Chapter 70: Obstacles

Fang Yilin returned to the apartment with her groceries, her heart overflowing with joy. Upon opening the door, she saw Du Bin in the living room, engrossed in a drama series. She went into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. This time, she truly showcased her culinary prowess; in no time, a succession of delectable dishes was presented, and Du Bin devoured them all with gusto.

After her shower, Fang Yilin deliberately changed into an alluring outfit. She handed him a glass of water laced with medicine, then sat beside him to watch television together. Du Bin’s gaze drifted sideways, lingering on her seductive figure, and he couldn’t help but swallow hard. Faced with such temptation, the primal desires of a man surged within him, his rationality blurring beyond control. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately and wildly. Their bodies entangled, burning with feverish intensity, refusing to part until the very last moment. Immersed in the warmth of her embrace, Du Bin utterly forgot the scheduled meeting with the Special Investigation Team.

“This is infuriating, that guy!” Hu Guozheng raged, puffing furiously on his cigarette while he waited for Du Bin, who was nowhere to be seen even as nine o'clock approached.

“Forget it. We’ve already waited an extra hour. The captain and the others can’t afford any more delays.”

“Sigh, it can’t be helped.” With that, the group boarded the flight to the Philippines. Meanwhile, once the passion had faded and Du Bin regained his clarity, he recalled his commitment to the Special Investigation Team. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already 1 a.m.—too late for the night flight, and he would have to wait for the morning flight.

He wanted to talk it over with her, but she was already fast asleep, and he didn’t wish to disturb her. He hurriedly got dressed, but as he was about to leave, a sound behind him caught his attention.

“Bin, where are you going?”

Du Bin saw her sit up, completely unclothed. Fearing she might catch a chill, he gently draped her clothes over her shoulders and said, “Yilin, I have to go save someone. I’ll be back in about a week.”

“Is it her?” Fang Yilin asked, her head bowed. In the dim light, no one could see the jealousy burning in her eyes.

“Yes.”

“But didn’t Hu Guozheng and the others already go?”

“There’s something about this, I don’t know how to explain it yet. Let me tell you everything when I return, is that alright?” Du Bin picked up his passport, preparing to leave.

Fang Yilin, panic-stricken, rushed from the bed and hugged him tightly. “No, don’t go. Stay with me, please.”

“Yilin, I promise you—I’ll come back to you.”

---

“Bin, don’t leave. I’ve already lost too much. I know I used to be willful, always complaining and envying others, but I won’t be like that anymore. I’ve changed. All I ask is that you don’t leave me. Over these days, I realized I can’t live without you. If it weren’t for you, I truly don’t know what reason I’d have to go on,” Fang Yilin sobbed, her words growing increasingly incoherent. Mentioning thoughts of suicide startled Du Bin, who hastily comforted her.

“Alright, alright, I won’t leave. Please don’t do anything foolish. There, there, I’m staying with you.” To soothe her, Du Bin stayed by her side all night, only relaxing when she finally cried herself to sleep. Gazing at the moon outside the window, he sighed.

Meanwhile, Hu Guozheng, sitting in the airplane and staring at the sky, felt bored and desperately wanted a cigarette but couldn’t smoke on the plane, leaving him restless and itching.

The members of the Special Investigation Team entertained themselves in various ways, but most chose to sleep, knowing that in a few hours a battle of unprecedented magnitude awaited them.

Li Ping, though reading a book, found his mind elsewhere. He pondered the truth his parents had concealed and wondered if he should tell Ning Ning. Seeing her innocent and lively, he feared she might not be able to accept the truth if she ever learned it.

Two days later, the team led by YOYO from the Alliance of Espers arrived at the Sangsorol Islands. They split into four groups, searching in all directions, and within a day, they had narrowed their focus to a deserted island.

After landing on the island, YOYO began planning the capture. She first sent out scouts to locate the hiding place, then had the teams converge from four sides to form an encircling net.

The Special Investigation Team arrived on the island by rented boat, each member donning their gear before disembarking. Hu Guozheng proudly wielded his Azure Dragon Blade, while Ye Lan, with her newly reinvigorated sealing spell in hand, was determined to seal Ye Tang’s vampiric powers and restore her senses.

The team advanced into the island’s interior, taking care to avoid direct conflict with the espers. Their hope was to reach Ye Tang first, for once Ye Lan’s sealing was complete, no matter how the opposing side searched, they would not find Ye Tang robbed of her vampiric strength. Thus, they had to race against time.

In the base camp of the espers, a boy hurried in with a report. “Master YOYO, members of the Special Investigation Team have appeared on the island.”

Everyone had anticipated their arrival, and a tense atmosphere settled in. After all, as a government unit, they couldn’t openly eliminate them.

YOYO pondered for a moment and instructed, “Tell everyone not to act rashly. Let them enter and observe from a distance.”

“Yes.” The young man left to relay the message.

YOYO smiled. Originally, finding her hiding place would have been difficult, but now someone had come to help with the search—why not take advantage?

The island was overgrown with wild grass, resembling a primeval forest. At its center stood a bald mountain, clearly a volcano when viewed from afar.

---

A group of twenty trekked across the island without encountering either Ye Tang or any sign of the espers. Their path remained unobstructed, save for the occasional venomous snake or wild beast, all swiftly dispatched by the HU team members.

“Aunt Lan, do you know where Ye Tang is hiding?” Hu Guozheng, exhausted, called for a rest every so often, lying against a tree to catch his breath.

“I haven’t sensed anything yet.”

Lan Hui had just received word from the scouts that their search had yielded nothing. He approached and said, “Our time is running short. If the Philippine military discovers us, we’ll be in a passive position. This could have political repercussions between the two countries.”

“I understand,” was the reply.

After a brief rest, they pressed on. Their daylight search yielded nothing, but at night, they seemed to hear ominous roars more terrifying than those of wild beasts. It was reminiscent of a lion king’s cry, echoing for kilometers to warn intruders. Ordinary people could hardly hear it except via ultrasound, but for Ye Lan as an esper, it was crystal clear. Hu Guozheng, with his half-formed abilities, heard it only intermittently.

“It’s in this direction,” Ye Lan said, pointing and rushing ahead. The rest followed, pushing through dense forest until they emerged in a barren area at the foot of the volcano, where they discovered a cave.

Outside the cave, the low growls emanated steadily from within. Hu Guozheng shivered. “Why does this place give me the creeps?”

“In the volcano.”

The group cautiously entered the cave, military flashlights bobbing in the darkness. After winding through twists and turns for about twenty minutes, they reached the end. Even from outside, the heat was palpable. The cavern itself was vast, with a floating rock platform of over a thousand square meters at its center, connected only by a natural stone bridge about five hundred meters long. Though eight meters wide, it was by no means safe from collapse. Below, only magma was visible—any life falling in would be utterly annihilated.

Yet there were exceptions. With his sharp eyes, Hu Guozheng quickly spotted Ye Tang. Her entire body was immersed in the lava, only her head and half a wing exposed. The temperature, for her, seemed no different than bathing in a hot spring. The others were dumbfounded.

“Damn, that’s incredible,” Hu Guozheng muttered, speechless.