Vanished into Thin Air

"Your friend was kidnapped?"

After hanging up, Zhou Yaning turned to ask him.

The voice on the other end had been loud and urgent. Zhou Yaning had caught most of it, especially the word "kidnapping," which she had heard clearly.

"A... friend's daughter was kidnapped. An hour ago, also in the west of the city." Lu Chengchuan did not deny it.

People had been disappearing frequently lately. There was no need for him to hide it, and he still needed the Investigation Bureau's help. Otherwise, he would not know where to look on his own.

"The west side of the city, an hour ago. These people are utterly brazen."

Zhou Yaning's face turned cold. Kidnapping people so openly in the city was a blatant disregard for the authorities. If they let the culprits get away, they might as well quit their jobs.

To carry out a kidnapping at a time like this—they clearly did not take them seriously at all.

"An hour ago. They couldn't have left the city." Zhou Yaning was certain.

Every exit from the city was heavily guarded. Unless they could burrow underground, there was no way they could take someone out. Under these special circumstances, even planes at the airport could not take off normally.

"Where would they hide her?"

"Hard to say. A bar? An apartment building? A basement? Or some factory... They managed to find that real estate developer, so perhaps they have other informants in Anyang City."

There were moles in Anyang City. They were not necessarily people within their own ranks, but influential people outside.

Those people could not wield influence on the same level as the authorities, but they lurked in the shadows. Rooting them out would take time.

Zhou Yaning considered where the kidnappers might hide their victim. Since they could not leave the city, what kind of place would they choose...

"Where in the west side has the most foot traffic?" Zhou Yaning turned to ask Xiao Ling.

"There's a residential area where several housing complexes are connected together, along with an area of self-built houses. There are lots of houses there, so it should be convenient for hiding someone... Maybe she's in there."

Qian Xiaoling held a tablet, her fingers tapping rapidly across the screen as she quickly pulled up the information.

"Captain, rental transactions in that area surged sharply a week ago. Could the kidnappers be behind it?"

"Leave that to the police. I'm afraid it may be a smokescreen they planted. Also... some landlords may have close ties with the kidnappers. Investigate that, and make sure you investigate thoroughly."

"Captain, who will investigate the Godblood Stone?"

In Chen Dun's memories, he had desperately craved something called the Godblood Stone. They did not know what it was, but it was undoubtedly important.

"I've already reported it to the director. The director will send someone to investigate."

There were several other squads in the Investigation Bureau. Their side was mainly responsible for the kidnapping case; other matters could be handed over to others.

Near the suburbs on the west side of the city, they parked in a relatively secluded spot. Three people remained in the car, using computers to investigate housing information in the surrounding area, while Lu Chengchuan and the others went out to search.

The West City residential district had plenty of foot traffic, with many vendors lining both sides of the streets. Lu Chengchuan and the others split up, posing as residents as they slowly made their way into the busier residential area.

"Notify us immediately if anything happens. Don't act on your own."

Before they split up, Zhou Yaning specifically gave that instruction. Lu Chengchuan opened his phone and found a location Gu Mingwei had sent him—the spot where his daughter had been kidnapped, about a kilometer from where he was.

Lu Chengchuan arrived at the scene. Compared with where he had been before, this place was more secluded and had far less foot traffic.

"This is damn strange. Nothing like this ever happened before."

"Who knows what's going on these days? There are more and more weird things. Just now, I saw that little girl disappear with my own eyes. Could ghosts really be snatching people?"

"Shh! Don't say it so loudly. What if you attract a ghost?"

Several vendors huddled together, quietly discussing what had just happened. As his realm rose, Lu Chengchuan's eyesight and hearing had far surpassed those of ordinary people. He could clearly hear every word they said.

When he heard them say that a little girl had disappeared, Lu Chengchuan thought of Gu Wangshu and started walking toward them.

"Handsome, what would you like to eat?"

When she saw him approach, the stall owner greeted him warmly.

"Auntie, you said you saw a little girl disappear just now. My younger sister was kidnapped here. Can you tell me what happened?" Lu Chengchuan did not want to eat. He wanted to know how Gu Wangshu had vanished.

"Your younger sister?" The stall owner looked at him suspiciously.

"Yes, my younger sister. She's very well-behaved. She was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans today, carrying a small black bag. A little over an hour ago, she was kidnapped while walking down this road..."

"It really was your sister. I saw her just now. I don't know who took her, but they were invisible. You know, invisible. Your sister suddenly cried out. I looked up, and she was right over there..."

Seeing that Lu Chengchuan's description matched the person she had seen, the stall owner no longer doubted him.

She raised her hand and pointed to a spot more than ten meters ahead. "She cried out, and just as I looked up, she suddenly disappeared. The sound stopped almost immediately... It was a ghost. A ghost took her."

The owner did not understand much. She knew Espers existed, but she still preferred to believe that ghosts were taking people.

"Young man, don't be too sad. Hurry and report it to the police station. Let the police find her." After saying that, the stall owner even tried to comfort him.

Too many people had gone missing in this day and age. No one wanted something like that to happen to them.

"Did anyone approach my sister before she disappeared?"

"I don't remember. There were quite a few people on this road earlier. I really don't know who might've been near your sister." The owner thought for a moment, then turned to the others and asked, "Old Yang, did you see anything?"

"I was making pancakes at the time. I didn't really look..."

"I didn't see anyone either. I saw her disappear too, but I didn't see anyone beside her."

They all chimed in at once, but none of them knew what had happened. After that incident, the number of pedestrians had dropped by more than half. If they were not trying to make money, none of them would have dared remain there.

The person had vanished suddenly, and the sound had stopped almost right away. Lu Chengchuan walked to the spot the owner had indicated.

He crouched down to search. There was only dust, sand, and leaves blown in by the wind. There were not many traces.

Lu Chengchuan stood and left. He did not know where to find her, so he could only continue onward. After walking for more than ten minutes, he reached another small commercial street, where the shops stood open as they waited for customers.

There were quite a few people here, and nothing seemed wrong. Lu Chengchuan continued ahead. When he reached the entrance to an alley, he suddenly heard a faint voice coming from within.

"Help... Help... Is anyone there..."

The voice was extremely faint. Lu Chengchuan had not been walking very fast; had he been any farther away, he would not have heard it.

Someone was crying for help. At a moment like this, Lu Chengchuan did not think too much and immediately entered the alley.

In the pitch-black alley, Lu Chengchuan moved slowly and silently. Soon, he saw a woman lying on the ground. She was the one calling for help.