660 Thousand Miles Away

Lin Que had gone missing?

Gone missing in the war-torn zones?

Lou Cheng, catching his breath on the sofa after his training, sat upright immediately. His blurry mind was instantly jerked awake as though someone had splashed cold water on him.

Worry, anxiety, restlessness, and other emotions flooded him and blocked his thoughts, causing him to forget about forming his Ice Heart to maintain his composure.

Missing in war-torn zones was often equivalent to death!

He typed his reply quickly to ask about the situation.

While waiting for a response, Lou Cheng couldn't sit still. He stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the room. In his mind, several past scenes popped up:

The Lin Que who apologized agonizingly when he lost to Zhou Zhenquan.

The Lin Que who was the unique master of dry humor.

The Lin Que who was cold in appearance but proud internally.

The Lin Que who awakened his supernatural ability to severely injure Peng Leyun, who smiled unwillingly while saying, "I've done all I could…I leave the rest to you"

He wasn't just his cousin-in-law but also a friend with whom he had worked hard together, fought together, and experienced miseries and happiness together.

After several minutes, the contact person from the military sent the details of the situation.

"Lin Que has been missing in Tignes City in Tallinn for over 48 hours. Physical Invulnerability experts who specialize in Plague Sect moves confirm that he isn't dead yet. As for his exact location, we cannot yet confirm. The couple Heaven Leaning Sword and Seven Star from Shushan Study are on their way there now."

Lou Cheng read the main point and felt relieved.

At the same time, he made his decision to head to the war-torn zones to help with the search.

In the past, Lou Cheng might not have done so. He wasn't strong enough then and trying to help blindly might have the opposite effect and created more troubles, wasting the strength and resources others had put in. But now, he had made the great leap and become a Physical Invulnerability expert. Moreover, he had at least a basic understanding of all of the different techniques. Whether it was a relative or a friend, he would have to make this trip!

With his decision made, Lou Cheng frowned as a difficult question surfaced in his mind.

Should I tell Ke about this?

If I tell her now, she would definitely be worried. Each day would be like a year and it would take its toll on her mind, affecting her everyday life. However, if hide it from her, I would have to make up a lie to cover it up when the results are out. This is something I've promised not to do, and am not fond of doing, unless it's to surprise her…

From Ke's perspective, with her personality and way of thinking, she'd be able to take it. She wouldn't want things hidden from her, and especially so from those who are closest to her…

Only if we can share the joys and the worries can we truly be called a couple…

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Lou Cheng had switched into the chatting interface with Yan Zheke. After contemplating, he clicked the voice message button,

"Ke, I have something to do in the war-torn zones and have to make a trip there."

It was four in the morning in Connecticut, and Yan Zheke was still deep in her slumber as the message went unanswered.

Lou Cheng didn't wait for a reply. As he felt the distance imposed by the different time zones, he pulled open the door and headed towards the office of "Empress Luo," Ning Zitong. She happened to be around today, so Lou Cheng wouldn't have to call her.

As he walked passed the lift, Lou Cheng saw the doors at the side opening slowly. "Optimus Prime," Long Zhen, walked out with blood stains and burnt skin, covered in dirt.

He must have failed in challenging the Dragon King again and have gotten a wallop. Lou Cheng nodded his head slightly in greeting.

In the past, he would have laughed at the other party in secret. However, he wasn't in the mood today.

After exchanging wordless greetings, he arrived at the door to Ning Zitong's office. After knocking on it three times and receiving approval, he pushed open the door and entered.

He briefly explained the incident with Lin Que and asked for approval for his application of leave.

"You don't have to apply for leave," said Ning Zitong, frowning slightly. "Physical Invulnerability experts in Longhu take up requests from the military each year. In this case, let's just treat this as your mission for the second half of the year."

"Thank you Sister Ning." Lou Cheng didn't linger and turned to leave. He wanted to contact the military as soon as possible.

Ning Zitong tapped the table with her fingers and reminded him, "The war-torn zones aren't just about the ten countries. Your master knew a lot about this. Remember to ask for his guidance and do not let your guard down."

"Okay," Lou Cheng nodded his head with gratitude.

With this reminder, he forgot his hurry to contact the military and gave his master a call first instead.

"Thinking of going to help the Lin brat?" Shi Jianguo asked directly. His tone seemed to say, "I'm not involved in the matters of the world, but I still know everything that is happening".

