Luo Xiaoming called Xiao Zhe to discuss the search for Xu Fang. After learning that the real Xu Fang's whereabouts were unknown, Xiao Zhe expressed shock and immediately went to Xiao Ming's house.
"Why are you telling me about this now?" Xiao Zhe had his assistant inform the information department about the matter, requesting the access to all recent global key intelligence, including information from Singularity Individuals such as 'World Observers'.
"I also just found out recently."
"We will do our best to find Xu Fang. After all, he is the author that we truly desire to collaborate with." Xiao Zhe looked around with a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Luo Xiaoming, don't tell anyone else about Xu Fang's disappearance, even the government."
"Why?"
Xiao Zhe glanced at Gussy and said, "The Protector Organization is not united internally. The government has established two departments, originally intended for cooperation, supervision, and prevention of abuse of power. However, these two departments have evolved into radicals and conservatives, both aiming to protect the country but with different methods. Although I hate to divide myself into factions, I consider myself a conservative. I don't want the radicals to know about Xu Fang's disappearance."
Gussy whistled and said with a smile, "Looks like your internal unity is not so strong."
"Don't interrupt... do you know what will happen?"
"The radicals want to use force to control Xu Fang and other authors, but due to the potential losses and our opposition, they have refrained from taking action. If they find out about Xu Fang's disappearance, they will have a legitimate reason to capture Gussy. After all, without Xu Fang's control, Gussy is a dangerous creature. To ensure the stability of the country, it is best to eliminate the source of danger in advance."
Luo Xiaoming was shocked. No wonder Xiao Zhe had been monitoring Gussy all along, to prevent Gussy from igniting a war.
"Hehe, I will fight to the end. Even with thick metal armor, I can still eliminate the pilots in fighter jets. I can do it!" Gussy stood up straight. "I remember the names of many military leaders, the location of nuclear missile silos, and... Gussy! Hey, what are you doing?"
Xiao Ming forcefully tapped Gussy's head. From the twitching corner of the Protector's leader's eyes, it was apparent that the conversation was moving towards a dangerous direction.
Distracted by Xiao Ming, the tense atmosphere that Gussy had created disappeared instantly. It pouted unhappily, "I'm not easy to mess with either!"
"Don't talk about fighting and killing." Xiao Zhe cleared his throat, seemingly not hearing Gussy's earlier threat. He said seriously, "We are the most trustworthy partners in the future!"
After Xiao Zhe left, Luo Xiaoming sighed, "I didn't expect the Protector Organization to be this complicated."
"The complicated one is Xiao Zhe's rhetoric," Gussy waved its hand dismissively. "There's no such thing as radicals and conservatives. Xiao Zhe is simply telling us indirectly that if we aren't honest, he will take action. It's hypocritical!"
"But you didn't have to provoke with those inflammatory words... Well, today you have to stay in my sight all the time, no wandering around, got it?"
"No!"
"What did you say? I didn't hear you." Xiao Ming held onto Gussy's cheek - after finding that it felt good (a bit like mochi) and Gussy didn't resist much, she had become accustomed to it.
"It seems I have no choice but to comply," Gussy said. "Give me your phone, I want to decipher the imposter's identity."
A stranger claiming to be Xu Fang sent Luo Xiaoming a message using a virtual online number. If they could trace the person's IP, there would be a chance to find their address and locate them. However, there was still the internet service provider between Gussy and that person, and more information could only be obtained from the provider.
Half an hour later...
Perhaps out of impatience, or perhaps because it couldn't be done, Gussy quickly gave up on the idea of finding out the stranger's IP address. It returned the phone to Xiao Ming and lazily laid down next to her, saying, "Why hasn't he sent a message yet...why don't you take the initiative to contact him?"
Xiao Ming stared at the phone screen, lost in thought. She wasn't considering what to send, but rather other things.
In the past, she seemed to rely too much on Xu Fang. He dealt with all sorts of crises and difficulties while she did nothing. But once she was no longer under Xu Fang's care, Luo Xiaoming discovered that the people around her suddenly became unreliable, even untrustworthy.
Luo Bing was a regular person, unable to solve mysterious problems.
