Chapter 21: Love at First Sight
The starship cruised steadily along the aerial route. Qin Zui casually responded to Gu Yixi's chatter, while Qin Lüzhi remained with his eyes closed, pretending to nap.
Shen Bumin gazed out of the window, watching the drifting clouds in the sky and the streams of people moving below.
After a while, though, he began to feel short of breath. His alertness kicked in immediately—someone was using an ability!
“Qin Lüzhi!”
Shen Bumin had barely managed to shout Qin Lüzhi’s name before he vanished.
Aside from Shen Bumin, the other three had already sensed the ability wave when Shen Bumin was about to speak. But before he could finish his sentence, he disappeared.
Gu Yixi’s smile disappeared instantly, and the other two’s faces darkened to the point of being pitch-black. They had been careless.
Someone had abducted Shen Bumin right under their noses, and they didn’t even know who the assailant was or what their motive might be. It had happened so suddenly.
Qin Zui quickly pulled the starship over and immediately opened a communication link, sending out an Imperial alert and dispatching orders to his subordinates for a complete lockdown.
Gu Yixi had already started contacting the Shen family, while Qin Lüzhi stood in the shadows.
Behind him, the golden leaves of the ginkgo tree shimmered. He tried to catch any lingering traces of Shen Bumin’s pheromones or the residual energy waves from the ability user.
But there was nothing—no traces of pheromones, meaning Shen Bumin hadn’t panicked and lost control of his pheromones.
The person who had used the ability was extremely powerful. The ability wave had only lasted for a few moments, and the aura had been concealed quickly.
So quickly that even Qin Lüzhi and his father hadn’t had the chance to capture it.
Qin Lüzhi forced himself to remain calm. “It’s a combination of spatial and acceleration abilities. The user is at least S-rank or higher.”
The two abilities had been coordinated perfectly, which was why they had been caught off guard.
However, spatial abilities couldn’t transport someone very far, which meant Shen Bumin was still within the Empire, hidden somewhere.
Qin Zui thought for a moment. “Use the mental web to search.”
Gu Yixi rushed over. “Don’t worry. I’ve already informed the Shen family. Shen Yi and Xiaoyang will be here soon to help search. Shen Yi specifically requested that we don’t inform the Shen parents for now—he’ll handle it.”
Since Shen Yi had said so, there wasn’t much more to say. “We need to act quickly. We must find Mianmian immediately.”
If something happened to Shen Bumin, the Shen family definitely wouldn’t let it go.
Qin Lüzhi had already closed his eyes and activated his mental web. Invisible waves of energy began sweeping across the planet, and Qin Lüzhi’s brow furrowed deeply.
The larger the area covered by the mental web, the greater the energy consumption. He had never expanded it this far before—it was his first time, and he found it difficult to control.
Gu Yixi stood beside him, a bit worried. “Lüzhi, don’t rush. Guide your mental energy slowly.”
Qin Zui had already given his orders and now stood guard by the two of them.
He was worried that a powerful adversary might return, further complicating their search for Shen Bumin.
Qin Zui patted Gu Yixi's shoulder. “Trust Lüzhi.”
Gu Yixi nodded, keeping a close eye on Qin Lüzhi’s condition, ready to intervene and guide him if anything went wrong.
A few minutes later, Qin Yang arrived. Seeing the scene, he quickly grasped the method Qin Lüzhi was using.
He was a bit anxious. “Father, why are you letting Lüzhi use the mental web? He’s never used this method before.”
Qin Yang was concerned that Qin Lüzhi might not be able to handle it, potentially injuring himself without even finding Shen Bumin. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Qin Zui’s sharp gaze remained fixed ahead, and he repeated his usual line.
“Xiaoyang, trust your brother.”
Qin Yang hesitated for a moment, then suggested, “Maybe we should switch. I’m afraid he’ll exhaust himself.”
Qin Zui considered this, knowing that Qin Yang was more experienced in using the mental web.
“No need.”
No one knew when Qin Lüzhi had opened his eyes again. His forehead was slightly damp with sweat.
He was trying to alleviate the discomfort caused by using the mental web. He had indeed been too anxious.
“I’ve found it. Southwest direction. There’s more than one person, but I can’t tell exactly how many. We need to hurry!”
When they heard “southwest,” their hearts sank. The southwest of the Empire had always been chaotic.
