Lu Shiyan glanced at his wristwatch; Su Wan and Yan Shaoyou had been gone for more than ten minutes.
He put down his Tang blade, stood up, and walked towards the small partitioned room.
The room was empty, with only the cold wind blowing in from the window.
"Su Wan?" Lu Shiyan called out, but there was no response.
He immediately turned and quickly walked towards the area where Yan Shaoyou had been previously. That area was also empty; Yan Shaoyou's few subordinates and their vehicles had vanished, leaving only Lin Jiayi and two soldiers guarding a nearly extinguished bonfire.
"Su Wan is gone!" Xiao Han and Li Kui rushed over almost simultaneously; they had also noticed something was amiss.
"They just drove Su Wan away like that?!"
"Are our damn ears just for show?!"
"Such a big commotion, and we couldn't hear a thing?!"
Li Kui also had a look as if he'd seen a ghost; it simply didn't make sense!
Unless...
"Damn it, they have ability users specifically for this!"
"They must have used some method to make us hear nothing!"
"Those sons of bitches!"
Lu Shiyan's body tensed in an instant, and a terrifying pressure emanated from him as he walked in front of Lin Jiayi.
"Where is General Yan?"
"General Yan received an urgent military dispatch from the base; it's of great importance and he must, must return immediately with his team."
Xiao Han scoffed from the side, his voice not loud, but it pierced Lin Jiayi's taut nerves like a needle.
"Oh really? What a coincidence?"
Li Kui was even more direct, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes dramatically: "I think he's got a guilty conscience and ran away!"
Lin Jiayi's cheeks flushed slightly, but she dared not retort, only forcing herself to continue speaking.
"Miss Su... Miss Su learned that her father was unwell and was overcome with worry, so she, she voluntarily requested to return to the base with the General to look after him."
Jin Dongdong's eyes widened from the side, and he mumbled softly: "Wan Jie... leave voluntarily? How is that possible..."
Lu Shiyan's gaze fell on Lin Jiayi's face. "Voluntarily requested?"
"Miss Su, out of filial piety, was very concerned about her father's safety, and General Yan merely... merely complied with her wishes."
"Is that so?" Lu Shiyan tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Then General Yan is truly considerate. Leaving you and two soldiers behind, was it to cover their retreat for us, or to use you as pawns?"
She paused, then added: "The General was worried you wouldn't have enough people, so he specifically had us stay to assist."
Xiao Han couldn't hold back, "Assist? More like stay as hostages."
Lin Jiayi's face instantly turned pale.
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Nonsense?" Xiao Han spoke coolly from the side. He walked around Lin Jiayi twice, tsk-tsking, "General Yan is truly considerate of his subordinates, an urgent military situation, and he specifically left you to assist us 'outsiders'? At least come up with a more reliable lie. Would Su Wan abandon Lu Da Shao and 'voluntarily' leave with your General Yan? Do you take us for three-year-olds?"
A Mo clenched his fists, glaring fiercely at the two soldiers who dared not move: "Speak! Which way did they run?"
The two soldiers shivered, startled by his menacing appearance, and subconsciously looked at Lin Jiayi.
Lin Jiayi bit her lip, saying nothing. She couldn't say; this was the task Shaoyou had given her. She believed him; he would never abandon her.
Lu Shiyan no longer paid attention to her excuses, his sharp gaze sweeping over the ground. The night wind blew, stirring up dust, and under the flashlight's beam, several fresh tire tracks clearly extended towards the northern fork in the road. The direction of the mud splashes along the edge of one of the tracks indicated the vehicle's hasty departure.
He said in a deep voice: "Pack up your things, we're leaving immediately."
No one asked another question; Xiao Han and Li Kui immediately sprang into action, and Jin Dongdong also hurried to pack up sleeping bags and miscellaneous items. Their efficiency was astonishing.
Lin Jiayi was stunned. He... how could he be so sure of the direction? He didn't even press her further? This feeling of being completely ignored was more unbearable than being tortured.
"You..." She couldn't help but speak.
Lu Shiyan had already walked to the car. He pulled open the car door and looked back at her. That look was terrifyingly calm, yet carried an indifference like looking down on ants.
"Tell General Yan, he'd better pray Su Wan is safe and sound." His voice was steady, but every word was like ice, "Otherwise, Dawn Base will become his graveyard."
"Lu Da Shao! Wait!" Xiao Han pointed at Lin Jiayi, "What about them?"
"Keeping them will only get in the way." Lu Shiyan's voice was devoid of any warmth, "A Mo, remove their car wheels."
"Yes!" A Mo was a man of few words, and his actions were extremely swift.
Lin Jiayi's face turned ashen: "You can't..." Before she could finish, Lu Shiyan had already gotten into the SUV with Xiao Han and Li Kui.
The SUV's engine roared, its tires kicking up sand and rocks, as it followed the faintly discernible tire tracks in the night.
Xiao Han didn't forget to make a throat-slitting gesture at Lin Jiayi.
...
Meanwhile, in the back seat of a speeding military SUV, Su Wan slowly regained consciousness.
She moved, finding herself lying on the seat, covered by a jacket. After a strong sense of dizziness, her memories quickly returned.
"Yan Shaoyou!" She abruptly sat up, facing Yan Shaoyou, who had turned to look back from beside the driver's seat.
"Wan Wan, you're awake." Yan Shaoyou's tone was gentle and calm, "Don't get excited, the road is bumpy, be careful not to hit anything. We'll be at Dawn Base very soon; it's absolutely safe there."
"Stop the car! Yan Shaoyou, this is kidnapping!" Su Wan tried to open the car door, but found it locked.
"I'm protecting you." Yan Shaoyou's voice rose slightly, "Someone like Lu Shiyan will only bring you danger! Come back to me, come back to the base, Father will arrange everything, and you and the child will receive the best care!"
"You're crazy! Lu Shiyan won't let you get away with this!" Su Wan's chest heaved violently.
"For you, I don't care." Yan Shaoyou's profile appeared somewhat distorted in the dim light of the dashboard, "Wan Wan, you're just temporarily blinded; once you calm down, you'll understand my painstaking efforts." He seemed to want to reach out and touch her.
Su Wan sharply rebuked: "Don't touch me!" She turned to the soldier in the driver's seat, "Stop the car! Or I won't be polite!"
The soldier looked straight ahead, clearly only obeying Yan Shaoyou's orders.
"Wan Wan, you're too tired, don't be so emotional." Yan Shaoyou's voice softened again, but Su Wan felt an inexplicable chill, "You need to rest a bit more, sleep for a while, and when you wake up, we won't be far from the base."
As he spoke, Su Wan felt another wave of drowsiness wash over her. She bit the tip of her tongue sharply, the sting clearing her mind somewhat.
This scoundrel, there was indeed something strange about him!
"Wan Wan, don't fight it, sleep. Everything will be fine." Su Wan's last conscious thought was of his exceptionally deep peach blossom eyes in the dim light, before she completely lost consciousness.