"Meng Yao, slow down. What happened to Wu Di?"
Shen Yiyue felt dizzy from Ji Mengyao's shaking, but she could tell from Ji Mengyao's anxious demeanor that something urgent had happened.
"Today is my birthday, and that guy has disappeared. He's been acting mysteriously lately, and he even refuses when I invite him for drinks."
"Are you all hiding something from me?"
Ji Mengyao felt a strong sense of unease growing increasingly intense in her heart.
"He..."
Shen Yiyue hesitated only briefly, realizing there was no point in keeping secrets anymore, seeing how worried Ji Mengyao had become.
"He wanted to secretly prepare something you like as a gift."
She honestly told Ji Mengyao, while also feeling a sense of foreboding in her heart.
"What thing?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Mengyao's suspicions were confirmed - Wu Di must have left the base, otherwise he wouldn't be absent even on her birthday.
Something must have gone wrong.
"I think it was... a vinyl record player..."
Shen Yiyue recalled after a moment, finally remembering what Wu Di had mentioned last time.
"That... idiot!"
Ji Mengyao couldn't contain herself anymore and ran out towards her apartment.
"Meng Yao, where are you going?!"
Shen Yiyue tried to stop the impulsive Ji Mengyao, but she was too fast.
"I'm going to find him!"
Her voice carried from a distance, as she had already run quite far.
"Wait! We'll come with..."
Shen Yiyue tried to call out, feeling partly responsible since she had helped plan this. But then she realized:
Ning Yu had left early in the morning and hadn't returned yet.
This left Shen Yiyue in a dilemma - should she chase after Ji Mengyao immediately, or wait here for Ning Yu to return before acting together?
Her mind raced as she made a decision:
Wait one more hour, and if Ning Yu hasn't returned, have Shen Qianqian pass on the message while she goes ahead first.
Seeing Ji Mengyao's state, Shen Yiyue also sensed something bad might have happened.
She couldn't help but recall the incident with Wan Heng, who had also left the base and was ambushed by mutant zombies.
And according to Ning Yu's analysis, it was likely orchestrated by someone.
30 minutes later.
Shen Yiyue sat anxiously on the sofa waiting, knowing Ji Mengyao must have already left the base. She paced back and forth, even making Shen Qianqian notice her sister's anxiety.
Suddenly, the apartment window opened, and Ning Yu climbed in from outside, carrying someone on her back.
Shen Yiyue had no time to wonder why Ning Yu came through the window, rushing over to tell her:
"Something terrible happened, Yu..."
"I know, Wu Di's in trouble."
Ning Yu settled the injured Lin Hao on the sofa, beating Shen Yiyue to delivering the news she had just received.
"How did you know?"
Shen Yiyue was stunned.
"That's not important now. Quick, help treat Lin Hao, then we'll leave the base."
Ning Yu didn't answer her question, instead pointing to Lin Hao who was still bleeding. She had only given him basic first aid.
Shen Yiyue immediately noticed his condition and had no time to get details from Ning Yu - that could wait for the car ride.
She placed her hands on Lin Hao, and though bandages obscured his injuries, his pained expression clearly eased.
The deep cuts inflicted by Yan Xing were instantly healed by Shen Yiyue's ability.
"Ji Mengyao has already gone after him."
Shen Yiyue said urgently, having just used her power.
Ning Yu nodded, having guessed that Ji Mengyao might have discovered something was wrong.
Only Lin Hao on the sofa looked completely bewildered - his wounds that had been causing him such pain were suddenly completely healed. He sat up and removed his bandages.
It was a medical miracle, absolutely incredible. If possible, he wished he could become an Awakened One too.
But Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue had no time to deal with him, already preparing to leave.
[Ding! Task: Near and Far progress updated!]
[Task: Near and Far (4/4) Find Ji Mengyao and Wu Di]
While gathering supplies, Ning Yu received the task progress update in her mind, seemingly reaching the final step.
She tried to glean information about Wu Di's fate from the task prompt, but unfortunately the task title contained no qualifying terms.
In other words, whether they would be found dead or alive was uncertain.
Now that Ji Mengyao had surely taken her own car, they needed to get another vehicle.
Hopefully they weren't too late.
The two quickly left to borrow a car from the exploration team.
......
Ji Mengyao opened the car door and killed a zombie lying underneath with one swing of her axe.
She looked up at the building before her.
City A Cultural Exhibition Center.
She could guess why Wu Di had come here - there was a famous store that specialized in vinyl record players showcasing their machines here.
She remembered mentioning to Wu Di while drinking that they should come check if they could get a record player when they had the chance.
She had only mentioned it casually then, and since no missions had brought them near here, they never came.
She never expected Wu Di would silently remember and come here to find one as her birthday gift.
Ji Mengyao should have felt touched by Wu Di's thoughtfulness, but now she could only feel panic.
She remembered Wan Heng's empty, lifeless face after death, and feared seeing Wu Di like that.
That fool!
Ji Mengyao bit her lip. Rather than birthday gifts, she wished Wu Di wouldn't do such foolish, risky things.
And he came alone to create a surprise.
She dared not imagine what situation Wu Di might be in as she dispatched several approaching zombies with her fire axe, making her way to the exhibition center entrance.
She keenly noticed several recently killed zombies on the ground, their heads destroyed.
She knew this method all too well, making her more certain Wu Di was here!
Climbing over the ticket gates at the entrance, she found many zombies inside had been cleared out.
The surviving zombies were mostly stragglers, and seeing this, Ji Mengyao felt slightly relieved - there didn't seem to be any major threats.
She found a small map of the venue and located the vinyl record player exhibition area, moving in that direction.
The venue was quite large, divided into many sections, with her target being in Zone B.
But just as she reached Zone B's entrance, before even reaching the record player exhibition area, Ji Mengyao's breath caught.
She saw a bloody suit jacket on the ground, in a style she knew all too well.
Because she had personally helped Wu Di choose it.

for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?

lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!

ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!