Investigation

"Come on, let's hurry." Gu Yuena grabbed Anping's hand and dragged him out of the door.

They headed to Lin Qing's apartment, which was provided by his employer, Heaven Dou Technology Co., Ltd. The company was a big player in the industry, and the disappearance of a few of its employees barely made a dent in its reputation.

The apartment complex was deserted, except for a lone caretaker who didn't notice them. Anping used his magic to shield them from his sight, and followed Gu Yuena into the building. They found Lin Qing's room easily. It was clean and orderly, with a familiar layout that reminded Anping of his old home in Glorybound City.

He scanned the room with his mental power, sensing the traces of many auras. Most of them were weak and chaotic, probably left by the federal police who had searched the place. But there was one aura that stood out. It was strong and steady, and it came from the study. It belonged to a soul emperor, and it was still fresh.

Anping withdrew his mental power and nodded at Gu Yuena, who had asked him if he had found any clues.

"Yes, one thing. If I'm not mistaken, there was a soul emperor here who spent a long time in the study. And he didn't just visit Uncle Lin's room. He went to several other rooms as well, and left his aura there. The number of rooms matches the number of missing people."

He pushed the door of the study open and walked in. He cast a recall spell, and the room was filled with faint humanoid lights and shadows. Most of them were moving around, clearly the investigators who had combed through the evidence. But there was one bright light and shadow that stayed still on the desk. It looked like he was reading a book or a document on the desk.

After a few seconds, he picked up what he was reading and searched the rest of the room. He didn't seem to find anything else he needed, so he went out through the window.

Gu Yuena watched the scene in awe, then ran to the window and leaned out, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure. But she saw nothing.

She turned back to Anping and said, "Why did he disappear when he reached the window? Can you track him?"

Anping shook his head and said, "This technique only works by recreating the scene based on the aura left behind. It can't last for too long, or the aura will fade away."

"And since the room is enclosed, the aura stays longer here. But outside the window, it's exposed to the elements. I can't use this method there."

Gu Yuena frowned and said, "Then why didn't you stop me from looking? Did you enjoy watching me make a fool of myself?"

Anping shook his head quickly and said, "Of course not. Let's check the other rooms of the missing people."

He didn't stop Gu Yuena from looking out the window because he hadn't expected her to do that. But later, he realized that she looked quite cute when she was curious, so he didn't say anything.

"You think I can't sense your emotions." Gu Yuena muttered, not dwelling on the matter. She hurried after Anping, who was heading out of the room.

They used the recall spell in the other rooms, and the results were similar. The only difference was that something seemed to have been taken from Lin Qing's study.

As they walked out of the apartment complex, Gu Yuena asked, "So we don't have any more clues except for what was taken from Uncle Lin's study, right? What do we do now? Do we look for that soul emperor? Or go straight to Sunset Forest?"

Anping said, "I couldn't find the soul emperor's aura in Heaven Dou City. He either knows how to conceal it, or he's not here. We have to go to where they vanished, and hope to find more clues there."

"Why do you sound reluctant to go to Sunset Forest? Is it because of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well you mentioned before?" Gu Yuena noticed Anping's hesitation and asked him directly.

Anping didn't want to go to Sunset Forest because he wasn't sure if Tang Sect or Shrek Academy had any plans there because of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He was afraid that if he ran into them, they would hold a grudge against him for the game they played before.

He told Gu Yuena what he was thinking, and she said, "It was just a game. They won't be so petty, will they? How about I call someone for backup?"

Anping shook his head and said, "No need for now, it's not that serious yet. Sunset Forest is huge, and even if they have some schemes, they can't cover the whole area. Let's go and see for ourselves."

He wondered what Tang Sect or Shrek would think if they found out that the fierce beasts from Star Dou Forest had appeared in Sunset Forest. He didn't want to provoke them, now that he was safe.

Anping decided to go to Sunset Forest to investigate, based on Officer Song's description of where Lin Qing and the others had gone missing. It had nothing to do with the Ice and Fire Eyes, he hoped.

He found a secluded spot and took out the alchemy vehicle he had made before. He activated it, and the cubes assembled and transformed into a regular soul-guided car. Gu Yuena's eyes widened in surprise.

He pulled her into the car and said, "Didn't I tell you before? It can turn into a car, and an airplane too."

Gu Yuena said, "No, you didn't. I thought it could only turn into a boat. Can you make one for me? It looks like fun."

Anping realized that he had been so focused on his breakthrough that he had forgotten to mention his invention. He said, "Maybe I forgot to tell you because I was busy with the breakthrough. I'll make one for you later. Now let's go to Sunset Forest."

They drove for about an hour, and reached the place where Lin Qing and the others had disappeared.

The forest was dense with tall trees, and a few tents were scattered in a clearing. Several people in federal police uniforms were patrolling around the cordon. They didn't notice the two of them, thanks to the concealment system of the alchemy vehicle.

Anping got out of the car and used his probing spells, trying to find any clues in the area. But Sunset Forest was vast, and his spells couldn't cover much ground. He didn't find anything useful.

There were several police patrols within a radius of dozens of kilometers, but no sign of any humanoid creatures. Anping and Gu Yuena sneaked past them and checked the tents. They found no evidence of a struggle. The wild had erased any scent.

Anping guessed that Lin Qing and the others had either been taken away while unconscious, or the enemy was far stronger than them.

Since they had no leads, Anping and Gu Yuena had no choice but to return to the hotel in Heaven Dou City.