Chapter 267: The Missing Chu Tianjiao

On the other side.

South of the city.

Wind Capital Youth Palace Sword Hall.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!"

The unified shout echoed beneath the sword hall's dome, coming from the students who had received sword instruction today.

The dark-haired young man gave a slight nod, placed his wooden sword back into its bag, turned and walked toward the rest area, preparing to gather his personal belongings.

Many of the students gazed at the dark-haired young man with admiration, whispering among themselves.

"Senior Brother is incredible."

"I think Senior Brother could even hold his own standing!"

-In just a few short hours, everyone had been completely won over by his performance.

Although those who dared step forward to seek guidance were spun around like tops, those who got spun all received extremely effective, specific directional guidance and practice goals.

As for the cost...

There was no cost.

After all, they had protective gear, so getting whacked didn't even hurt.

In contrast, the dark-haired young man didn't rest at all, going one by one through actual sparring sessions with them, fighting from start to finish without protective gear, yet maintaining the same calm composure from the very beginning, without a single mistake.

Was he made of iron?

It seemed like he hadn't even broken a sweat!

But admittedly, everyone who persisted in coming to the sword hall to practice appreciated that kind of attitude.

Not only did all the students who were qualified to spar with Lin Guang look proud to have done so, but many of the female students were watching the cold-faced young man's clean and crisp swordsmanship and movements from the sidelines, unable to help blushing secretly, their minds wandering.

The dark-haired young man seemed oblivious, packing up his things and preparing to leave.

However, the next moment, just as he zipped up his bag, his movements paused almost imperceptibly, a trace of red light flashing through his eyes.

-The Explosive Combustion Demon, huh...

Disgusting, yet with a familiar scent.

It felt like a demon beast.

If his main body weren't here, even if Uncle An could arrive at the battlefield in time to provide support, it was hard to say just how many casualties might occur.

From that perspective, sending out his main body in that form today had really been the right call.

The thought flashed by, the pause lasting only an instant.

The next moment, Lin Guang manipulated the Stand-in Body to expressionlessly zip up the bag, sling the backpack over his shoulder, and prepare to stride away.

He walked all the way to the front gate, to the spot where he had parked his bicycle, when his peripheral vision suddenly caught someone standing nearby.

It was a girl with delicate features and a somewhat shy personality, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with shoulder-length short hair. She didn't seem to be a student, appearing to have been waiting here for a while already.

And at this moment, she was looking at him with a hesitant expression, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.

"..."

Lin Guang had some impression of her.

She was Master Chu's daughter.

He still remembered her name, Chu Zihan. They had crossed paths a few times before.

"Lin Guang."

Chu Zihan's expression was somewhat uneasy. Looking into the dark-haired young man's eyes, she asked softly:

"Do you... do you know where my dad has been recently? Or, is there any place he might have gone?"

Lin Guang was momentarily taken aback.

-Before this, he hadn't found Master Chu's absence strange at all.

That middle-aged man, like Lin Guang himself, was someone with an abnormally deep obsession with the "supernatural."

Once someone like that got swept up in the thrill of exploring mysteries, disappearing for a day or two in some remote mountain wilderness was the most normal thing in the world.

"This time is different."

Chu Zihan noticed the confusion in Lin Guang's expression and quickly explained with urgency.

"This time, Dad has been missing for an entire seven days..."

Her expression was very anxious: "Mom doesn't know where he went either. She's been frantic, searching outside every day, and she's even already filed a police report."

"But the police can't find any leads either."

"So, I thought I'd come ask the sword hall students if they knew anything..."

A hint of hope flickered in her eyes: "They all said they didn't know, but they told me you might have some clues."

After hearing all this, Lin Guang stood in place, thinking seriously for a moment, then shook his head at Chu Zihan.

Watching Lin Guang shake his head, the hope in the girl's eyes instantly dimmed.

"I see... Sorry for bothering you then..."

"But."

The dark-haired young man's steady voice spoke up again: "I can contact some professionals to help search for him."

Chu Zihan was stunned at first, but once she understood the meaning of his words, she nodded firmly: "Mm."

"I won't give up on my end either... If there's any information, please be sure to tell me."

-Although judging from her attitude, she didn't seem to place much hope in the "professionals" Lin Guang mentioned... after all, the person before her was just a high school senior.

Watching her leave, Lin Guang didn't linger either.

Pushing his bicycle, he turned and walked out of the kendo dojo's front gate while reaching into his chest pocket to pull out his brick of a phone.

"..."

Master Chu had gone missing.

He had been missing for seven days already, meaning he had lost contact on the very same day Lin Guang fought Wu Nuo in the outskirts.

Under normal circumstances, his skill and vigilance were nothing to sneeze at. He stood out among ordinary people, and had even served as a police instructor for a period of time.

But that only meant he stood out in the eyes of ordinary people.

The Wind Capital of today could truly be described as seething beneath the surface.

And this very disturbance happened to be connected to ordinary people becoming superhumans.

Perhaps...

A flicker of deep thought passed through Lin Guang's eyes.

-Unexpectedly, the number I just got my hands on today was going to be put to use this soon.

He hesitated no longer. Opening his contacts, he found the newly saved name, and pressed the call button.

The waiting tone had barely rung once before the call was picked up at lightning speed.

The next moment, from the other end of the receiver, a girl's crisp voice tinged with a hint of childishness came through:

"Brother Lin Guang!"

"Is there something you need my help with!"

Just hearing that voice, Lin Guang could practically picture an invisible tail wagging happily behind the girl who had answered the phone.

"Yeah."

Walking along the bustling street, Lin Guang spoke calmly into the receiver.

"I want you all to keep an eye out for a missing person."

"I think... it might be connected to those recent incidents."

--------------------------------

"Ahhhhhhh!"

A piercing scream echoed from the depths beneath the Wind Capital Sixth Division.

This vast space buried deep underground had walls constructed from thick gray stone mixed with some special component.

On both sides of the corridor were rows of specially made containment rooms, arranged neatly in a layout resembling maximum-security prison cells.

Except, unlike ordinary prison cells on the surface.

Every single door here was a mechanical alloy door weighing several tons, inscribed with intricate patterns.

And the underground structure itself seemed to vaguely follow some deliberate design, working together with the flow of curse power here to form the activation conditions for some special spell.

This was the Wind Capital Sixth Division's dedicated containment facility.

Built specifically to hold those extremely dangerous demons themselves.