Chapter 115: News of My Sister

After departing, Xi Yan and Lin Shuang finally returned to a place familiar to them: the teleportation site of the Eighth Survival Zone. Nearby was the amusement park that Xi Yan and Qing Yan had visited previously.

The pair had been able to navigate back so quickly because the route was marked with detailed signposts indicating their destination. However, upon arriving at the teleportation site, Xi Yan discovered that the amusement park, which had been standing right there, had vanished. There was not a trace left; it was as if it had simply ceased to exist.

Xi Yan sighed and continued walking in a different direction with Lin Shuang.

"This time, not only have we lost track of Qu Ya, but Qing Yan has disappeared as well," Xi Yan said helplessly.

Lin Shuang chuckled, stretched, and replied in a leisurely tone, "You don't need to overthink it. Qu Ya is safer than anyone right now. That friend of his is an Investigator and a member of the Bai family, so he will be shown courtesy wherever he goes."

"As for Qing Yan, you have even less reason to worry about her. Her own status is enough to make any prominent figure in these Survival Zones think twice before deciding whether or not to harm her."

"Qing Yan's status..." Xi Yan glanced at Lin Shuang, hoping for an explanation, but his expectations were met with disappointment.

"I can't tell you her status. Unless she is willing to share it herself or you discover it on your own, I would end up in a very miserable situation!"

Although Lin Shuang's tone sounded light, Xi Yan knew her words were neither a joke nor an exaggeration; she meant every word. This only deepened his curiosity about Qing Yan. She was not only an Investigator with a unique standing, but she also seemed to have some connection to the Main City.

"Alright, alright, stop dwelling on it. I’ve already posted a search notice for Qu Ya on the Bulletin Board. If he sees it, he will definitely contact us. As for Qing Yan..." Lin Shuang paused to reflect. "I suggest you stop looking for her. I believe she will come to find you on her own. After all, she made a deal with you, and even though she is an Investigator, she is someone who values her reputation."

"Understood," Xi Yan said, accepting her advice without protest. "Then let's continue searching for my sister."

Thinking of Xi Lin, who had been missing for over a month, anxiety gripped Xi Yan once more. They had been in the Eighth Survival Zone for several days, and he wondered if the Bulletin Board had been updated and if Xi Lin had been found by someone else.

With that thought, he opened the Bulletin Board to search for news regarding Xi Lin. The results did not disappoint him—or rather, they confirmed his fears. He found a notice concerning her.

[Bulletin Board:
Bounty:
Content: I have found Xi Lin. This bounty is now withdrawn.
Poster: The Man Who Wears No Hat]

After reading the notice, Xi Yan realized that Xi Lin had been found, and his heart immediately sank. "My sister has been found by someone!"

Seeing Xi Yan's panic, Lin Shuang opened her own Bulletin Board and located the same information. "Don't worry, I'll find out who this ID is."

As she spoke, Lin Shuang began to work. She accessed her control panel and opened a chat window. Xi Yan was taken aback. Since when did the control panel have a chat function? He suddenly remembered that the control panel had undergone a comprehensive upgrade not long ago.

While Lin Shuang made her inquiries, Xi Yan began to examine the new features of the interface. In his haste to find Xi Lin earlier, he had not paid close attention to the layout. Now that he looked, he saw that the interface had been completely overhauled into concise categories:

[Control Panel:
Chat: ...
Exchange Market: ...
Bulletin Board: ...
Inventory: ...
Survivor Info: ...
]

The interface was cleaner, and the information was more intuitive. The addition of the chat function was the most significant change; the rest seemed to be improved organization and aesthetics. Xi Yan was curious, however—Lin Shuang hadn't spent much time studying the panel, so how did she know about the chat feature?

"Alright, I found him," Lin Shuang said, closing her panel and looking at Xi Yan with a bright smile.

"That's great!"

"We need to go and find the owner of the Eighth Survival Zone," Lin Shuang said.

"The owner of the Eighth Survival Zone? Christine Krah?" Xi Yan frowned.

Lin Shuang nodded. "This person, 'The Man Who Wears No Hat,' is located in the service area of the Eighth Survival Zone. He stays there year-round, so we have to go to the service area to negotiate. We can't use force."

Staying in the service area year-round—how many points must that cost? Xi Yan silently mourned his own "poverty."

"Alright, let's go."

After setting their goal, the two immediately headed for the service area of the Eighth Survival Zone. Along the way, Xi Yan, acting the part of a curious child, asked questions whenever he didn't understand something.

"Why do we have to find Krah first?"

"Because he lives in the Eighth Survival Zone. The entire service area is his residence."

"You mean the service area is his home? That would mean this 'Man Who Wears No Hat' is his subordinate."

"You can interpret it that way."

"Then..."

Xi Yan asked several more trivial questions, mostly to familiarize himself with the service area and his partner.

...

At that moment, inside the service area of the Eighth Survival Zone, Krah was sitting leisurely in the courtyard. Opposite him sat a cold-faced Qing Yan. There was a milk tea in front of Qing Yan, while Krah still had his coffee.

Krah sipped his coffee unhurriedly, while Qing Yan's expression grew increasingly dark.

"Krah!" Qing Yan suddenly spoke, startling him. Krah’s hand, which was holding the coffee cup, shook at the sudden sound.

"My lady... what is it?"

"Didn't you say Xi Yan would come here? I've been waiting for hours. Why isn't he here yet? Do you think it's fun to lie to me?"

A dangerous tone seeped into Qing Yan's voice, which Krah naturally sensed.

"Don't be so impatient, my lady. As the saying goes, 'Good food is worth the wait,' right?"

Krah’s smug smile was enough to drive Qing Yan to distraction. Whenever she saw that look, she wanted to grab him and beat him senseless.

"I advise you not to lie to me. You know my temper, and you know I have the ability to act on it."

With that, Qing Yan took a sip of her milk tea and ignored Krah entirely.