Su Ziyu was also well aware.
Her act of kneeling to pray to two Vajras for her husband's safe return was merely to comfort herself.
But for Li Qianfan's help—
If he was destined to die, he would die regardless!
She wasn't doing this for anyone's show.
Nor did she deign to use such means to gain favor with the core layer of Dragon Ruins.
This was simply her most earnest prayer for her husband's safe return.
The wind grew colder.
The ground froze harder.
Her body gradually numbed from the cold.
Yet her heart became calmer and calmer.
Gradually, she sank into a state of ethereal clarity.
A voice echoed in her heart: "Su Ziyu, as long as your heart is sincere enough, your husband will return safely." kuAiδugg
"Alright, then I'll kneel down with Ziyu."
Mo Hongti thought to herself, closing her eyes.
If Qianfan doesn't return—
We won't rise!
Many people entering and leaving Dragon Ruins saw them.
No one stopped their vehicles or their steps, as if they hadn't seen them at all.
Even Li Xiao and Yang Xiao, upon hearing that they were kneeling in the freezing cold to pray for Li Qianfan, did not show themselves.
In a warm room somewhere.
A young woman standing by the window, looking at the main entrance of Dragon Ruins, let out a soft scoff: "Heh, how dramatic. How long can they kneel in such cold weather?"
Behind her stood another young blonde woman.
She said, "Yu Minmin, don't underestimate them. You should know that women of your Eastern Land have an astonishing tenacity in their bones."
Yu Minmin turned to look at Roma, saying faintly, "Not all Eastern Land women possess the tenacity you speak of."
Roma asked, "Want to make a bet?"
Yu Minmin replied, "Bet on what?"
Roma looked out the window, her tone cold, "If Li Qianfan truly meets misfortune, you support my son."
Yu Minmin smiled, "And if you lose?"
Roma, the former chief president of the dark web, stated plainly, "If they don't rise before news of Li Qianfan arrives, I will fully support you."
Yu Minmin raised her hand.
*Slap.*
Their palms met softly.
The wind suddenly gusted—
This is the Eastern Land!
There was a time difference of about three hours between the Eastern Land and the Blackwater Forest.
The Eastern Land time when Li Qianfan released the video was around seven in the evening.
Ning Xiaolan, who had just returned home from working overtime that day, ignored Old Su who was watching television on the living room sofa. She quickly walked into the bedroom and began packing.
Old Su asked strangely, "Xiaolan, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to the temple to burn incense for my parents."
Ning Xiaolan slung her backpack over her shoulder, "I might return tomorrow, or the day after. I've already requested three days off from work."
Old Su was stunned, "Xiaolan, are you running a fever? Why are you going into the mountains in the middle of the night to burn incense for the elders for no reason?"
Ning Xiaolan ignored him, pushed him aside with her hand, and quickly walked out of the bedroom.
Old Su, with a bewildered expression—
Suddenly raised his hand and heavily slapped the back of his head, "Xiaolan, you're going to the temple to pray for Qianfan!"
Ning Xiaolan paused, "I don't believe in Buddhism."
Old Su didn't care whether his wife believed in Buddhism or not.
He just chased after her, grabbed her arm, "Xiaolan, do you still remember that call our son-in-law made to us before he set off?"
Ning Xiaolan certainly remembered.
It was Li Qianfan telling them not to worry and repeatedly saying that his current expedition was just a formality to silence those who looked down on him.
"Sigh."
Ning Xiaolan sighed and asked, "Old Su, do you really think Qianfan is just going through the motions?"
Old Su mumbled in return, "Isn't he? He even took two women with him for that."
"If he was just going through the motions, why would he send Chu Yazhi to Qingyun?"
Ning Xiaolan frowned, "And the reason I was working overtime today was to ask my colleagues to help me investigate the station records for the past few days. I found that dozens of people from Si Jiu disappeared after arriving in Qingyun. And they were all surnamed Li. What does this indicate?"
Old Su asked blankly, "What does it indicate?"
"It indicates that the people Qianfan took with him before he left may have broken into smaller groups and arrived in Qingyun."
Ning Xiaolan said, "They are tasked with protecting us. Qianfan worried that the enemy would cause trouble behind his back. If he was just going through the motions, would he need to make such arrangements? When you went to the company today, did you notice that many of the security personnel were not the original ones?"
Old Su's ignorant eyes widened, his mouth moving ceaselessly.
"My son-in-law isn't going there for a check-in. He's going there to fight for his life."
Ning Xiaolan shook off Old Su's hand and quickly walked out, "As his mother, I can't help in any way. I can only pray that my parents can bless him to return safely."
