Raindrops pelted forcefully against the car window as the rain became heavier. Through the mist and fog, Lu Boyan discerned a big patch of fallen trees not far away. Rainwater ama.s.sed into a deluge and gushed downhill as if attempting to wash away the entire mountain.
Su Jianan was all alone in a barren mountain and in such a weather.
Just how frightened was she right now?
“Kaboom-”
The rumbling of thunder sounded. A long bolt of lightning slashed across the sky like a blade; a burst of silver light formed aloft and vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
He still remembered what Su Jianan’s greatest fear was: thunder.
“w.a.n.g Yang!” growled Lu Boyan whose phone was nearly crushed in his grip. “Drive faster!”
“No!” w.a.n.g Yang shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to drive fast in this type of weather.”
“Stop the car!” Lu Boyan ordered suddenly. w.a.n.g Yang was too confused to react, so the car drove on. “w.a.n.g Yang! Stop the G.o.dd.a.m.n car!” Lu Boyan growled lowly.
“Yes, sir!”
w.a.n.g Yang stepped on the brake pedal, bringing the car to a screeching stop. He heard the opening of the backseat door as Lu Boyan got down. “Move aside!” Lu Boyan ordered, his tone not leaving any room for argument.
w.a.n.g Yang had already figured out what Lu Boyan intended to do. Still, he dared not say anything about it. He quickly moved to the pa.s.senger side and buckled up his seatbelt.
Due to the strong wind and heavy rain, Lu Boyan’s clothes were riddled with wet spots by the time he got into the driver’s seat. Water was dripping from his hair, though Lu Boyan could not care less. He buckled up and step down hard on the accelerator. The white Land Rover galloped forth as if it had transformed into a tiger.
Lu Boyan seemed as though he barely registered the car’s speed at all. Instead, he stared out the windscreen calmly. Miraculously, the car was stable and very much in control in the hands of Lu Boyan. If w.a.n.g Yang did not notice the Lu Boyan’s tight grip on the steering wheel which betrayed the man’s anxiety, w.a.n.g Yang would suspected Lu Boyan of being a professional racer who derived pleasure from high-speed driving.
After the Land Rover had overtaken the cars in front, Lu Boyan stepped down on the accelerator once again. The car picked up speed.
w.a.n.g Yang swallowed, his hands clutching his seatbelt instinctively.
Driving this fast in such weather conditions was akin to wagering one’s life. Not even an experienced driver like w.a.n.g Fang dared make such a bet. But Lu Boyan… With the way he was driving, it was as if he thought the car was only going at 60MPH right now.
w.a.n.g Yang had long since heard about Lu Boyan terrifying driving skills. Indeed, the man lived up to that reputation.
After about an hour, the rainstorm gradually subsided. They were still 70 kilometers away from San Ching town.
Lu Boyan allowed w.a.n.g Yang to drive, but not before ordering him to drive as fast as he could. After that, Lu Boyan climbed back into the backseat and made several phone calls.
All w.a.n.g Yang could hear was Lu Boyan giving out orders and summoning a team of his people into town. Lu Boyan did not even hesitate to call in a few favors to gain access to military search-and-rescue helicopters. Professional search and rescue teams were also on the way.
This was the first time w.a.n.g Yang had seen Lu Boyan mobilizing so many of his resources.
Indeed, Lu Boyan had access to that kind of resources, though he would never use his power on a whim. This time, however, he was truly concerned.
If Su Jianan was not found by nightfall, the entire San Ching town could forget about going to sleep.
The wind finally abated around three in the afternoon. The rain, on the other hand, was still pouring heavily without signs of slowing down.
“Screech!”
A piercing screech sounded, and a white Land Rover pulled up in front of San Ching town’s police station. Trailing after it were about ten armored vehicles.
The entire police station was taken by shock at the presence of the array.
Xiao Ying recognized Lu Boyan the moment he stepped out of the Land Rover, and she could not help but jump up. “He’s here!” Xiao Ying said. “He must have a way to save Jianan!” Xiao Ying had no idea why she would say something like that. In any case, Xiao Ying could feel it in her bones that Lu Boyan would be able to save Su Jianan.
