Song Nanxing rarely experienced such intense emotional upheaval.
His eyes were red-rimmed, tears brimming, almost breaking into sobs, yet he stubbornly refused to cry, clenching his teeth until his whole body trembled slightly.
When Han Zhi’s call connected, Song Nanxing was too overwhelmed to respond calmly.
“Hello? Song Nanxing, is something wrong?”
Han Zhi received no reply, only faint breaths through the speaker.
Song Nanxing tried to speak, but his voice was blocked as if gagged; his lips trembled violently.
“I’ll talk to him.” Shen Du sighed, rising and walking behind him. His warm, steady hand gently stroked Song Nanxing’s shoulder and back, then he bent down in an embracing posture and took the phone from his hand.
“Hello.” Shen Du put the call on speaker, speaking calmly, “I’m a friend of Song Nanxing. He just saw the news on TV about missing persons returning today, and it seems he… saw his mother among them.”
Han Zhi’s voice was tinged with surprise. “How is that possible? Let him take the call.”
Shen Du glanced down at Song Nanxing, whose eyelids drooped, lost in a storm of emotions. Hearing Han Zhi, he looked up at Shen Du, signaling him to hand back the phone.
Shen Du gently patted his back and returned the phone, lowering his voice to ask, “Do you feel a little better?”
Song Nanxing sniffled, nodding faintly, his voice hoarse, “Captain Han, I really saw my mother. She was among the missing people who returned. Has the police made a list of the missing? Could you help check if there’s any information about my mother?”
On the other end, Han Zhi hesitated, pulling out a cigarette and biting the tip hard before carefully asking, “Your mother’s been missing for so many years. Are you sure it was really her? Could it be a case of mistaken identity?”
Song Nanxing hesitated a long time before answering with difficulty, “I’m not sure…”
His voice was hoarse, his expression fragile, as if struggling to convince himself to accept the uncertainty. “But as long as there’s even the slightest hope, I don’t want to give up. What if… what if it really is her?”
Han Zhi sighed. He dared not abruptly shatter Song Nanxing’s hope and instead compromised, “Roughly four to five hundred missing people have returned from the Mist Zone this time. Some have clear memories and can recall their identities, but others have been missing too long, and their mental state is somewhat affected. The police are having difficulty verifying identities. A complete list won’t be available anytime soon. I can only ask someone to keep an eye out for you.”
Song Nanxing exhaled in relief, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
Han Zhi, afraid that the greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment, subtly warned, “But don’t hold out too much hope… The number of missing persons is too great. Those lucky ones who return are just a drop in the ocean for each family.”
Song Nanxing muttered a “Hmm” in response, and only then did Han Zhi hang up.
Shen Du studied his expression and handed him a tissue. “Your mother is missing too?”
Song Nanxing nodded, still looking subdued. He spoke quietly, “Yeah, it’s been more than ten years now.” He wiped his eyes, looking apologetic, “Sorry, I lost control of my emotions just now.”
“That’s only natural. No need to apologize to me.” Shen Du poured him a glass of water, sitting beside him with a calm gaze. “If you want, you can tell me about it. I’ll be a good listener.”
Meeting his eyes, Song Nanxing forced a small smile. “There’s nothing I can’t say. Have you heard of the Black Goat case? The real culprit behind it was my father, and I was the only survivor. When my mother found out about my father’s plot, she came secretly to save me. But my father caught her midway. She distracted him to let me escape, then turned into the thick fog and never came back.”
Shen Du said softly, “Your mother must have loved you very much.”
“Yeah, she was a very gentle person.” Song Nanxing smiled faintly, but his eyes held sadness. “But she’s been gone for so long that sometimes… I can barely remember what she looks like.”
This was why he couldn’t confirm with certainty when Han Zhi asked.
What if… he had mistaken someone else for her?
“Then go see for yourself.” Shen Du said.
Song Nanxing looked at him in surprise.
“There’s no news yet from Captain Han’s side.”
Shen Du pointed to the news, “The official list of missing people hasn’t been released yet, but many family members have already rushed over. We can go take a look too.”
Song Nanxing suddenly realized, “Right, I can go look myself first.”
The missing persons who came out of the Mist Zone were temporarily settled on the outskirts of the city. They had to pass through spiritual pollution monitoring before being allowed back into the city.
Song Nanxing hurriedly stood up. “I need to go out for a bit.”
Shen Du sat him back down. “It’s still raining outside, and renting a car at the property will be troublesome. I’ll drive and go with you.”
He carried the dishes into the kitchen and quickly tidied up before turning to the stunned Song Nanxing. “Let’s go. Remember to bring rain protection. If you still have any documents or photos related to your mother, bring those as well.”
Song Nanxing responded with a nod and only then remembered to fetch the documents. Since seeing the news, he had been slow to react until Shen Du’s reminder.
He went into the storage room, rummaged for a while, and finally pulled out an old metal box. Inside was a worn marriage certificate, which he showed Shen Du. “This is all that’s left.”
The certificate was very old; the ID photos had faded and blurred to the point where only vague male and female figures could be discerned.
On the left side of the photo, it said: Holder: Du Shilin.
That must be Song Nanxing’s mother’s name.
Shen Du put it away. “Let’s go take a look first.”
*****
Happiness Garden was quite far from the Anzhidian. Coupled with the worsening rain, Song Nanxing and Shen Du arrived at the Anzhidian around three in the afternoon.
The so-called Anzhidian was just a temporary tent setup, with yellow police tape cordoning off the area outside.
Family members of the missing, having rushed from various places, stood outside the tape in rain protection gear, their faces anxious yet filled with hope.
Song Nanxing put on a raincoat, grabbed an umbrella, and told Shen Du, “The rain is too heavy. I’ll just go down there. You wait in the car.”
But Shen Du had already taken out an umbrella, shooting Song Nanxing a disapproving glance. “More eyes, more chances of finding her.”
Song Nanxing had no argument and shared the umbrella with him as they walked toward the Anzhidian.
Despite the heavy rain, the area around the Anzhidian was packed with people—police maintaining order, medical staff from the health center, the families of missing persons who had heard the news, and reporters eager to get first-hand information.
The reporters, clad in rain gear, moved about, interviewing the families.