The next morning, while I was still looking at the files, Sister Jing and the others returned and notified me via walkie-talkie to go out and open the door.

When I went outside and opened the door, I saw someone I never expected.

Li Jiaming.

I was surprised to see him. I never expected him to still be alive, and even to run into Sister Jing and Fei Lichao. When Sister Jing and Fei Lichao told me how they met him, I still couldn't quite believe it. It was too much of a coincidence to run into someone who had disappeared for so long!

But reality seems to be just that coincidental.

"Lu Xiaonan, it's been a long time," Li Jiaming said with a smile, extending his hand.

Li Jiaming had washed his face clean and was no longer as dirty as before. Although he looked much more haggard, he was still a celebrity, and his appearance remained unchanged; he still had that handsome face.

If you don't know him, you might easily be deceived by his appearance, especially his weathered and melancholic face, which gives him a unique air of sophistication.

But I know very well what kind of person Li Jiaming is, and I'm not a little girl who can be fooled by his appearance.

I reached out and shook his hand, saying, "It has indeed been a long time. I didn't expect you to still be alive."

Li Jiaming said, "Yes, I never thought I'd survive this long. Lu Jing and Fei Lichao have already told me about what happened at school. I'm sorry."

I shook my head and said, "You don't need to apologize. You left back then, and this matter has nothing to do with you. Even if you had stayed, it wouldn't have changed anything. You might not even be alive now."

Li Jiaming's character appears awkward. "In short, I have to apologize. I was really too scared back then, which is why I chose to leave."

I frowned slightly, not wanting to recall the past, and said, "Alright, come in first. Let bygones be bygones, there's no need to talk about it anymore."

Li Jiaming nodded and followed us into the research institute.

Jingjie told Li Jiaming yesterday why we left Jiajiang and lived in the research institute. As for Li Jiaming, he also told Jingjie and the others about his situation.

So after settling Li Jiaming in, Sister Jing told me about Li Jiaming's situation.

Jingjie said, "Xiaonan, Li Jiaming told us yesterday that he saw Zhong Linyun, that little girl, in Ninghai a week ago."

The moment I heard that, I lost my composure. "What did you say! He's met that little girl!"

Sister Jing nodded and said, "Yes, he told me this himself last night."

"And then?" I asked.

Sister Jing said, "Then he said that when he met the little girl, he found that she was surrounded by a lot of people, and they were all strangers. The main thing is that Li Jiaming saw that the group the little girl was with was fighting with another team, so he didn't dare to get close. When he went back to look for them, they were long gone."

I frowned, a little worried about the little girl's condition.

Jingjie noticed my anxiety and comforted me, "Xiaonan, don't worry. I believe that little girl Zhong Linyun won't do anything reckless. If there's danger, she'll definitely find a way to escape. Don't overthink it."

I frowned and said, "I'm not overthinking it, I'm just afraid... never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore. What else did Li Jiaming say?"

Sister Jing said, "He only said this much about the little girl. The rest was about his own affairs. Apart from that, it was about the raiders."

I became suspicious. "Is Li Jiaming connected to the raiders?"

Sister Jing shook her head and said, "He has nothing to do with the raiders. He just happened to run into them. Besides yesterday, he encountered the raiders a few more times on his way to Mingzhu City. But he was lucky that he wasn't discovered. Yesterday he was unlucky and almost got killed by the raiders."

"Then came the questions the raiders asked him when they encountered him yesterday."

I asked, "What's the problem?"

Jingjie said, "They asked him if he had seen an injured person, just that one question. I reckon the raiders are looking for Fang Yuan."

I frowned. "Yes, judging from the current situation, the raiders are indeed looking for Fang Yuan."

Sister Jing asked in confusion, "I just don't understand why those people care so much about Fang Yuan? Could it be that he has some secret?"

I shook my head and said, "We don't know for sure. We'll have to ask him when he wakes up."

Jingjie thought of Fang Yuan and asked, "How is he doing now?"

I said, "He's still unconscious. He woke up once in the early morning and hasn't woken up since."

Sister Jing nodded, looked at me, and asked, "You stayed up all night? Didn't you sleep?"

"Um."

Jingjie said, "Then what are you waiting for? Go to sleep first. I'll keep an eye on Fang Yuan for you. If he wakes up, I'll go wake you up."

Upon hearing the word "sleep," I couldn't help but yawn.

Seeing this, Sister Jing decisively said, "Look at you, you're yawning. Go to sleep now."

I gave a wry smile. "Alright, alright, I'm going to sleep now. If Fang Yuan wakes up, be sure to wake me."

Sister Jing said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely wake you up. Go to sleep now."

I couldn't outlast Sister Jing, so I had no choice but to obediently go to sleep.

Back in my room, I was physically exhausted, but my mind was a jumbled mess, unable to calm down, especially after learning about Zhong Linyun's whereabouts! I became even more confused.

I wish I could rush straight to Ninghai and find that little girl.

But I know this is unrealistic. I can only force myself to sleep and ask Li Jiaming about the situation after I wake up. I need to understand all the details before I can take any action. Otherwise, if I act blindly, the consequences will be unimaginable.

I don't know when I finally fell asleep.

…………

…………

Recorder Diary 9:

"It was Sunday, the 11th. The person who was supposed to do the experiment today caught a cold, so he was last in line. I was supposed to be after him, so I took his place and entered the lab a day early. Before I went in, Lin Zijie told me there wouldn't be any problems, just some live experiments. And once I was in, it was indeed as Lin Zijie said, nothing major. The experimental data and results were all normal. However, the results of my experiment were a little different from Lin Zijie's. Lin Zijie's subject died directly, while mine went berserk and is still alive."

(End of this chapter)