Lou Cheng answered honestly, "Yes," before asking,

"Master, didn't you roam in the war-torn zones for many years in the past? I'd like to ask you about some matters regarding that place."

"Stinky brat. You have come to the right person. Your master witnessed how things have developed to what they are now in that place. The majority of well-known experts in that place today, and those who rule over the area, were all fearful of my name…." Old Shi recalled his glory days, bragging for a while before going back to the main topic.

He explained, "The war-torn zones is a common name to describe the collection of many countries. The area extends to the oceans in the east, north to the southern borders of China, separated by the straits before the Nile in the west, and the polar caps in the south. There are several tens of countries within. The political situations in these places aren't stable, and one might not see tomorrow on any given day. The mess started because of territorial disputes and the battle for resources. When the strong countries were tired of fighting, they looked for a way to solve it peacefully. However, America, Europe, Japan, and other large powers interfered and resulted in several tens of years of chaos."

"The chaos is catastrophic to the citizens of the area. Your master has not received much education, but I have heard of the saying, 'Living on peacefully but miserably is still better than living in a chaotic place.' However, for the major powers, this was a great time to gain something in the chaos. Without consideration for the lives of their citizens, all they had to do was work with the experts to obtain the largest amount of resources. And for the experts who managed to maintain peace in an area, they would soon resort back to the old means. This is because the most unstable situation will eventually be replaced by rule and order. Subsequently, their inflated egos would drive them to overturn the restraints that came along with rule and order."

"Hmph, it's a cycle. There are several powers who wish to maintain the status quo. Aside from resources, they also use war-torn zones as a training ground for experts, a base for conducting human experiments, and trial ground for new weapons. When you're there, look beyond the surface. A lot of the root causes are from America and other places."

"Tallinn is a country located in the middle region of the war-torn zones and was ranked as one of the top regions before the separation occurred. Their Tignes City is the black market's central trading center. There are some forms of order that are maintained by the strong experts."

"There are quite a number of Physical Invulnerability experts that belong to the war-torn zones now, and even more that roamed around. With your current levels, your master can only remind you to not trifle with the Planets and avoid the Deities. What do I mean? The custom of that place is that after becoming a top-tier expert, a Physical Invulnerability expert would give himself a nickname based on the names of planets of mythical characters. For example, Venus, Moon, Neptune, Zeus, and others…If you really make a name for yourself, you can get one too."

"What was my nickname in the past?" He sighed. "A man doesn't talk about his past."

...

Geezer Shi finally hung up unwillingly when his phone was almost out of battery.

Lou Cheng reviewed the main points and contacted the military to make the arrangements.

When all these were completed, Yan Zheke finally woke up from her sleep. Confused, she asked,

"What's the matter?"

"Something happened to your brother and he's gone missing. I'm going over to help search for him." Lou Cheng tried his best to describe the incident lightly.

Yan Zheke was instantly jerked awake. Her eyes opened wide as though she'd been pierced by ten needles.

"Gone missing…Do you know what happened?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I have no idea currently and am waiting for the results of the investigation. However, the military had confirmed with Physical Invulnerability experts who practiced techniques of the Plague Sect that your brother is still alive. Don't worry, your grandparents have already rushed over and I'll be heading over too. Your brother will be fine!"

"Okay," Yan Zheke replied. Looking at the gloomy morning skies, she nodded her head.

She took a deep breath and told herself that it's pointless to be so nervous. She would be better off to focus on her training. She re-dedicated herself to her heavy studies workload to calm herself down. She couldn't let her anxiety affect Lou Cheng and cause him to act rashly.

After informing Yan Zheke, Lou Cheng took a car to the military airport in the suburbs of Huacheng. He intended to fly straight to the nearby Gelangang, a relatively orderly City Federation that had a rather close relationship with China.

At 7:15 pm that night, the arranged flight rose into the skies and headed north before making a turn towards the south.

In the entire crew cabin, other than the vaguely seen pilots, there were only Lou Cheng and one other military officer. As the lights dimmed, the atmosphere became quiet and heavy.

After entering the war-torn zones and flying for an unknown amount of time, Lou Cheng, who was resting, suddenly opened both of his eyes and said, "Change the flight path!"

There's danger right in front!