Behind the one hundred and fifty-seven missing persons who returned home were one hundred and fifty-seven families. Including the missing individuals and their relatives, even a conservative estimate put the total at three to four hundred people.
These three to four hundred people were scattered across various districts of Tong City, yet all disappeared simultaneously within a very short span of time.
The police officers sent to their homes found no one answering the door. After reporting the situation, the Special Operations Bureau compiled data and discovered that such cases were quite numerous. They issued an emergency directive allowing officers to forcibly enter homes by unconventional means.
But after breaking in, the officers found the houses completely empty, not a soul inside.
Some tables still had food left untouched, some of which had already gone sour. Judging by the lavishness of the meals, they were clearly prepared to celebrate the return of family members. Yet when the police arrived, those dishes remained exactly where they were, while the family had vanished without a trace.
“We reviewed the surveillance footage from the residential complexes and surrounding streets, but all those cameras malfunctioned uniformly during a specific time frame. We couldn’t track their whereabouts through the footage.”
Chu Yan took a sip of water, her gaze burning as she stared at Song Nanxing.
Song Nanxing listened intently, somewhat puzzled. “What you’re saying, Captain Chu… I don’t think I can be of much help.”
He couldn’t possibly know where all those missing families had gone.
Chu Yan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she pulled out a printed document and placed it in front of him. “Yesterday, I asked Han Zhi why you showed up at Tong City University. Han Zhi told me you were there to look for your mother. Later, when our staff re-examined the missing persons in the gymnasium, they found a bag of snacks by a woman’s bed. We confirmed through the gym’s surveillance footage that you were the one who brought them.”
“Did you find your mother?” Chu Yan fixed her eyes on him, not missing the slightest change on his face.
Song Nanxing’s body stiffened. He lowered his gaze and after a long moment said, “No. That wasn’t my mother.”
Chu Yan nodded and casually dropped a bombshell. “Indeed, it wasn’t. After you reported the case last night, we locked down the gym floor by floor. After cross-checking the data, the remaining number of people in the gym matched the official website’s published figures. The only discrepancy was a middle-aged woman whose identity hasn’t been verified and whose family hasn’t claimed her. She disappeared from the gym. Meanwhile, the website added a new person, a woman named Du Shilin, who has been claimed by her family.”
She emphasized once more, “But the total number of people still matches.”
Song Nanxing understood. He paled and took the document Chu Yan pushed over, flipping through it. It was the initial list of missing persons released by the official website. Among the thousands on the list, one middle-aged woman without a name—only a photo, gender, and age—was circled in red.
Her face was ordinary, and Song Nanxing had no recollection of her. The number before her name was 487, indicating she was the 487th person to have come out of the Mist Zone.
Song Nanxing flipped further. It was another missing persons list, dated yesterday. The information on the earlier pages was identical to the first list until the last page, where Du Shilin’s information appeared on the final row.
Du Shilin, female, 47 years old. A note alongside said: “Claimed by family.”
All this information had been provided by Song Nanxing in an email. After he told Cheng Jianning about a statistical omission of missing persons, Cheng Jianning had the official list updated quickly. But because Du Shilin was mentally confused, the staff couldn’t confirm her identity. So, the updated list only showed her photo, gender, and estimated age.
Song Nanxing had only sent the email claiming her after seeing the latest updated list.
Chu Yan looked at his pale face and spoke slowly: “With such a large number of missing persons returning suddenly, our staff has tried their best to be careful and accurate. But Cheng Jianning is from the containment center. After he reported the omission, the staff didn’t repeatedly verify. Once they confirmed the list lacked her info, they just added her in with a new number. That’s why they didn’t notice that the gym was actually missing number 487 but had added number 1203 instead.”
“But there have only ever been 1,202 missing persons returning from the Mist Zone. After subtracting the 213 claimed by families, 989 remained in the gym. Not one more, not one less.”
Song Nanxing muttered, “Those things can change forms?” He shook his head and added, “No, that can’t be right… how could it just so happen to take the form of my mother…”
Chu Yan said, “That’s one of the reasons I came to see you.”
“I suspect your father’s old associates are deliberately targeting you.”
Song Nanxing’s eyelid twitched.
Chu Yan shifted the topic and continued, “Han Zhi said you never gave up searching for your mother’s whereabouts. Actually, the containment center has sealed many files on your father’s case. There might be information related to your mother in there…”
Song Nanxing suddenly looked up at her and bluntly asked, “If I want to see them, what do I have to trade?”
Chu Yan smiled. “That’s the second reason I’m here. You probably know a bit about the containment center through Cheng Jianning. We’re currently short on manpower. We don’t want to miss out on any useful talent… If you’re willing to join the containment center, I’ll find a way to help you request access to the sealed files.”
Song Nanxing was taken aback by her roundabout approach, having come fully prepared to bargain for such a deal. “But I don’t have any special abilities…”
Chu Yan didn’t avoid his gaze and asked, “Are you really sure you don’t?”
