Yu He walked to the driver's seat, turned the key, and started the car. Chen Hao's voice came from the walkie-talkie:
"Wait, where is it? How are you getting there? Should I come back and take you?"
Yu He told him the location, "I'll drive there. You guys rest. I'll be back soon."
She was eager, having finally found a clue.
"Okay, then be careful." Chen Hao said, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, do you have a driver's license?"
"..."
Yu He skillfully turned the car around and drove towards the destination, one hand on the steering wheel and the other pressing the walkie-talkie, saying, "I'll take the test next year."
"Holy crap, then you can drive?! Stop the car, I'll take you!" Chen Hao couldn't help but curse.
Yu He heard the rustling footsteps from the walkie-talkie and said, "I used to drive a tractor in the mountains. It's simple."
A tractor?
Chen Hao tried to imagine Yu He, with her stunning beauty, driving a tractor... The picture was too surreal to comprehend.
"Can a tractor be compared to a car? Don't be silly, stop the car! If the bureau finds out, I'll be in so much trouble for this mistake."
Yu He thought: Rigid.
"It's okay, this is the countryside, there's no one on the road. Just consider it practice for me. If you don't say anything, and I don't say anything, who will know?" She stepped on the gas and turned a corner.
"Ahem, aren't I someone?" Yang Lin's voice came from the walkie-talkie at this moment.
Yu He: "..."
As they spoke, she had already reached her destination, "I'm here, I'll get out and take a look."
Chen Hao was helpless. He really couldn't control this girl, so he could only instruct, "Then be careful. Yang Lin and I will be there later."
"Got it, Brother Hao. My own brother isn't as nagging as you are," Yu He replied.
Chen Hao: "..."
Yu He shone the car's high beams towards the woods, took a flashlight, and carried a shovel.
To prevent herself from getting scared, she encouraged herself, telling herself that those who do nothing wrong at night have nothing to fear from ghosts knocking at their door, and then headed straight for the destination.
As she got closer to the fourth tree, she noticed that the grass on the ground showed signs of being trampled. The trampled area wasn't what one person would make. It was odd, considering over a month had passed, there shouldn't be such obvious traces.
Yu He felt something was wrong. At the base of the fourth tree, the soil around the roots had clearly been disturbed.
She found a larger stone, placed her flashlight on it, and then used the shovel to dig where the soil had been turned.
The night wind blew intermittently, rustling the leaves, accompanied by the sound of the shovel digging into the soil.
After digging for ten minutes, Yu He still hadn't found the box that Luo Xiaoyao mentioned.
The sense of unease grew stronger. Had someone gotten there first?
But Luo Xiaoyao's email was sent only to her, wasn't it?
Or had her email been discovered long ago?
"Crack," suddenly, the sound of a breaking twig came from behind her, as if someone was approaching.
Yu He immediately turned her head, but the high beams of the car temporarily blinded her.
She squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand, and vaguely saw two other beams of light, similar to flashlights, shining towards her.
Thinking it was Chen Hao and the other person, she raised her hand to wave, "Hao..."
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head, as if struck by something. Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to turn around. She saw a person standing behind her, who hadn't been there moments before.
The person was holding a stick. Seemingly surprised that Yu He had turned, they raised the stick and were about to swing it at her when Yu He suddenly collapsed onto the ground, powerless...
...
On the other side.
Chen Hao and Yang Lin had just met in the woods and were heading towards Yu He's direction, cutting through the trees.
This forest was vast, and even in a straight line, it would take more than twenty minutes to walk.
"Let's race to see who gets there first. The loser buys drinks," Chen Hao suggested.
Yang Lin could see that Chen Hao was worried about Yu He, but he was tired and didn't want to run. He said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, this area is safe, nothing will happen."
"I think she's afraid of the dark, we should go faster," Chen Hao said.
She was clearly scared but insisted on coming, pretending to be fine. She probably didn't want anyone to know her weakness, did she?
"Oh, you're observing so closely. Could it be you're interested in her? When we were coming, who warned me that she was someone from Lord Qin Seven?" Yang Lin teased.
"Don't talk nonsense," Chen Hao said seriously. "I brought her here, so I have to be responsible for her. If anything happens, I won't be able to explain it to Lord Qin Seven."
"Everything is fine..." Yang Lin was about to comfort him when he vaguely saw two or three lights sweeping through the trees ahead. His voice stopped abruptly, and his expression turned serious.
Chen Hao exchanged a look with him, confirming they both saw it.
Yang Lin: "Jinx!"
The next second, both of them took off running.
By the time they reached the scene, Yu He was nowhere to be seen, and the flashlight beams they had seen earlier were also gone.
"This is bad!" Chen Hao panted, clenching his fists. Instinctively, he first secured the scene and then began observing the traces.
The car's headlights were aimed towards the fourth tree. The roots had been disturbed. Whether anything was found was unknown. Yu He's shovel and flashlight lay on the grass, which showed signs of being trampled by multiple people.
"I'll check the car," Yang Lin said.
The car had a dashcam, and its front was facing the scene. They hoped it had captured the perpetrator.
However, inside the car, Yang Lin discovered that the dashcam's memory card had been removed!
In the back seat, even Yu He's bag was gone.
Looking around, it was dark, and nothing could be seen. They didn't know which direction the perpetrator had run, but the absence of lights suggested they were still nearby.
"How is it?" The light was too dim, and Chen Hao hadn't found any useful clues for the moment. He ran over and asked.
Yang Lin lit a cigarette, sighing, "The dashcam's memory card was taken! It feels like they came prepared. I'm sorry, I was careless."
"Get someone to check the nearby road surveillance, especially in the village. Before they get too far, find them quickly!" Chen Hao said, then opened his phone and made a call.
--
Beijing, Renren General Hospital.
VIP ward.
Shao Chen, with his legs in casts, lay miserably on the hospital bed, looking pleadingly at Qin Beiting.
"Brother Ting, do you still have the medicine to save sister-in-law? Can she give me two more pills?"
At first, he didn't believe the pills Yu He had given him were life-saving and refused to take them. It was Qin Beiting who had people force-feed them to him.
Then, half an hour after taking them, he found out they were truly miraculous!
"No!" Qin Beiting refused coldly, then glanced at his watch. "Since you're fine, I'm leaving."
Shao Chen: "How am I fine?!"
At this moment, the phone in Qin Beiting's pocket rang. He glanced at the caller ID, it was Chen Hao. He answered.
"Lord Seven, Miss Yu is missing."