As everyone boarded the vehicle to leave, Zhou You felt an unexpected pang of anxiety. Glancing back at the dim and desolate street, he asked Zhuo Hao, "Don't you have a special way to contact Shao Qi?"

Zhuo Hao's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly as he calmly replied, "We do, but it's not always effective."

"Give it a try."

Chapter 091: A starving beast can resort to cannibalism.

Long Qian and Cheng Suyan alighted halfway. Watching the departing car, Cheng Suyan asked Long Qian, "What do you think is Mr. Shao's identity?"

Long Qian responded calmly, "Doesn't everyone know he's the chief engineer of the Sixth Military Factory?"

Cheng Suyan chuckled and shook her head, "Do you believe that? Many have seen Master Song, and he's still alive. How could the chief engineer's position have changed?"

"It's possible. Look at the three military officers accompanying him; even the lowest-ranking one is a Lieutenant Colonel. At the very least, he's an important figure in the military. If even your uncle doesn't know, then probably only Commander Ren would."

Rubbing her chin in thought, Cheng Suyan commented, "Commander Ren doesn't value my uncle. The two Major Generals are mostly hands-off. The politics within the Jiangnan Military Region is intricate. At least Commander Ren isn't as mediocre as he appears."

Long Qian wasn't interested in these intricacies. While he was technically part of the military, his interactions with other military personnel were minimal, allowing him more freedom. Plus, he didn't particularly like Ren Zhiyuan.

"Never mind, I should go. Will you be here tomorrow?" asked Cheng Suyan.

After a moment's thought, Long Qian hesitated before suggesting, "They're probably busy searching. I'll bring my team tomorrow to help. More hands make light work."

"Alright, I'll ask my uncle to lend some people too. I just wonder if this will affect his plans. For all we know, Shao Qi might have just driven out for a rendezvous, especially with a beauty. But since Zhou You wants to search, I'll pitch in."

When Zhou You and the rest returned to the mansion, they saw Li Yunxi practicing her blade skills alone in the courtyard. The house was in darkness, clearly indicating that Shao Qi hadn't returned.

Upon seeing them, Li Yunxi quickly sheathed her blade, wiping away her sweat she asked, "Did you find him?"

Zhou You shook his head. Entering the house, he shared, "Shao Qi took the little white tiger with him. The base hasn't sounded an alarm yet, which means they haven't been discovered. If he dared to take the tiger, it means he's somewhere secluded. I think he might be around the orphanage. Should we search the factories tomorrow?"

On the way, Zhuo Hao had tried contacting Shao Qi using their military-grade communicator, but received no response. Despite its advanced satellite connectivity, it was useless in areas with signal jammers.

The trio exchanged glances and nodded in agreement, "Alright, we'll search again tomorrow."

Zhou You and the others had a quick meal before retiring to their rooms. After a few hours of meditation, once the night grew still, Zhou You silently leapt from the balcony, swiftly exiting the mansion and disappearing into the night.

The base was even quieter at night. Zhou You made his way to the military zone without encountering anyone. However, passing from the inner to the outer city required a security checkpoint. From a distance, he eyed the guards at the post but eventually chose to scale a side wall to exit.

Normally, the wall was electrified and quite tall, but due to the citywide power outage, many public utilities were without power. Otherwise, Zhou You wouldn't have been confident in safely scaling it.

As he approached the military zone entrance, he faced a dilemma. The military zone was more secure than a regular checkpoint, with guards at the gate and patrols along the walls. Sneaking in unnoticed would be challenging.

He crouched in a nearby corner for what felt like an eternity, finally rising when the snowfall intensified.

The guards at the entrance were changing shifts. A numb soldier, stiff from the cold, mumbled as he left his post, "In this weather, you'd freeze standing all night. Why hasn't anyone mentioned this to the chief of staff?"

The soldier coming on shift looked cold and frightened, his face downcast. "Who would've thought of our post in this weather? And the gate always needs guarding. But don't worry, the squad leader said someone would relieve me after four hours."

Standing for four hours in this weather is torturous, but that's the life of a soldier. Despite the hardships, everyone knows that no one typically comes or goes in the middle of the night. They can occasionally stretch their limbs.

About half an hour later, the soldier shuffled his numb feet, brushed the snow off his uniform, and thought he saw a shadow flicker. But when he looked up again, there was nothing.

"Really, this blizzard is so severe it feels like it could split one's face."

Upon entering the military zone, Zhou You immediately headed towards Commander Ren's residence. He had studied the layout thoroughly when he was stationed here with Shao Qi. He knew about Ren Zhiyuan's residence thanks to Shao Qi, though he hadn't expected to visit the commander in the dead of night.

Cheng Yuran stayed in Cheng Ziang's dormitory. Given Cheng Ziang's rank, he had been allotted a three-bedroom apartment. He had a son under a year old, and Cheng Yuran, his adult nephew, was not much younger than him.

"No need to ask further. My remark about Mr. Zhou's donation to the orphanage was just a passing comment after seeing a report. I have no idea where Shao Qi went," Cheng Ziang replied, preparing tea.

Cheng Yuran clearly didn't believe him but realized he might not get more information. He changed the topic, "Uncle, are you thinking of leaving the Jiangnan Military District?"

Cheng Ziang paused, surprised. "Leave and go where?"

"Back to the central command, of course. With the strength of the Wanjian Sect, you could secure a respectable position. Why stay here?"

Cheng Ziang was ambitious. He chose this place seeing the military district's leader was not dominant, and the two major generals were uninvolved. Cheng Ziang managed most affairs here, holding significant power.