I Got Together With the Fake Heiress - Chapter 22

“Zhou Jun, what should we do? Our phones have no signal. Are we going to be trapped here?” Su Ning grabbed Zhou Jun’s jacket, looking fearfully at the surrounding trees.

“I wish I hadn’t come in to take pictures. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be stuck here,” Su Ning lamented, constantly checking her phone and pinning her hopes on it.

Zhou Jun remained silent, intently observing the surroundings. The dense thicket of trees blocked most of the light, forcing her to rely on the growth pattern of the trees to determine direction.

“Let’s try walking this way,” Zhou Jun said. If she remembered correctly, they had only ventured about four or five meters deep while taking photos. It was an impossibly short distance to become truly lost.

“Okay.” Su Ning obediently followed behind Zhou Jun, not daring to fall half a step behind.

Three minutes later, Zhou Jun stopped. This wasn’t right. She was clearly walking west, so why did the direction change to east as they walked?

“Zhou Jun, is there a problem with the direction?” Su Ning asked timidly, then opened the compass app on her phone. “Why don’t you take a look at this?”

Zhou Jun glanced at the phone screen, then pulled out a small pendant from her pocket and tied it to a nearby bush. “Hold your phone still. We’ll walk west.”

“Okay!” Su Ning tightly clutched Zhou Jun’s sleeve with one hand and her phone with the other.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Jun and Su Ning stopped simultaneously, staring at the incredibly familiar pendant on the bush. Su Ning’s voice began to tremble.

“Zhou Jun, why are we back where we started? Did we encounter a ghost…” Su Ning spoke, swallowing hard, wishing she could hang herself from Zhou Jun’s body.

“It’s almost five-thirty now. Dinner time has passed. They should have realized we are missing,” Zhou Jun remained very calm. She had always kept her distance from talk of ghosts and gods; she only believed in science.

“We might be walking in circles because the magnetic field in this area is compromised, interfering with the compass. It’s nothing,” Zhou Jun comforted her.

“Then, should we just wait here?” Su Ning asked.

Zhou Jun looked around; all she could see were endless trees. “How much battery does your phone have left?”

“Sixty percent. It can last quite a while in standby mode,” Su Ning said.

“Then let’s stay put for now. My phone is also at ninety percent,” Zhou Jun said, grateful in her heart to Wen Yunqing and Wen Yimeng. If they hadn’t insisted on tutoring her in various ways, she probably wouldn’t have a new phone.

Once they stayed put, the surroundings instantly quieted down. Apart from their breathing, the only sound was the rustling of the wind against the leaves.

“Zhou Jun, isn’t it too quiet here? Why are there no bug chirps or bird calls?” Su Ning asked, subtly moving closer to Zhou Jun.

Zhou Jun’s frown never eased. “We’ll wait until dark. If no one finds us by then, we’ll walk downhill.”

Su Ning: “Downhill?”

Zhou Jun nodded. “If we walk straight down, we’re bound to hit the winding mountain road. Once we leave the forest, we should get a signal.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Just as Su Ning finished speaking, a sharp, urgent cry came from behind them, causing Su Ning to instinctively cover her ears.

“Don’t panic. Be careful,” Zhou Jun looked toward the source of the sound. She saw the nearby bushes moving, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps.

“Howl—” A mournful cry rang out, and then a figure appeared before them.

“Holy hell, what is that thing!” Su Ning was startled and subconsciously recoiled.

The figure that appeared was a tall woman holding a peach wood sword in her right hand and a nameless, long-haired wild beast in her left. “Who are you two? This place is very dangerous.”

“We came here for vacation and accidentally wandered in,” Zhou Jun said, staring at the tall woman. Seeing her purely modern attire, Zhou Jun felt a sense of relief.

Lu Zhiming raised an eyebrow, put away her peach wood sword, and stuffed the thing in her hand into a yellow bag. She said, “A forest isn’t a good place for a vacation. You two…”

Before she could finish, Lu Zhiming felt a dangerous aura. Her body, obeying her instincts, immediately rolled away from her original position.

Whoosh. A wooden stick flew close behind, embedding itself precisely where she had been standing moments before.

Zhou Jun only felt a gust of wind before Wen Yunqing appeared in front of her.

“It’s just a person?” Wen Yunqing spared Lu Zhiming only a glance, then turned to face Zhou Jun and Su Ning. “Are you injured?”

Zhou Jun shook her head. “We just got lost and couldn’t find our way out of the forest.”

“That was the magnetic field being affected. It’s fine now,” Wen Yunqing said. “Let’s go. Everyone is waiting for you for dinner.”

“Who are you?” Lu Zhiming looked at Wen Yunqing with great vigilance. The mere presence of a stick, which made her feel a sense of danger, meant this person was definitely not simple.

“Me? I’m just an ordinary person looking for my classmate,” Wen Yunqing said, examining Lu Zhiming’s condition. She noticed a fluctuation of spiritual energy in her body. Although it was much weaker than her own, it was already a decent level in this world.

