Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Opening

“According to the baker and the owner, they’ve been held captive for about a week. During this time, they were only allowed to contact their families; otherwise, they just continued to make and sell cakes as usual. Their captors would occasionally go out like they did today and lock them inside. The baker and owner thought it was just another one of those times, but they ended up being locked up for over two days. They said there were two captors in total: Platinum and another Male Beastman. Here are their composite sketches.”

Taking the sketches from the adjutant, Lu Xiao immediately recognized the other person as C Luo.

Noticing her reaction, Admiral Clan asked, “You know him?”

“That’s C Luo,” Lu Xiao said calmly. She suddenly realized many details she had overlooked from her own kidnapping. For instance, why the person she thought she saw when she was losing consciousness seemed so familiar. ’It wasn’t my imagination. That person was Platinum.’

’And later, when I woke up inside the Black Tower, who was the person watching me from the other side of the monitor? Could it have been Platinum?’

’So the real mastermind behind the Black Tower is Platinum?’

’Which means my running into Platinum at the cake shop that day was no coincidence.’

’They’re hiding here to do something.’

’Why have they kidnapped Teacher Sherry now?’ Lu Xiao couldn’t help but worry as she thought about their evil deeds.

Admiral Clan also realized the gravity of the situation. If members of the Black Tower were involved, this was definitely no ordinary kidnapping.

At times like these, Lu Xiao knew she needed to be even calmer. “Father, let’s wait. I think they’ll contact me again.”

Admiral Clan had the same thought, but he asked, “Your reasoning?”

“They must already know I didn’t go to Alpha Star, so kidnapping Teacher Sherry is likely a way to apply more pressure.”

Admiral Clan nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Soon, another message from C Luo arrived. This time, it started with a picture of an unconscious Teacher Sherry.

The text below it read, “Miss Lu Xiao, please come to this location. You should know the consequences of being late.”

Just as they suspected.

Lu Xiao stood up. “When do we leave?”

Admiral Clan looked at Lu Xiao, his eyes filled with disapproval. But before he could speak, Lu Xiao said directly, “Father, I have to go. I can’t let Teacher Sherry be in danger because of me. If that happens, I’ll blame myself for the rest of my life. Even if the final outcome is still bad, at least I won’t have given up hope of saving her just because I was afraid.”

’There are some things you can’t refuse to do just because you’re afraid.’

It went against her principles and her personal code.

Admiral Clan knew very well what kind of young female Lu Xiao was. He also knew that once she made a decision, it was very difficult for her to change her mind.

“Alright.” The adjutant, who hadn’t expected Admiral Clan to agree so readily, subconsciously glanced at him. ’In his view, letting Miss Lu Xiao come along was far too risky. If something really happened to her, their losses would be even greater!’

’But he could also see that Miss Lu Xiao had made up her mind and probably couldn’t be persuaded. All they could do was prepare thoroughly and do everything in their power to protect her.’

The time that followed was a flurry of intense preparations and arrangements. By nightfall, everything was ready.

Lu Xiao followed Admiral Clan and boarded the military hover car.

The cabin was silent on the way to the target location.

Lu Xiao broke the silence. “If anything happens to me this time, please tell Ares I’m sorry. I have to break my promise again. I said I’d wait for him at home… I even wanted to go pick him up. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance.”

“How could you not get the chance, Xiao Xiao? Don’t say things like that at a time like this. Whatever you have to say, you can tell Ares yourself when he gets back. I won’t pass on the message for you.”

Sensing the fluctuation in Admiral Clan’s emotions, Lu Xiao smiled. “I’m just preparing for the worst, not actually planning to get myself killed. Father, you don’t have to worry too much. I believe I’m more valuable to them alive than dead. Otherwise, why would they go to all this trouble to get me?”

Lu Xiao wasn’t stupid. Back in the Underground City, she had sensed that they had no intention of killing her. ’Is it because I once saved Platinum?’

But now, she didn’t know if that “accident” was a real accident, or if Platinum had orchestrated it.

Everything seemed too coincidental.

The destination they sent was still a location on Alpha 3345 Star.

The vanguard team had received their orders and rushed over immediately. However, just like the entrance they had found before, this place also required biometric authentication to unlock.

Late at night, Alpha 3345 Planet seemed unusually barren and desolate.

As Lu Xiao set foot on this strange artificial satellite, she didn’t have much on her mind as she surveyed the scene. At this moment, all she wanted was to rescue Teacher Sherry.

Following Admiral Clan underground, a new message appeared on Lu Xiao’s wrist terminal. This time, however, the sender wasn’t C Luo, but Platinum.

“You’ve arrived, Miss Lu Xiao. Enter the password, then come inside. You alone.”

Lu Xiao replied, “I’ll come in after I see Teacher Sherry. Otherwise, the deal’s off!”

After sending the reply, Lu Xiao didn’t perform the biometric verification. Instead, she found a place to sit down. Clearly, she wasn’t going inside until she saw Teacher Sherry.

Platinum’s message came again: “Fine. You open the door.”

After receiving the message, Lu Xiao conferred with Admiral Clan and they decided to open the main door first.

The moment Lu Xiao placed her hand on the recognition lock, the sealed main door finally showed signs of opening. She had no idea how they had obtained her information.

The main door opened, and the emergency lights inside flickered on. Lu Xiao stood at the entrance. “I’m here! Let Teacher Sherry come out!”

This time, there was no response.

Lu Xiao didn’t back away. Instead, she stared down the bottomless corridor, waiting.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of footsteps grew clearer, approaching from the distance. Then, she saw a man walking toward her, carrying Teacher Sherry. It was C Luo.

Even though it had been a long time and he had grown much thinner, Lu Xiao still recognized him at a glance.

C Luo stopped and gave a gentle smile, looking as shy as he had back in the Underground City. “It’s been a while, Miss Lu Xiao. Do you still remember me?”

“C Luo, I haven’t forgotten you. But it’s clear you don’t remember what I once said to you.” Lu Xiao didn’t shy away, looking him straight in the eye. “Do you remember when I asked you what kind of life you’d want to live if you could leave the Underground City and have a better choice?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep