Perhaps sensing Jing Shu's concerns, Yang Yang, who had profited greatly from this night, reassured her. "Relax. Zhang Qiang knows far more than anyone else. This group of sewer rats will not be able to hide for long." No wonder Lao Niu had a soft spot for this family. They were shrewd and efficient.
The next issue was Wu You'ai's care. Bringing her straight back would only worry Jing Shu's family to death, especially her grandparents. Better to let Wu You'ai recover somewhere else first, then bring her home.
On the table, Jing Shu noticed Wu You'ai's phone. It was on airplane mode, but once it connected back to the network, notification sounds began ringing nonstop. There were ninety-nine missed calls, all marked "Mentor."
It seemed that no one in Wu You'ai's family knew she had been captured. Even Third Aunt was still working at Ai Jia Supermarket, unaware. Wang Dazhao had confirmed that even she did not know Wu You'ai had been taken.
Seeing those calls from "Mentor," Jing Shu's eyes lit up. This was the mentor Wu You'ai mentioned constantly. Could he be trusted? Perhaps Wu You'ai could stay with him for a while.
Jing Shu dialed the number. The moment the line rang, it was picked up. A deep, hoarse voice came through. "Who are you?"
Jing Shu: "???"
The question stunned her. If this was truly Wu You'ai's mentor, shouldn't he be asking where she was or why she hadn't answered? Had this person really called ninety-nine times without saving her number? Or had he already guessed Wu You'ai had been kidnapped?
While Jing Shu hesitated, the man continued. "Where is Wu You'ai? If you have demands, speak directly. But I need proof she is alive."
Jing Shu: "…"
"Are you Wu You'ai's mentor?" Jing Shu asked, needing to confirm his identity first.
"You did not take Wu You'ai because of me? You don't know who I am?" Suspicion tinged the man's tone.
"What was he, a deity everyone should know?" Jing Shu's patience frayed. Clearly, Wu You'ai's mentor was as eccentric as she was. "Are you her mentor or not? If not, I am hanging up."
"Yes," came the low response. "Where is she? What do you want?"
If he had answered that way earlier, this would have been simpler. What an exhausting conversation. He seemed like one of those people with a permanent "The peasants are trying to kill me" complex.
"She's hurt but stable," Jing Shu said calmly. "I'm her cousin. I called back because I saw your endless calls and thought you should know she's safe."
"Where is she?"
"An office building next to Ai Jia Supermarket."
"Stay there. I'll arrive in ten minutes."
The call ended with a beep before Jing Shu could reply. Figures. He was certainly not ordinary.
While waiting, Jing Shu sent her parents back to Xishan Villa. She dared not let them come upstairs; even hardened officers would be shaken by this scene.
"Don't worry," she told her aunt over the phone. "She's fine. It was a false alarm. She was never captured. She's with her mentor working on something important. Once they're finished, I'll have her call you."
She reassured them and arranged for the grandparents to stay safe at the villa. "Yang Yang will take me home. We're safe."
The anesthetist A Lan was also leaving. With his wrist limp and a flirtatious wave, he said, "Send the pig leg through Yang Yang. If you need me again, call me. I'm practically a doctor."
Yang Yang, meanwhile, had pulled out his long syringe again and resumed interrogating Zhang Qiang. With her family secured, Jing Shu prepared for the mentor's arrival. He arrived in nine minutes and forty-five seconds, a commendable time—only to get lost inside the office building and waste another twenty minutes.
Following the shared location, Jing Shu finally found Wu You'ai's mentor on the fifth floor, flanked by two large men wearing resigned expressions. Apparently, this wasn't his first time getting lost.
Jing Shu had expected someone scholarly, at least in his fifties or sixties. Instead, she found a man far younger, with long, sleek black hair and an all-black outfit that clashed with the setting. His slanted eyes radiated aloofness. Despite getting lost, he carried himself with arrogance. "Lead the way," he said coolly.
Jing Shu suddenly wondered if Wu You'ai had chosen this mentor for his brilliance or his looks. She was leaning toward the latter.
Once they reached the scene and saw the armed police, the mentor and his men relaxed. They even struck up casual conversation with the officers. Jing Shu learned they were all from the police force and that the mentor's name was Chu Zhuohua.
"How did she get injured?" Chu Zhuohua asked.
Jing Shu recounted everything: Wu You'ai's capture, the rescue mission, the brutal murders of all other hostages, and her emergency field treatment of Wu You'ai's burns.
"You're the Jing Shu Wu You'ai is always talking about—the one who survives against all biological odds?" Chu Zhuohua studied her closely, eyes gleaming with scientific curiosity.
Jing Shu: "???"
…
In the end, Wu You'ai was taken to Chu Zhuohua's base to recover. After thorough vetting, Jing Shu determined the man was trustworthy. Still, she drove over daily to deliver meals and even installed a pinhole camera in Wu You'ai's room to monitor her condition.
Back at Xishan Villa that afternoon, Jing Shu fulfilled her promises to Yang Yang by giving him a black pig. During dinner, she explained that Wu You'ai would be staying with her mentor for further study and even arranged a video call to reassure everyone. Finally, the chaotic day could be considered resolved.
It had been a harrowing day. Jing Shu was physically and mentally drained, but she had gained valuable spoils: a cache of grenades and Wu You'ai's safe return. The loss of several massive stones and over a hundred liters of gasoline seemed worth it.
That night, exhausted as she was, Jing Shu forced herself to practice with the Cube Space puzzle cube. Even with her mind clouded, she repeated the motions tirelessly. Today's events had underscored its importance. She had to push for its next upgrade.
Over and over.
Her speed increased without her noticing, though her eyelids grew heavy.
Click.
The timer beeped. Jing Shu's vision blurred. She vaguely registered that she had broken her personal record before she blacked out, collapsing on the floor.
"Cluck cluck cluck!"
"Moo~"
"Snort snort!"
The next morning, Jing Shu awoke to a cacophony of animal sounds. Her head throbbed as chickens, cows, and pigs cried out around her, their calls overlapping in her mind.
When she finally opened her eyes, the sounds did not fade. It was as if she had stepped into a completely new world.
"My Cube Space has leveled up again!"