*Click.*
The living room door closed.
Old Su snapped back to reality.
He quickly chased after her, "Xiaolan, wait! I suddenly remembered I need to go to the temple and burn a few sticks of incense for my in-laws."
Eight o'clock in the evening.
Si Jiu—
The head of the Shen family put down his mobile phone with a sneer.
The old butler standing in front of him asked in a low voice, "Master, you don't believe Li Qianfan will rush into the enemy's outer defense zone?"
The Shen family head retorted, "Would you go to that godforsaken place to fight with people for a group of people who oppose you, while bringing two women who ruin the country and its people?"
The butler immediately shook his head, "Only if my head was kicked by a donkey."
"Li Qianfan's head isn't kicked by a donkey either."
The Shen family head stood up from behind his desk, walked back and forth in front of it with his hands behind his back for a moment, and asked, "Any news of Li Wujiang?"
The butler shook his head, "She's like she evaporated. She suddenly disappeared from public view more than ten days ago."
The Shen family head asked again, "What about Li Family Village?"
The butler replied curtly, "Strictly guarded. No one can get close."
The Shen family head continued, "What about those who followed Li Qianfan on his expedition?"
The butler replied, "According to our informants, Li Xingtang and his group are driving their RVs back in a swagger. As for the forty-odd people who suddenly disappeared abroad, their whereabouts are still unknown."
The Shen family head frowned, "What trick is that brat playing?"
"Master."
The butler lowered his voice, "If Li Qianfan is just going there for a check-in, on his way back. Can our people over there...?"
As he spoke, he made a cutting gesture with his hand!
This represented ambushing Li Qianfan with long-range weapons along the way.
As long as the job was done cleanly, everyone would think Li Qianfan was killed by the enemy.
The Shen family head, however, glared at him fiercely with very cold eyes.
The butler flinched.
"Idiot!"
The Shen family head lowered his voice, "It's a fact that Dragon Ruins is not participating in the Blackwater Forest rescue operation. But if anyone dares to touch Li Qianfan outside the enemy's defense perimeter, try it! You think you can do a clean job? Can you be cleaner than those killers from Dragon Ruins? I can't say for sure about others, but the mysteriously disappeared Li Wujiang, and the consistently calm Emperor's Valley (Li Nanfang) will definitely dispatch a large number of experts to clear out idiots like you along the way for Li Qianfan."
Cold sweat quickly beaded on the butler's forehead.
"If you want our Shen family to prosper for generations, don't have such foolish thoughts."
The Shen family head, considering the butler's many years of diligent service, softened his tone after a reprimand, "What's the situation with the Yao family now?"
The butler wiped his forehead and replied truthfully, "They are in negotiations with International Ruixue for a new round. With the sharp increase in vampire cases in the country, especially with the appearance of the Guanyin worm, the public's calls for those who bring light are growing louder."
Indeed.
At least—
Su Nanyin was looking at the latest report, her brows tightly furrowed.
The number of vampire cases in the Eastern Land was experiencing an explosive trend.
The estimated number of cases across the country had exceeded fifty thousand!
The vast majority of patients were infected by touching things that patients had touched with their hands.
"Mom."
Beside her, Su Zui, who was handling company matters, said, "I suspect someone is targeting our pharmaceutical factory. The transformer that was just replaced yesterday malfunctioned again this evening. This prevents us from producing a batch of Qianfan One as per your plan. The critical point is that Qingyun Qianfan Pharmaceutical seems to have encountered some unexpected issues as well."
"It's normal for someone to be causing trouble."
Su Nanyin didn't take it seriously, "The matter with the young rascal is the most important thing right now. Other matters can be put aside for now. Let them jump around. The higher they jump now, the harder they will fall later."
Mentioning the young rascal—
Su Zui seized the opportunity to ask, "Mom, do you think he can return safely?"
Su Nanyin was silent for a long time before saying, "If the plan goes smoothly, he has an 80% chance."
Su Zui quickly asked, "What about the remaining 20%?"
Su Nanyin looked up at the sky, "Then it depends on whether Heaven can protect him."
"Mom—"
"Hm?"
"If something happens to him, what will happen to our family?"
Su Zui asked as if in a dream.
Su Nanyin didn't speak.
Su Zui slowly turned his head and looked towards the third bedroom.
Du Junlin was still catching up on sleep.
As soon as she turned her head, she heard Su Nanyin say softly, "We'll all become widows, what else can we do?"
Eleven o'clock at night Eastern Land time!
It was eight o'clock in the evening Blackwater Forest time—
Murong Mingyuan, who was driving, gently applied the brakes.
She turned her head, "Master, there's a warning sign ahead."