Superman Termination Manual-Chapter 603 - 286: Major Family Event III: The Witching Night (Part 1)
October 26th, just a five-day countdown to “Witch’s Night.”
Ke Mingye opened his eyes, slowly awakening from the bed.
The morning breeze brushed lightly, casting the shadows of the curtains in a mottled dance upon the wooden floor. From the nearby apartment’s street, the cries of a tofu pudding vendor mingled with the occasional bark of a dog. This morning seemed as cozy as any other day.
He rubbed his Tianming Acupoint and looked down slightly, catching a glimpse of a black cat behind the curtain.
Yuri quietly slipped into the room at some point and was now lying on the corner mat of the bookshelf, soundly asleep.
Ke Mingye gazed at Yuri, yawned, and released the “Animal Communication Skill.”
Then he asked it, “Can you stop sneaking into my room to sleep? I really want to kick you flying.”
Yuri licked its paws, unmoving on the mat, “It’s an honor for you to have the great me avoiding that nutcase ‘Kobe’ by sleeping here.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
Ke Mingye murmured absentmindedly, put on his slippers, and opened the room door with his messy hair still tousled.
Looking up, he saw Bai Qiuwu standing outside, her right hand suspended in mid-air as if she was about to knock, her expression somewhat peculiar.
“What’s wrong, big sis?” he scratched his head.
“Dad… hasn’t come home since last night, and all calls to him are unreachable.”
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“Dad?”
Ke Mingye tilted his head.
He thought: If anyone in this world could force Dad not to come home, leaving no spare time to even return a phone call, it could only be the Timekeeper.
So he yawned, dragging his lazy tone, “With Dad’s temperament, he most likely drank too much by accident during a social event and is resting at a colleague’s house. Just call his cell again in a few hours, is there a need to worry so much?”
Bai Qiuwu shook her head, holding her elbow in her right hand and whispering, “Dad never drinks, and whenever he can’t come back at night, he always reports to Mom, instead of just disappearing without a word. I’m worried something really happened to him.”
“You and Mom are overthinking it. Dad has always disappeared mysteriously from time to time, not one absence less.”
Ke Mingye spoke while slipping his hands into the pockets of his cotton-padded jacket, exhaled a breath of white air, and rubbed his palms, “I’m going to have breakfast. Just wait and see if I’m not right.”
After saying that, he absentmindedly closed the door behind him.
Just as he intended to pass by Bai Qiuwu, she called out to him.
“It’s one thing if it was just Dad, but this morning Mom knocked on Xiao Ni’s door to wake her up for breakfast, and we couldn’t rouse her no matter how we called. Eventually, the door was unlocked with a key, and we found Xiao Ni wasn’t in her room.”
Hearing this, Ke Mingye paused, his steps halting as if he were plunged into an ice cave.
Quickly, he turned his head to meet Bai Qiuwu’s eyes.
“Where could she be… The second-floor room’s door can’t be locked from outside.”
“When Mom entered the room, the balcony door was open.”
At this moment, Bai Qiuwu was also somewhat uneasy. She heard from creepy creatures that a group of witches had their eyes on Zi Ni, but since it had been quiet for such a long time, she didn’t take it too seriously. If these two things were related, then trouble was afoot.
Ke Mingye stood still, silent for a moment.
“I’ll ask Mom.”
Saying so, he went downstairs without even washing his face, and glanced toward one corner of the living room.
Bai Wenna was cradling the phone receiver between her shoulder and ear, chattering incessantly to the person on the other line. Seeing Mingye, she hastily released the receiver and asked loudly, “Mingye, have you seen Xiao Ni today?!”
“No,” Ke Mingye shook his head, “But she couldn’t sleep last night and was chatting with me on the roof.” He paused, “And Dad hasn’t come home yet?”
“Don’t mention it—! Your father didn’t come home last night. I’ve been calling him countless times since last night through to this morning and he hasn’t answered. What’s going on all day long?” Bai Wenna sighed.
Ke Mingye looked at Bai Wenna, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, and thought sarcastically, “You should ask yourself, with your mind filled with your alien colonization mission and your capabilities, how could you not know that Xiao Ni sneaked out in the middle of the night, and how could you possibly not know where Dad went…”
Thinking this, he felt slightly irritated.
“What about big brother and second brother? Have you asked them?” he took a breath and continued.
“I called them already, but they both said Dad and Xiao Ni haven’t contacted them.”
“I see… Then Mom, don’t worry for now, I’ll go out and have a look.”
Ke Mingye spoke as he quickly walked to the entrance, leaned against the shoe cabinet to put on his sneakers, and then turned the doorknob to push open the front door.
October in Huanjing was frighteningly cold, merely prying open a sliver of the door allowed a chilling blast to envelop him. The walkway was covered in snow, and the neighbor’s neglected potted plants were almost buried, with the harsh wind howling through Old Jingmai District.
“You don’t need to worry about Dad… With his strength, he’s definitely safe. First, think about where Bai Zini might have gone.”
Ke Mingye didn’t wait for the elevator but took the fire escape stairs down rapidly, contemplating.
“Anyway, start by asking that group of magical girls.”
….
….
At this moment, on the second floor, in Ke Xiaomo’s room.
Listening to the noisy voices coming from downstairs, Shi Neian and You Minglu exchanged looks.
Shi Neian raised his hand to rub the dark circles under his eyes, “So, the senior really disappeared?”
“Yeah, you got any clues?” You Minglu focused on his phone, the screen’s glow reflected in his eyes.