If they went further, they might reach the forbidden zone—The Thirteen States!
The area around the Thirteen States was filled with complex energy fluctuations, and no one had ever successfully returned from there.
The military had attempted to explore the area, but they found that once they entered the Thirteen States, abilities were suppressed to varying degrees, as were pheromones.
There was even a chance that mental energy could be contaminated. To this day, the mystery of the region remained unsolved.
For safety reasons, the First Planet had issued a strict ban on approaching the Thirteen States.
As a result, many criminals fled to the southwest, as it was their only hope of survival, despite the perils lurking there.
Now, if Shen Bumin had indeed been taken in that direction, it was hard to say what might happen to him. As an omega without abilities, Qin Lüzhi felt a sudden wave of anxiety.
“Xiaoyang, immediately dispatch a team to search the southwest. Make sure to bring those A-rank or higher who have undergone specialized training. We leave now!”
“Yes!”
Qin Yang turned to leave. The situation was more severe than he had initially thought.
After taking just a couple of steps, he nearly bumped into a cold, imposing Alpha. The man wore gold-rimmed glasses, and the lenses gleamed with a chill. His face was stunning, yet cold to the extreme.
Though it wasn’t the best moment, Qin Yang found himself momentarily dazzled by the beauty before him.
The man’s thin lips moved slightly, his voice as icy as his appearance. “Marshal Qin, Professor Gu, there’s no need. I’ve brought enough people. We’ll depart immediately.”
Qin Yang, dazed, replied, “Ah? Oh, okay, then let’s go.”
Qin Zui frowned at his eldest son, only to be pulled onto the starship with a chuckle by Gu Yixi. Qin Lüzhi followed.
Qin Yang, realizing how foolish he had just acted, didn’t board his family’s starship. Instead, he followed the beautiful man onto his aircraft.
“Wait for me! By the way, what’s your name, beautiful? I’m Qin Yang, and I—”
Before he could finish, the man cut him off coldly. “Shut up.”
If it had been anyone else, Qin Yang would’ve gone on and on. But today, for some reason, he just fell silent.
He glanced sideways at the man’s cold face, thinking to himself, My heart is racing. Oh, dear god, I think I’ve fallen in love!
The pilot seated in front was none other than Qihar, the same person who had driven Shen Bumin to the military academy on the first day of school.
Inwardly, Qihar labeled Qin Yang as unreliable and frivolous. Then he activated the aircraft’s systems and reported to the “beauty” Qin Yang had mentioned. “President, the young master’s signal has disappeared. It seems to have been interfered with.”
Qin Yang narrowed his eyes. So, this beautiful man was none other than Shen Yi, the eldest son of the Shen family and Shen Bumin’s older brother.
It was his first time meeting Shen Yi, and he was convinced that it was fate—he had fallen head over heels for his brother’s future in-law!
Shen Yi furrowed his brows, clearly irritated by the intense gaze beside him. How could a dignified Imperial General seem so unreliable?
“Contact Qin Lüzhi and have him lead the way.”
Qihar was about to explain that they didn’t have a direct communication link and would need to land the aircraft to communicate.
But before he could speak, Qin Yang eagerly jumped in. “I’ll do it! I’ll call my brother right now.”
Qin Lüzhi’s voice came through the comms. “Head directly to the eastern part of the Thirteen States, to Xiu Mountain. There’s a rest station there.”
Qin Yang hung up and flashed a smile at Shen Yi. “Don’t worry, beautiful. We’ll find Mianmian.”
“General Qin, it is my brother who was kidnapped, not yours.” Shen Yi’s tone was cold. Of course, Qin Yang wouldn’t be worried.
Shen Yi’s brows furrowed tightly. Mianmian? This guy was acting way too familiar. Were their two families really that close, for him to call his brother that?
Forget it—now wasn’t the time for bickering. Finding Mianmian was the priority.
Qin Yang didn’t get upset at being misunderstood. He merely muttered, “Well, he’s my brother too now. I’ll make sure he’s safe.”
Inside the starship, Qin Lüzhi suddenly sneezed.
Shen Yi closed his eyes, choosing to ignore Qin Yang, and simply instructed Qihar to speed up.
Qin Yang didn’t care about Shen Yi’s attitude. He kept staring at him the entire journey, thinking contentedly, My future spouse is so beautiful!
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