Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 39: Mr. Qin, Help
Jack and Joseph struggled desperately. It wasn’t the fear of being caught that drove them, but the terror of being dragged to the edge of that mine.
Unfortunately, not only were they being held by several battle-hardened men, but their mouths had also been sealed with duct tape.
"Mmph... Mmph..."
As Baru stepped out of the guardhouse, he saw two young men pinned to the ground, still struggling relentlessly.
They were dressed in casual clothes. A guard standing nearby held a bag of food and two pairs of binoculars.
They looked exactly like civilians.
Baru walked over, squatted down beside them, and pressed the muzzles of two M9 pistols against their heads—one for Jack, one for Joseph.
The cold touch of the muzzles made the two young men freeze instantly.
"Now, I’m going to take the tape off your mouths. If either of you so much as shouts, I’ll shoot. Don’t doubt me."
Baru’s low voice and menacing appearance were evidently quite convincing. The two nodded in terror.
At that, Baru gave a nod to the man beside him, who promptly tore the tape from the young men’s mouths with a loud RIIIP! RIIIP!
As expected, Jack and Joseph didn’t dare to shout or even speak. The guards holding them down loosened their grip slightly, allowing them to shift from being face-down in the dirt to a proper kneeling position.
Their breathing was shallow and rapid. Despite the cool night air, their foreheads were slick with sweat mixed with dirt from the ground.
Even as they looked at Baru, they couldn’t stop themselves from glancing nervously back over their shoulders at the mine.
Baru hadn’t even asked a question, but their reaction made his brow furrow.
"What are you two doing here? Is this related to our company’s missing employees?"
"We can’t stay here! Let us go! Your men disappearing has nothing to do with us!"
Jack blurted out, his voice tight with anxiety. Joseph nodded frantically beside him.
"It’s this mine! It’s the mine! W-we can’t stay here! You shouldn’t stay here either!"
Joseph couldn’t hold back any longer.
"We saw it last night! Your men stripped off their clothes and walked right in! They never came back out!"
"We can’t stay here."
"Let us go!"
Their voices grew louder as they began to struggle again, trying to get to their feet, but the two guards held them down firmly.
’What is this gibberish?’
Baru exchanged a look with his colleagues.
...
The next day, men from the Hercules Security Company arrived at the edge of the mine, their faces grim. Old Ode stood to one side, his expression fraught with worry.
Twelve more sets of clothes lay on the ground: ten Hercules Security uniforms and two sets of casual wear from unknown individuals.
"Even Eagle Baru is gone?"
The Hercules Security Company was now at a complete loss, and Old Ode was also weighed down by his troubles.
Regardless of what either party was thinking, under the circumstances, they ultimately decided to call the police.
The sudden disappearance of fifteen veteran security guards, plus two potential civilians, was taken very seriously by the Los Angeles police precinct for that area.
They dispatched several experienced officers to investigate, along with a considerable number of backup personnel.
If they didn’t send their best detectives, they’d risk being laughed at by the men from Hercules Security.
In the United States, state police forces operate as relatively independent systems. As such, the national security department, which was still in the early stages of studying "anomalous incidents," was not yet aware of the events at the mine. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
...
Two days! Two whole days had passed.
There had been no word from Jack and Joseph.
Their families were frantic. They called all their friends and reported them missing again. The police quickly connected the two sets of civilian clothes to the case. After the parents confirmed the identification, it was certain the clothes belonged to Jack and Joseph.
But it was no use. They still had no idea where the two had gone.
For some reason, despite the police guarding the "crime scene" at night for the past two days, the mine never "swallowed" anyone again.
Joey and Mark had been on edge recently. They hadn’t gone with Jack and Joseph that night because they had to work the night shift. Now, Jack and Joseph were missing too.
The absurd "man-eating mine" story they told the police had not repeated itself. Instead, they were scolded for attempting to steal Crystal and nearly arrested.
Even Jack and Joseph’s families wanted nothing to do with them. But Joey and Mark knew in their hearts that the mine was definitely connected to their friends’ disappearance.
The immense guilt and anxiety kept them up at night. They were terrified the mine was now "coming for" those who had witnessed what happened.
As far as they were concerned, this was a supernatural event. The police were useless!
And among everyone they knew, there was only one person who might be able to help: a beautiful girl.
...
「Qiantang, 9:00 AM.」
Su Su’s rented apartment.
"What?! When did this happen?"
"Three days? Why are you only telling me now!!"
On the other end of the line, Jenny frowned. Joey and Mark were at her house, and the three of them were huddled around a cell phone on speaker, listening to Su Su’s voice.
"Feiya, you don’t actually believe them, do you?"
Even though her best friend was a Fortune-Teller, Jenny clearly didn’t believe Joey and Mark.
But Su Su, on the other end of the line, had no choice but to believe them.
That single sentence sent a numbing tingle through her body, raising goosebumps all over her skin. For a Fortune-Teller, it was a clear premonition.
Ignoring her friend’s skepticism, she said urgently,
"Wait right there, I’ll find someone to help immediately! Stay away from that mine! Do you hear me? Stay away! Especially you, Mark and Joey. If the police don’t believe you, just let it be!"
Jack and Joseph were good friends of Su Su’s as well, and hearing the news sent her into a panic.
’I hope it’s not too late!’
At a time like this, she couldn’t be bothered with trivial details like whether Qin Xiaoxia had a passport and visa.
Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoxia, Doudou, and Huang Jiutian were cleaning the old house in Qingzhen.
This wasn’t Huang Jiutian’s first time seeing the building. As a child, Qin Xiaoxia had led him and their other friends here to play hide-and-seek.
But now, he had a much deeper appreciation for the building.
Even the giant "Dawn" symbol on the grand hall’s floor filled him with a profound sense of history and gravitas.
That’s why, of the three, Huang Jiutian was cleaning with the most vigor.
This wasn’t just a casual sweeping like last time; they were meant to clean the entire house from top to bottom.
Doudou and Qin Xiaoxia were putting in far more effort than last time, but next to Huang Jiutian’s industriousness, they looked like they were slacking off.
And so, what had only *looked* like slacking off soon turned into *actual* slacking off.
Just then, as Qin Xiaoxia sat on a chair in the main hall, his phone suddenly chimed with a notification. freēwebnovel.com
He opened it. It was a message from Su Su.
"Mr. Qin, help!!"
"Mr. Qin, help!!"
"Mr. Qin, help!!"
...
Qin Xiaoxia saw an endless stream of messages. Su Su was spamming his WeChat.
’What’s going on?’
