JFWCM Chapter 73

Chasing in the Mist

After realizing Jiang Wan’yuan’s strange disappearance, Yi Shang’s inner peace was completely shattered. On the surface, she was still the same aloof and taciturn person, but deep down, worry and unease surged like turbulent undercurrents. With a glimmer of hope, Yi Shang decided to go to the teacher’s office to try to find out the truth behind Jiang Wan’yuan’s disappearance.

Yi Shang strode with steady but slightly hurried steps, traversing the campus’ futuristic corridors. The laughter and discussions of the surrounding students were like a phantasmal background noise to her at this moment, her entire mind focused on Jiang Wan’yuan. Arriving at the teacher’s office door, Yi Shang took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock gently.

“Come in,” the teacher’s gentle voice came from inside.

Yi Shang pushed the door open and entered. The office was filled with a faint scent of electronic ink. The teacher was sitting behind his desk, focused on an academic report on the screen. Seeing Yi Shang enter, the teacher was slightly surprised. He remembered that this excellent but aloof student rarely took the initiative to come to him.

“Yi Shang, is there something you need?” the teacher asked with concern, putting down his work.

Yi Shang walked to the desk, trying to suppress her inner anxiety, and tried to keep her tone calm, “Teacher, I want to ask, have you heard from Jiang Wan’yuan recently? I… I can’t reach her.” Despite Yi Shang’s efforts to remain calm, the slightly trembling ending of her words revealed her unease at this moment.

The teacher sighed softly, a look of regret on his face, “Yi Shang, Jiang Wan’yuan has dropped out of school. Her family came to the school a few days ago to complete the withdrawal procedures.”

Hearing this news, Yi Shang felt as if she had been hit hard by a hammer, and her mind went blank for a moment. She never thought that Jiang Wan’yuan would drop out of school, and leave so quietly, without leaving her a single word.

“Dropped out? Why? Teacher, do you know the reason?” Yi Shang’s voice involuntarily raised a few decibels, and her usually cold face could not hide her shock and panic at this moment.

The teacher shook his head helplessly: “Jiang Wan’yuan’s family did not explain the specific reason, they just hurriedly completed the procedures and left. From the school’s point of view, we respect the decisions of students and parents, but I also think this matter is a bit sudden.”

Yi Shang bit her lip tightly, her heart filled with mixed feelings. She really couldn’t understand what had happened that made Jiang Wan’yuan drop out of school in such a hurry that she didn’t even have time to say goodbye.

“Teacher, do you have a way to contact Jiang Wan’yuan’s family? Or do you know where they went?” Yi Shang asked eagerly, her eyes full of anticipation.

The teacher showed an apologetic expression: “I’m sorry, Yi Shang. Jiang Wan’yuan’s family did not leave any new contact information when they completed the withdrawal procedures. And they didn’t seem to want to reveal their whereabouts too much, so the school doesn’t know where they went either.”

Yi Shang felt a pang of disappointment in her heart, but she did not give up. After thanking the teacher, Yi Shang turned and left the office. Her steps became heavy, each step seeming to drag a thousand pounds of weight.

Walking out of the office, Yi Shang saw Jing Xiao and Zhang Yao anxiously looking around at the end of the corridor. When the two saw Yi Shang coming out, they immediately hurried forward to meet her.

“Yi Shang, how is it? What did the teacher say?” Jing Xiao asked anxiously.

Yi Shang took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down: “Jiang Wan’yuan dropped out of school, and the teacher doesn’t know where she went.”

“Dropped out of school? How could this happen?” Zhang Yao covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes full of disbelief.

Jing Xiao frowned, looking puzzled: “What exactly happened? Why did Jiang Wan’yuan suddenly drop out of school without telling us?”

Yi Shang shook her head slightly, her eyes revealing determination: “No matter what happens, we must find her.”

The three stood in the corridor, falling into a brief silence. They all knew that finding Jiang Wan’yuan would be a difficult journey, but none of them had any intention of backing down.

“Where should we start looking?” Jing Xiao scratched her head, feeling a little at a loss.

Yi Shang thought for a moment and said, “Start with Jiang Wan’yuan’s family. Let’s go to her house and inquire to see if we can find some clues. In addition, I will use my connections in the scientific research community to post a missing person notice on the intergalactic network, maybe we can get some useful information.”

Zhang Yao nodded in agreement: “I will also mobilize the people I know to help find her. More people, more power.”

Jing Xiao also cheered up: “Okay, then let’s do it. We must bring Jiang Wan’yuan back.”

So, the three divided into two groups. Yi Shang went to Jiang Wan’yuan’s neighborhood to investigate, while Jing Xiao and Zhang Yao were responsible for collecting clues at the school and on the intergalactic network.

Yi Shang came to the neighborhood where Jiang Wan’yuan’s house was located. Everything here seemed so familiar, every corner holding memories of her and Jiang Wan’yuan. But at this moment, Jiang Wan’yuan’s house was tightly closed, and a cold atmosphere permeated the area. Yi Shang began to ask the neighbors one by one, hoping to get some news about Jiang Wan’yuan’s family from them.

“Hello, do you know where Jiang Wan’yuan and her family went?” Yi Shang stopped a passing neighbor and asked politely.

The neighbor stopped and thought for a moment, “I’m not sure, but a few days ago, I saw a few people coming to their house to help move some things, and then they left, looking very hurried.”

Yi Shang’s heart tightened: “Do you remember what those people looked like?”

The neighbor shook his head: “I didn’t pay much attention, it seemed like there were a few men in black clothes, looking quite serious.”

