Chapter 19 Missing

"No?" Jiang Cheng was momentarily lost. "What do you mean?"

The middle-aged man stared into Jiang Cheng's eyes, his expression unchanged, as if trying to glean something from them. "No means no, Mr. Jiang. It's exactly what it sounds like."

"But I learned about the existence of a base specifically for breeding second-generation Shen Hong from Shao Tong's own mouth! I'm here to rescue people at his request." Jiang Cheng suddenly grew anxious. The image of Shao Tong in his mind began to fade, becoming almost illusory.

"Don't get agitated, Mr. Jiang. I completely believe you, and the higher-ups feel the same way. But there's no doubt something's wrong here." The middle-aged man actually began to console Jiang Cheng.

"When did you discover this?" Jiang Cheng asked.

The middle-aged man paused. "This morning. The exact time was about four hours ago. After discovering the problem, we realized something was off, so we rechecked the data. The result was the same."

Gradually, Jiang Cheng calmed down. After a moment of thought, he continued, "Besides Shao Tong, can the identities of the other Shen Hong be confirmed? I mean, everyone in this guesthouse now."

"We've already checked. Every single person can be traced. Although the information on these files isn't very detailed, identifying them isn't a problem." The man pointed to the kraft paper bag on the table and said seriously, "Including that Mr. Su An. According to the records, he was kidnapped by the Night Watchmen most recently."

There was information on Su An, but not on Shao Tong. This was clearly a problem. And what terrified Jiang Cheng the most was the feeling deep down that Shao Tong, once a living person, seemed to be drifting further and further away from him.

Jiang Cheng stood up. "I want to see Su An. I have questions for him."

"Alright. He's in the third-floor hall with the other Shen Hong members." The middle-aged man emphasized, "And your friend, Wang Fugui, is with them as well."

Jiang Cheng was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped, surprised by the second half of the man's sentence. "What? You've gathered all the Shen Hong in one place?"

Upon hearing this, the man revealed a bitter expression. "We didn't want to, but we had no choice. Without Su An, these Shen Hong members are becoming increasingly agitated. We're worried they'll cause trouble. But don't worry, it's not all of them. Only about a third, the most difficult to control. And..." The man's face showed a slightly strange look. "And they're getting along very well. I mean, your friend and them."

With Su An around, Jiang Cheng wasn't too worried about Fatty's safety. Led by the woman outside the door, Jiang Cheng hurried over. But despite all his calculations, Jiang Cheng was stunned the moment he pushed open the door.

He had been told that Fatty was getting along well with these people, but he never expected this level of camaraderie. Fatty was wearing the same kind of patient gown as the others, albeit a tight one. He was blindfolded, swaying and lunging left and right. And with each of Fatty's feigned attacks, the Shen Hong, led by Su An, would let out a tense and excited exclamation.

That's right, they were playing a game. A very traditional game of Blind Man's Bluff. Fatty was playing the blind man, while Su An was playing the mother hen. The other Shen Hong members were holding onto each other, forming a line behind Su An, running around happily. They didn't even notice Jiang Cheng entering.

These Shen Hong didn't have the terrifying aura they had during their last encounter. They were clearly just children who hadn't grown up yet.

"Hehehe, let's see who I catch!" Fatty, still blindfolded, made a deliberately scary laugh. "The one who gets caught has to give me a hamburger for dinner!"

"Hamburgers!"

"We're having hamburgers tonight!"

Understanding the implication in Fatty's words, the children let out deafening cheers. It was at this moment that Jiang Cheng realized that these childlike Shen Hong weren't completely devoid of language. Some of them could speak, but only to certain people.

And Fatty had clearly managed to do that.

"Fatty," Jiang Cheng suddenly said.

Hearing Jiang Cheng's voice, Fatty froze, then stopped and took off his blindfold. The moment he saw Jiang Cheng, his eyes lit up. "Doctor, what are you doing here?"

Fatty's forehead was covered in sweat, and he radiated warmth.

Jiang Cheng waved Fatty over and told him about Shao Tong. Fatty was stunned. He was about to say something when Jiang Cheng cut him off, telling him not to panic and to just cooperate.

Then Jiang Cheng turned to look at the Shen Hong. But he was shocked by what he saw. All the Shen Hong, including Su An, were staring straight at him. It felt as if Jiang Cheng had stolen their hamburgers and their most cherished playmate.

At this moment, Fatty stepped forward to help Jiang Cheng out. Under Fatty's direction, the Shen Hong's gazes gradually relaxed. They stood loosely in a row, but they all looked very serious. Fatty stood in front of them, like a general reviewing his troops.

"Okay, Doctor, what do you want to ask?" Fatty turned to face Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment and passed his question to Fatty. It was clear that Fatty was more suitable for communicating with them. Naturally, Jiang Cheng wanted to ask if these people recognized Shao Tong.

"Do you know Shao Tong?" Fatty asked.

The scene was blank. One boy with very uncoordinated movements was gesturing wildly to his companions, but they looked even more confused than he did.

Jiang Cheng understood. Many of these people could only understand simple gestures, and some even had hearing problems. So Fatty asked Su An to ask for him.

A magical scene unfolded. Su An blew a few whistles, and the Shen Hong, who had been looking completely confused, seemed to understand. One by one, they began to shake their heads.

Jiang Cheng's brow gradually furrowed. Sure enough, no one knew Shao Tong. Not a single one.

How could this be?

What was Shao Tong's background? He couldn't have just sprung out of a rock.

Looking at the blank stares in front of him, Jiang Cheng decided to try again. He got paper and a pen from the guards and drew a portrait of Shao Tong.

The moment he held up the drawing, the scene suddenly changed. Several of the Shen Hong, those who had been heavily corrupted, widened their eyes and their expressions became animated. They began to point at the drawing, even making some fragmented, meaningless sounds.

After listening for a while, Jiang Cheng suddenly understood. The few people were saying "Zero"! The word "Zero"!

Jiang Cheng grabbed Fatty. "Quick, ask them, where did that Zero... go?"

A moment later, Fatty received a response. Both Jiang Cheng and Fatty gasped. The Shen Hong were saying that Zero had already died.

He had died in the base a long time ago.