Chapter 99: Turning Point

Despite thorough preparations, when Andreas arrived in Jinling City, he suffered severe dehydration from being away from water too long. The mucus on his tail fin was nearly dried up, and his skin showed signs of cracking and peeling.

Brother Long, who came to greet him, had anticipated this and had already arranged for a doctor. After a medical examination, it was confirmed that the condition was not serious and that Andreas just needed some rest. Only after confirming Andreas was fine did Zhang Xingmin feel at ease and leave.

Da Min and Brother Long had no time to rest, as a pile of urgent matters awaited them.

First and foremost was the plague. The investigative team that had returned from Europe had already begun preparations to combat the epidemic. Using the materials obtained from Europe, they worked day and night to develop a therapeutic protein. Just one week after returning home, they successfully replicated a protein capable of resisting the super bacteria.

Since it was still in the testing phase, production was limited, and with so many infected, overcoming the crisis remained difficult. Some patients, too weak and untreated, applied for transformation surgeries, which helped ease the strain on medical resources to some extent.

Fortunately, the merfolk recently relocated to the Jinling City resettlement area, upon hearing about the plague, came forward to donate. Medical staff were initially reluctant due to their health conditions, but eventually agreed to take a small portion after persistent insistence.

Better news came from the Medical Academy: a new antibiotic had been developed and reached clinical testing, proving effective in killing the current super bacteria.

Thanks to everyone’s joint efforts, a solution to the super bacteria outbreak was finally within reach.

Meanwhile, Andreas’s condition improved, and he began a new independent life in Jinling City. No longer needing to rely on anyone, he was very happy to be free from the prison-like days at the Vienna rehabilitation center. In his free time, he even went to the activity center in Jinling City’s aquatic district to play basketball. Although his favorite sport was soccer, he couldn’t play it now, so basketball was his alternative.

Of course, Andreas was still unaware that he was carrying a little merchild inside him, so he wasn’t troubled by pregnancy symptoms or worried about what or how he would give birth.

As for the matter with the buzz cut, no one pursued it further. The Falcon Investigation Team had fulfilled their earlier promise, which eased the burden on Zhang Xingmin’s heart. Although the buzz-cut individual deserved legal punishment, Zhang felt guilty if the promise had been broken.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. Yet, they encountered a new problem.

Lin Xiaofeng had disappeared.

Actually, Brother Long had wanted to discuss this with Da Min the day Zhang Xingmin returned from Europe, but got distracted and forgot. It was only two days after Zhang’s return that he asked why Lin Xiaofeng wasn’t around, and suddenly remembered.

Lin Xiaofeng left on the third day after Zhang Xingmin departed for Europe, without telling anyone.

That day, Brother Long, as usual, got up early to meet Lin Xiaofeng and continue tracking Wu Jianxue’s whereabouts. They had already identified several suspicious locations and planned to narrow down their search. Regardless of the European team’s success, the plague situation was becoming manageable, which made him happy. He had never felt so important before.

But what followed left him stunned—he couldn’t find any trace of Lin Xiaofeng. When he asked others, they shook their heads as if Lin Xiaofeng had never existed. He even began to suspect he had slipped into another world.

In fact, when Brother Long realized, Lin Xiaofeng had only recently left. Had he acted quickly, he might have stopped him. But there were no “ifs.” Lin Xiaofeng insisted on acting alone and didn’t tell him where he was going. Even if Brother Long wanted to pursue him, he had no direction.

"...So, you’re as clueless as I am about Xiaofeng’s departure?" Da Min asked after hearing the story.

Brother Long nodded firmly.

“Did he show any unusual behavior in those days?” Da Min pressed.

Brother Long shook his head, feeling guilty. “After you left for Europe, I was with him every day, almost sleeping in the same room. I really didn’t notice anything. Ah, it’s all my fault—little brother Xiaofeng, please don’t get into trouble!”

“Don’t blame yourself too much. Let’s check his dorm first. I don’t believe he left without leaving any message,” Da Min comforted him.

They went to Lin Xiaofeng’s dorm.

The door was closed but unlocked.

Pushing it open, the room was tidy but somewhat messy—the blanket was unmade, and a few clothes lay on the bed. The desk was cluttered as if he had hurriedly searched for something before leaving.

Zhang Xingmin looked at the half-filled cup of soy milk, puzzled. “What on earth happened? Why leave in such a hurry?”

“Exactly! He was fine the day before! Then after one night’s sleep, he disappeared! I came by that day; the soy milk was still drinkable, so I didn’t think much of it. When I realized Xiaofeng was gone, I came back a few more times but found nothing. He didn’t even leave a note,” Brother Long explained.

“That’s impossible! Did we miss something? Xiaofeng wouldn’t just vanish without reason!” Da Min was also baffled.

“Maybe we should ask Uncle Lin! Perhaps he called Xiaofeng back for an emergency,” Brother Long suggested.

“I’ll keep looking!” Zhang Xingmin was not ready to give up.

“Forget it, I’ll call his dad!” Brother Long was out of ideas. He picked up his phone, found Lin Xiaofeng’s father’s number, and dialed.

Within seconds, the call connected.

“Hey, Da Long! How are you guys? That brat Xiaofeng—he hasn’t even called once!” Commander Lin answered immediately upon seeing the caller ID.

Hearing Commander Lin ask about Lin Xiaofeng’s whereabouts, Brother Long’s heart skipped a beat. Xiaofeng hadn’t returned home. He couldn’t say Xiaofeng was missing, so he gave a vague excuse, telling Commander Lin that all three of them were fine but busy, and that he was just calling to ask about Jiang City and to check on his health.

Commander Lin noticed that whenever Xiaofeng was mentioned, Brother Long changed the subject, which aroused his suspicion. However, recalling some old friends had recently praised Xiaofeng in his presence, he didn’t press further—just asked Brother Long to pass on a message telling Xiaofeng to call home more often.

After hanging up, Yang Da Long’s expression grew even more solemn. It was the worst outcome—Lin Xiaofeng had not come home.