Song Nanxing fell silent.
Chu Yan said, “Although the authorities have never publicly disclosed related information, I guess you might have suspected some of it. So-called ‘gifted’ individuals, or ‘transcendents,’ are actually patients severely affected by mental contamination. But they haven’t completely lost their sanity or self-awareness and can gradually learn to control their abilities…”
Her expression darkened somewhat. “Initially, many scholars believed that mental contamination was actually a form of human self-selection and evolution.”
“Those who pass the selection can acquire near-divine abilities, while those who fail become degenerate monsters. They predicted that, in the end, this would be a world of warring gods, a new order rebuilt from chaos.”
Chu Yan rotated her cup. “Of course, this was the view of the ‘Godmaking faction’ at the time. Later, the Godmaking faction was too radical and was rejected and expelled. Their successors took the essence of their ideas and discarded the dross, which is how the containment center was established.”
“The containment center is responsible for receiving all patients severely affected by contamination. There are many rumors outside, but in truth, we try our best to help every patient who retains self-awareness and incorporate them to contribute their strengths.”
“For example, Cheng Jianning, and also you.”
“Though you might not want to admit it, after you were rescued and handed over to the containment center, my teacher originally hoped to keep you there for training. But you resisted too strongly, so they had no choice but to send you back.”
“But now, it seems that if you don’t want to give up searching for your mother’s whereabouts, the number of times you’re targeted might increase. And running away won’t solve the problem.”
Song Nanxing pressed his lips together, seemingly deep in thought.
Chu Yan didn’t push him, patiently waiting for his answer.
After a long moment, Song Nanxing hesitantly spoke, “If I join the containment center, are you sure you can help me request access to the files on my father and the Black Goat case?”
Chu Yan nodded, “Although the case has been sealed, I will find a way for you. But that also requires you to have some achievements to convince those above.”
Song Nanxing took a deep breath. His wavering expression gradually grew firm. “Alright.”
He hesitated a little before adding, “I hope to keep my current job.”
Receiving his affirmative reply, Chu Yan smiled and stood up, shaking his hand. “Welcome to the Containment Center’s Task Force. Many in the group have other jobs as well, so that’s not an issue. Just be sure to respond promptly when needed. I’ll have Zhou Xuan take you through the onboarding procedures once this case is resolved. If you want to know anything else, you can ask Cheng Jianning, Zhou Xuan, or me.”
Song Nanxing pointed to the documents on the table. “Is there anything you need me to do this time?”
In such a short time, he had come to understand Chu Yan better. Her sudden visit was clearly an ambush outside his door. With the scope of this missing persons return event so broad, Chu Yan had no reason to easily let a labor force like him go.
Sure enough, Chu Yan’s smile grew brighter when she heard his initiative. After adding him on WeChat, she sent him a more detailed set of information. “Zhou Xuan has been reassigned. There are several missing families in Xingfu Garden and surrounding residential complexes. I need you to check on their whereabouts. If you encounter any emergencies, you can contact the Special Operations Bureau or the nearest police station.”
Song Nanxing agreed and saw her out.
Chu Yan waved him off, refusing to be escorted, and strode downstairs hurriedly.
Song Nanxing returned to his room and carefully studied the information she had sent.
Downstairs, Chu Yan got into a car and saw the person in the passenger seat raise an eyebrow. “You’re pretty free now?”
Han Zhi tapped the dashboard, his bloodshot eyes showing he hadn’t slept all night. “Don’t you know if I’m free, Captain Chu?” He asked irritably, “Are you really going to let Song Nanxing see those files?”
He didn’t know what Chu Yan had said to Song Nanxing, but if Song Nanxing saw those documents from Tong City, he would inevitably realize that everything today was a lie — he never had a mother.
Chu Yan was using his nonexistent mother as bait to coax him into joining the containment center, only valuing his abilities.
“You know full well that once the truth comes out, his mental state might become very unstable.”
Han Zhi had more contact with Song Nanxing and believed he knew him better. Whether out of concern for social stability or personal care for Song Nanxing, he hoped he would never find that nonexistent “mother.”
Maybe ten years hadn’t been enough for him to give up, but twenty or thirty years, surely he would abandon the search someday.
Chu Yan, however, held the exact opposite view. “Do you think your father’s associates in Tong City will easily let him go?”
She lowered the car window and looked at the leaden gray sky outside. In a low voice, she said, “Han Zhi, the tree desires calm, but the wind won’t cease. Running away won’t bring peace.”
“For Song Nanxing, and for us, it’s the same.”
“He hesitated a little before adding, “I hope to keep my current job.””
I have read to much of modern fantasy novel where MC had to drop their current job (which they loved) to join the government special ability organization. So seeing Nanxing gets to keep his regular job really makes me happy!