Chapter 34: Found a Clue
Cao Daqiang’s head was bowed, his throat so tight he couldn’t get a single word out.
After a long moment, he finally let out a low sigh.
"Sigh... at a critical time like this, I’m completely useless!"
Cao Daqiang slapped his thigh hard.
Liu Yingzi wanted to comfort him, but the words caught in her throat.
In the end, she could only shut her mouth in defeat, turn, and hurry toward the door.
Cao Daqiang remained seated, staring intently at the still-swaying door.
’If Ling Anxun hadn’t shown up just then, I would’ve rushed out with them and put on a great performance, acting so worried I was breaking out in a sweat.’
’I need everyone to believe I’m genuinely worried about my daughter.’
’But if Ling Anxun sees through my act...’
’...it’ll all be over.’
The family residential area wasn’t very large.
The adults from both families ran back and forth, shouting the girls’ names as they searched every possible place.
The commotion grew, startling the entire street.
Even Ling Anxun, who had been waiting at the entrance to the residential area, frowned at the disturbance.
"Go see what’s happening over there."
"Yes, sir!"
The guard at his side immediately stood at attention and saluted.
He quickly shot a look at another person in their entourage.
The man understood at once, turning and jogging toward the center of the commotion.
A few minutes later, the man returned, panting for breath.
He reported as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Sir, two little girls are missing. Their families are frantically looking for them, shouting themselves hoarse. One of them is the girl from the family we just visited—the one named Shanshan."
The moment Ling Anxun heard the name "Shanshan," his fingers clenched.
"Xiao Kang, let’s go! Find out what happened, now!"
His voice was low, devoid of its usual calm and restraint.
Xiao Kang jolted and quickly began to push the wheelchair.
The group hastily changed direction, striding quickly toward Yang Dapeng’s home.
When Yang Dapeng saw Ling Anxun, he became so agitated he could barely speak coherently.
He lunged forward, his voice raw as he cried out.
"Sir! Sir, you’re here! You have to help us! Shanshan and Jiajia are both gone! It just happened a little while ago, and now they’ve vanished!"
Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.
He no longer dared to hide the truth about Shanshan.
Ling Anxun listened in silence, his expression growing progressively darker.
A sudden torrent of emotions washed over him—a mixture of ecstasy and shock.
’I’ve finally found a lead!’
But at the same time, worry settled in his heart like a lead weight.
’Where on earth is she now?’
’Has she been hurt?’
He didn’t dare to act rashly or draw any attention to the matter.
’If I tip them off, the kidnappers might do something desperate, and the consequences would be unthinkable.’
He quickly suppressed his emotions and said in a low voice.
"Tell Old Wei to investigate this covertly. Don’t alert anyone. Start with the time of disappearance, their route, and any witnesses. I want every single detail."
Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, the two kidnapped girls were huddled in the darkness.
The warehouse was sealed on all four sides, with no windows.
Only an old lightbulb overhead cast a faint, weak glow.
Cao Jiajia was sobbing her heart out.
One of her cheeks was badly swollen, a clear handprint visible on her skin.
"Shut up! You make another sound and I’ll beat you ’til your own mother can’t recognize you!"
A beefy-faced man kicked her viciously.
Cao Jiajia curled into a ball in pain.
A sob caught in her throat, but she didn’t dare make another sound.
Shanshan, on the other hand, hadn’t made a peep.
She sat quietly in a corner, hugging her knees, her body trembling slightly.
But her eyes were wide open in the dark.
She scanned the faces of the traffickers, memorizing every one of their features.
The men seemed quite satisfied with her quiet compliance.
A slightly older man, a cigarette dangling from his lips, walked over and glanced down at her.
He snorted and casually tossed a cold, hard cornbread bun at her feet.
"Eat up. Don’t want you starving to death."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Shanshan looked down at the dusty bun but didn’t reach for it.
As soon as the traffickers locked the warehouse door and their footsteps faded, Cao Jiajia scrambled to her feet and rushed over to Shanshan.
Her knees were still trembling, but she put on a brave face and poked a finger toward Shanshan’s cheek.
"You can glow and make people fly, can’t you? You’re so amazing, so get me out of here! If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone what you can do!"
’Shanshan really didn’t understand what this girl’s brain was made of.’
’I’ve scared her several times already. Why isn’t she afraid of me?’
"You’re so dumb. No one would believe you even if you told them."
Shanshan stared at her coldly.
"Go ahead and shout, if you don’t believe me. You might even earn yourself another slap or two."
’She wasn’t about to indulge someone who was all bark and no bite.’
Cao Jiajia was left speechless, her cheeks flushing bright red.
In the end, all she could do was grit her teeth, shuffle over to a corner, and cry.
In truth, escaping would be as easy as breathing for Shanshan.
With a single thought, the Dragon Energy within her would circulate through her body and form a cloaking barrier.
She could even open a spirit gap in the wall, just large enough for one person to pass through.
But she had just overheard the traffickers talking.
They mentioned they had other children, held in different locations, and were planning to sell them all in one batch.
She immediately dismissed the thought of escaping by herself.
’Escaping alone would be easy, but what about the other children locked away in the dark?’
’These kidnappers are all truly evil.’
’Their actions are more vicious than jackals, more insidious than vipers.’
A thick, black, baleful energy clung to each of them, faintly exuding the nauseating stench of blood.
And Shanshan could clearly sense that this baleful energy was so dense it was on the verge of taking physical form.
’If they’re allowed to continue their evil deeds, a great disaster is bound to happen within three months.’
’I am a Golden Dragon of justice, tasked by the Heavenly Dao with punishing evil.’
’How can I just stand by and watch villains harm innocent people?’
With a plan forming in her mind, Shanshan quietly enhanced her hearing.
Footsteps, coughs, the metallic jingle of keys—she took it all in.
Luckily, these traffickers assumed they were just dealing with children, so their guard was down.
They spoke openly, not even bothering with code words.
They were gathered in the guard room, drinking.
They said everything plainly, things like "the shipment from the east district arrives tonight."
’Shanshan had been worried the enemy would be secretive and have layers of security.’
’But now it seemed they were just a bunch of arrogant, idiotic buffoons.’
She quickly ran through several escape plans in her mind.
’Create an illusion to lure away the guards?’
’Or use a Thunder Talisman to knock them out?’
’Or maybe just use the Earth Escape Technique to pass straight through the walls and rescue everyone?’
Suddenly, a trafficker burst in, roughly forcing the iron lock, and grabbed both girls, starting to drag them out.
Cao Jiajia was too terrified to even cry.
She was lifted by the collar of her shirt, dangling and swaying like a helpless chick.
Shanshan, however, followed steadily behind on her own two feet.
"Hey, this one’s obedient. Saves me the trouble."
The man grinned.
Shanshan hadn’t expected them to be dragged directly into an even larger underground warehouse.
The iron door screeched open with a deafening CREAK.
A foul stench, a mix of mildew and urine, washed over them.
The dark space inside was crowded with whimpering children.
The oldest was no more than ten, the youngest only three or four years old. They were all huddled in corners, their faces etched with terror and despair.
Her eyes lit up.
’Here’s my chance.’