Volume Five: Amethyst Turns to Mist Chapter Two: The Missing Girl

“Captain Xie, these are the files sent over from the Criminal Investigation Division,” Huo Mingkun hurried in, clutching several folders. “Recently, they’ve been receiving frequent reports from families about missing girls. The criminal investigators have been on the case for over half a month but haven’t found a single lead. These girls vanished in all sorts of places—some disappeared from fitting rooms in shopping malls, some from street stalls, others on their way home after night shifts. The investigators found nothing—no clues about who they’d been in contact with before disappearing. It’s as if these girls simply vanished into thin air. Unable to withstand the mounting pressure, the case has now been transferred to us.”

“Mysterious disappearances,” Xie Xuancheng remarked as he opened the folder. “But why are they all girls in their twenties?” Xuancheng frowned.

“Rather than ‘mysterious disappearances,’ it’s more like ‘gone without a trace—neither alive nor dead,’” Yaoguang said coolly, taking the folder and scanning its contents. “None of the missing are over twenty-five. Girls at this age are pure, clean, and innocent. In other words, their souls are bright and untainted. I don’t have to spell out what people might want with souls like that.” Closing the folder, she asked, “Have any of the families received ransom calls?”

“No, the investigators already checked. None of the families of these seven girls received any ransom demands. They simply noticed their daughters were missing after dark, searched everywhere, but found nothing. Then they called the police,” Huo Mingkun explained.

“So, the similarities are: first, all female and under twenty-five; second, all disappeared while alone under mysterious circumstances; third, there are no traces left at the scene. This means the girls were likely taken by the same group, who are organized, experienced, and possess anti-investigation skills. This is a systematic, organized trafficking ring. Let’s hope these girls are still alive.” Yaoguang sighed, then reopened the file and studied it carefully.

The first girl vanished in a shopping mall fitting room. The surveillance footage shows her entering, but she never came out.

The second disappeared inside a haunted house attraction at an amusement park. She entered through the front, but never exited.

The third girl disappeared in a public restroom. The cameras show her entering, but not leaving.

The fourth vanished in a taxi on her way home from work; investigators couldn’t locate the specific cab.

The fifth was walking alone in a park and disappeared near an artificial hill—cameras lost track of her there.

The sixth vanished in a bar; surveillance shows her entering a private room, but she never came out.

The seventh disappeared from a street stall. The surveillance cameras nearby were under maintenance, so there’s no available footage.

Yaoguang closed the file. “Everyone, split into seven teams and revisit the crime scenes. Focus on whether there are any hidden passages, air ducts, or sewage wells nearby, and pay attention to any vehicles or suspicious individuals frequently seen in the area. For someone to operate this quickly, they must have had an accomplice and a getaway vehicle.”

The team quickly sprang into action. Yaoguang tapped her fingers on the table, pondering what purpose these traffickers had for the girls—was it their bodies, or their souls? Doubt gnawed at her. Closing her eyes, she began to meditate, opening her spiritual senses to divine clues by calculating the girls’ lunar birth dates based on their solar birthdays. But the results shocked her: there was no connection, no visions at all. Yaoguang’s heart sank. That meant the girls’ whereabouts had been thoroughly concealed, shrouded by a powerful barrier or formation that hid all traces of their presence. This case just became infinitely more complicated—without a trail or scent, not even spiritual means could reveal their path.

“Master, we’re back,” Jiang Yun was the first to return. “We investigated the seventh girl. In short, an elderly man who frequents the area said he saw her being led away by a young man in black.”

“Phoenix, there’s an air duct in the shopping mall fitting room that leads straight down to the parking garage. The parking lot attendant vaguely remembers seeing a young man in black leading a girl through the fire escape. The girl seemed to be walking strangely, so it left an impression, but he assumed they were a couple and didn’t think much of it,” Huo Mingkun reported.

The other investigators gradually returned, bringing new information.

The first girl had crawled out through the air duct in the fitting room—traces of movement were found inside. The exit was at the darkest spot in the underground parking lot near the fire escape, where a witness saw her being led away by a young man in black.

