Chapter 1 After Paying

After paying the money, the landlady led them into the hotel. One thing she didn't lie about was that the hotel was indeed old, with some of the corners showing signs of dampness and blackening.

The room they were assigned was at the end of the corridor on the 3rd floor, a location that didn't feel good. If something unexpected happened, they'd be trapped inside unless they jumped out the window.

Opening the door, the room's facilities were relatively complete: two single beds, a table and chairs, and a private bathroom. When the landlady noticed that Fatty seemed dissatisfied with the lighting in the bathroom, she kindly told them that she could refund their money if they weren't happy with the room.

"No need, we're very satisfied. It's late, and we're ready to rest," Jiang Cheng said to the landlady. "We're planning to get up early tomorrow to go mountaineering."

"Mountaineering…" The landlady's expression changed slightly, then she gave an unnatural smile. "You must be joking. This isn't the season for mountaineering. The scenery on Dongxieming Mountain is best in April and May. It's very cold in the mountains now, and the recent rains have washed away the mountain roads. They're very muddy."

Jiang Cheng stroked his chin. "I see. Thank you for the reminder, landlady. In that case, we'll go take a look at Xixieming Mountain." He glanced at Fatty and the others.

Receiving the signal, Fatty and the others seemed very excited. "Xixieming Mountain sounds good. Just the name sounds more fun than the East Mountain. We'll buy some tents and equipment tomorrow and hike further into the mountains. It's been a while since we've tried camping in the wild."

After a while, the landlady seemed to realize something. These people didn't seem like ordinary tourists. Either they were mentally unstable, or they were…

"Hehe, I won't disturb you any further. You should rest."

After closing the door, the landlady deliberately quickened her pace for a few steps, then slowed down as she reached the stairs, tiptoeing back. Just as she was about to press her ear against the door to listen to the noises inside, the door was suddenly pulled open without warning. Before the landlady could react, a hand grabbed her collar and dragged her inside. But in that critical moment, she managed to tap her chest, and a buzzing alarm sounded. The other doors in the corridor quickly opened, and a group of people in outdoor clothing rushed over, blocking the entrance to Jiang Cheng's room.

"What are you doing?"

The leader was a middle-aged man in gray mountaineering gear, with a square face, medium build, but a fierce look between his brows. He roared at Jiang Cheng and the others in a coarse voice.

Behind the square-faced man, several people were wearing large coats, with one hand inserted inside, making the coats bulge. They were watching Jiang Cheng and the others warily.

If nothing unexpected happened, these people were all soldiers, hiding guns under their coats.

"I'm asking you a question. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

It was clear that these people were gradually losing patience. Under the square-faced man's command, they slowly retreated, while the people with guns hidden at the back were slowly moving forward.

Seeing this, Number 2 leaned close to the landlady's ear and whispered a few words, then released her collar and gently pushed her back.

Seeing that they no longer had a hostage, the square-faced man's side had no more concerns. Just as they were preparing to take down Jiang Cheng and the others, the terrified landlady suddenly spoke, reaching out to stop the square-faced man and his group. "Captain Wu, wait. These people have special identities. I need to report this. You guys stay here and keep watch. If they make any unusual moves, just shoot them directly. They aren't ordinary people; they're like me. That guy in the cowboy hat is very strong. Shoot him first."

Thinking of that cowboy hat, the landlady felt waves of fear in her heart. She had received rigorous training, and the moment she was grabbed, she had planned to activate the alarm, but the other party had used some method to make her heart twitch, twitching rhythmically, leaving her completely unable to exert any strength.

This could only mean that the other party's methods were far superior to hers; he was a dangerous person, possibly even approaching A-level.

But what surprised her even more was what the other party had whispered in her ear: Notify Old Man Luo and tell him that Mr. is here.

She naturally knew who Old Man Luo was. He was the leader of their dark army, a big figure she couldn't usually meet. As for who Mr. was, she didn't know.

But she just had to convey the message truthfully.

After temporarily leaving, the landlady took off her disguise, returned to her room, and used the encrypted equipment hidden in the room to contact her direct superior.

That's right, the entire town was controlled by their people. The specific reason was unknown, but it wasn't hard to guess that it was related to what was happening in the mountains.

Unsuspecting travelers would be persuaded to turn back by various means. If they insisted on refusing, then they would have to take some necessary measures.

But what the landlady never expected was that half an hour after ending the communication, a group of people came to their small hotel under the cover of night. Her direct superior was also among them, but he could only stand in an insignificant position among these people.

After dismissing Captain Wu and the others, an old man with white hair and beard came to the room. Number 2 nodded to the old man as a sign. "Old Man Luo, you're really here."

The old man was naturally the leader of the dark army, and also the previous head of the Luo family, Luo Yunshan, but this was not the time for pleasantries. Luo Yunshan's expression was terrifyingly gloomy. "How could I not come? That Lin Wan'er, I didn't hear a single word about such a big operation. The secrecy was airtight internally, and she even brought my good grandson to take risks!"

"Not just you, we didn't hear anything either. You know what kind of person Mr. is, and besides... it's useless to say all this now. We're here to save people."

Luo Yunshan's gaze stopped on Jiang Cheng and Fatty. After a pause, he seemed to have some kind of taboo, and quickly looked away, looking back at Number 2, waving his hand, signaling everyone to sit down and talk.

"Old Man Luo, what's the situation in the mountains? Have you found any clues?"

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Yunshan's expression became solemn, giving him the air of a venerable elder. "The situation in the mountains is very strange. We organized many teams to search the mountains, but none of them found Lin Wan'er and the others. They didn't bring a small number of people, and adding in the missing geological exploration team from before, there were at least several dozen people in total, but strangely, they were like... like they had vanished into thin air. There were no signs of fierce fighting, and everything in the mountains was normal."

"Right, we found their campsite. Everything in the campsite was normal, their equipment, supplies, even food, half-eaten food, all left in place, but... but the people were gone. The feeling was like they were eating a moment ago, and the next moment, they had disappeared into thin air."