After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

In the corridor, the sound of high heels clicking on the marble floor was rapid and cold, carrying an undisguised murderous intent. Gu Qinghan's stunningly beautiful, icy face was covered with a layer of frost, and her eyes behind her glasses revealed a chilling light.

Instead of returning to her office, she went straight to the boys' dormitory.

Along the way, the students, seeing the usually unapproachable, icy goddess's menacing demeanor, all gave her a wide berth.

"Bang!"

The door to room 621 was kicked open.

Lin Yuan, who was shirtless and frantically scrolling through Weibo on his computer, was so startled that he slid off his chair and onto the floor. "Teacher Gu...?"

Gu Qinghan stepped across the threshold, her tailored dark gray suit outlining her imposing figure. She closed the door behind her, her gaze sweeping over Zhu Xunchuan's neatly made bed.

"Where is Zhu Xunchuan?" Gu Qinghan's voice was cold, like a knife with ice mixed in.

"Chuan... Brother Chuan hasn't come back since he finished playing basketball last night." Lin Yuan stammered. This cold and beautiful counselor's aura was too strong, especially in the small boys' dormitory. The oppressive feeling of cold wood scent and "keep away" made him not even dare to breathe.

"Is the phone line open?"

"It's switched off. It's been switched off since 11 p.m. last night." Lin Yuan was almost in tears. "Director Gu, could something have really happened to Brother Chuan? Su Mucheng's bounty post on Weibo..."

"Shut up."

Gu Qinghan interrupted him directly. She turned around and walked to Zhu Xunchuan's wardrobe, pulling it open. Inside, neatly hung those bespoke suits, but the spare shirt she had given him was still there.

If he were going to spend the night at some vixen's place, given his "frighteningly large appetite," he would definitely bring a change of clothes. Besides, no matter how promiscuous Zhu Xun Chuan is, there's no way he would ignore both her calls and Su Mu Cheng's calls at the same time.

He's a player, not a dead man.

Gu Qinghan took a deep breath, turned around and left. "Don't tell anyone outside your dorm that he hasn't come back. If anyone else asks, just say he was sick and on leave."

"Ah? Oh, okay, Director Gu!" Lin Yuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

School of Humanities, Counselor's Office.

The blinds were pulled down tightly, blocking out the glaring autumn sunlight and casting only a few dappled shadows on the dark red solid wood floor.

Gu Qinghan ripped off the silk scarf from her neck and tossed it onto the table, her chest heaving violently. Her long legs, encased in sheer black stockings, tensed slightly with anger, the muscles in her calves creating an explosive and alluring effect.

She knew Zhu Xun Chuan was having affairs, and he even missed 8 a.m. last night. Her first thought was that this bastard had died in someone's bed again. But reason told her that Zhu Xun Chuan's self-control was far beyond that of ordinary people, and this complete disappearance was definitely not normal.

Gu Qinghan walked behind his desk and took out a black satellite phone without any markings from a hidden compartment at the bottom of the drawer.

This was the only trump card her father had left her before she left the ministry. Normally, she wouldn't even touch it, but now, she couldn't care less.

Dial and wait.

"Hello, Qinghan?" A deep, powerful middle-aged male voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a hint of authority and surprise. "Why are you calling all of a sudden? Are you in trouble?"

"Uncle." Gu Qinghan's voice was no longer the cold one he used when speaking to students, but rather a condescending indifference, even carrying a hint of an unquestionable command, "Find someone for me."

On the other end of the phone was Gu Zhenshan, the head of the Kyoto Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Hearing his niece's tone, Gu Zhenshan was taken aback: "Looking for someone? Who could be worth using this connection for? How long have they been missing?"

"A male freshman. He went missing after 10 p.m. last night, and it's been about 12 hours now."

"Nonsense!" Gu Zhenshan's tone turned stern. "Qinghan, you also come from within the system, don't you know the rules? An adult who has been missing for less than 24 hours will not be investigated! Let alone a college student, who might have gone to an internet cafe for an all-nighter or checked into some cheap hotel. You expect me, the head of the municipal bureau, to use resources to find a student who skipped class?"

Gu Qinghan listened quietly as her uncle finished scolding her, a chilling smile curving her lips.

"Uncle." She leaned forward slightly, one hand on the desk, her long, taut black-stockinged legs creating a breathtaking arc beneath the desk. "I'm not applying to you, I'm informing you."

"What do you mean?"

"If he were to lose a single hair today..." Gu Qinghan's voice was low, revealing a chilling ruthlessness, "I will submit my resignation to the ministry tomorrow, and while I'm at it, I'll send the evidence of that little thing you helped Lao Liu cover up in the customs smuggling case three years ago to the disciplinary committee."

"Bang!" A loud crash came from the other end of the phone as a water glass slammed onto the table.

"Gu Qinghan! Are you crazy?! I'm your own uncle! You're threatening me for a man?!" Gu Zhenshan roared like thunder, his voice trembling with anger.

"Yes, I've gone mad." Gu Qinghan closed her eyes, her mind flashing back to Zhu Xunchuan's burning body temperature as he pressed her against the hood of the car in the underground parking garage, and his arrogant demeanor in front of everyone at the opening ceremony.

"I'm only giving you ten minutes." Gu Qinghan suddenly opened his eyes. "I want the highest level of access to the entire Skynet system in Kyoto. Whether it's checking surveillance footage, investigating base stations, or setting up checkpoints, I want to see results in the shortest possible time. If you can't do it, we'll all die together."

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone.

A full ten seconds passed before Gu Zhenshan's voice, filled with gritted teeth, finally came through: "Name! ID number!"

"Zhu Xun Chuan. His ID number is..."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Qinghan felt completely drained and slumped into the large silk swivel chair. She rubbed her throbbing temples, but the sophisticated, cool wood scent in the air could not soothe the anxiety in her heart.

"Zhu Xun Chuan, if you dare to die out there, I'll chase you all the way to the underworld and drain you dry." She bit her red lips, her eyes revealing a morbid stubbornness.

Ten minutes later.

Kyoto City Public Security Bureau Building.

"Immediately establish the '9.26' task force! Notify all branches, traffic police detachments, and special police detachments to cancel all leave!" Gu Zhenshan stood in the center of the command hall, his face ashen, and roared into the walkie-talkie.

The senior executives in the entire command center were stunned.

"Director Gu, what earth-shattering case has occurred? Should we activate the highest-level emergency response?" The head of the Criminal Investigation Department rushed over, covered in sweat.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't! Immediately retrieve all surveillance footage from 10 PM last night to early this morning within a five-kilometer radius of Kyoto University! Initiate facial recognition and gait analysis!" Gu Zhenshan slammed his hand on the table. "Also, contact the internet monitoring department. Forget about Su Mucheng's trending topic; go directly to her studio and gather all the clues provided by her fans!"

"yes!"

Once the high-speed machinery of a state is in motion, its efficiency is terrifying.

Less than five minutes later, the head of the technical department pointed at the big screen and shouted, "Director Gu! We found them! The target left the North District basketball court at 18:45 PM last night and entered the nearby grove. Then, the surveillance showed a seven-minute blind spot. But at 18:52 PM, a black Volkswagen with fake license plates and no headlights drove out of the grove on a dirt road on the other side!"

P.S.: I've been obsessed with Delta Force lately. If you've played it, leave your ID and I'll give you some perks: one knife skin per month, three battle passes per week, and a chance to win an extra one if you recognize Yanzu.