The second girl, who disappeared in the haunted house, was seen by other visitors entering with a young man in black. Witnesses assumed they were a couple. There was a maintenance area on one side of the haunted house, and the victim was taken out through there. Messy footprints were found nearby, but recent rain made them impossible to lift.

The third case, the public restroom, was the strangest—she entered through the main door, but was next seen on surveillance three streets away, also with a young man in black.

The fourth girl vanished in a taxi on her way home from work. A colleague who left work with her recalled that the driver seemed to be a young man in black, but it was too dark to see his face clearly.

The fifth girl disappeared near an artificial hill in the park. A child, often found digging for loaches in the area, said he saw a pretty big sister being led away by a big brother in black. He didn’t see their faces as they had their backs to him, but the girl’s shirt had a large cartoon character on the back, which matched what the missing girl was wearing.

The sixth girl vanished in a bar. According to the bar owner, he saw her drinking with a young man in black. The air duct in the private room she entered had been opened and showed evidence of someone crawling through.

The seventh girl, missing from the street stall, was also seen being led away by a young man in black.

Now it was clear—all seven victims were taken by a young man dressed in black. Not a single witness saw his face, and no surveillance camera ever caught him head-on. Based on witness statements and surveillance, the man was roughly 1.84 meters tall, slim, wearing black jeans, a black hoodie, and a black baseball cap.

“Everyone, split into two groups,” Yaoguang ordered. “One group, review all nearby surveillance, focusing on this man in black—especially any vehicles that appear frequently. The other group, scrutinize the victims’ mobile communication records and check for any border crossings. Xuancheng, Tianyou, Jiang Yun, Akun, come with me.”

Inside the meeting room, Yaoguang closed the door and spoke gravely, “Prepare for a major battle. When I tried to use spiritual sense to locate the seven girls, I found nothing—no trace at all. This means they’re in a place shielded by a powerful barrier or formation. I even reached out to the Underworld, but none of their souls are there, and the Book of Life and Death shows no changes. That’s troubling. With all their traces erased, there’s no way to track them.”

“In other words, the girls are trapped somewhere protected by a barrier,” Xuancheng said.

“Most likely. Such a barrier is essentially a powerful shield—a parallel, invisible space in this world. Their fates are blocked, making detection impossible,” Huo Mingkun explained.

“Akun is right. This situation is extremely tricky. Our only hope is to capture the man in black. Also, some witnesses mentioned that the victims moved unnaturally when being led away, indicating they were under control,” Chu Tianyou added.

“Could it be sorcery or Gu magic? Both can easily control humans. Those skilled in such arts are usually the ‘Shengmiao’ people from Miao territory or Thai black sorcerers. If the girls were taken to a Miao village, there’d be at least some trace. Could they have been taken to Thailand? If the man in black can control people, he’s likely a black sorcerer or Gu master, using spells or Gu to subdue the victims. That would explain their unnatural behavior,” Jiang Yun speculated. After a pause, he continued, “But then again, the girls may not have even left the country, making the Thai connection less likely. That leaves the Shengmiao. Among them, the White Miao pride themselves as descendants of the gods and would never do such vile things. The Shengmiao are generally upright practitioners. That leaves the Black Miao, who are notorious for their cruelty and evil practices. They love to practice dark arts, and kidnapping is the simplest way for them to find vessels for their Gu insects. Crafting such vessels requires matching ritual arrays, and all Black Miao villages are hidden behind barriers to avoid detection. Given all this, it’s highly likely the girls are in a Black Miao settlement.”

“You’re probably right. Let’s wait for the results of the investigation,” Yaoguang replied. No sooner had she finished speaking than there was a knock at the door. Someone handed in a new folder. “The results are out—every missing girl had contact with a strange phone number before vanishing. The number was routed through a base station, making it impossible to trace. A black Honda appeared near every disappearance, but the car had fake plates and no registered owner.”

Yaoguang was speechless. “How could this be?”

Xuancheng was equally frustrated. “This is a well-organized, systematic trafficking ring. What are we supposed to do?”

“If we can’t catch or track them, then we’ll have to draw them out,” Yaoguang said quietly, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

Instantly, the three men understood her plan. Perhaps, for now, it was their only option.