Leon: "Indeed it is a coincidence. Remember the hidden danger I mentioned to you some time ago?"
Stelle: "I remember. You said you might not be able to beat Sushang…"
Leon: "At that time, I had just woken up not long ago. My physical condition was already poor, and I wasn't able to thoroughly deal with the hidden danger."
"So, I could only head back to the depths of Scalegorge Waterscape once more to ensure no one would disturb me."
"After resolving the problem and coming out of seclusion to hurry back, from far away I noticed the unusual situation at Dragonprayer Terrace and stopped by to take a look on the way."
"I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence, running right into your ghost-catching squad at work."
"I see."
Stelle suddenly understood and very tactfully did not inquire what the hidden danger in Leon's body was.
If he wanted to say it, he wouldn't have stayed silent.
Not saying it was because he didn't want everyone to worry; after all, that was his nature.
It had become a habit.
This conversation had no follow-up, which made some players extremely anxious.
Previously, there were people who analyzed with reason and evidence what exactly the so-called 'hidden danger' troubling Leon was.
There were all sorts of reasons, but there was a lack of decisive evidence, leading to the possibility that any answer could be valid.
They thought that now that it was brought up again, Leon would explain.
In the end, they still got nothing.
[Won't they plant another knife for the future plot again?]
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible! My husband Leon has already been stabbed so ruthlessly, it's impossible to stab him again!"
As if not wanting to waste any more words on this topic, Ah Xian quickly clicked the last option. Tracking and teleporting were completed in one go.
Arriving at the task's indicated location, they discovered that March 7th, Himeko, and Welt were indeed on the map.
This plot segment also had an open achievement, granting different achievements according to the different reporting options chosen previously.
Subsequently, the next stage of the mission began.
...
The next day.
Stelle opened the group chat to check messages, and her face gradually grew solemn.
[Guinaifen: Bad news, everyone! Something big happened—Huohuo is missing!]
[Sushang: Huohuo is missing? Yesterday before everyone parted ways, did she say what she was going to do?]
[Guinaifen: From the moment we disbanded yesterday, she seemed a bit off. @Huohuo]
Sushang and Stelle also tried @ing her, but there was no feedback at all.
Logically speaking, Huohuo couldn't possibly be offline at this hour.
[Guinaifen: Gather at the old place. I've already notified Lord Hanya. You guys hurry over.]
Ah Xian waited for the options to appear.
"Hmm? None?"
There was no option to invite Leon along.
It seemed they could only wait for him to appear randomly, or rather, only when the plot reached a specific segment would he show up.
When Stelle arrived at the ghost-catching squad's usual gathering place, everyone was already there.
Hanya didn't waste words either, skipping the pleasantries.
"Let's speak frankly. This humble one doesn't know where Huohuo has gone."
"However, gathering together, we can at least sort out the clues. You few are quite close with her—do you still remember if Huohuo had any abnormalities yesterday?"
Stelle thought to herself: Could it be that Huohuo went to find Tail?
Since she wasn't too sure about Hanya's true attitude toward Tail, she said without changing her expression:
"Abnormality… not really. It's just that Huohuo seemed preoccupied the whole time, feeling like she was dragging us down, and she also said some things about missing Tail."
Guinaifen: "Miss Huohuo acted together with us. Besides completing her duties, she also wanted to search for clues about Tail… Oh, right—"
She thought of a certain possibility and lightly knocked her right fist against her left palm.
"Is it possible that today Huohuo suddenly obtained clues about Tail?"
"With her personality, she would definitely go bring Tail back."
It matched exactly what Stelle had thought.
Hanya fell into contemplation: "But Huohuo neither came to find you all nor came to find me. This is very unusual."
"With Huohuo's personality, if she had obtained clues, she would most likely have sought help from outside as well."
"But if she didn't mention this matter to any of us, there is only one possibility."
Stelle's thoughts turned, locking onto a certain target, and she blurted out: "Cirrus!"
Guinaifen: "I also suspect so. If we're talking about who here is most likely to cause trouble, it can only be that guy."
Hanya didn't say much more about it and merely nodded slightly: "Let's go. Interrogate Cirrus. We must pry something out of its mouth."
The group moved quickly and soon arrived at Qingqiu Terrace.
Even without Leon present, with only Stelle there, Cirrus was still relatively well-behaved and didn't say anything particularly unpleasant.
However, the schadenfreude between its brows was vividly conveyed.
"You guys finally came."
"Since you knew we were coming, why don't you quickly confess on your own?" Stelle's gaze was unfriendly.
"Don't be so anxious. Aren't you all very eager to know why that little fox girl didn't seek help from you?"
Sushang coldly shouted: "Spit it out!"
Cirrus chuckled: "I merely told her about the work content of the Ten Lords Commission in Fyxestroll Garden…"
"I reckon that after she learned the Ten Lords Commission recycles Heliobi, she was afraid that even if you found Tail, you would still lock it into the prison."
"So she went alone to Cloudford to search."
"You'd best hurry up. Besides Tail, there's also another of my kin at Cloudford. In case…"
"Bastard!" Guinaifen anxiously cursed. "Everyone, let's hurry to Cloudford to find Huohuo!"
"Looks like the case paperwork will have to be set aside. I'll go with you." Hanya's expression was grave.
Several people hurriedly set off and arrived at Cloudford No. 3 Port at the fastest speed.
Before they could split up to act, Stelle received a message from Leon.
"No need to search anymore, everyone. Come with me—I know where Huohuo is…"
"Ha?"
"Don't 'ha.' It's Leon."
"Uh… he really is quite capable…"
"This—this is what you call reliable."
Stelle could now confirm that Leon must have noticed Huohuo's emotional abnormality yesterday and had been secretly monitoring her movements.
...
Stelle led everyone straight to the coordinates Leon had sent.
However, when they saw the situation on Leon's side, players who had some understanding of and involvement with the major illness ward had their eye corners, mouth corners, and faces twitching in various ways.
Huohuo was leaning against a plastic chair.
Originally this wasn't much of anything. The problem was that this plastic chair was white and of the classic food stall style...
[It appeared again—the chair full of power!]
[Maybe the only chair Leon carries with him is this one? 233333...]
Sushang leaned in close, anxiously asking: "Leon, Leon—how is Huohuo?"
"A step too late. A Heliobus has hijacked her mind. Currently I can only protect her from further harm."
Leon spoke directly, without any concealment.
However, he inconspicuously gave Stelle a meaningful look.
Guinaifen's face was full of worry: "This… Miss Hanya, can you wake her up?"
Hanya temporarily did not speak, but lightly and fleetingly glanced at Leon.
That gaze revealed nothing particularly special, yet it drew the players' attention.
"This is not an illusionary barrier woven by a Heliobus, but rather the five senses have been sealed, completely isolating humans from external information."
"In this way, even the Fire Bell that can integrate into illusions has no place to use its power."
"I need to take Huohuo back to the Ten Lords Commission and see what methods are available."
At this moment, Leon suddenly spoke meaningfully.
"Isn't there the simplest and most direct method? Why seek afar when it is near?"