Chapter 98: The Missing People Small Town
As she prepared to get off the train, Qin Si Mian handed Sang Chu a black umbrella. She initially thought it was unnecessary, but then she remembered it was from the big shot, so she accepted it without hesitation.
As soon as they got off the train,
a downpour poured from the sky. Sang Chu quickly opened the umbrella. Originally dressed lightly, she shivered from the cold rain.
“Little rabbit, is this that small town? It looks like a deserted village.”
Looking around, all she saw were rice paddies that had withered and yellowed, unharvested. Crows perched on the surrounding trees, their eyes glowing red as they stared intently at her,
sending a chill down her spine.
Tu You said, “A Chu, this place feels wrong. Let’s be careful.”
“Okay, let’s find that detective first.”
Tu You crouched on Sang Chu’s shoulder, not invisible. In mission worlds, invisibility is generally not possible, and even Tu You couldn’t do it.
The person and the rabbit walked along the ridge towards the village.
But the further they walked, the stranger it became. Sang Chu frowned slightly, “Why is it so similar to the Butterfly Valley incident? No matter how we walk, we can’t get out?”
Tu You pointed at the ground, “We’re still on this same patch of land.”
Looking at her mud-caked shoes, Sang Chu was speechless, “Why are all the stations you set up so strange!”
“Hello, are you the new detective?”
Sang Chu suddenly turned around. When did this person appear behind her?
The person who appeared was a middle-aged man in black clothes. His accent was very strange. Although the words were incomprehensible, once they entered her ears, it was as if they were automatically translated, and her brain directly understood him.
“Hello, my name is Sang Chu. Are you Zhuang Weili, Detective Zhuang?”
“Yes, yes, it’s me. The people upstairs notified me that a newcomer would be coming today to help me investigate the disappearances in the small town. I didn’t expect you to be so young. By the way, it’s raining heavily, let’s find a place in the village to rest for a bit.”
“Okay, thank you, Detective.”
“You’re welcome!”
Zhuang Weili seemed like a very optimistic and cheerful person. He walked ahead of Sang Chu, leading her towards the village.
In a short while, they arrived.
Sang Chu looked back in surprise, only to realize that it had taken less than a minute to walk from the ridge to the village, but she and the rabbit had walked for much longer than that.
Zhuang Weili pushed open a door and said as he walked in, “The people in this village have all disappeared, no sight of them alive or dead. Most of the houses are empty. I usually live in this house, so it’s a bit cleaner. You can make do with it for one night.”
As he spoke, he took out a set of cotton clothes from a cabinet and handed them to Sang Chu. “The temperature changes quickly here. Change out of your wet clothes first. This is the bathroom, and this is your room. I live in the innermost room. Oh, you must be hungry, I’ll go prepare something for you to eat. You change your clothes first.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Taking the clothes, Sang Chu went straight back to her room. Looking at the clean and dust-free space, Sang Chu suddenly asked, “Doesn’t he know he posted a mission on the Time-Space Train?”
Tu You replied, “Normally, they should know. But his reaction suggests he doesn’t, yet he knows a newcomer will come to help him. That’s very strange.”
“Can you still access the Time-Space Mall anytime from here?”
Tu You shook his head, “No. Once you enter a mission world, you can’t leave at will unless the mission is completed or the train returns. I’m restricted too. The duration is usually about a month.”
“Never mind, what will be, will be. Close your eyes, I’m changing.”
“Tsk, who wants to look at you!”
Tu You rolled his eyes at her and then jumped onto the bed, turning his backside to Sang Chu.
As she changed out of her wet clothes, she thought about the scene of meeting Zhuang Weili earlier. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
There was a knock on the door, followed by Zhuang Weili’s voice, “Sang Chu, are you ready? I’ve already started a fire outside. If you’re done, you can come out and warm yourself by the fire.”
“Okay, I’m coming.”
Sang Chu responded and then walked out.
But Zhuang Weili was nowhere to be seen.
In the large hall, a big brazier was placed, filled with burning charcoal. The temperature in the air had also risen considerably.
For some reason, Tu You felt a sense of unease. He clutched Sang Chu’s collar tightly, “Something’s wrong, A Chu. I feel like it’s a bit creepy.”
Sang Chu gently patted his head, “When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it. Don’t be afraid. The more it’s like this, the calmer you need to be.”
Tu You shivered all over and nodded repeatedly, but his hands still tightly gripped Sang Chu’s clothes, as if doing so would help him calm down.
Sang Chu walked step by step towards the brazier. Although she was wearing a thick cotton coat, she still felt a bone-chilling cold,
as if she were submerged in water, making her feel uncomfortable all over.
Facing the empty space, Sang Chu said directly, “Detective Zhuang, what are we having for dinner tonight?”
“Oh, right, I haven’t asked you what you want to eat yet.”
He appeared again suddenly!
Sang Chu’s heart pounded violently. This detective is not right!
From Qin Si Mian’s words, it seemed he didn’t know he was dead, so would his behavior be unconsciously like a ghost?
Sang Chu didn’t know much about ghosts and spirits, but she had a gut feeling that this person was problematic, yet she couldn’t pinpoint what was strange about him!
She tried her best to remain calm and smiled gently and politely, “I’m not picky. Anything edible will do. By the way, do you need any help?”
Zhuang Weili shook his head, “You just sit back and relax. I’ll get you something to eat. After we eat, we can discuss the case.”
“Okay.”
Sang Chu didn’t rashly go to help but sat by the fire to warm herself.
Dinner was simple: two servings of greens and a small bowl of rice.
“Sang Chu, I’m sorry. The villagers have all disappeared, the fields outside are unharvested, and most of the Zhuang family are dead. So the meal is a bit simple, not comparable to the city. Please bear with it. It will be fine once the case is solved and we return to the city.”
“Detective Zhuang, when Qin Ge asked me to come, I was already prepared. He said to follow your arrangements. Have you made any progress on this matter?”
Sang Chu stared intently at Zhuang Weili, but he showed no reaction when he heard the name Qin Ge.
As if he recognized the person, he said after a long pause, “You’re one of Old Qin’s people? Ah, I should have known. Only he would still remember me and send me some manpower.”
Sang Chu asked doubtfully, “What exactly is going on?”
“Several other people were also sent by Old Qin before, but they all disappeared too. It’s been a long time since anyone came to help me. Seeing you, I was both surprised and delighted, as well as worried and fearful.”
