Chapter 1679: Vanished into Thin Air
Clearly, something must have happened to Lin Sheng and Mu Mian.
Otherwise, how could there be no news from them at all?
Qin Jian sat in his seat, ruminating with his fingers lightly tapping on the desk, feeling that there must be something amiss.
When Zhao Dong came in knocking on the door, he just saw Qin Jian frowning in deep thought.
He stepped forward, saluted according to military protocol without speaking, and Qin Jian gestured with his chin for him to sit down for a talk.
"Commander, it’s been more than ten days without any news from Lin Sheng," he said.
"Send a platoon to search. Dongshan Village!" Qin Jian commanded, "I feel something fishy about this situation."
"Understood. I’ll have someone conduct a thorough search to see what’s the situation," said Zhao Dong.
"Don’t disturb the local villagers." After all, one should keep it down when searching from such a distance.
"But what if the search turns up nothing?" Zhao Dong asked casually.
"If you can’t find anything after the search, then ask for assistance from the local government. Report any clues gathered centrally," Qin Jian instructed.
"Right. I’ll get on it."
Zhao Dong dispatched a squad of warriors to search, and because he feared missing important clues, he went along with them.
It was a familiar route to Mu Mian’s home for Zhao Dong.
They had been here the last time to look for Qin Jian. Finding this place again wasn’t hard.
But when they arrived, they discovered the house was utterly empty.
The house was in disarray, with dishes and debris strewn about.
Zhao Dong had his men rummage through Mu Mian’s wardrobe and noticed all of her clothes were gone, leaving only the immovable and non-portable items behind.
"Platoon leader, it looks like this family has left," the warrior reported after the search was complete.
"In that case, let’s pack up and head back!"
After leaving Mu Mian’s house, Zhao Dong led his men back through the village at the foot of the mountain and saw the village men gathered together playing chess.
They were also discussing the same matter while playing.
"Hey, did you hear? The night before last, there was wailing coming from halfway up the mountain. It was so tragic, wasn’t it?"
"Heard it. Wasn’t that Mu Mian’s crying?"
"Exactly. You talk about hard luck, that child Mu Mian, encountering such a beastly father, alas!"
"Indeed. The kid ran off secretly with Lin Sheng, only for that old scoundrel Mu Qiankun to drag them back in the middle of the night."
"Over what?"
"They say it’s to prevent them from being together. If Lin Sheng wants to be with her, he would have to marry into the family..."
As Zhao Dong listened to the locals’ rambling and not getting to the point, he decided not to waste more time and went straight to ask about the situation.
"Old pal, are the Mu Qiankun family still living in the village as you were discussing just now?"
"No, they left early the morning the day before yesterday. Why? You looking for them?"
"No, not really! I just wanted to inquire where they might have gone."
"I’m not sure about that. Anyway, somebody in the village saw them. Mu Qiankun was with his daughter, Lin Sheng seemed to be there too, along with several people carrying luggage..."
"Are they coming back?" Zhao Dong pressed on.
"Doesn’t seem likely. Have you ever seen anyone move out taking all their possessions?"
"Alright. Now we know. Thanks, brother!"
Zhao Dong led his team back and briefed Qin Jian on the situation. Before Qin Jian could speak, Zhao Dong, in his anger, slammed his fist heavily on the table with a thud.