Chapter 131 Who Is This Now?

After giving instructions to Shen Yan, Miao Yunyou immediately pulled out her phone. She quickly dialed Luo Xinglan while sprinting toward the back mountain, her steps urgent, her unease growing stronger by the second. She wanted nothing more than to reach the back mountain immediately, uncover the truth behind the explosion, and find out exactly what had gone wrong with the secret passage.

But just as she connected to Luo Xinglan, while the call was still in progress, the director’s phone suddenly rang with a sharp “ding-ding-ding,” breaking the tense atmosphere.

The director hastily grabbed his phone and saw the caller ID: it was Bai Tianjiao’s manager. His heart sank, a bad premonition creeping in. He quickly pressed the answer button, his tone a mix of impatience and unease: “Hello? What’s wrong?

…

What did you say?! Bai Tianjiao? Didn’t he leave?

He didn’t leave? And he ran off to the back mountain?!

What’s he doing by himself over there? He didn’t even take an assistant???

Why weren’t you watching him?!”

On the other end, the manager was crying, his voice full of grievance and helplessness, stammering: “…I don’t know either! He said he had a… a friend who really liked these furry little animals. There’s that special leopard cat in the back mountain, right? He… he went alone, secretly, to film the leopard cat, saying he wanted to make a video for that friend. I couldn’t stop him! When I heard the explosion just now, I tried calling him several times, but no one answered! I really didn’t know what else to do, so I had to call you for help. Director, please think of something—find him! If anything happens to him, we’re doomed!”

By the end, the manager’s voice was trembling, his anxiety like ants on a hot pan.

What he said was vague—this so-called “friend” was actually the person Bai Tianjiao had secretly been in love with for a long time.

He had never dared confess openly, only keeping tabs on the person’s interests. He knew they liked furry little animals, especially rare or unusual ones, and thought he could win their favor by secretly filming the leopard cat and sending the video.

That’s why he didn’t take an assistant—but nobody could have predicted this accident.

Hearing this, Miao Yunyou’s hand froze mid-call. Her whole body shivered in a chilling dread, even more panicked than when she discovered the sabotaged surveillance camera.

At that moment, Luo Xinglan’s calm, steady voice came through the phone. His voice was like a reassuring balm, immediately soothing Miao Yunyou’s frayed nerves: “Don’t worry. Hua Ying and I are already on our way to the back mountain, assessing the situation. Everything will be fine.”

Miao Yunyou sprinted a few more steps to make sure the production crew couldn’t hear her, then took a deep breath and spoke urgently into the phone: “That’s not enough! Far from enough! Now there’s an extra missing person—the male celebrity who had the same look as A-Ning yesterday, Bai Tianjiao. Completely helpless, probably not even I could handle him! He sneaked off to the back mountain alone. We can’t reach him. You must find him—he absolutely cannot get hurt! If anything happens to him, this resort is completely doomed!”

Bai Tianjiao was a top-tier celebrity with tens of millions of fans. Even if he were only slightly injured, if his fans found out, the resort would be completely blasted online!

Luo Xinglan’s voice remained calm, carrying an unshakable certainty: “Alright, I understand. I’ll immediately expand the search area and will definitely find him. Don’t worry. You stay somewhere safe for now, away from the back mountain, and wait for our update.”

Miao Yunyou, fully aware of her own limits, immediately used her walkie-talkie to summon all the temporary workers and others to gather in the cafeteria. After counting everyone, she found that nobody was missing and finally felt a little relief.

Meanwhile, the other skilled fighters on the mountain—Chu Ningshuang, Wei Zijun, A-Ning, and the others—had also gone with Luo Xinglan and Hua Ying to the back mountain.

From that direction, three or four consecutive explosions rang out: “Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Each blast was deafening, the force so strong the ground trembled beneath them. The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder, making everyone frown and instinctively recoil in fear.

The only small relief was that nothing caught fire.

Otherwise, this would have been a full-scale forest fire disaster!

Miao Yunyou’s heart rose to her throat as she silently prayed: Please, let nothing happen. Bai Tianjiao must be safe. Luo Xinglan and the others must be safe.

Fortunately, after those three or four explosions, the back mountain fell completely silent, as if the previous earth-shattering chaos had been an illusion.

At that moment, Miao Yunyou’s phone rang—it was Luo Xinglan.

She almost reflexively picked up, her voice tinged with urgent anxiety: “How’s it going? Did you find Bai Tianjiao?”

On the other end, Luo Xinglan’s tone was steady, with a hint of ease: “Don’t worry. We found him. He’s fine. We’ve already secured him. It’s only one person—no accomplices.”

Even a single person capable of causing such a ruckus was impressive.

Hearing this, Miao Yunyou let out a long, shaky breath; her tense heart finally settled: “Good. I’m on my way. Wait for me.”

Hanging up, she hurried toward the back mountain.

The mountain air was thick with the smell of smoke, stinging her throat and making her cough a few times. Tiny clouds of dust still floated in the air. The path underfoot was pocked and uneven, littered with splintered branches and rocks from the explosions.

Soon, she spotted the figures of Luo Xinglan and the others.

Near the secret passage exit, Luo Xinglan, Hua Ying, Wei Zijun, and Chu Ningshuang were gathered, their expressions serious. In the center, a young girl, appearing no more than seventeen or eighteen, was bound. Her figure was slender yet upright; even though her clothes were torn and covered in soot, her shoulders remained straight, radiating stubborn defiance.

She wore a gray-black tight-fitting martial outfit, the fabric durable and neat. Subtle dark-red thunder-fire patterns were embroidered along the collar and sleeves—so faint they were almost imperceptible. The gray fabric was dotted with black soot and dirt, and a few areas were singed from sparks.

A wide black belt was tied around her waist, firm and sturdy, with a small black pouch hanging on one side. She wore fingerless black leather gloves, and silver metal bracers tightly wrapped her forearms, engraved with simple thunder motifs and showing visible wear along the edges.

Several fine silver needles were embedded in her shoulders, glinting coldly—a clear mark of Chu Ningshuang’s handiwork.

Her mouth was streaked with bright red blood, gagged with a piece of black cloth, letting out only muffled “ooh-ooh” sounds. Her hands were bound, her eyes full of stubborn anger, glaring fiercely at the people surrounding her.

Miao Yunyou was completely speechless. Who… is this now???