“Who’s that?” asked a squad member. “Not even the members of the police are capable of going up there to rescue her. Can this guy really do it?”
The squad leader had also recognized Lu Boyan at this point. “He’s the President of Lu Enterprises, Lu Boyan. Miss Su’s husband,” the squad leader said. “I don’t know whether or not he’s able to save her. But he does have the ability to call upon resources that we’ve got no access to and do so in the quickest way possible.”
“…” The squad member glanced at the entire cavalcade behind Lu Boyan and shut up instantly.
Lu Boyan entered the police station in long strides. Every step he took was quick but measured, and his face was as cool as a cuc.u.mber when he walked in. A sudden quietness descended upon the station as everyone observed Lu Boyan’s grand arrival nervously.
“When did Jianan head into the mountain?” Lu Boyan asked Captain Yan the moment he entered the station.
“Before the typhoon hit. She went up there to conduct an autopsy,” Captain Yan said, glancing at the time. “It’s already been five hours since she was stranded. I’m sorry. We were all on duty when she went up there, so no one else had gone with her. The storm was too violent just now, so we weren’t able to head up to the mountain to search for her. But we’ve already called for backup from the higher-ups.”
Lu Boyan was interested in neither an apology nor waiting for the arrival of these so-called “higher-ups”. They might as well make use of the time to start the rescue operation.
A man dressed in combat gear ran in. He was the leader of the search and rescue team, Captain Long. “Mr. Lu, ” said Captain Long, “our men are on standby. We can depart immediately into the mountains.”
“You guys got any extra gear?” Lu Boyan asked. “Give me two sets.”
Captain Long stared blankly at Lu Boyan for a brief moment. Then it hit him what it was that Lu Boyan had in mind. Captain Long ordered his subordinates to bring in two sets of combat gear and military boots.
Realization dawned on Captain Yan as well; he asked a squad member to bring Lu Boyan and w.a.n.g Yang to the men’s changing room.
Lu Boyan would often pick Su Jianan up from the police station whenever Su Jianan had to do overtime, so they had already seen Lu Boyan a lot of times. But every time they saw him, he was always this elite and charismatic executive dressed in a suit.
Surprisingly, Lu Boyan’s aloofness and toughness were even more p.r.o.nounced after he had changed into combat gear. In an instant, he had transformed from a chivalrous gentleman into a tough warrior. The transformation was seamless without a single hint of incongruity. In fact, he looked even more handsome and enticing in combat gear.
“Wow! So handsome!” Xiao Ying was silently fangirling over Lu Boyan. “Jianan must be so d.a.m.n happy!”
Captain Yan smacked Xiao Ying’s head harshly. “Why are you guys still standing there like idiots?!” Captain Yan shouted, bringing his team out of their stupor. “To the mountains! Let’s move!”
Meanwhile, Lu Boyan and w.a.n.g Yang had already left the station in a car.
Just then, the squad leader had recovered from his shock as well. “Come on! We have to get on that mountain and find Miss Su as quickly as possible!”
…
The white Land Rover led the entire convoy in front with up to ten armored vehicles trailing behind it. At the end of the line-up were four or five police cars. Moving along in such a fashion, the vehicles formed an extraordinary procession. Through the narrow and muddy lanes of the town, the convoy drove downhill towards the foot of the mountain.
All vehicles were parked at the foot of the mountain ten minutes later. The search and rescue team gathered around. Just then, everyone heard a loud rumbling sound aloft, which appeared to be coming nearer and nearer. Xiao Ying raised her head and saw two military search and rescue choppers circling the mountains. The helicopters had obviously begun the search and rescue operation.
Xiao Ying patted her chest. “Oh, dear me. So bada.s.s! He even brought choppers!”
“Mr. Lu,” Captain Long said as he approached Lu Boyan. “Let’s each grab a copy of the map of this mountain and then split up. We’ll stay in touch with each other at all times. When any of us find your wife, we’ll let you know immediately.”
After that, Captain Long ordered the rest of his team to begin the search. The group, which consisted of several hundred people, split up and walked through the rain towards different entry points of the barren mountain.
