Digimon: I reached the top using the Knight item.

Qi Ren suddenly realized that he hadn't gone home since school and had been out so late!

Qi Ren could almost foresee what kind of "mixed doubles" he would face when he got home.

His little face immediately fell, and he looked completely dejected.

"Well...then, Chief Yamaki, Brother Shiraha, I...I'll head back now."

Qi Ren bid farewell listlessly, grabbed Guilmon's paw, and turned to leave.

"Wait, Qi Ren." Bai Yu's voice came from behind him, stopping him.

Qi Ren turned around, his face full of confusion.

"Brother Baiyu, is there anything else?"

"How is the Ancient Music Beast? It should be alright now, right?"

Qi Ren replied, "After I brought the Ancient Music Beast back, it woke up that very night."

"It said it was very tired, then rested for a whole day, and then it was fine."

“That little guy stayed at my house for two days, and then Jianliang took him away to take care of him.”

"Later, I heard from Kenryo that the Ancient Beast had been taken away by Ruki again, and that it should be being taken care of by Ruki now."

When Mitsuo Yamaki heard the name "Ryuhime", he frowned slightly.

Bai Yu was somewhat surprised after hearing this.

That's quite a roundabout way to go.

But upon closer reflection, it's not a big deal.

That little guy, Gu Le Shou, is naturally lovable; he's always been someone who loves to eat at everyone's house.

"Alright, it's all over." Bai Yu waved to Qi Ren.

"Then I'm really leaving this time."

This time, Qi Ren really didn't dare to delay any longer. He grabbed Guilmon and ran away.

Watching Qi Ren's hasty retreat, Bai Yu shook his head with a wry smile.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Mitsuo Yamaki beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Chief Yamaki, there must be something else you want to tell me."

Yamaki Mitsuo looked at Bai Yu and snapped his lighter shut.

"You are very smart."

"As expected of a child who is a few years older than Qi Ren and the others, he is indeed more meticulous."

Mitsuo Yamaki's praise sounds more like a statement.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu smiled matter-of-factly, shrugged, and said casually, "Chief Yamaki, that's not hard to guess, is it?"

"You only let Qi leave, but kept me here. Isn't your intention quite obvious?"

Upon hearing Bai Yu's words, a slight smile appeared on Yamaki Mitsuo's lips.

He did not refute, which can be considered as tacitly acknowledging Bai Yu's statement.

This boy is indeed much more mature than his peers.

Whether it's physical strength or mental fortitude.

Yamaki Mitsuo said to Bai Yu in a serious tone, "You are very opinionated and capable. Since I have decided to use you as a fighting force, there is another matter that I hope you can help me with."

"Please speak freely, Chief Yamaki," Bai Yu said readily.

"As long as I can do it and the compensation is right, anything is negotiable."

This is money! Of course I won't refuse something that can make money.

Yamaki Mitsuo glanced at Shiraha but had no objection to Shiraha's openly price-setting attitude.

Yamaki Mitsuo's expression turned unusually serious, and he asked in a low voice, "You should know Makino Ruki, right?"

Bai Yu nodded and replied, "I know him."

Mitsuo Yamaki continued, "According to the information I received, she went missing the night before last."

Chapter 33: Ruki has disappeared

Has Ruhime gone missing?

Upon hearing Yamaki Mitsuo's words, Shiraha could hardly believe his ears and subconsciously asked, "Chief Yamaki, what did you just say?"

Mitsuo Yamaki's expression remained unchanged; he simply repeated his words verbatim.

"I said, Makino Ruki has gone missing."

This time, Bai Yu heard it clearly, and his expression was one of astonishment.

How could Ruki have disappeared?

Are you kidding me?

She's always accompanied by the demon fox beast!

Given the strength and vigilance of the fox spirit, who can take Ruki away from it at this stage?

A thought flashed through Bai Yu's mind: Could it be that the Four Holy Beasts have already begun to act?

It shouldn't be this fast, right?

Moreover, the Four Holy Beasts' target was Curamon. Even if they did make a move, it should have been Curamon who was captured, not Ruki who went missing.

This is completely illogical.

Bai Yu frowned deeply; he simply couldn't understand what was going on.

"Chief Yamaki, what exactly happened? How could Ruki have disappeared?"

"She has a demon fox beast by her side, who can do anything to her?"

Bai Yu asked a series of questions that had been bothering him.

Faced with Bai Yu's persistent questioning, a hint of helplessness appeared on Yamaki Mitsuo's face.

"I only heard that her family reported to the police that Liu Ji was missing."

"As for other news, I have none here."

Finding a person is different from finding a digital beast.

You can also find Digimon by identifying local anomalies, especially in terms of signals.

But when it comes to finding someone, the 'Special Internet Investigation Department' is not as good as the police.

Mitsuo Yamaki only thought of asking Shiraha to help with the search because he saw that Shiraha and Ruki were 'the same kind of people'.

"I understand, I'll take this task." Bai Yu quickly understood and nodded to Yamaki Mitsuo, accepting the commission.

From a "business" perspective, Bai Yu had no reason to refuse.

If you do well, you can make a name for yourself as a "digital beast mercenary".

Once you have a good reputation, will you still have to worry about not having "business" coming your way?

Then, Mitsuo Yamaki instructed Shiraha, "Contact me immediately if you have any news."

"The events tonight are very serious. I have a lot of things to take care of, so I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, Mitsuo Yamaki stopped and turned to walk towards the black sedan parked not far away.

Soon, the car started up and drove away, and the other vehicles around it followed suit.

Bai Yu didn't linger and set off towards the direction of Ruki's house.

……

One hour later.

When Bai Yu stood in front of the large house of Ruki's family again, he felt no appreciation whatsoever.

Centered on the Ruki family's residence, Shiraha carefully surveyed the surrounding area.

He didn't overlook any corner, whether it was the walls, the ground, or the surrounding green belt.

However, the result greatly disappointed him.

Everything around seemed so normal, with no signs of a fight and no abnormal energy residue.

"No signs of battle..."

Bai Yu frowned, his mind racing as he analyzed the situation.

There was no fighting nearby, which basically rules out that the enemy came to Ruki's house.

"Then, there are only a few possibilities left."

If Ruki was lured away by something, it means that the enemy's target was Ruki.

If Ruki went out normally and encountered difficulties outside, given her warlike nature, the possibility of an accident is greater, but it cannot be ruled out that Ruki was being targeted.

But Bai Yu really couldn't understand why anyone would specifically target Ruki at this stage.

In the original storyline, there was no scene where Ruki went missing.

"Forget it, there's no use thinking about it anymore." Bai Yu shook his head, temporarily banishing these chaotic speculations from his mind.

"The most important thing now is to figure out how Ruki got out of the house."

With a clear goal in mind, Bai Yu walked towards the imposing gate of the Ruji family's residence.

He raised his hand, ready to press the doorbell.

"Click".

With a soft click, the door opened from the inside first.

A woman dressed in casual clothes, looking slightly haggard, appeared behind the door.

Her features were somewhat similar to Ruki's, but she was much more glamorous, though her eyes were filled with worry at the moment.

When the woman saw Bai Yu standing outside the door, she was clearly taken aback, her eyes showing a mixture of wariness and confusion.

"Excuse me, who are you? What can I do for you?"

Bai Yu immediately guessed the identity of the woman in front of him; she must be Ruki's mother, Makino Rumiko.

Bai Yu introduced himself politely, "Hello, Auntie, my name is Bai Yu, and I am a friend of Liu Ji."

"I heard that Ruki had an accident, so I came to check on her."

Upon hearing that it was a friend of Ruki, Makino Rumiko forced a smile, but the smile was full of bitterness and strain.

"Hello, I am Ruki's mother."

"Li Ji, she..."

At this point, Rumiko's smile vanished instantly.

Her eyes immediately reddened, her expression filled with the worry and sorrow of a mother.

Seeing this, Bai Yu quickly spoke up, changing the subject and explaining his purpose.

"Auntie, don't be sad."

"I'm here to help find Ruki, so there are some things I'd like to ask you."

Upon hearing that Bai Yu had come to help, a glimmer of hope instantly ignited in Makino Rumiko's beautiful, worried eyes.

She pressed on, her voice trembling with excitement, "You...you can find Ruki?"

The police have come and asked many questions, but so far there has been no news.

Does this boy in front of me really have a way?

Meeting those expectant eyes, Bai Yu didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she spoke in a calm and reassuring tone, "Auntie, I can't guarantee anything, but I will do my best."

Rumiko Makino stared intently at Shiraha.

Although the boy in front of me was young, his dark eyes revealed a calmness and composure that his peers did not possess.