Yi Shang thanked the neighbor and continued to ask other neighbors, but the information she got was similar. Just when Yi Shang was feeling a little frustrated, she met an elderly neighbor who seemed to know something different.

“Little girl, I remember something happened to Jiang Wan’yuan’s family,” the elderly neighbor said in a low voice. “I heard some rumors that her father got into trouble at work, I’m not sure what exactly happened, but it feels like it’s a big deal.”

Yi Shang’s heart stirred, this might be the reason why Jiang Wan’yuan dropped out of school. She quickly asked, “Do you know what kind of work he had trouble with? Are there any other clues?”

The elderly neighbor frowned and recalled, “It seems to be work related to interstellar energy research, I don’t know the specifics. That’s all I heard.”

Yi Shang thanked the neighbor and began to think. Jiang Wan’yuan’s father was engaged in interstellar energy research, which she knew, but what kind of trouble would make them leave in such a hurry?

At the same time, Jing Xiao and Zhang Yao mobilized the students in the school to help find clues about Jiang Wan’yuan. They posted missing person notices in every corner of the campus, detailing Jiang Wan’yuan’s characteristics and the circumstances of her disappearance. They also posted a large amount of missing person information on the intergalactic network, hoping to attract more attention.

However, a day passed, and they got very few clues. Yi Shang, Jing Xiao, and Zhang Yao gathered again to exchange the information they had collected.

“I asked a lot of people at school, but there were no useful clues,” Jing Xiao said, feeling a little discouraged.

Zhang Yao also shook her head: “There is no response on the intergalactic network yet.”

Although Yi Shang was also a little disappointed, her eyes were still firm: “It doesn’t matter, we can’t give up. The clue about Jiang Wan’yuan’s father’s work is very important. We will start from here. I will contact some acquaintances in the field of interstellar energy research to see if I can find out some information.”

Yi Shang immediately took action. She contacted several friends in the interstellar energy research community through communication equipment and asked them about the troubles Jiang Wan’yuan’s father might have encountered. After some inquiries, one friend finally gave her an important clue.

“Yi Shang, I heard that at a small interstellar energy seminar, someone mentioned that Jiang Wan’yuan’s father’s research project seemed to involve some violations, but I don’t know the specific situation. You can start investigating from this seminar,” the friend said on the communication equipment.

Yi Shang was overjoyed, this was undoubtedly an important breakthrough. After thanking her friend, she immediately told Jing Xiao and Zhang Yao the news.

“It seems that we finally have some progress. This seminar is the key. We have to find a way to find out more information about it,” Yi Shang said.

The three began to search for information about the seminar on the intergalactic network. After some efforts, they found the location of the seminar and the list of participants. However, most of the information on the list was vague, and it was not easy to find clues related to Jiang Wan’yuan’s father.

“We can start with these participants and contact them one by one to see if we can ask anything,” Zhang Yao suggested.

Yi Shang and Jing Xiao both agreed. So, they began to contact the participants according to the contact information on the list. This was a tedious and arduous task. Some people’s contact information had expired, and some were wary of their inquiries and unwilling to reveal any information.

But the three of Yi Shang did not give up, they patiently explained and sincerely requested. Finally, when they contacted a participant named Professor Lin, they got some important information.

“I have indeed heard about Jiang Wan’yuan’s father,” Professor Lin said in the communication, “It is said that he is researching a new type of interstellar energy conversion technology, but this technology may break the interstellar energy balance and attract the attention of some forces. I only heard about the specific situation, but you can investigate this direction in depth.”

Yi Shang’s heart tightened, it seemed that Jiang Wan’yuan’s father was in big trouble. After thanking Professor Lin, she discussed the next plan with Jing Xiao and Zhang Yao.

“It seems that there is a problem with Jiang Wan’yuan’s father’s research project. We have to find out the details of this project, maybe we can find Jiang Wan’yuan,” Yi Shang said.

Jing Xiao frowned: “But how can we understand the details of this project? This should be confidential information, right?”

Yi Shang thought for a moment and said, “I have a way. I know a friend who works in the Interstellar Energy Administration, maybe he can help us find some information.”

Yi Shang immediately contacted this friend. After some communication, the friend agreed to help inquire about relevant information, but it would take some time.

While waiting for news from her friend, Yi Shang, Jing Xiao, and Zhang Yao were not idle. They continued to look for clues on the intergalactic network and analyze where Jiang Wan’yuan might have gone.

“If Jiang Wan’yuan’s father really got into trouble because of the research project, they are likely to go to a hidden place to hide,” Zhang Yao analyzed.

Jing Xiao nodded in agreement: “Yes, and this place may be related to interstellar energy research, maybe a place like an energy research base.”

Yi Shang’s heart stirred: “You have a point, we can start from this aspect and investigate the more hidden energy research bases in the interstellar space.”

The three once again plunged into a tense investigation. They searched for clues in the vast ocean of information on the intergalactic network, not letting go of any possible leads.

Finally, Yi Shang’s friend sent a message that he had successfully found some information about Jiang Wan’yuan’s father’s research project. The information showed that there were indeed some disputes about Jiang Wan’yuan’s father’s research project, which might have a major impact on the interstellar energy landscape. Moreover, there were signs that some illegal forces were trying to seize this research result.

“It seems that Jiang Wan’yuan and her father left to avoid these illegal forces,” Yi Shang looked at the information, the worry in her heart grew stronger.

“What should we do now?” Jing Xiao asked anxiously.

Yi Shang took a deep breath, her eyes firm: “We continue to look for places where they might have gone. According to these data, we will focus on investigating those remote planets and hidden bases related to interstellar energy research.”