Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

Lin Man showed them her phone screen.

On the map, that area is marked with large blank spaces and sparse town names, with winding roads that meander through the mountains.

An unease slowly spread through Zhao Yanxi's heart.

"So... how's the signal over there?"

"It would be strange if there was any signal in a place like this."

Lin Man put away her phone and reassured him, "Don't worry about it. The boss is very lucky and nothing will happen."

Zhao Yanxi pursed her lips, her fingers still unconsciously swiping across the phone screen.

Hua Qing was the first to stand up: "Just sitting here won't solve anything. Let's get back to each other. Ding Heng will naturally let us know when he gets there."

Wenjing stood up and began to clear the dishes.

Lin Man stretched and patted Zhao Yanxi on the shoulder.

"Let's go out for a walk. There's no point in just waiting."

Zhao Yanxi nodded and said nothing more.

The four women went back to their rooms to change their clothes, and half an hour later, they left in a Land Rover from the villa's garage.

Wenjing drove, Huaqing sat in the passenger seat, and Zhao Yanxi and Lin Man sat in the back.

The car drove out of the villa area and merged into the busy traffic of Chengdu.

Zhao Yanxi leaned against the car window, her mind still a jumbled mess.

She would occasionally pick up her phone to check it. The time on the screen ticked by, but Ding Heng's chat window remained silent, with no new messages popping up.

Lin Man was busy processing work messages when she casually asked, "Yan hope, what do you want to buy later?"

"do not know."

Zhao Yanxi's voice was low: "Just take a look around."

"How about we pick out some autumn clothes together?"

Lin Man looked up and said, "I see that several brands have released new products, and the styles and designs are quite nice."

"alright."

Zhao Yanxi responded, but still seemed listless.

The car arrived at the underground parking lot near Taikoo Li.

The four women took the elevator to the ground floor, where the sunlight hit them, slightly dispelling their worries about the man.

Taikoo Li is never short of people, especially during the National Day holiday.

The streets were bustling with people, and groups of stylishly dressed young people strolled by, hand in hand, chatting and laughing.

Four beautiful women walked side by side down the street, each with their own unique style and figure.

Wherever she goes, she attracts attention. Passersby always take a second look, and occasionally someone tries to strike up a conversation, but Lin Man always manages to deflect their attacks.

Afterwards, the group strolled around Taikoo Li for nearly two hours, carrying bags and bags of clothes, shoes, scarves, skincare products, and more.

Shopping is indeed incredibly effective for women.

They gradually adjusted their state and temporarily suppressed their anxiety.

Around noon, the four women returned to the parking lot, put their shopping bags into the trunk, and got back into their car.

Zhao Yanxi took out her phone and looked at it again, but there were still no messages.

She placed her phone face down on her lap, and her anxiety slowly resurfaced.

Wenjing, as usual, picked up her phone to take a look, and suddenly gasped.

"Look!"

Wenjing, sounding nervous, handed her phone to the group.

A news notification appeared on the screen, its red background and white text making the headline particularly jarring.

[Breaking News: A 7.6-magnitude earthquake has struck Gaitan County, with its epicenter located at 33.2 degrees north latitude and 86.8 degrees east longitude… The focal depth is 10 kilometers. As of now, it has caused… Local authorities are urgently organizing rescue efforts. This station will continue to monitor the situation.]

The carriage was silent for a moment.

"Gaiqin County?"

Zhao Yanxi was the first to react: "Isn't Gaitan County Baima's hometown?!"

Wenjing's face turned pale, and her lips trembled: "Then, then Ding Heng and Baima..."

She didn't dare finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear.

Hua Qing reacted the fastest. Almost reflexively, she picked up her phone and tapped rapidly on the screen to open the ticketing app.

Lin Man turned her head to look at her: "Sister Qing, what are you doing?"

"Buy tickets."

Hua Qing's voice was tense, her fingers trembling: "Which is the nearest airport to Rongcheng? Shuangliu? Or..."

"Calm down! Why are you buying tickets?"

Lin Man reached out and pressed down on Hua Qing's wrist, with considerable force.

Hua Qing looked up and met Lin Man's gaze, her eyes filled with anxiety and urgency.

"Go to Gaitan."

"You're going to build a forest? Can you even do that?"

"try to find……"

"What are you looking for?"

Lin Man interrupted Hua Qing, her tone extremely serious: "Do you know where Gai Qin is? Do you know what the situation is like there? What could you possibly do if you went? Just cause trouble?"

Hua Qing's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

Lin Man released her wrist, picked up her phone, reopened the news feed, and read it carefully from beginning to end.

“Gaiqin County has a resident population of 2.5. The epicenter is very close to the county seat, but there is still some distance between them.”

She read it aloud word by word, as if she were giving herself a pep talk and reassuring others.

"The news just said that the casualties were not high, and the boss is probably fine... Moreover, if the boss spent the night in Gaitan County last night, he would definitely have sent us a message to let us know he was safe, so I guess he is still on his way."

Although she tried to comfort everyone, her pale fingertips betrayed her inner unease.

The carriage fell silent. No one spoke; the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

Zhao Yanxi lowered her head and redialed Ding Heng's number.

"The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

It was still a mechanical female voice.

She hung up, then dialed again. She hung up again, then dialed again.

The third time, Wenjing reached out and gently pressed the back of her hand.

"Yan hope... stop fighting for now."

Wenjing's voice trembled: "No matter how many times you call Ding Heng, it won't make a difference."

Zhao Yanxi bit her lower lip, slowly moving her finger away from the screen: "Then what do we do? Are we just going to wait like this?"

Lin Man took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm.

"hold on."

She spoke, her tone more composed than before: "I'll contact Aunt Quzhen first. The boss is with Baima, so she must be just as anxious as we are."

Moreover, as a local, she would be able to arrange supplies for disaster relief, and might even have official information channels…”

The group exchanged glances and sat quietly in the car, none of them speaking again.

The car doors were closed, and the windows were half open.

Zhao Yanxi leaned back in her seat, her gaze fixed on the car window, her eyes seemingly veiled in mist.

Hua Qing unconsciously rubbed the edge of her phone with her fingers.

Wenjing stared blankly into space.

Lin Man clasped her hands together, as if in silent prayer...

Chapter 233: Little Horse Returns Home (As usual, please vote and subscribe!)

Let's turn back time a few hours.

Tibet, on the edge of the Qiangtang Plateau.

The night was deep and dark, with no moon, but countless stars covering the sky, and endless wilderness stretching out on both sides of the national highway.

Bai Ma curled up in Ding Heng's arms, a tiny little bundle.

His breathing was even, but his brows were slightly furrowed, and he was not sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, it felt as if something was surging up from underground, heavy and dull, trembling violently.

Ding Heng suddenly opened his eyes.

Almost at the same instant, the entire vehicle began to shake violently!

"Clang, clang, clang..."

A muffled rumble came from afar, like a giant beast turning over underground.

Baima was jolted awake.

She leaned forward abruptly, letting out a short gasp.

"What's wrong?!"

"Don't move."

Ding Heng spoke in a calm voice, raising his hand to place it on Baima's shoulder.