looked at the unconscious man lying on the ground, his lips curled up. "Who said his head was pierced? Turn his head around and take a look."
"What do you mean?" Huatou was confused, but he still squatted down obediently and turned the man's head over.
After seeing the man's intact head, Huatou was shocked. "Fuck! Is this guy's head made of iron? Even a bullet couldn't penetrate it!"
Chen Yuteng's smile deepened. "This kid is ruthless and skilled. It would be a shame if he died. Go find a doctor and cure him."
Huatou was a little hesitant after hearing this. "But he's from the Tiger Head Gang, and he killed quite a few of our brothers. What if we heal him and he comes back to bite us?"
Chen Yuteng said nonchalantly, "Ha! If the Tiger Head Gang hadn't used a dirty trick to push him out to block the bullets, how could our people have possibly defeated him?
This guy is definitely not a softie. If he comes back to life, who knows who he'll bite!"
~
the other side
Apart from eating some delicious food every now and then to replenish his body, Ruan Zhao also lived a recurring work life.
That morning, she had just arrived at the Chinese medicine pharmacy to work when a man suddenly came in.
The man looked around as he entered. When he saw Ruan Zhao, his eyes lit up and he ran straight towards her. "Hello, comrade."
Ruan Zhao paused after seeing the man clearly, "Is it you?"
This man is the father of the little girl who swallowed the lamp of immortality.
"It's me. Comrade, last time you said you could help me with something, I wonder if that still counts?"
Seeing his anxious expression, Ruan Zhao guessed he might have encountered some difficult situation, so he nodded. "Of course it counts."
The man was delighted and quickly stated his purpose. "My uncle and my cousin disappeared suddenly. We reported them to the police and have been searching for them for a long time but haven't found them yet. So I'd like you to help me find them."
Ruan Zhao didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Do you have their birth dates?"
The man shook his head when he heard this. "No. Our family has a rule that the birth dates of the eldest son and grandson must be kept secret. No one except their parents knows their birth dates.
My great-grandfather and his family passed away a long time ago, so no one knows about it now."
Ruan Zhao thought that this man's family was a family of alchemists, and nodded thoughtfully.
"Do you have anything they used? Preferably something personal."
The man shook his head again, "I don't have it, but they have it at home."
Ruan Zhao glanced at the time and said to the man, "Wait for me a moment. I'll ask for leave and visit your uncle's house."
"it is good."
~
After leaving the hospital, Ruan Zhao got into the man’s car and rushed to his uncle’s house.
During the conversation, Ruan Zhao learned that the man's name was Song Wendong, he was 35 years old and worked as the director of a cotton mill in the city.
His ancestors were all from a family of alchemists, and the art of alchemy was passed down from generation to generation by the eldest son and grandson. However, due to the changes in the times, by the time it was passed down to this era, the Song family's alchemy skills had already been mostly abandoned.
The longevity lamp that his daughter swallowed last time was passed down by the ancestors of Song Wendong's lineage. The current Song family can no longer refine such a longevity lamp.
"My uncle is Song Qi, he is fifty-six years old this year, and my eldest cousin is Song Wenbai, he is thirty-six years old this year. Due to family regulations, they have never worked. They opened a Chinese medicine shop near their home. They usually see patients and study the family's alchemy techniques when they have nothing to do.
They were fine during the Chinese New Year, but on the third day of the New Year, they suddenly disappeared.
We reported the matter to the police, and my family searched for him for a long time, but there was no news at all."
Song Wendong explained the situation at his uncle's house to Ruan Zhao, then asked with a worried look on his face, "I didn't think they were two grown men who were abducted by human traffickers, but we've been searching for them for so long and haven't found them. I'm at my wit's end, so I came to you."
Ruan Zhao understood. "Have you ever considered that they might have been captured?"
Song Wendong was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and asked nervously, "You mean, someone deliberately took them away?"
Ruan Zhao nodded, "Your family is a family of alchemists. Perhaps someone took a fancy to your alchemy skills, so they captured them."
