Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top
Chapter 307: Whereabouts
The moment Ying Yaoshi finished speaking, Yu Mingche’s face fell in shock. "What did you say? The Space Sea Area? Lost contact? Why would she go to the Space Sea Area?"
The Space Sea Area was a major transport hub connecting the various Star Domains, and it was not on the route to the Second Corps Headquarters Base.
"Are you sure Lin Mo was in that Flying Car?" Ying Yaoshi asked.
"I’m sure. When he came to pick her up yesterday, he didn’t get out of the car, but he greeted me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable letting Ning Xuan go by herself." Yu Mingche’s heart was in a turmoil, but his mind was crystal clear.
He tried to send Ning Xuan a holographic call while sorting through his thoughts.
It didn’t connect.
"I’ve already tried. It won’t go through. I’ve sent a communication to Lin Mo. Let’s see what’s happening on his end," Ying Yaoshi said to Yu Mingche.
"We both have a spiritual connection with Ning Xuan. If something had happened to her, we would have sensed it. So, even though we’ve lost contact, she should be safe for now." Yu Mingche wasn’t sure if he was comforting Ying Yaoshi or himself.
"Right, Ning Xuan is definitely fine right now. I wanted her to stay here with me, but she refused. I just had a feeling that her taking this military post would cause trouble. I tried to prevent it every which way, but it still happened." Ying Yaoshi wore an expression of self-blame.
"Let’s not talk about that. What do we do now?" Yu Mingche was also trying to contact Lin Mo, and he had Feng Linran investigate the movements of the black Flying Car Ning Xuan had taken yesterday.
"I can’t reach Lin Mo either now," Ying Yaoshi said, frustrated.
"The black military vehicle from the Second Legion that Ning Xuan was on is parked in a lot in the Space Sea Area. It didn’t stop anywhere before arriving there." Yu Mingche relayed the information Feng Linran had found to Ying Yaoshi.
"The Space Sea Area is under military jurisdiction. My people could only trace the vehicle to that parking lot; they can’t send anyone in to investigate. Your people shouldn’t have a problem, right? I’ve sent you the Flying Car’s identification code," Yu Mingche said to Ying Yaoshi.
"I’ll send people to find that vehicle right away," Ying Yaoshi said immediately.
"Wait, I just received a scheduled message from Ning Xuan. Check if you got one too," Yu Mingche said, opening the message and alerting Ying Yaoshi at the same time.
They finished reading the message from Ning Xuan at almost the exact same time. Afterward, their expressions turned grim.
"What do we do?" The two locked eyes, each seeing the same question reflected in the other’s gaze.
Then, they both fell silent.
The message Ning Xuan sent them was identical. It told them not to look for her, explicitly forbidding it. If they followed the clues to find her, they would risk exposing her hidden location. Should that attract people with ulterior motives, it would only increase the danger she was in.
"Even if she wants to find a place where no one knows her and just experience life, she can’t just go off without bringing anyone at all!" Ying Yaoshi said, annoyed.
Yu Mingche remained silent.
"Ning Xuan has been with you recently. Did she reveal anything at all? Can you guess where she might have gone?" Ying Yaoshi asked.
"I can’t. She never mentioned anything," Yu Mingche said, shaking his head.
Just then, both of their holographic communicators chimed. They opened the call to see Lin Mo. The three of them were now in a joint holographic call, making it seem as if they were all in the same room.
"Lin Mo, you finally called. What’s going on? Weren’t you taking our Contractor to the Second Corps Headquarters Base? Where is our Contractor now?" Yu Mingche asked.
"Our Contractor used some kind of medicine to incapacitate everyone on the Flying Car, causing it to deviate from its course and fly to a parking lot here in the Space Sea Area. I only just woke up," Lin Mo said, his face filled with guilt.
Ning Xuan had disappeared right under his nose, and it made Lin Mo feel terrible.
When he first learned that Ning Xuan was coming to the Second Legion, Lin Mo had been overjoyed, thinking he would get to work with her. Who knew it was all just a ruse?
"Those soldiers on the Flying Car are your men, right? You need to make them keep their mouths shut," Ying Yaoshi said with a grave expression.
"They don’t know what happened. Our Contractor left behind a puppet double. It looks exactly like her. You can’t tell the difference without looking closely." Lin Mo showed the nearby puppet double to Yu Mingche and Ying Yaoshi.
"Is that the puppet she got on the New Star Body? This kind of puppet needs to be nurtured with its owner’s blood for over half a year to achieve such a convincing likeness. It seems Ning Xuan has been planning this for a long time." Seeing the puppet, Yu Mingche’s heart went cold.
"She got that thing from the New Star Body? Is it harmful to Ning Xuan? If the puppet gets damaged, will it affect her?" Ying Yaoshi asked nervously.
"It shouldn’t. But just to be safe, we should send people to protect it. That will also conveniently draw some attention, making things safer for Ning Xuan," Yu Mingche suggested.
"Alright, I’ll send a few people over," Ying Yaoshi said.
"I’ll send a few people over as well," Yu Mingche added immediately.
"I’m already directing the Flying Car back to the base, as per our Contractor’s instructions," Lin Mo told the two of them.
Even though Lin Mo felt wronged, he still carried out Ning Xuan’s instructions to the letter.
"After you picked up Ning Xuan, did she reveal anything to you on the Flying Car?" Ying Yaoshi asked Lin Mo.
"No, she just gave me a lot of medicine and told me to focus on my Cultivation. But most of that was just healing medicine, Spiritual Calming Potions, and Alienation Value Clearing Potions. Thinking back now, she gave them to me because the puppet can’t perform spiritual power soothing on the soldiers. It was all a cover-up." Lin Mo’s spirits were low.
"Tell me, why would Ning Xuan want to get out of our sight? By taking a post in the military by herself, isn’t she afraid of running into danger?" Ying Yaoshi asked, completely bewildered.
"Our Contractor’s combat power is quite high, and she has many Magic Treasures on her. The likelihood of her encountering danger is low," Lin Mo stated objectively.
"Even a small chance of danger is too much of a risk for Ning Xuan, especially with the Star Domain Spaces in such turmoil. She’s never been out on her own before. This is just nerve-wracking," Ying Yaoshi said, agitated.
"Both of you, analyze where Ning Xuan might have gone. Also, this information stays between the three of us. Don’t let a fourth person know," Ying Yaoshi instructed the other two.
"You don’t need to tell us that. The fewer people who know, the better. Lin Mo, you need to protect that puppet and make sure no outsiders notice anything unusual," Yu Mingche said to Lin Mo.
"Yes, I know," Lin Mo said with a nod.
It could be said that Lin Mo’s role was a crucial part of Ning Xuan’s plan to hide her identity. In a way, this also showed that Ning Xuan still trusted him a great deal.