The two junior officers from the special training section stepped out of the office and nearly ran straight into Xu Ze. They greeted him with smiles, about to exchange a few words, when they noticed that the colonel, who was usually all warm smiles, looked grim today. He merely nodded at them and walked past.
Puzzled, the two turned to glance at the colonel’s perpetually upright back and exchanged a confused look. Who on earth had provoked the colonel today? This was the first time they’d ever seen him like this…
With the year-end approaching, every other department was swamped, but the Special Operations Division was relatively quiet. As the deputy director, Xu Ze in particular didn’t have much on his plate. So when Major General Lin Beijia saw his usually radiant young deputy looking like he was about to bring down rain, he didn’t hesitate for a second to approve Xu Ze’s leave, even adding that he could take an extra couple of days if needed.
Xu Ze nodded, then turned and walked away. There was fire in his stride, and everyone could tell—the colonel’s mood today was really… terrible.
Beijing was always one of the most traffic-congested cities, especially during rush hour. By the time Xu Ze drove to the airport, it was already 2:30.
The ticket agent looked at this young, devastatingly handsome colonel in front of her and informed him that there was a direct flight to Star City in about half an hour…
Then, as he reached for his wallet, she took the chance to study him discreetly, deciding that the way he furrowed his brows like that was incredibly handsome.
Taking his military ID and seeing the title “Deputy Director of the General Staff Department’s Special Operations Division,” the ticket agent felt a mix of awe and admiration. All traces of doubt in her mind vanished. In her gentlest voice and with her sweetest smile, she handed back his ID and business-class ticket: “Here’s your ticket, sir. Have a pleasant journey…”
Comrade Colonel was furious. Though the prettiest and most attentive flight attendants on the plane kept bringing warm tea, sweet drinks, and heartfelt regards all the way until landing, none of it could smooth away our colonel’s tightly knit brows. This left the beautiful attendants quite disheartened and disappointed…
Even the taxi driver in Star City could sense the chill radiating from the officer in his back seat. Normally a chatterbox, he didn’t utter a single unnecessary word during the entire hour-long ride. He even quietly turned down the radio that had been blasting traffic updates to the barest murmur.
It wasn’t until the officer got out at the gate of the Polytechnic University that the driver couldn’t help but turn and watch him, muttering under his breath: “Don’t tell me some girl got stolen from him, and he flew all the way here to settle the score? Even if it’s not technically a military marriage, I’d say that student who dared to steal his girlfriend is in for a world of hurt…”
Whether that student the driver mentioned was really in for it or not, one thing was certain—little Hao was going to have a very, very bad day.
Xu Ze was furious. At least in the past year, he couldn’t remember ever being this angry. But of course, it wasn’t just anger—there was disappointment, hurt, grief, sorrow… all kinds of negative emotions mixed in. Pure rage probably made up only a tiny fraction of it, but anger was just the easiest thing to show on his face.
In Xu Ze’s mind, his younger brother was supposed to be a sensible, ambitious kid. And ever since he’d managed to escape from that temple in Lima a few days ago, that conviction had only grown stronger in his heart.
Later, he’d even felt a chill of fear. He’d charged headlong into that unknown place without a second thought, ready to take whatever risks came his way, but he hadn’t fully considered the consequences. What if something had happened to him? How devastated would his parents be? And with little Hao and Qing’er still in school, if anything went wrong at home, who would be there to protect them?
That fear had only steeled his resolve. So when he suddenly got that tearful call from Lin Wei today, the disappointment, the hurt, and the rage flooded his heart and filled it to the brim.
Standing at the gate of Star City Polytechnic University, the sky had gradually darkened. Xu Ze glanced at his watch—it was past six. He quietly commanded: “Number One, help me locate Xiao Hao’s position…”
“Beep… Xiao Hao’s mobile number locked… starting search…” Number One’s mechanical voice sounded. Two seconds later, it reported: “Xiao Hao’s mobile signal not found. Network records show the device is powered off.”
“Powered off?” Xu Ze’s eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching. He pulled out his phone and dialed Lin Wei’s number.
“Xu Ze Ge… are you here? I tried calling you earlier but couldn’t get through…” came Lin Wei’s cautious voice.
“Oh, I just got off the plane. Where are you?” Hearing her timid tone, Xu Ze replied calmly.