The Protector Organization had its own principles and wasn't always on Xu Fang's side. If it posed a threat to their interests, the protectors could easily become enemies.
Gussy was even more unreliable; without Xu Fang's oversight, it could do anything.
Lastly, there were people hiding in the shadows with unclear motives, trying to gain Luo Xiaoming's trust by using Xu Fang's identity...
With these thoughts, the world seemed to be full of dangers.
Luo Xiaoming felt that she had to make decisions based on her own judgement.
Looking at the chat records from last night, Luo Xiaoming ultimately chose to remain silent—if the other party insisted on hiding their identity, saying anything would be useless and only raise their suspicion. It was better to wait quietly for further information.
...
At noon, Luo Xiaoming ordered takeout, but only for herself. Gussy could only watch.
"So boring...human, don't you have anything you want to do?"
While Xiao Ming was eating, Gussy rolled around under the bed and sofa.
Since its identity had been exposed, its actions became more reckless. It even had a tendency to imitate the destructive behavior of a mischievous dog. Maybe it would be easier if it were allowed to leave—Protectors would monitor Gussy's every move and potentially take measures against its invisibility, but Xiao Ming didn't want Gussy to act recklessly.
"I have an idea. I want to go to the city of H," Xiao Ming said after finishing her meal, wiping the corners of her mouth with a tissue.
Gussy perked up.
"What's the reason? Don't tell me you want to go sightseeing."
"Xu Fang once told me that H City is a magical place, where the intimidation system first appeared. There is also a shortcut to the moon there. I speculate that Xu Fang might be in a place as remote as the moon, where he can't contact you," Luo Xiaoming continued, "If that's the case, then the organization that controlled this shortcut, Organization K, would be the enemy. After all, we can't be sure if the Protectors have eliminated remnants of Organization K in H City. Going to H City comes with certain risks, so I need your protection."
Gussy opened its eyes wide, scrutinizing Luo Xiaoming up and down. Seeing her uncomfortable, it spoke after a brief moment:
"The enemy couldn't be Organization K. They're not worthy. The only ones who can be our opponents, mine and Xu Fang's, are..."
Gussy arrogantly pointed to the sky, correction, the ceiling.
"Who?"
"The world!"
Luo Xiaoming was speechless. What kind of inexplicable tone was this? Please say something practical!
"Anyway, come with me to H City."
...
Before setting off, Xiao Ming met someone.
She and Gussy found Xu Tong at a bookstore.
Xu Tong sat in the innermost book display area, holding Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" and reading it seriously. Soft light shone around the shelves, and all the readers were immersed in tranquility.
"Xu Tong, I'm Luo Xiaoming, a friend of Xu Fang. I have something to ask you," Luo Xiaoming said straightforwardly.
Xu Tong recognized Xiao Ming. He had seen her a few times during their training in the shelter. He closed the book and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Xu Fang is in trouble. He has gone missing. Can you do me a favor and use your system to find Xu Fang's location? I'm willing to pay whatever you ask," said Luo Xiaoming.
Xu Tong pushed his glasses up and replied, "Sorry, I can't do that. Ever since I used that card, the threat detection system seems to have gone into hibernation. It hasn't said a word since then, and I'm not even sure if the system still exists."
At this point, he looked at Gussy, who was standing next to him, and asked, "And who is this?"
"Hello, Savior, I'm Gussy, Xu Fang's successor!" Gussy greeted loudly, attracting the attention of many people.
The title "Savior" made Xu Tong's expression turn strange.
"Make sure to inform me once the system shows any signs of activity," Luo Xiaoming said, not holding much hope for the system. "Today, I plan to visit H City, the city where your school is located. Do you want to come with me?"
"No, I have taken half a month off and can't enter the school. I plan to stay at home for a few more days before going back. If anything comes up, we'll keep in touch by phone."
"Okay, goodbye then."
...
After bidding farewell to Xu Tong, there was a small incident at the entrance of the bookstore:
A passerby recognized Gussy and became extremely excited, claiming to be a fan of Gussy and enthusiastically requesting a photo together, and Gussy happily agreed.
