The Dragon Battle Hotel was quite far from Love Home Housekeeping's office building, so it took Lu Lin and his companions a full half-hour by taxi to get there.
"11th floor, Room 1109."
Luo Ling had been to her sister's workplace before, so she led the two into the elevator.
"Luo Ling, don't be nervous. We'll solve any problems together. If things really don't work out, we can call the police."
"Mm."
Luo Ling bit her lower lip and remained silent.
Seeing this, Zuo Yiming also quieted down.
The elevator slowly ascended.
Soon, they arrived on the 11th floor.
After getting her bearings, Luo Ling quickly rushed into Love Home Housekeeping's office area.
"Where's my sister!"
Luo Ling scanned the area but didn't see her sister.
"Miss, are you... Luo Yu's little sister?" a middle-aged man asked, walking out from the office area. Seeing Luo Ling nod, he continued, "Don't worry. We didn't want something like this to happen to your sister either."
"Luo Yu has worked for Love Home Housekeeping for three years. We trust her character. The issue is that this afternoon, a client called saying a valuable item was missing from their home, and they suspect your sister..."
"Impossible!" Luo Ling exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, impossible," the middle-aged man stammered. "We have great trust in Luo Yu's work ethic and character; she's a key employee. But it is a client complaint, so we can't just dismiss it without investigating, can we?"
Luo Ling took a deep breath to calm herself, staring intently at the man before her.
"Then where is my sister?"
"Luo Yu argued with us and then ran out. I don't know where she went."
"You!" Luo Ling seethed, but finding her sister was the priority.
Ignoring Lu Lin and Zuo Yiming beside her, she used her Biological Chip to call her sister.
BEEP... BEEP...
The call rang for a long time, but Luo Yu didn't answer.
"Well?" Lu Lin and Zuo Yiming asked.
"I don't know. My sister isn't answering."
"Not answering? That's impossible, isn't it?"
In modern society, everyone had a Biological Chip in their body. Answering a phone call was merely a thought. Usually, a call would only go unanswered if set to 'Do Not Disturb' or due to other specific circumstances. Naturally, Luo Yu wouldn't have blacklisted Luo Ling's number.
"Luo Ling, where do you think your sister would go now?" Lu Lin asked.
Luo Ling lowered her head, pondering. Where would she go?
"She must have gone to see the client who complained to clear things up," she murmured, as if to herself.
"Yes, that must be it!"
"My sister might seem gentle, but she's very strong-willed. Faced with such an unfair accusation, she'd definitely contact the client immediately."
Luo Ling glanced gratefully at Lu Lin, then turned to the man from Love Home Housekeeping. "Could you please give me the contact information for the client who complained about my sister?"
"This..." The man hesitated.
Love Home Housekeeping wasn't a large company, but it still had policies to protect client information.
"Please tell us," Zuo Yiming said. "We're senior high school graduates who have initiated our Talents, and we promise not to misuse the client's information. Besides, Luo Ling's sister is unreachable right now. She might be in trouble. If you give us the client's address now, your company will at least be able to clarify some facts if something has indeed happened."
The man, noting Zuo Yiming's distinguished air and believing he wouldn't be deceived, nodded. He then retrieved the client's address from his Biological Chip and sent it to them.
"Thank you," Zuo Yiming said, then led Luo Ling away.
His earlier words had mostly been alarmist talk to intimidate the supervisor. Tongyuan, in Blue Star's Hua Xia District, was merely a remote small city; hardly anyone of consequence would pay it any attention.
The three took another taxi to the Lakeside Mansion on Star River Road.
This was one of Tongyuan's few affluent areas. Love Home Housekeeping catered to middle and high-end clients, specializing in services like home organization, tidying, and cleaning.
BEEP. "Esteemed passenger, the Tongyuan Traffic Department has just issued a traffic update. Star River Road, Qianjun Road, and Chuanxi Road are under temporary traffic control. Would you like to take a detour?"
"Traffic control?"
"Do you know why?" Zuo Yiming asked. Lu Lin was already logging into his Biological Chip to check.
This temporary traffic control... it has to be related to Luo Ling's sister, or rather, her sister's client, Lu Lin thought.
"The Tongyuan Transportation Department has not yet provided a reason for the temporary control," the car's AI replied stiffly.
Meanwhile, Lu Lin couldn't find any information about the traffic control online.
"What do we do now?" Zuo Yiming was dumbfounded.
"Zuo Yiming, Lu Lin, you two should head back first," Luo Ling said. Sitting in the car, she had calmed down somewhat. "My sister is probably just trying to clear things up with that client. I'll go check on her. You don't need to worry."
Neither I nor my sister Luo Yu are particularly pretty, and we've lived on Blue Star for years without encountering any real danger, she thought. As long as she explains things clearly, it'll be fine.
"It's fine. We'll go with you. We're already here anyway," Lu Lin said, subtly shaking his head at Zuo Yiming.
Zuo Yiming seemed to understand and said no more.
"Alright then. I'm really sorry to have troubled you both today."
「At the Dragon Battle Hotel.」
Zuo Zhenyu, who was drinking and chatting with Master Jiang, also received an emergency communication.
"General Zuo, there's a violent kidnapping at Lakeside Mansion on Star River Road in Tongyuan City. The local police can't handle it and are requesting assistance from our City Defense Army."
"What?!" Zuo Zhenyu shot to his feet.
A violent kidnapping in Tongyuan City? Zuo Zhenyu thought. Such a remote place... What could possibly be worth kidnapping someone for here?
"Yes, General Zuo. The perpetrators aren't acting on a whim, nor are they ordinary criminals."
"Three minutes ago, the Tongyuan Police Station sent three special officers to rescue the hostages. Two were killed, and one was injured. The assailants are heavily armed and powerful. They're suspected to be... Star Core Warriors."
"Alright, I understand. I'm on my way."
Zuo Zhenyu ended the call. He clasped his fists towards Master Jiang and said, "Master Jiang, urgent military matters. I'll come back for that drink once this is settled."
"Hmm, go on then. This old man needs to get some rest too," Master Jiang replied.
Before Master Jiang could finish, Zuo Zhenyu had already vanished.
He leaped straight out of the open window of the private room. An army aircraft, trailing long jets of flame, appeared perfectly beneath his feet.
The top hatch slid open, and Zuo Zhenyu dropped in effortlessly.