97: Chapter 97 The Missing Person

Everyone was panicked.

Two living, breathing people had just vanished into thin air.

There was no sound, no struggle, not even a single trace left behind.

It was as if they had never existed at all.

"Go back!" Zhou Che said in a deep voice. "Let's go check the place where they disappeared!"

The group immediately followed Zhou Che and walked back.

They arrived at the spot the survivor had mentioned earlier.

The ground was clean; there was nothing there.

No bloodstains, no footprints, no scraps of clothing.

Nothing at all.

"Are you sure he disappeared around here?" Zhou Che asked.

"I'm sure!" the survivor said, his voice choked with sobs. "When we walked here just now, I even said a word to him, telling him to stay close. But the moment I turned my head, he was gone!"

Zhou Che crouched down and carefully examined the ground.

Indeed, there was nothing.

Not even a trace of disturbed dust.

A spine-chilling sensation shot from the soles of everyone's feet straight to their crowns.

This was too bizarre.

What kind of anomaly could make people vanish into thin air without leaving a single trace?

Zhou Che stood up and looked around.

That feeling of being watched was becoming increasingly intense.

He could sense that the anomaly was in the shadows, watching them coldly.

It was as if it were savoring the fear of its prey.

This was the first time he had encountered this kind of anomaly.

In the past, whether it was an anomaly or an Devourer of Calamity, or even that flood dragon, at least they had physical forms that could be seen and touched.

But this anomaly was invisible and intangible, killing without a trace.

He had no idea how to deal with it.

"Everyone, rest in place! Do not wander off!"

Zhou Che raised his hand to signal everyone to stop.

"The nine Transcendents, come to me!"

The nine Transcendents immediately gathered around.

Everyone's face was grim.

The scene of those two people vanishing into thin air just now had terrified them.

"The situation is very tricky now."

Zhou Che looked at the group and said in a deep voice, "We have never seen this anomaly before; its abilities are unknown, and its weaknesses are unknown."

"It can make people vanish into thin air without leaving a single trace. We don't even know where it is right now."

"Searching blindly definitely won't work; it's too dangerous and will only lead to senseless deaths."

"Everyone, think about it: have you ever encountered a similar anomaly or heard any relevant rumors?"

Everyone looked at one another and shook their heads.

"I've never seen anything so evil," Wang Laowu said, scratching his head. "The anomalies we've encountered before at least allowed us to see a shadow. But this one? It doesn't even have a shadow."

"Could it be a Shadow Anomaly?" Captain Liu Ruyan asked. "Shadow Anomalies can also turn invisible and ambush people."

"It's not a Shadow Anomaly," Zhou Che shook his head. "Shadow Anomalies leave behind bloodstains and corpses when they kill, and they have shadows when they move. This one has nothing."

"Could it be a spatial-type anomaly?" Wang Zhiming pushed up his glasses and said. "One that can teleport people to other places or swallow them directly into a different dimension."

Zhou Che frowned.

A spatial-type anomaly.

He had heard of them, but he had never seen one.

This kind of anomaly was extremely rare and extremely difficult to deal with.

There was simply no effective way to counter it.

"No matter what kind of anomaly it is, it must have a weakness," Luo Xi said, her eyes resolute. "It can't stay invisible forever. As long as it acts again, we will definitely be able to catch it in a moment of vulnerability."

"Right!" Shen Fei nodded. "There are so many of us; it can't possibly swallow us all at once, can it? As long as it dares to strike again, we'll swarm it and hack it to death!"

Just then, on the roof of a residential building outside the plaza, Zhuang Zeqiang and his men were looking at the plaza entrance with binoculars.

"Boss, they've been in there for almost half an hour. Why is there no movement at all?" the third-in-command asked suspiciously. "Supposedly, that thing should have acted by now."

"What's the rush?" Zhuang Zeqiang put down the binoculars and sneered. "That thing loves to play with its prey slowly. Once they're mostly dead, it will naturally come out."

"I've already called the brothers over; they're all waiting below. As soon as they run out, we'll strike immediately."

"Remember, kill the Transcendents first, then seize the vehicles. Be quick; don't give them time to react."

"Don't worry, Boss! I guarantee it'll be done perfectly!" the third-in-command said, patting his chest.

Zhuang Zeqiang picked up the binoculars again and looked into the depths of the plaza.

His eyes were filled with greed and cruelty.

Run.

Run for your lives.

When you are exhausted, that will be the time for us to reap the harvest.

Inside the plaza, Zhou Che was still discussing countermeasures with the group.

The ordinary survivors huddled together, shivering.

Some started to cry softly, and some began to regret following them inside.

A sense of panic was slowly spreading through the crowd.

Zhou Che watched this scene, his brows knitting tighter.

He couldn't wait any longer.

Panic was contagious; if they waited any longer, they would fall into chaos themselves before the anomaly even had to act.

He took a deep breath and was just about to speak.

Suddenly, another scream rang out.

This time, the sound was much closer.

"Ah!!"

Zhou Che whipped his head around.

He saw an ordinary survivor who had been standing right beside him just a moment ago.

Right under everyone's noses, the person vanished into thin air.

Everyone froze in place.

Their faces were pale, and they were trembling all over.

In broad daylight, in full view of everyone, another person was gone.

Watching the third survivor vanish into thin air in front of everyone's eyes, the air instantly froze.

Everyone stood frozen in place, not even daring to breathe loudly.

A cold fear like a venomous snake crawled up their spines, choking them until they couldn't breathe.

That scene just now was too terrifying.

No shadow, no sound, no struggle.

A living, breathing person had just disappeared like that, under the gaze of a dozen pairs of eyes.

Not even a bubble had risen to the surface.

Zhou Che's fists clenched until they cracked, his knuckles turning white.

He was truly anxious.

If this continued, they wouldn't need the anomaly to act; the dozens of them would vanish one by one in this godforsaken place.

"Say something, damn it!" Zhou Che roared, his gaze sweeping across the Transcendents. "What the hell is going on? Can anyone come up with a solution?"

Everyone kept their heads down, silent.

Their faces were full of horror and confusion.

They had seen many anomalies, but they had never seen something so evil.

Killing without a trace, leaving not even a single mark.

They had no idea what to do, not even a clue.

Wang Zhiming pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, his expression so grave that it could drip water.

He crouched down and carefully examined the spot where the third survivor had just disappeared.

The ground was clean, without even a speck of dust.

"Mr. Zhou, we cannot fall into chaos," he said, standing up and speaking to Zhou Che. "The more critical the situation, the calmer we must be. It's impossible for an anomaly to kill like this. We must first figure out why they are disappearing."

"Do the three people have anything in common? Did anyone see what they were doing before they disappeared?"