When Lin Wei heard he’d just landed, she was clearly taken aback. “Oh… so you flew in from out of town? Qing’er Jie and I are eating at the university town food street…”
“Qing’er is with you?” Xu Ze nodded. “Which spot are you at? I’ll come over.”
Xu Ze reached the university town food street and quickly found the small eatery where Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei were having dinner. At first, Xu Qing’er didn’t even register the soldier walking in—it wasn’t until he was right in front of her that she recognized this man in the crisp military uniform as her own big brother.
Staring at her brother in full dress uniform as he sat down at the table, Xu Qing’er was utterly stunned. “Ge… when did you join the military?”
“Yeah… I’ve already gone to Beijing.” Xu Ze wasn’t surprised that Xu Qing’er didn’t know—he’d only left half a month ago, and their parents probably hadn’t thought to mention it to her or Xu Hao.
Hearing that Xu Ze really wasn’t in school anymore, both Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei were taken aback. But Xu Qing’er, though surprised, had grown used to her big brother’s unpredictable moves, so she didn’t dwell on it. Right now, she was worried about that kid Xu Hao.
She hadn’t known about the situation until Lin Wei, after calling Xu Ze, had a sinking feeling. His voice had been calm—too calm. And when she remembered his words about giving her back a well-behaved, sensible little Hao tomorrow, her heart started to race.
She’d seen Xu Ze lose his temper over Xu Hao before—back then, he’d beaten those two classmates who’d ganged up on him black and blue. Now with Xu Hao acting up like this, was Xu Ze Ge going to give him a beating too?
The thought made Lin Wei more and more uneasy. She quickly called Xu Qing’er, and they agreed to meet up—just in case Xu Ze Ge really blew his top, at least someone would be there to mediate.
Though Xu Qing’er was deeply upset and angry at Xu Hao’s behavior, seeing her brother so eerily calm was making her feel something wasn’t right either.
Xu Ze glanced at the table—one meat dish, one vegetable, both very simple. He called the owner for an extra set of utensils, then ordered two more dishes and a soup. He told the girls to eat a little more, then picked up his bowl and ate in silence.
Watching Xu Ze eat without a word, Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei exchanged worried glances. Their anxiety was growing.
Xu Ze Ge had taken her call at noon, flown all the way from Beijing, and now Xiao Hao’s phone was off. Things were definitely not looking good for him…
After quickly finishing two bowls of rice and clearing the two new dishes the owner brought, finally filling the stomach that had been empty since noon, Xu Ze put down his chopsticks and looked at the two girls who had long since stopped eating. “Xiao Hao’s phone is off. Do you know where he is?”
They exchanged another glance and quickly shook their heads, both thinking the same thing—please, let Xiao Hao keep his phone off tonight. At least let Xu Ze Ge cool down a bit, and they could deal with it tomorrow.
“Weiwei, do you have the numbers of those friends Xiao Hao usually hangs out with?” Xu Ze asked flatly.
Lin Wei looked up, meeting the unsettling calmness in Xu Ze’s eyes, and felt a shiver run down her spine. She quickly shook her head. “No…”
“Then you must at least know their names?” Xu Ze pressed.
“Yes—one’s called Luo Zibo, one’s Zhang Tianyi, and another’s Lan Qi. I don’t know the others that well.” Lin Wei didn’t dare stay silent this time.
Xu Ze nodded. Meanwhile, Number One had already followed his command to pull Xu Hao’s recent call logs from the mobile network and cross-reference them with the database, identifying those three numbers.
Outside, night had fully fallen. Xu Ze checked his watch—it was past seven. He looked up at them. “Are you both full?”
“Full, full!” they both nodded hastily.
Xu Ze nodded, called the owner over, and paid the bill—less than fifty yuan. He let a faint smile show, then said, “Let’s go.”
Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei followed nervously behind Xu Ze as they left the food street. They saw him stop at the entrance. A man got out of a nearby car, walked up to Xu Ze, and respectfully handed over a key. “Master Xu, the car is ready.”
Xu Ze took the key, pressed the unlock button, and heard a soft “beep” from a steady, stately Mercedes SUV ahead. He nodded toward Xu Qing’er and Lin Wei and led them toward the vehicle.
As Xu Ze drove unhurriedly toward the city center, Xu Qing’er finally couldn’t hold back. “Xu Ze Ge… where are we going now?”
“To find Xiao Hao,” Xu Ze replied flatly.
“Number One, help me confirm the locations of those three numbers.”
