"It's related to me?" Qianqian asked in surprise, "What is related to me? Ah Jun, do you know something? Tell me quickly!"
I raised my hands helplessly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you, but it's better if you don't get involved... Although it seems you've already been drawn in."
"Don't make things difficult for this guy, let me explain." Lin Xue leaned comfortably into her chair, "Xu Qianqian, your father is an archaeologist, right?"
"Yes... How did you know?"
"That's not important. What is important is..." Lin Xue said as she pulled out a piece of paper from a black leather bag beside her and read, "Xu Feng, male, 45 years old, a renowned Chinese archaeologist, involved in various domestic and international... Hmm, skipping that part. Finally... on December 1, 2010, he joined the national geological team to investigate a newly discovered site near the Niya Ruins in the Taklamakan Desert. Three days later... he disappeared."
"What?!" Qianqian and I exclaimed simultaneously.
"My dad disappeared?" Qianqian's face was filled with disbelief, "How could that be? He just called home the day before yesterday! Are you trying to scare me?"
Although Qianqian couldn't believe the news at all, I knew it was probably true. Given Lin Xue's status, she had no reason to lie to us. Now, I was wondering why Uncle Xu disappeared and how this incident could alarm the superpower organization Lin Xue belonged to.
"I have no need to deceive you. Besides, you said your dad called home the day before yesterday, what about yesterday?"
Yesterday, according to Lin Xue, was the day Uncle Xu disappeared.
"How could it be..." Qianqian murmured in a daze, the growing unease in her heart made her realize that Lin Xue's words were likely true.
"Ah Jun, Lin Xue is lying to me, right? You're closer to her, you must know if she's telling the truth..."
"Sorry... Qianqian, don't worry, I will find a way to bring Uncle Xu back!"
Hearing my response, Qianqian froze on the spot, then suddenly threw herself into my arms, sobbing — as the daughter of an archaeologist who often conducts fieldwork, Qianqian knew better than anyone that disappearance in the Great Desert was as good as a death sentence.
It was then that I realized, the usually carefree and tough girl in my arms also had a vulnerable side.
In fact, I wasn't too worried about Uncle Xu's disappearance, not because I didn't care about his safety, but because I had full confidence in the technology of the Xyrin Empire.
As soon as Lin Xue announced the news of Uncle Xu's disappearance, I ordered the perpetually idle Imperial Commanders to send hundreds of small satellites equipped with all-around invisibility fields into outer space. These satellites' detection abilities were so precise they could observe how many sets of pancakes a stall in front of a school sold in a day from space, and how much money was in one-yuan bills and how much in fifty-cent pieces; they also had a degree of X-ray vision and energy analysis functions. With a search and rescue team of Commanders specialized in search tasks already on their way to the Taklamakan Desert, I believed that if Uncle Xu was still on Earth, I could rescue him!
Just then, Lin Xue's voice came through: "You two, there's no need to be so affectionate right now, is there? And Chen Jun, aren't you planning to tell Xu Qianqian your identity?"
"Ah Jun's identity?" Upon hearing Lin Xue's voice, Qianqian lifted her head from my embrace, her eyes still red.
*************************************************** A Line Break ***************************************************
After listening to my story, Qianqian seemed completely unable to accept it, saying, "You mean, you're a Superpower User?"
I nodded and pointed to Pandora, who had been silent the whole way, "And Lili, she is too."
"No way... Superpowers only exist in novels, don't they?" Qianqian still couldn't believe it.
I nudged Pandora's arm, signaling her to demonstrate. The next second, Qianqian exclaimed, "Lili, was that you just now..."
Seeing Qianqian's reaction, Lin Xue guessed what had happened. She smiled and looked at the silent Pandora, "That's Lili's ability, Mind Communication. Even I am a bit jealous."
Jealous already? If you knew all 300 of my subordinates had this ability, how jealous would you be?
"Then, Ah Jun, what is your ability? You have a superpower too, right?" The voice that had suddenly sounded in her mind had made Qianqian fully believe in the existence of Superpower Users. Now she was very curious about my ability.
"Probably something aggressive," I answered vaguely. Summoning the Imperial Army to wage war on a world should count as an aggressive ability, right?
"A very powerful attack ability..." Lin Xue's voice came from the side, still haunted, as the Satellite Cannon must have left a significant psychological impact on her.
"So impressive..." The shocking news temporarily set aside Qianqian's worry about Uncle Xu's disappearance. Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed my arm, "I didn't realize you were so powerful! Why didn't you tell me about your superpowers before? Have you been hiding it from me since we were kids?"
Remembering how she had been kept in the dark since childhood, Qianqian's voice took on a tone of sadness.
"No way!" I hurriedly comforted her, "My ability only appeared recently, after reuniting with Lili, and Lili's ability awakened at the same time..."
Lin Xue also chimed in at the right moment, "Well, such occurrences are imaginable. Special sensory connections between siblings can trigger the awakening of superpowers, though this is more common among twins. The situation with Chen Jun and Lili can be considered rare."
Lin Xue, your timely explanation is much appreciated!
Knowing that we were Superpower Users, Qianqian seemed less worried about Uncle Xu. It appeared that, in her mind, everything would be resolved with our involvement.
"By the way, Lin Xue, where exactly are you taking us? We've already left the suburban area." I looked out the window and found we were in a desolate area unfamiliar to me, with no sight of the city in view. I hadn't realized we'd come this far!
Lin Xue picked up her phone and skillfully dialed a few numbers, seemingly sending a text message, then said, "Obviously, we're switching to a faster mode of transportation. Did you think I planned to drive this broken car all the way into the Taklamakan Desert? Or are you planning to buy a train ticket to Xinjiang now?"
"Huh? We're leaving now?" I was startled by Lin Xue's decisiveness, "I haven't even told my sister yet."
"Me too, I need to let my mom know, otherwise she'll be worried sick if I suddenly disappear for several days!"
Lin Xue looked at the two of us, then suddenly slapped her forehead, "Oops, sorry! I forgot about that. I grew up without family, raised by the organization. We in the organization head out as soon as there's a mission, so I've never had the concept of saying goodbye to family... Haha..."
"Is that so... It's okay." Qianqian didn't know what to say, taken aback by Lin Xue's background.
"Don't listen to my sister's nonsense!" The young driver who had been quietly driving suddenly spoke up, surprisingly revealing that he was Lin Xue's brother?
"This is my brother, Lin Feng," Lin Xue smiled awkwardly, then reproached him, "Mind your own business, keep driving!"
Lin Feng responded, "How could it not be my business? If I don't speak up now, the author will forget about me... Ahem, let me rephrase that. If I don't speak now, I'll end up as one of your deceased relatives too!"
Seeing her prank exposed by her brother, Lin Xue didn't seem embarrassed at all. She continued playing with her phone, "That's how it is. I was just teasing you. But don't worry about disappearing for a few days; we have it all arranged. We'll send a message through your school saying you're attending an external school exchange program, and a member of our team with shape-shifting abilities will visit your home. Everything covered... Ah, we're here."
What an authoritarian arrangement!
*************************************************** I Decided to Update Another Chapter ***************************************************
Starting overtime today, the update will be a bit late. By the way, there's a second update today; passing readers, please vote~~~~~~