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Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Keep in Touch
Han Jiaojiao made a pot of mixed stew, not delicate, but tasty and hearty.
Yan Xiao fished out a glass noodle from the pot, slurped it up, and then couldn’t help but pick up a piece of stewed rib that was falling-apart tender and gnawed on it vigorously, praising repeatedly, "Delicious! I could eat two bowls of rice with this dish!"
Han Jiaojiao straightened up proudly, "Tasty, right? Sister Yu taught me."
Tian Xinyue also picked some dishes, and after tasting them, her eyes turned into stars, full of admiration as she looked at Han Jiaojiao and said, "Jiaojiao, you’re amazing! Teach me sometime; I can only make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, or tomatoes with scrambled eggs."
With continuous compliments from the two, Han Jiaojiao’s smile grew more and more uninhibited. Happily, she picked up a clean bowl and began to select the dishes her brother liked, feeling joyful at the thought of her brother eating the food she cooked.
Everyone gradually gathered around, each taking a bowl ready to eat, when Xiao Jian returned. —— He had just been sent by Han Yi to scout the terrain ahead.
Originally, when Han Yi found that a large section of the road ahead had collapsed and was impassable, he had planned to take a detour, but after conducting a Mental Search, he discovered that although there was partial collapse upfront, the road behind was still intact. Therefore, he sent Xiao Jian to do a quick run to inspect the situation in person, as Xiao Jian was fast and could make a round trip quickly.
Xiao Jian brought back good news. The situation was the same as Han Yi had seen through his Ability. The damage to the stretch of road behind was not serious, and it was completely passable for off-road vehicles.
With this, they only needed to walk through this section. Once the road was clear, they could get the vehicle out and continue on, without having to detour any further. They were already taking a detour on this road, and a further detour would make the journey much longer.
Everyone enjoyed their dinner in high spirits and then, as usual, gathered around the campfire, waiting for Yan Xiao to adjust the communicator before starting the night’s communication with Lu Changyuan.
The principle of communication might be related to radio, something Han Jiaojiao didn’t quite understand; in any case, every time before connection, Yan Xiao always had to fiddle for a while before managing to speak with Lu Changyuan at the base.
The conversation between Han Yi and Lu Changyuan was like routine business, with both parties simply updating each other on the situation of their respective teams.
Han Yi was brief, giving specific locations. Other matters were communicated by Yan Xiao with Lu Changyuan. Compared to Han Yi, Lu Changyuan had much more to say, like a news broadcast, ranging from the decisions and conditions of the base to the specifics of how much ammunition was used that day, very detailed.
If nothing special happened that day, Lu Changyuan would bring Hao Tian to the communicator to call out "Daddy" a few times, and Hao Boming would be instantly thrilled at the other end.
Hao Tian thought her dad had gone on a trip and repeatedly asked Hao Boming in the communicator to bring her a present.
Hao Boming readily agreed. In reality, he did not even know where the destination was, nor did he know if he could secure a gift for his precious daughter once they reached their destination.
"Lately, there have been many Ability Users going missing from the base, not just in Lingchuan, but also many in Beicheng. Most disappear after going on missions and never return to the base. My thought is that our people should stop taking missions for now and wait and watch," Lu Changyuan’s voice came from the communicator, somewhat distorted but still intelligible.
Han Yi’s expression darkened slightly as he said, "Have our people be more vigilant, don’t leave the base, and check if there are any of the Long Family’s people in Lingchuan within the base."
"Mhm, I will arrange for someone to investigate this, and you guys be careful out there."
After turning off the communicator, there was a bout of silence from everyone.
Han Yi said, "Such disappearance cases must have existed before, but they were rare and did not catch the attention of the military at the base."
"Moreover, the people who disappeared before were ordinary people without abilities, so it was normal for the military not to care." Xiao Jian added, "Now that the public is aware, it’s clear that the number of missing people must be very high."
Yan Xiao’s face showed a look of disgust, "It couldn’t really be related to Long Yueze, could it? First, he suddenly showed up offering Ability Potions to the base, then half-human, half-pig monsters appeared, and now there’s a large number of Superpower Users disappearing. No matter how you think about it, it seems related to him."
Han Jiaojiao, remembering the pig from last time, felt nauseated and clung to Han Yi, "...He isn’t planning to create a bunch of half-human, half-pig monsters, is he..."
Tian Xinyue and Hao Boming had not seen the mutated pig, and their expressions were very puzzled. Han Jiaojiao and Yan Xiao gestured as they described the scene, successfully disgusting them.
Han Yi pulled Han Jiaojiao back to his side and said in a low voice, "The monster from last time must have been a failed experiment."
"A failed experiment?"
"Yes, because it was a failure, that’s why it was abandoned." Han Yi thought of that monster, his brows knitting slightly as he continued, "Such privately run labs definitely didn’t just spring up by chance. There are sure to be many more elsewhere."
"Isn’t he afraid of being found out? Conducting such experiments..." Tian Xinyue heard the gist and couldn’t believe such things were happening in the world.
Xiao Jian scoffed from the side, "Ha, even if people found out, what would it matter? In today’s world, who has the time to care?"
"It’s not that surprising, right? For example, some cosmetic companies abroad used to recruit testers regularly to try out new products. The testers were volunteers, it’s legal and above board." Yan Xiao shrugged, speaking nonchalantly, "There are plenty of people willing to test those cosmetics with uncertain effects, so why not an Ability Potion that can awaken abilities? Even if people know there might be risks, they’d still be willing to give it a try, right?"
After Yan Xiao finished speaking, he glanced at Zhou Xiaoliang beside him and teased him, "Xiaoliang, if there were a chance to gain an ability in front of you, would you want to try it?"
Zhou Xiaoliang, caught off guard by the question, hesitated and replied, "...Surely not?" They were all very wary and would not easily trust strangers.
Yan Xiao, unsatisfied, pressed on, "What if you didn’t have a place to live, nor food or water, absolutely nothing, and someone tells you that you could get free food and lodging for participating in an experiment, and there’s also a chance to gain an ability, would you want to go?"
Zhou Xiaoliang showed an embarrassed smile on his face, "If things were that bad... I guess I might try it."
Han Jiaojiao couldn’t help but speak up, "But the people disappearing now are Superpower Users, not ordinary ones. Superpower Users receive good treatment at each base, why would they agree to participate in experiments?"
Yan Xiao stroked his chin and mumbled, "Yeah, why would they capture Superpower Users? Superpower Users already have abilities, they don’t need to take such risks..."
Han Yi’s cool voice rang out, "Since it’s not voluntary, they must have been taken away forcibly."
Everyone looked at him, and the same thought spontaneously arose in their minds: Superpower Users come in all sorts with a variety of abilities, so was there not even one who escaped? Not a single exception?
Long Yueze, was he really that formidable?
