Han Feng had just driven out of the Dongfang Family Secret Realm when his cell phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence inside the car.
"Dad?" Han Feng pressed the answer button on his Bluetooth headset. "Is there something wrong that you're calling all of a sudden?"
The father's voice on the other end of the phone was unusually urgent: "Xiaofeng, where are you? Wang Hao's parents just contacted us, saying they can't reach their son."
Han Feng's brow furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the steering wheel: "What's going on?"
"The elderly couple said they haven't spoken to each other for a month; they've been calling since the day before yesterday, but no one answers," Mr. Han said quickly. "They contacted the school counselor, only to be told that Wang Hao hasn't been to class for a week. They're extremely worried and want us to help them find out anything."
The tires screeched against the road. Han Feng made a sharp U-turn and sped towards his parents' villa: "Tell them not to rush, I'll be home soon. Do you know where Wang Hao was last seen?"
"School dormitory? Or..." Han's father's words were interrupted by static, "...bad signal...come back quickly..."
The call abruptly ended. Han Feng removed his earpiece, his face ashen. In the passenger seat, Dongfang Wantang had already dropped her playful expression, and the astrolabe was now clutched in her hands.
"Han Feng, do you need my help..."
"Help me divine his location." Han Feng interrupted her, pressing the accelerator harder. "The faster the better."
Dongfang Wantang nodded, her slender fingers moving rapidly across the star chart. The celestial runes on the bronze disc lit up one after another, casting eerie blue spots of light in the dimly lit carriage. Han Feng caught a glimpse of those points of light forming a blurry human silhouette—it must be Wang Hao's projection.
"Strange..." Dongfang Wantang suddenly murmured, her fingers forming hand seals faster. "The star orbits are disordered; it's impossible to pinpoint the location precisely..."
Han Feng's heart tightened: "What do you mean? Can't find him?"
"Yes, it's like... he was disturbed by something." Fine beads of sweat appeared on Dongfang Wantang's forehead. "But I can confirm that his life is not in danger, it's just..."
The temperature inside the carriage plummeted. A glint of light appeared in Han Feng's eyes: "Continue."
"The celestial signs indicate his location is relatively safe." Dongfang Wantang frowned in confusion. "This description is too vague; it's difficult to deduce his exact location."
Her words suddenly stopped, the star chart trembled violently, and an unusually bright starlight shot out from the surface of the chart, forming a brief star map projection on the roof of the car—the pattern was strikingly similar to the star trail pattern inside Han Feng's body!
"What is this?" Dongfang Wantang exclaimed in surprise.
Han Feng slammed on the brakes, the tires leaving two black streaks on the road. He completely ignored the angry honking of the cars behind him, staring intently at the fading star map: "Isn't that the pattern of star trails? What's going on with it?"
"It was only for a moment... but there's no mistake." Dongfang Wantang gasped for breath, "Your friend's disappearance... might be related to you."
Traffic began to move again. Han Feng forced himself to calm down and slowly drove into the lane. Wang Hao was just an ordinary college student; how could he be involved? Unless...
"Mu Xiaoxiao." He gritted his teeth and spat out the name, his eyes flashing with a chilling light. "If she dares to touch my friend..."
Dongfang Wantang looked at him worriedly: "Han Feng, what do we do now?"
"Go home and find out the details first." Han Feng immediately dialed Chen Feng's number.
Chen Feng's voice came through the phone quickly: "Captain?"
"Brother Chen, activate 'Sky Eye' for me, priority A." Han Feng gave a brief order. "Target: Wang Hao, a student at Kyoto Institute of Technology, last confirmed to have been on campus a week ago. Retrieve all surveillance footage, focusing on any abnormal energy fluctuations."
"Understood. Should we notify Elder Lin?"
Han Feng hesitated for a second: "Not for now. Let's not alert them."
After hanging up the call, he glanced at Dongfang Wantang, who was still attempting divination in the passenger seat. The girl's astrological chart was currently in an unusually chaotic state, as if disturbed by an invisible force.
"Wantang, try again." Han Feng slowed down the car. "Don't focus on positioning, just sense the situation."
Dongfang Wantang took a deep breath, her fingertips tracing new paths on the star chart. This time, the runes lit up much more slowly, as if passing through some kind of viscous medium.
The tires screeched against the villa's entrance. Han Feng practically leaped from the driver's seat, rushing up the steps in a few strides. Dongfang Wantang jogged after him, the astrolabe in her hand still flickering with an unstable light.
The moment the door opened, the oppressive atmosphere of the living room hit them. Mr. Han sat on the edge of the sofa, his fingers tapping incessantly on his knees; Mrs. Han held the phone, her voice deliberately soft: "Yes, Xiaofeng just got back... Don't worry..."
Seeing his son enter, Mr. Han immediately stood up, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a mosquito: "Xiao Feng, you're back. Any leads?"
"I've already had Long Yuan activate the Heavenly Eye System," Han Feng replied briefly, taking the phone from his mother at the same time. "Auntie, it's me, Han Feng."
A heart-wrenching sob immediately came from the other end of the phone: "Xiaofeng! Haohao... what if something happened to him! The police say they can't file a case for an adult who has been missing for less than 48 hours, and the school is making excuses..."
"Auntie, don't worry." Han Feng's voice was calm and strong, a stark contrast to the coldness he displayed in the car earlier. "Haozi is my best brother. I promise to bring him back safely within two days."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dongfang Wantang politely greeting her parents. The girl's astrolabe was cleverly hidden in her sleeve, and only he could see the fleeting blue light—a signal of "safety".
After offering a few more words of reassurance, Han Feng hung up the phone and sank into the sofa. Outside the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows, the setting sun dyed the clouds blood-red, casting an uneasy golden edge on everyone's silhouette.
"Have you got any clues?" Han's father handed him a glass of ice water.
Han Feng shook his head, and a layer of white frost immediately condensed on the outside of the water glass—his unconsciously leaked starlight power: "Longyuan's Heavenly Eye System is checking; Wan Tang's divination indicates Haozi is currently safe."
"Divination?" Mother Han looked at Dongfang Wantang with suspicion.
"Yes, my ability is to deduce Wang Hao's location through calculations," Dongfang Wantang reacted quickly. "However, this situation is a bit special; we only know that Wang Hao is currently safe."
Han's father simply sighed: "Wang Hao has always been an honest child; what kind of person could he possibly offend..."
"It might not be that he offended anyone." Han Feng crushed the frozen paper cup. "Maybe... it's aimed at me."
These words caused the temperature in the living room to plummet. The teacup in Han's mother's hand cracked with a "crack".
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