Lanny stood in the monitoring room, his face grim. Just as he was about to say something, Ximai's communicator rang. The voice on the other end was loud; even without the speakerphone, Lanny heard it: "Captain, Shell, Crocodile Beast, and Bear Beast are all missing!"
"Missing? What do you mean?" Ximai's face tightened. "
The security guard at the entrance is unconscious. We... we've searched everywhere, but we haven't found any strangers." His subordinate's voice was panicked. "A colleague was in the corridor of East Zone 1; he was knocked unconscious by something."
After hearing the report, Ximai gave the order: "Check all the security cameras." After he finished speaking, he sent more people to various locations.
"Captain, they went from the 81st floor to the first floor," said the subordinate who was closely monitoring the security cameras.
Ximai looked at Lanni, who was staring at the monitor screen that had switched to show Bai Jiao and Long Teng. A smirk played on Lanni's lips. "Has the Long family gone bankrupt? Can't even afford the auction?" He scoffed, nodding slightly at Ximai. "Have someone stop them and check the identities of their companions."
Bai Jiao and Long Teng had just reached the first floor when they saw four armed security guards standing outside the elevator. Bai Jiao's expression changed slightly, and she quickly pressed the button for the second floor. Before the guards could react, the elevator doors had already closed in front of them.
The elevator stopped on the second floor in the blink of an eye. Bai Jiao said, "Find a window, summon Big Black, we'll go through the window."
Long Teng's eyes lit up. He grabbed Biao Jiao and quickly exited the elevator, finding the nearest open window. He summoned the Flying Dragon Beast, which hovered beside the window.
Long Teng climbed onto the windowsill, turned to pull Bai Jiao up, and as Bai Jiao stepped onto the windowsill, a shout came from behind: "Stop! Don't move!"
Long Teng glanced over and saw several security guards running towards them with weapons. Without thinking, he grabbed Bai Jiao and jumped onto the back of the flying dragon beast: "Fly!" The
flying dragon beast flicked its tail, its body suddenly rising into the air. The sound of gunfire and the shattering window came from behind and disappeared instantly.
Bai Jiao was held tightly by Long Teng, the two very close. They often sat together, but always maintained a distance. Now they were too close, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Let go," he said, turning his head.
Long Teng turned back and saw that Bai Jiao's fair neck was slightly flushed. He was stunned for a moment and subconsciously let go. The instant he released her, Bai Jiao tried to move forward, but because the flying dragon beast was too fast, she fell backward due to inertia and crashed straight into Long Teng's arms.
Long Teng was much taller than Bai Jiao, and they were standing close enough that he could see Bai Jiao's neck and collarbone when he looked down. He moved his hand and pulled Bai Jiao back into his arms, saying, "I... I'll hold you so you can sit more steadily."
Bai Jiao's lips moved, but she didn't say anything in the end. She opened her bracelet and contacted Xie Sen. As soon as Xie Sen answered, he immediately asked, "Are you alright? Did you encounter any danger?"
Bai Jiao replied, "We're fine, but Youhai has already discovered that we're involved. They were preparing to arrest us when we left. We're heading to the space port now, and we might get caught."
Xie Sen said, "Then let's go somewhere else. The contracted beasts are in bad shape, and staying in the space pod will only make them worse. We need to find a place to treat them."
Bai Jiao said, "Okay, you and I will share our location. I'll have Dahei fly to your location."
They had considered this situation last night. If they were lucky, they could leave directly on a spaceship. If they were unlucky and suspected, they would find another place to hide Xiao Yin and the contracted beasts and let them be investigated.
Without evidence, even if they were caught, the investigation would proceed according to proper procedures. Since the Youhai couldn't find Little Silver or the contracted beast on them, they could clear their names.
They had long been prepared to be suspected, so as soon as Xie Sen hung up, Maine immediately told the Flying Lion Beast, "Head west." The Flying Lion Beast flapped its wings and turned west.
Xie Sen considered contacting Liu Chen, but then decided against it. It was best if Liu Chen knew nothing; that way, he could act naturally if questioned.
Having made up his mind, Xie Sen relaxed against Maine, looking at the surrounding scenery. The further west they flew, the fewer buildings and tourists appeared on the sea, until finally, they disappeared from sight.
He gazed into the distance; the azure sea deepened in color, appearing almost black where the water met the sky. "Is that the Dead Sea?"
There were tourists everywhere on Blue Star, but only one place no one went—the Dead Sea. They had discussed it at length yesterday and decided it was the safest place.
They weren't prepared to take any risks. Although Long Teng got excited at the mention of danger, he couldn't resist the consensus of the other three, and they ultimately decided on a location near the edge of the Dead Sea as their destination.
Half an hour later, when they saw no buildings or people around, the seawater below them had turned a deep blue, even appearing somewhat black as the waves rippled.
The Flying Lion landed on a small island, or more accurately, a pile of rocks. Maine jumped off the Flying Lion's back, carrying Xie Sen. Xie Sen immediately released Little Silver and the contracted beast from his spatial storage.
As soon as Little Silver emerged, its soft voice echoed in Xie Sen's mind: "Is it safe? Can I open my mouth now?"
"Yes," Xie Sen replied.
Little Silver, probably having held it in for too long, immediately opened its shell. The pearly silver light and the five-colored light inside the shell shimmered together, instantly brightening Xie Sen's surroundings.
"I didn't like opening my mouth before, but now I can't help it," Little Silver said somewhat shyly.
Xie Sen guessed it was related to the golden energy. Energy affects the mental state of contracted beasts. Little Silver wasn't a contracted beast, but it was still affected, probably being much more restless than usual.
Maine carefully examined the electronic lock on the iron cage, quickly operating the wristband. Xie Sen watched for a while and asked, "Can it be unlocked?"
Maine nodded, "It will take a little time."
As soon as he finished speaking, an excited dragon's roar rang out, and in the blink of an eye, the flying dragon beast descended from above, pouncing straight towards Little Silver. Xie Sen, standing next to Little Silver, was almost hit, but fortunately, Long Teng controlled the flying dragon beast in time. It hovered in the air, its huge eyes shining as it looked at Little Silver.
Little Silver immediately closed the seashell and burst into tears: "Waaah...it's so scary! Does it want to eat me? I don't taste good."
The Flying Dragon Beast blinked its big eyes: "Who dares to eat you? I'll help you beat it up!"
Xie Sen rubbed his forehead: "It's talking about you. You scared it." He gently touched the seashell reassuringly, but because of the energy, he only touched it briefly. "Don't be afraid. Big Black likes shiny things. It doesn't mean any harm."
Little Silver exclaimed: "When you touch me, I feel so comfortable. I don't want to open my mouth anymore."
The Flying Dragon Beast looked at it expectantly: "Open your mouth so I can see you."
Little Silver remained silent, pretending not to hear.
Long Teng patted the flying dragon beast, which flew to the water's edge and landed. Before Bai Jiao could react, Long Teng scooped her up and jumped in. He was about to say something when Bai Jiao looked at him with a bright smile: "This is so much more convenient."
After a while, Little Silver tried to speak again, saying to Xie Sen, "Hurry up and take the energy back. I don't want to keep losing control. I still need to find Big Claw and Big Tail!"
Xie Sen thought for a moment: "Okay." The longer the energy remained on the pearl, the greater the impact on Little Silver would be, and it would also affect the contracted beasts, especially since two of them were already in poor physical condition. If their mental state deteriorated further, it would be even worse.
He placed his hand on the seashell, and the energy surged into the five-colored peony on his shoulder. After the energy was fully absorbed, he breathed a sigh of relief, then froze.
The peony's temperature hadn't dropped!