188 Missing (1/2)

She had only just managed to adjust to the weather the second day she was there, and started to chat with the other people living in the hostel. She did not speak much, but she was always smiling whenever she did. This gave the people in the hostel a good impression of her, and they arranged to have a three-day hike across the desert together the next day.

Compared to the other travelers who were laden with luggage, Xia Qingyi had a pathetic amount of belongings. The leader did not dare to let her go to the desert just like that, so he took her to the high street to buy a few essential tools and put them in her bag.

At night, she secretly packed the pair of slippers she brought from home as well. Even if she knew it was unnecessary, it felt as though she would be reassured with this pair of slippers by her side.

The next day, there were five people on the trip, including the driver. The driver drove a black SUV, suitable for driving in the desert. Xia Qingyi talked less and was the quietest while they were on the road. She sat at the rightmost corner of the last row, and rolled the car window down a little, watching the scenery fly by outside.

The car drove forward, leaving S City further behind.

After an unknown amount of time passed, the roadsides was already gradually turning to that of a desert. A glance outside, and it was simply a monotonous yellow everywhere. Only the towering sky above was a light blue color, and there were sparse pockets of bush on the ground. The car kept on surging forward continuously, the tires emitting a stream of sounds as they rolled over the yellow grains of sand. Xia Qingyi stared at the long road ahead, feeling as though they would never reach the end of the road.

It was noon, and the scorching sun hung high up in the sky, making Xia Qingyi unable to open her eyes. The temperature in the car rose, and the surrounding heat waves made them feel as though they were entrenched within blazing flames.

The winds and sands from the outside could be felt from within the car, and the heat brought along with the wind constantly lunged towards Xia Qingyi. A boy sitting beside her saw that she was so hot that her neck was covered in sweat and dirt and kindly gave her a mask so that she could block her face from the wind and sand.

Xia Qingyi thanked him, wore the mask and continued to look at the yellow world outside.

The car continued to move forward bumpily, and a plain of yellow sand in the distance slowly came within Xia Qingyi's sight. Even further away were the rising and falling hills made of yellow sand. The car slowly came to a stop.

Xia Qingyi looked at the plain of sand dunes, and understood that the desert was right before her eyes.

They got out of the car.

The seventh day that he endured with difficulty was over, but Xia Qingyi had not returned.

He determinedly packed a few simple belongings with him and booked a ticket to D City. He had already found someone to investigate the hostel she had stayed in at D City these few days, so when he reached there, he would be able to see Xia Qingyi.

If Xia Qingyi wanted to leave, he would bring her back to S City. If she had not have her fun yet, he would stay and play with her, wait until she was happier and then bring her back.

Mo Han only brought along two sets of clothes, his passport and identity card, and took his wallet and keys. Most of the things he took were Xia Qingyi's belongings. He was very worried about Xia Qingyi. She had simply run out like that by herself and had not taken anything along with her, so there would have been many things that were inconvenient for her. No-one was there to take care of her, and she would have to do a lot of things by herself.

Her skincare, bottles of all sizes, he was not sure exactly what they were and what they were for, but he put them all into a bag. There was also her favorite chili sauce and her favorite cartoon pajamas, which he had neatly arranged and packed them into a big bag on his bed.

Mo Han stood before the bed, still thinking about what Xia Qingyi would need so that he could bring it along, and the phone in his pocket rang. It was from Liu Zhiyuan.

”Boss, have you seen today's news?” he asked.

”Little Liu, I already told you this morning. This is my vacation time now, I need to go out for a trip. Work-related things can wait till I'm back,” Mo Han said as he searched for things in the house.

”No... not work-related things.” Liu Zhiyuan sounded a little hesitant.

”No matter what it is, it can wait till I'm back. Or you can wait until I get to D City, I'm going to the airport in a while, we can talk after I get off the plane.”

”Boss... ummm... I feel that this matter is very important.” Liu Zhiyuan's tone was serious.

”What...?” Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows.

”Switch on the television, you'll understand when you look at the news on Central Channel 13.

Mo Han walked to the living room outside, switched on the television, and adjusted it to the news on Channel 13.

He saw the newscaster sitting upright on the television speaking in a monotonous voice, ”According to our channel news, a rare huge sandstorm that happens only once in a century had occurred near the perimeters of D City. The surrounding houses had suffered serious damage. According to reports, the most serious damage happened at the desert near the borders. Unfortunately, a tour group was driving in the desert when they met with the sandstorm, and a total of five people are missing in the desert. The death toll of the sandstorm currently stands at four people, with 37 missing. The mayor of D City is currently heading towards the disaster area to provide assistance, and to help with rebuilding work. Do stay tuned for further reports on our channel.”