The paths of the mountain were highly convoluted and difficult to navigate. If Su Jianan tried to travel downhill after the typhoon hit, she would most definitely lose her bearings. The entire search party spread out across the mountain in small teams with each team combing every part of the mountain. In doing so, they would be able to locate Su Jianan in the quickest way possible, wherever she was.
Lu Boyan stood before the path that Su Jianan had used when she ascended the mountain. He glanced ahead at the winding mountain path. A subtle hint of worry formed between his brows.
The heavy storm must have scared her senseless. Was there a moment when she hoped for his appearance?
“Let’s go,” said w.a.n.g Yang. “With so many people searching, we will be able to find her before dark. Plus, sister-in-law is so clever and resourceful. She must know how to take care of herself.”
Lu Boyan nodded and took the path uphill with w.a.n.g Yang.
“Why do I have a feeling that Lu Boyan will be the one to find Jianan?” Xiao Ying mumbled to herself. All of a sudden, she remembered something. “Mr. Lu!” she yelled at Lu Boyan’s back.
Lu Boyan halted his steps and turned around. He saw Xiao Ying brandishing her arm. “Jianan bought this bracelet a few days ago. She wears it on her wrist! Try to keep an eye out for this thing along the way!”
“Understood. And thank you.”
Lu Boyan and w.a.n.g Yang proceeded uphill. w.a.n.g Yang pulled out a walkie-talkie from his waist. “Captain Long, alert all members of your team to keep a lookout for a white, camellia flower bracelet. The madam was wearing it when she went up to the mountain. If you find it, she might be nearby.”
“Affirmative,” Captain Long said. Then, he changed the frequency to relay the message to his team. “Listen up, guys. Mrs. Lu was wearing a white, camellia bracelet. She might have removed it and then placed it in conspicuous places as a signal to us. Keep an eye out for it. Be it person or bracelet, we must find either one before sundown. Move your a.s.ses, people!”
…
A gust of wind blew strongly across the mountain, heralding another bout of heavy downpour. Along the mountain path, raindrops beat heavily against the foliage, releasing a series of endless patter.
Lu Boyan switched on a high-performance flashlight; a dark yellow light beam wobbled amidst the foggy rain. The light was a way to attract Su Jianan’s attention so that she would make a sound or give them some kind of indication as to where she was. Lu Boyan checked everywhere within his sight, hoping to see Su Jianan there a second later. But every time, his hopes came up empty.
This barren mountain was larger than he had expected. Now that he was uphill, he tried glancing around in all four directions, but all he could see were the wavelike mountain ranges and lush greeneries. The white mist had obscured the mountain’s profile; he could not even see the mountain top from where he stood.
For Su Jianan, someone who was so terrified of thunderstorms, to be thrown into such circ.u.mstances, would she not be frightened to the point of tears?
“w.a.n.g Yang, give me the map,” Lu Boyan said all of a sudden.
w.a.n.g Yang had no idea what Lu Boyan had in mind. But since the man had demanded it, w.a.n.g Yang had no choice but to pull out the waterproof map and spread it out before him. w.a.n.g Yang circled a spot on the map with his finger. “According to the policeman who brought sister-in-law uphill, that’s where the female victim’s body was found. That’s also where the guy had part ways with sister-in-law. If she noticed the incoming rain and then decided to go back downhill, she most likely would have come down from here. But she might have gotten lost somehow.”
“Let’s split up,” Lu Boyan said, giving w.a.n.g Yang a signal to put the map away. “Stay on the comms.”
“But-” w.a.n.g Yang’s eyes went wide. “How are you planning to look for her without the map? Why don’t I give you this copy?”
“No need,” Lu Boyan said. “I’ve memorized it.”
While w.a.n.g Yang was gaping at him, Lu Boyan had already begun making his way uphill.
After the rainwater had washed over them, the mountain paths were extremely slippery. Even if the military combat boots had anti-slip features, there were still occasions where Lu Boyan lost his footing and stumbled.
However, none of that diminished the respect and reverence Lu Boyan had commanded within w.a.n.g Yang.
With that kind of super memory, it would be strange indeed if Lu Boyan was unable to conquer this mountain and track down little sister-in-law!