Out of curiosity, Luo Xiaoming engaged in a conversation with the young man and discovered that Gussy was quite well-known on the internet. A parody video of the US president went viral on X Station and reached millions of views.
The video was quite controversial, causing a big uproar. At first, people believed it to be true, but as public opinion shifted, they realized it was just an elaborate prank. After all, who would dare to actually kidnap Trump?
Later on, some entertainment content creators on X Station imitated Gussy's behavior and further increased the traffic, making Gussy a frequent visitor to the "crazy and funny" section.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming's face changed.
"I thought you were a computer program, but you actually exist in real life. You're a real person, and so adorable too!" The young man was excited, his face turning red. "Is Gussy your stage name? Can I ask for your real name?"
"Hmph, listen carefully, my real name is Xu..."
To protect Xu Fang's reputation, Luo Xiaoming quickly pulled Gussy away from the bookstore, leaving the young man shouting in regret.
...
Luo Xiaoming bought two plane tickets from S City to H City.
The government had processed Xu Fang's identification card, so Gussy could also take a plane.
Shortly after buying the tickets, Xiao Zhe called Luo Xiaoming to inquire about her intentions. Xiao Ming explained that she was looking for clues about Xu Fang, and Xiao Zhe didn't stop her, just reminding her to stay safe. Since Gussy was accompanying Xiao Ming, it was likely that Xiao Zhe would also follow to H City, but it was unclear how he would get there.
The flight was scheduled for the evening. Luo Xiaoming packed her luggage, changed into a windbreaker, and brought Gussy to the airport to wait.
Upon Xiao Ming's strong request, Gussy was completely bundled up and wore a mask to prevent being recognized by fans or treated as a "rare creature" to be observed.
During that time, Gussy made a brief phone call to her brother, Luo Bing, explaining the current situation. However, Luo Bing replied, "Luo Xiaoming, we...we are just ordinary people with limited abilities. If it becomes too difficult, you can withdraw at any time."
"I won't give up. Once I find Xu Fang, we'll find Dad together. I believe he's still alive."
- I hope so.
"Are you in love with Xu Fang?" Luo Bing suddenly asked.
"No, no way! What are you talking about! Okay, fine, that's it, I'm leaving," Xiao Ming said anxiously as he hung up the phone.
...
"Attention all passengers traveling from S City to H City: Boarding for flight XXXX is now commencing. Please have your carry-on items ready..." The sound of the announcement echoed through the airport lounge.
It was time to board the plane.
When buying the plane ticket, perhaps due to her phone number being exposed, Luo Xiaoming received dozens of spam advertisements in the afternoon. She was annoyed and activated the spam message blocking function.
As a result, her phone filtered out one extremely important message.
Sender: Anonymous
Message content:
"Do not board!
Do not board!!
Do not board!!!
If you board, everyone will die!"
Unfortunately, she didn't see this message.
Following the crowd, Luo Xiaoming and Gussy boarded the plane, stepping onto a... path of death.
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On November 13th, at 21:26, the plane from S City to H City suddenly lost contact halfway through the journey.
After investigation, the search team discovered the crashed plane wreckage in a remote mountainous area, broken into dozens of pieces, with carbonized human tissue but no intact bodies.
The search and rescue team searched within a 5-kilometer radius of the crash site but found no survivors.
All the passengers were killed.
Preliminary analysis showed traces of substantial nuclear radiation on the aircraft wreckage, indicating the possible presence of small nuclear warheads as attack weapons.
Portable anti-aircraft missiles, large-caliber machine guns, rocket launchers, and other weapons cannot hit a plane at an altitude of 10,000 meters and carry nuclear warheads. Only large missiles with launch platforms can achieve this.
However, the area where the plane crashed is kilometers away from any missile launch site, surrounded by mountains and forests, making it impossible for missile vehicles to reach.
This leaves only one possibility: cruise missiles. After acceleration by a rocket booster, these missiles can easily achieve long-range strikes across national borders.
But the probability of a cruise missile hitting a plane from such a long distance is very low. Was this an intentional act by foreign forces or an astonishing coincidence?
