Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lu Lingzhu showed me the photo.

It was a group shot taken before everyone entered the mountain.

They were all wearing matching black windbreakers. There were more than twenty of them, men and women alike, and every single one had a stiff expression, without the slightest hint of a smile.

At the very edge of the frame was a blurry passerby.

The person was wearing a black baseball cap, one hand covering half his face so that only a sliver of his fair chin was visible. On the back of his hand was an intricate black totem, stretching from his little finger all the way up into his sleeve.

My pupils contracted.

It was Ji Kang.

Ji Kang was at Phoenix Mountain too. That meant these people’s disappearance was very likely connected to him.

There was no time to lose. I immediately called Hua Yuling and told her to get ready to leave for Shanxi with us.

With the safety of so many rich kids on the line, Lu Lingzhu moved fast. She had Song Feifei arrange a private jet to take us there.

At the airport, I happily pulled out my phone and shoved it in Hua Yuling’s face.

“Huahua, I’m telling you, a once-in-centuries bull market is coming. See my stock? Come on, tell me nice and loud-how much did I make today?”

With my phone screen practically pressed against her nose, Hua Yuling glanced at it. A look of deep sympathy appeared in her eyes.

“Twenty-four thousand five hundred.”

My grin stretched all the way to my ears.

“Oh, stop it! Lu Lingzhu, didn’t you say a stock can only rise ten percent in a day? It was already up more than eight percent when I bought in. How did I still make that much?”

Hua Yuling shook her head and turned the screen back toward me.

“You lost twenty-four thousand five hundred. Your stock hit the daily limit down.”

“What?!”

My vision went black.

I was going to kill Lu Lingzhu.

But she was still alive. Why?

Because even if I fought her, I couldn’t really beat her. At best, we’d come out even.

She was about to lose her mind too. On the plane, she sat with her hands clasped together, muttering nonstop to herself.

“It’s a technical correction. Don’t panic.

“It’s a technical correction.”

Then she lunged over and grabbed Song Feifei by the throat.

“You filthy rich capitalist! Aren’t you one of the capitalists? Stock prices are all controlled by people like you. Pull it back up for me!”

Song Feifei struggled with all her might.

“Let go! I lost over ten million myself!”

We bickered and wrestled the whole way until we got off the plane. By then, it was already seven in the evening, and everyone’s mood was extremely heavy.

I was so upset I lost my appetite. I only ate three bowls of rice that night.

The car drove to the foot of Phoenix Mountain. Up ahead was the luxury minibus Song Tianming and the others had last taken.

The doors were shut tight. The black body of the vehicle was swallowed by the mountain’s shadow, almost blending completely into the night.

I walked up to the window, stood on tiptoe, and peered inside.

The interior was dark. I could make out, faintly, that all the seats were empty. A few bags were scattered here and there on them.

I turned on my flashlight and leaned my face close to the glass.

In the next second, a deathly pale face suddenly appeared on one of the seats and lunged right up to me.

I froze and didn’t move. Beside me, Song Feifei was so startled that she instinctively leaned backward and nearly fell.

I reached out and steadied her.

Her eyes were wide, her face filled with disbelief.

“Brother?”

I scratched my head.

“Why are you calling me that? Just call me big sis.”

Song Feifei shoved me away.

“That was my brother just now! My brother is on the bus!”