Chapter 2676: Major Gu’s Disappearance

"Where the hell is that idiot?!" Colonel Gu muttered irritably. He had waited the entire night for Major Gu to return, yet there was still no sign of him.

As much as he wanted to continue waiting, Colonel Gu had no choice but to leave, as the Supreme General had summoned everyone for a brief meeting before the assembly.

Later that afternoon, everyone from Gaia’s Heaven gathered as instructed—with one exception.

"Where’s Major Gu?" The Supreme General questioned when he noticed Major Gu’s absence.

"I don’t know." Colonel Gu shook his head.

"What?" The Supreme General frowned. "You don’t know where your roommate went?"

"He left without saying a word." Colonel Gu shrugged.

"..."

"Whatever. This is just a brief meeting to let you all know that the assembly will begin tomorrow. We’ll gather here again at 0800 sharp, and I expect everyone to be here."

"Yes, Supreme General."

"Dismissed."

After being dismissed, Colonel Gu subconsciously glanced at Yuan, only for his eyes to widen when he realized Yuan was also staring back at him.

A cold, sinister smile hung on Yuan’s face, sending a chill down Colonel Gu’s spine.

When Colonel Gu saw Yuan’s smile, an ominous feeling washed over him, though he couldn’t understand why. Nor did he make any connection between Yuan and Major Gu’s disappearance.

Once Colonel Gu returned to his residence, he tried calling Major Gu for the umpteenth time. However, just like before, the call went straight to voicemail.

"This doesn’t make sense! Why would his phone be off? He never turns off his—"

Colonel Gu suddenly froze mid-sentence as a look of realization flashed across his face. Then, Yuan’s face surfaced in Colonel Gu’s mind, along with the cold, sinister smile he had worn earlier.

"That bastard! It can’t be!"

Colonel Gu finally connected the dots, but he still couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

"Don’t tell me the reason he wasn’t home last night was that he was here!"

Although he was almost certain Yuan had something to do with Major Gu’s disappearance, he couldn’t fathom how he had managed to make him vanish without leaving behind a single trace.

"There wasn’t even the slightest sign of a struggle... Did Gu Ming leave with him willingly?"

Unfortunately, there was only one way to get the answers he wanted, so Colonel Gu begrudgingly made his way to Yuan’s residence to confront him directly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Colonel Gu pounded on the door like a desperate loan shark collecting on a debt that meant life or death.

"I know you’re in there! Come out!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

When several moments passed and Yuan didn’t answer, Colonel Gu kept knocking, using so much force that he loosened the hinges.

"Sergeant Yuan! Come out, you bastard!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Just as Colonel Gu was on the verge of breaking down the door, a stern voice resounded behind him.

"What do you think you’re doing, Colonel Gu?!"

It was a woman’s voice.

"Get lost! This is none of your business!" Colonel Gu snapped without even turning around, already recognizing Ironwoman from her voice alone.

"Oh? Are you telling me to get lost?"

A second voice suddenly sounded from behind him, causing Colonel Gu’s body to visibly stiffen.

He slowly turned around and saw not only Ironwoman standing there, but the Supreme General as well.

"N-No... that’s—"

"What business do you have with Sergeant Yuan?" The Ironwoman interrupted him.

"I..."

Colonel Gu opened his mouth, but no words came out, as he had no idea how to explain the situation.

Suddenly, the door behind him creaked open, and Yuan appeared before them. He was half-naked, as though he had just stepped out of the shower. Water still glistened across his body, and his hair was damp.

The Ironwoman’s eyes widened at the sight. Meanwhile, the Supreme General raised an eyebrow.

"What’s with all the commotion? I was taking a bath, so I couldn’t answer the door," Yuan said.

He glanced at the damaged door, then at Colonel Gu, before continuing, "You were the one knocking just now, right? With how urgently you were pounding on the door, one might think someone had died."

When Colonel Gu heard Yuan’s last few words, his face flushed with redness.

"You! Where is Major Gu?! Where did you take him?!"

Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely puzzled as he responded, "Major Gu? What are you talking about? Why would I know where he is? And you’re making it sound like I kidnapped him or something."

"Explain yourself, Colonel Gu," the Supreme General suddenly demanded.

"I don’t know what is going on either! All I know is that Major Gu has been missing since last night, and I believe he has the answers!" Colonel Gu exclaimed, pointing directly at Yuan.

The Supreme General turned to look at Yuan, who was pointing at himself with a bewildered expression.

He then spoke, "Like I said earlier, why would I know anything about Major Gu’s whereabouts? He’s been missing since last night, right? Well, I’ve been home ever since I returned from wandering around the city."

"You’re lying! After all, I—"

Colonel Gu abruptly stopped himself, cold sweat breaking out across his back as he realized he had nearly exposed himself.

He knew Yuan was lying about being home the entire time because he had personally sneaked into his residence the previous night. However, he couldn’t reveal that without exposing his own actions.

"I’m lying?" Yuan repeated Colonel Gu’s words with a frown. "Do you have evidence? Or are you just spewing bullshit for whatever reason?"

"You!"

Colonel Gu finally snapped and suddenly lunged for Yuan’s neck.

However, before his hand could reach him, the tip of a sword appeared at Colonel Gu’s own throat, halting his movements.

Once he froze in place, Colonel Gu caught sight of one of the Midnight Squad members standing beside him from the corner of his eye, a sword in their grasp—the same one currently pointed at his neck.

"You dare attack another soldier in my presence?!" the Supreme General roared, his voice cold and trembling with barely restrained anger.

He continued, "Withdraw your hand immediately! If it moves even a millimeter closer to Sergeant Yuan, I’ll have it severed!"