Song Wendong's pupils were startled, but then he thought of something and shook his head. "That shouldn't be the case. Our family has a rule that family secrets cannot be leaked to outsiders, otherwise you will be expelled from the family tree.
The children in our family won’t know about these things until they reach adulthood, and it’s even less likely that outsiders will know about our family’s affairs.”
Ruan Zhao disagreed, "You won't leak it on your own initiative, but what about unintentionally?
You forgot that last time your daughter swallowed the immortal lamp, you took her to see doctors everywhere.
How can you guarantee that no one here will recognize the Eternal Life Lamp and use it to find out about your family's affairs?"
Song Wendong was even more shocked after hearing this. After the shock, he felt a sense of fear.
Anyone who could recognize the Longevity Lamp must be someone who understands some mystical arts. If there really was such a person who targeted his family because of the Longevity Lamp, it might really bring disaster to them. Their family had encountered such things in the past.
Seeing that he was so frightened that his face turned pale, Ruan Zhao comforted him. "Don't worry too much, this is just my guess."
Song Wendong nodded, but he had a strong premonition in his heart that Ruan Zhao's guess was most likely true.
~
Half an hour later, the two finally arrived at Song Wendong's uncle's house.
Song Wendong knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened. The person who opened the door was Song Wendong's aunt Yan Aijia.
When Yan Aijia saw that it was Song Wendong, she thought there was news about her husband and son, so she asked hurriedly, "Wendong, have your uncle and the others found them?"
"Not yet, but I've found someone to help." Song Wendong said as he stepped aside, revealing Ruan Zhaolai behind him.
Because of the special nature of her man's family, Yan Aijia was only surprised for a few seconds when she saw Ruan Zhao, but she quickly reacted.
Although Ruan Zhao was young, he was obviously not an ordinary person, so Yan Aijia didn't ask anything and quickly took the two of them into the house.
Song Wendong said directly, "Aunt, please go get two pieces of personal belongings for uncle and cousin."
Yan Aijia was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Soon, Yan Aijia took out two pieces of clothing and asked Ruan Zhao, "These are clothes for my husband and my son. Do you think they are okay?"
Ruan Zhao glanced at it and nodded in response. "Okay."
After she finished speaking, she didn't hesitate, raised her hand and drew a tracking symbol on their clothes, then closed her eyes.
Soon, a picture appeared in her mind.
In the picture, Song Wenbai was tied up in a room. There were many strange scars on his body, which looked like he had been tortured. He was leaning against a wall with a pale face and breathing very weakly.
Ruan Zhao looked at the room where Song Wenbai was and found that there was nothing in the room, just an empty room.
Unable to find any characteristics of this place, Ruan Zhao had no choice but to track Song Qi again.
Just as the tracking talisman was activated, the screen suddenly went black and there was no trace of Song Qi.
Ruan Zhao frowned, then regained his composure.
Seeing Ruan Zhao open his eyes, Yan Aijia asked anxiously, "Comrade, what's going on? Where are my sons?"
Ruan Zhao said in a low voice, "They must have been captured."
Yan Aijia's legs went weak after hearing this, and she almost fell. Song Wendong quickly supported her. "Auntie, please don't worry."
Seeing Yan Aijia was terrified, Ruan Zhao quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, they're all still alive. It's just that your man is under control, so we can't track him down."
Song Wendong asked hurriedly, "What about my cousin?"
Ruan Zhao replied, "Your cousin is tied up in a room in the south of the city. I can't see his exact location, but I can follow his scent to find him, but it will take some time."
When he heard that it could be found, Song Wendong immediately said, "I'll go with you to look for it."
Ruan Zhao refused. "I'll go alone. It will take more time if you follow me. Do you have a phone at home? I'll call you when I find someone."
Yan Aijia finally recovered and nodded quickly when she heard Ruan Zhao asking about the phone. "Yes! Yes! We have it at home in Bentong."
Finally, Ruan Zhao asked for Song Wendong’s home phone number and used the teleportation talisman to go directly to the south of the city.