TVAPVM Chapter: 43 The Disappearance

Gu Chi lowered his head in silence.

Lu Yunfei didn’t miss the strange atmosphere between Gu Chi and Chi Ying. Though he couldn’t pinpoint what was going on, something about their interaction felt oddly delicate.

He subconsciously glanced at Song Shi, who stood beside him.

He knew she liked Gu Chi and worried the situation might upset her. But when he turned, he only saw her looking down stiffly, as if she hadn’t even noticed Gu Chi and Chi Ying.

Had she finally given up after a few days of absence?

Lu Yunfei raised his eyebrows. He figured it might be for the best and chose to stay quiet.

__

That night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Song Shi lay wide awake beneath her quilt. Her whole body burned with fever, and her thoughts were a blur. Since last night, she had felt disconnected—like her mind wasn’t entirely her own.

A cool autumn wind slipped through a gap at the base of the tent. Dazed, she reached toward it, trying to soothe her overheated skin.

“Huff… huff…” Her breathing grew shallow.

She knew that if this continued, there would only be one outcome.

But that voice… had promised she could live—if she went to him.

Casting a quick glance at her peacefully sleeping companions, Song Shi silently rose. Step by step, she slipped out of the tent and walked toward Yuhu City.

__

“Captain Gu!”

At dawn, Mu Yu rushed into Gu Chi’s tent.

“Song Shi is gone,” she reported, out of breath.

Gu Chi’s brows furrowed. “You’ve checked everywhere?”

“I’ve searched the entire camp and all her usual spots,” Mu Yu replied. “She’s a non-combatant. She couldn’t have gone far.”

Chi Ying approached from the other side of the camp.

“I didn’t find her either.”

“Was she still there when you went to bed?” Gu Chi asked.

“Yes,” Chi Ying nodded. “She was lying with her back to me when I fell asleep.”

She bit her lip, guilt rising in her chest. The wind had howled through the tent last night, loud enough to drown out other sounds. She had been too deeply asleep to notice anything unusual.

“Anything else missing?” Gu Chi asked.

Mu Yu quickly returned after a check.

“One communicator is gone.”

Gu Chi tried calling it immediately.

Beep… beep…

No answer.

“…Could it be connected to the supernatural disappearances?” Lu Yunfei suggested hesitantly.

Gu Chi shook his head. “If someone took her, there would’ve been signs. Chi Ying and the others would’ve noticed.”

“It’s still possible,” Mu Yu said seriously. “What if she left on her own… and was taken afterward?”

“She’s been acting off lately,” Lin Xun added. “Like she was scared of something.”

“I noticed that too,” Lu Yunfei said. “She didn’t look well at dinner.”

“Then why didn’t she say anything?” Chi Ying murmured.

Gu Chi’s gaze darkened. “We won’t know until we find her. Head to Yuhu City.”

__

The mission changed instantly: search for Song Shi.

Yuhu City was large, and Mu Yu suggested splitting up to cover more ground.

Gu Chi shook his head. “Too risky. Even high-level ability users have gone missing.”

“But if we don’t act fast, we might be too late,” Lu Yunfei countered.

“Separating would speed things up,” Lin Xun agreed.

Gu Chi paused, conflicted, then gave in. “Fine. Keep your communicators on. Report anything immediately.”

“Understood!”

__

Chi Ying, with her wind-based ability, covered the most ground. While her powers weren’t exhausted, her legs turned to jelly after hours of running across the city. By sunset, she had found nothing.

When Gu Chi called for regrouping, she headed back to the meeting point near the city center.

Lu Yunfei and Lin Xun were already there. A few minutes later, Gu Chi arrived from a side alley. No one spoke—they already knew: Song Shi hadn’t been found.

Gu Chi noticed Chi Ying’s drooping eyes and her weight shifted forward, signaling fatigue.

She must have been the most physically strained. Powers or not, she was still human.

“Tired?” he asked quietly.

Chi Ying, too sore to feel awkward, simply shook her head. “I’m okay.”

Gu Chi looked away. “Where’s Mu Yu? She should’ve been here by now.”

“None of you saw her?” he asked sharply.

Lu Yunfei’s face paled as he tried calling her.

Beep… beep… beep…

No answer.

__

Somewhere in Yuhu City, Mu Yu stirred at the sound of a buzzing noise in her ears.

She slowly opened her eyes to an unfamiliar, sterile white room.

Where was she?

She tried to move but quickly realized she was restrained—hands and feet bound to a bed, her waist cinched tight with a belt. Her gear was intact, except for the missing communicator.

Twisting her wrist, she tried to reach the dagger at her waist. The cuffs were small, tight. Only one wrist barely slipped through.

Her breath caught.

Her leader detector lit up on her wristband.

Blocked by the cuff earlier, she hadn’t noticed it.

She strained to hook the band with her fingers and flicked on the positioning switch.

Then froze.

The virtual screen displayed hundreds of red dots within a 500-meter radius.

Each one represented a zombie leader.

Mu Yu’s scalp tingled.

She was surrounded.