The Favored Heiress
Chapter 657: Yun Lih Has Disappeared

Chapter 657: Chapter 657: Yun Lih Has Disappeared

"Next time remember to find a different excuse." Li Qiao blocked her attack, and her gaze gradually regained calmness.

She believed in Zuo Tang, because of her openness and honesty.

The two on the stage sparred and talked at the same time, leaving the audience below them dumbfounded.

This is an assessment, not an exchange, right?

Before long, just as everyone was filled with doubts, Zuo Tang’s prosthetic limb was grazed by Li Qiao’s sweeping leg technique, and she fell off the stage once again. The highly secure smart limb also came off.

That was a product developed by Secret Hall’s artificial intelligence team, and all its components were of top-notch craftsmanship. It could not possibly come off so easily.

Only if Li Qiao were in a position where she could easily see Zuo Tang’s subtle movements.

She fell off the stage with a tricky posture, deliberately causing the prosthetic limb to come off.

At that moment, Zuo Tang sat on the cushion, ignoring the Third Hall members who gathered around. She patted the detached limb and sighed as if with regret, "I’ve lost."

"Third Hall Master, are you okay?"

"Third Hall Master, you’ve only fallen down five times, there’s still a chance. Don’t be afraid, get up and continue fighting."

Zuo Tang: "..."

This group of subordinates really has some unique ways of thinking.

Zuo Tang glanced at them and then looked up at Li Qiao, "Miss Li, you’ve won."

"Your reason?" Li Qiao stood alone in the center of the ring, her gaze slightly complex as she met eyes with her.

Zuo Tang was helped up by Ah Long and Zuo Xuan, leaning on Zuo Xuan’s shoulder. She nodded toward the prosthetic on the ground, "If this had been a real fight, I would’ve had no chance already."

Besides, it was clear to everyone that Li Qiao’s victory was just a matter of time.

Zuo Tang didn’t want to undermine herself, but she had to admit that no matter how smart a prosthetic limb was, it ultimately was not a part of her.

At present, her level of combat power indeed did not match Li Qiao’s.

...

In the second event of hand-to-hand combat, Li Qiao won without any suspense.

She even lost her anticipation for the third event, the jungle warfare.

Li Qiao returned to Shang Yu’s side, sitting down with a disheartened expression, and glanced sideways at the man, "Did Brother Chen pass the assessment that quickly too?"

At that moment, Zuo Xuan who had returned behind them, moved his lips, but said nothing.

Thinking back to Brother Chen’s assessment, it wasn’t that easy.

Just for the hand-to-hand combat event, he spent two days, defeating more than fifty fighters from the Third Hall before he claimed victory.

With this in mind, Zuo Xuan stole a look at Shang Yu and while pursing his lips, couldn’t help feeling somewhat helpless.

The association leader had not wanted Miss Li to fight personally from the start, it was only due to her insistence that he had chosen a middle ground to let her go through the process.

With so many experts in the Third Hall, it was apparent that asking the physically and skillfully declined Zuo Tang to step forward was simply to indulge his girlfriend.

Zuo Xuan shook his head and sighed, looking at Zuo Tang who was now sitting in a wheelchair, his eyes full of sympathy.

...

The third assessment was jungle warfare, which sounded a bit more challenging, and it was to take place at night.

Li Qiao had planned to wander around Secret Hall with Shang Yu to pass the time, but as morning approached, she received an overseas phone call.

At that moment, Li Qiao was standing in the training field atop the mountain, feeling the breeze. Her phone vibrated, and she glanced at it before answering, "Who’s this?"

It was particularly quiet on the other end of the phone, followed by a somewhat husky voice, "Li Qiao?"

Familiar yet with a hint of strangeness.

Li Qiao narrowed her eyes slightly, "Speaking."

"It’s Yun Ling."

Yun Lih’s brother.

Li Qiao’s heart inexplicably sank, she pinched her phone and looked into the distance, "Is there something you need from me?"

Yun Ling fell silent for a while before hesitating but finally spoke directly, "My brother said he had met the International Club’s association leader."

"So?"

"Do you know the person as well?" Yun Ling’s mood appeared suppressed, and his tone was very somber and distressed.

Almost reflexively, Li Qiao asked, "What happened to Yun Lih?"

Yun Ling’s breathing suddenly became rapid, "My brother has disappeared, he can’t be found anywhere, and there are no coordinates for him in the ICC system anymore."

Li Qiao closed her eyes briefly; a chill crept around her brows and eyes, "When was this discovered?"

"His phone has been unreachable for the past four or five days. I’ve had people check at the Mercenary Headquarters and all branches, but there’s no news of him."

Seeing Shang Yu approaching from not far away, Li Qiao’s gaze flashed, "Did he take any members of the Mercenary Group with him?"

Yun Ling sighed and shook his head, "No, he went to London Port half a month ago without taking any subordinates."

Li Qiao’s brows furrowed deeply, and through thoughts churning rapidly, she remembered something Yun Lih had said.

—The Mercenary Group received an assignment yesterday, and Yun Ling couldn’t handle it, so I’m going back to take care of it.

"Did you accept an assignment before?"

Yun Ling responded gravely, "Yes."

"What kind of assignment?" Li Qiao asked word by word, though she was asking, a notion was already about to burst forth.

Yun Ling pursed his lips, and after a long time, he finally murmured softly, "To snipe a duke, he doesn’t need to be killed, but he must be shot."

Li Qiao slowly closed her eyes, it was indeed as she suspected.

"Why wasn’t this task uploaded to the ICC system?"

Yun Ling said obscurely, "Because it’s not an assassination assignment, that’s why it wasn’t uploaded."

Li Qiao’s expression was indescribably troubled; she asked Yun Ling to wait for news and then hung up the call.

Shang Yu, who had just returned to her side, saw Li Qiao’s somber expression, his dark eyes narrowed, "What’s wrong?"

Li Qiao logged into the ICC system with her phone, searched around, and indeed did not see Yun Lih’s coordinate location.

She also recalled the previous phone call with him when he said she was disturbing his dreams. It seemed at that time he must have already been in British Imperial London Port.

At this moment, Li Qiao handed the phone to the man, rubbed her forehead, and said in a muffled tone, "Yun Lih has gone missing."

Shang Yu’s eyebrows slightly raised as he took the phone and glanced at it, his handsome facial contours filled with sternness, "Who called?"

"Yun Ling."

The man’s lips gradually tightened and he took Li Qiao’s hand, walking towards the information development center inside the valley with a cold demeanor.

Following him down the escalator, Li Qiao rapidly pondered their plan of action, "Can the ICC system identify phone models and IMEI codes? If Yun Lih has logged into the system, can his location be traced through the IMEI?"

Shang Yu nodded, his voice lowering a few tones, "It’s possible."

"He went to London Port half a month ago." Li Qiao looked straight ahead, with a blend of coldness in her eyes, "The task that Yun Ling accepted might have been issued by Shen Qingye."

The man’s stride halted for a moment as he turned towards her, "Are you sure?"

Li Qiao’s tone was filled with helplessness, "Yeah, it’s highly likely."

They walked side by side into the information center.

Cheng Mo in the corner immediately stood up and approached, "Third Hall Master, Miss Li."

"Pull up the coordinate distribution map of the ICC system’s members." Shang Yu ordered in a deep voice, leading Li Qiao towards the information room.

Cheng Mo was quick to act; within less than three minutes, he had projected the coordinates from the system onto the screen in the information room.

Sitting at the information room’s desk, his fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard, he reported methodically, "Third Hall Master, currently, we can track the coordinates of eighty-one core members; there are also six in hidden status."