“Sorry about that just now. I thought it was something else over there, which is why I took action,” Wen Yunqing said.

Lu Zhiming paused before speaking. “Would it be convenient for this ‘ordinary person looking for a classmate’ to talk to me alone?”

“Not convenient,” Wen Yunqing flatly refused. “Our teacher told us not to talk to strangers.”

“Please wait.” Lu Zhiming wasted no time, taking out a badge from her pocket and handing it over. “This is my identification. It can prove my identity.”

A badge? Wen Yunqing reached out to take it, opened it, and compared the photo to the person. “China Special Affairs Department? Why have I never heard of that name?”

“We rarely appear in the public eye,” Lu Zhiming said. “The incident today requires you three to cooperate with our department’s confidentiality work.”

Originally, Lu Zhiming had not intended to reveal her identity. She could have simply found an excuse to cover up the matter in front of Zhou Jun and Su Ning.

But Wen Yunqing’s appearance changed everything. This person clearly possessed special abilities. As a member of the Special Affairs Department, Lu Zhiming had a responsibility to understand her situation and inform her of the domestic regulations.

With the badge displayed, and seeing the national emblem printed on it, Zhou Jun and Su Ning’s trust in Lu Zhiming immediately soared. They very cooperatively agreed to her request for confidentiality. After signing the non-disclosure agreement, they tactfully walked to a distant spot to wait.

Wen Yunqing didn’t have any particular feeling about the so-called Special Affairs Department. Seeing Zhou Jun cooperate so readily, she reluctantly left her contact information. But as for the non-disclosure agreement, she only read through it again and did not sign.

“Some clauses on it are too strict. I cannot comply with them,” Wen Yunqing stated very directly. “If something provokes me, I cannot tolerate it. The most appropriate time for me is to resolve it immediately on the spot.”

Lu Zhiming couldn’t help but nod internally when she heard that, but she didn’t reveal any of it. “The regulations are precisely that. If the timing of your action is inappropriate, it could lead to casualties.”

“If I take action, it will be a fatal blow instantly. There will be no casualties,” Wen Yunqing said confidently.

Lu Zhiming did not commit, instead taking out her phone and dialing the number Wen Yunqing had left. “This is my number. If you encounter anything unusual, whether you take action or not, please give me a heads-up.”

“I can do that.” Since Lu Zhiming wasn’t forcing her to do anything, Wen Yunqing was cooperative.

With the so-called “magnetic field” interference gone, the three of them quickly left the wooded area and arrived at the private room before sunset.

“We ran into a small unexpected detour on the way. We walked further inside to take pictures, so it took some time to get out,” Zhou Jun explained, sticking to the agreed-upon story.

“Oh, so that’s what happened! I was worried something had happened to you,” everyone sighed with relief after hearing the explanation.

“Quickly ask the waiter to serve the dishes. I’m starving.”

“Exactly! Zhou Jun, come sit here. This seat was saved for you two.”

Wen Yimeng nudged Wen Yunqing with her elbow and asked, “Did nothing actually happen?”

Wen Yunqing hesitated for a second, then nodded. “It’s all fine. They just didn’t realize the direction when they went inside to take pictures and ended up circling around in there.”

Wen Yimeng nodded, half-believing. She didn’t doubt Wen Yunqing’s words, but she simply wondered how Zhou Jun and the others thought of going inside to take pictures when there were so many bugs in the forest. Didn’t they worry about bugs falling on them?

Once everyone was present, the dishes were quickly brought to the table.

Wen Yunqing quickly and accurately located the dishes Wen Yimeng liked among the two dozen choices. Taking the serving chopsticks, she quickly piled up Wen Yimeng’s small porcelain bowl.

“Eat,” Wen Yunqing said easily.

Wen Yimeng wanted to cover her face. Without looking, she knew that everyone at the table was watching her, and she could only imagine what they were thinking.

On the other side, Lu Zhiming left the scenic area with her spoils. While driving, she made a phone call.

Lu Zhiming: “Captain Shen, there was a small accident just now. I ran into a minor entity that had just achieved sentience on the road, so I was delayed a bit.”

“It’s nothing major, but a few children saw it. I’ve already signed an agreement with them,” Lu Zhiming said. “They are people within your jurisdiction. I’ll send you their files shortly so you can file a record.”

“Okay, I understand,” Shen Ling said, hanging up the phone. Less than five minutes later, she received the email from Lu Zhiming.

Shen Ling was calm while reviewing Su Ning’s file. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed when she saw Zhou Jun’s name. When she saw the three characters of Wen Yunqing and the accompanying notes, Shen Ling fell into contemplation, instinctively glancing to her left.

The thick stack of files about Wen Yunqing that was previously investigated was still sitting on her desk. Why had her team not discovered anything after searching for so long, yet Lu Zhiming was able to figure out half the details just by meeting her once?

Could it be that special ability users were connected to each other?

After three minutes of silence, Shen Ling picked up the desk phone. “Send out a notice: double the number of night patrols. Do not miss any anomalous situations!”