“Please ask the security guard to call out this person. I have something urgent to discuss with him,” Fang Ming said excitedly.
After so many hardships, he was finally going to see his father!
Once his parents were rescued, he would settle down, manage his small shop, and live an honest life.
Fang Ming actually disliked this kind of turbulent life, or rather, no modern person would like this feeling of dancing on the tip of a knife every day.
“Wait here, I’ll go look for him now.” The security guard took the list and walked into the mining area according to the records.
Ten minutes later, the security guard emerged from the mining area, followed by a young man.
The two quickly approached Fang Ming.
“Here, they were looking for you,” the security guard said to the young man.
The young man looked at Fang Ming and the other person with confusion. “Who are you two? What do you want with me?”
Seeing the young man, Fang Ming’s heart sank. He felt a sudden chill. This was clearly not his father. This young kid was probably not even twenty.
Could it be someone with the same name?
Seeing the odd looks on both their faces, the security guard asked, “Did we find the wrong person?”
Fang Ming gave a wry smile. “Sorry, it seems we might have. The Fang Daolong I’m looking for should be in his forties. You are not the person I’m looking for.”
The security guard patted Fang Ming’s shoulder. “It’s okay, it’s okay. If he’s not in this mining area, you can try the others. As long as he’s still in the mine, there will be a record.”
“Thank you for your trouble,” Fang Ming apologized.
He turned to leave.
At this moment, the young man suddenly spoke, “You look so familiar. What’s your relationship with the Fang Daolong you’re looking for?”
Fang Ming glanced at him and replied, “He’s my father. My name is Fang Ming, his son.”
“Follow me.” The young man walked up to Fang Ming, took his arm, and led him aside. Nannan quickly followed, while the two security guards exchanged confused glances.
When they reached a secluded spot, the young man said, “Are you looking for a couple? The man has the same name as me.”
“Huh? What do you mean? You’ve seen them?” Fang Ming asked in surprise.
The young man nodded.
“They came to see me two days ago. The man told me that he was the same person as me, and that if someone came looking for me, they were actually looking for him. I thought he was crazy and ignored him.”
“He said you two are the same person?” Fang Ming mused, looking at the young man’s face, which did indeed seem somewhat familiar.
“Yes, I don’t understand why he said that,” the young man continued. “He said if anyone came looking for him, they should go to Mining Area No. 2 to find him. He was probably talking about you.”
“Alright, thank you,” Fang Ming said gratefully.
“There’s nothing else. I’m leaving now,” the young man said, turning to leave, but Fang Ming called out to him.
“Hey, I just wanted to ask, do you live at No. 2 Bei’an Street?” Fang Ming asked.
The young man was taken aback. “How did you know?”
Upon hearing the young man’s confirmation, Fang Ming’s heart knew the young man’s identity.
This young man was none other than a younger version of his father, Fang Daolong.
Fang Ming’s impression of Fang Daolong was mainly from after the age of ten. Back then, Fang Daolong already looked like a man in his thirties. Coupled with the completely different aura from the young man before him, it was difficult for him to confirm at first glance that this was his father.
Fang Ming looked at the young man. At this time, Fang Daolong didn’t seem to possess such outrageous abilities yet, which meant that his father’s transformation into a Xu Sha (虚煞) happened a few years later.
What exactly happened in between that allowed an ordinary person to become an existence that left traces across different timelines?
“It’s nothing, I just noticed your home address when the security guard showed me the list. I was thinking of visiting to thank you later,” Fang Ming said with a smile, telling a lie.
The young man also smiled and politely refused, “Never mind, it’s not a big deal. There’s no need to visit and thank me.”
“Is there anything else? If not, I need to get back to my post.”
“Nothing else, I’ve taken up too much of your time.”
“Then I’ll be going,” the young man waved and turned to leave.
Fang Ming watched the young man’s receding back and decided to ask for clarification once he found his father. The more he understood about his father, the more he felt that his father had hidden many things from him.
Moreover, he always felt that his old father had some shady dealings with the principal, and that the principal harbored ill intentions towards Nannan. He wouldn’t be at ease until he clarified things.
They absolutely couldn’t let them harm Nannan.
“Nannan, let’s go to Mining Area No. 2.”
Glancing at the map, Fang Ming led Nannan straight to Mining Area No. 2.
Mining Area No. 2 was an iron ore area. Its size was much larger than the gold mine area, and even half of the mountain was dedicated to Mining Area No. 2.
The reason for this situation, where the iron ore area was valued more than the gold mine area, was that besides iron ore, Mining Area No. 2 also produced a large amount of rare earth elements.
In the past, when the country did not understand the value of rare earth elements, a large amount of rare earth elements mined in Mining Area No. 2 were sold as waste residue to the neighboring country of Japan, which became a stain on H City.
It wasn’t until later, when the value of rare earth elements was realized, that the proportion of resources allocated to Mining Area No. 2 rapidly surpassed that of the gold mine area, making it the largest resource mining area in the mine.
It was indeed very safe for Fang Daolong and his wife to hide in Mining Area No. 2 compared to other mining areas.
With the help of the map, they quickly reached Mining Area No. 2. There were more security guards here, so the previous method wouldn’t work anymore.
Fang Ming and Nannan hid in a corner, observing the situation inside the mining area.
A vast cave, the size of ten football fields, with countless machines in operation. Workers came and went, busy with their tasks, while security guards and foremen shouted orders, overseeing the miners’ work.
Going in directly was out of the question. There were too many people, and their unfamiliar figures would easily be spotted.
Although Fang Ming and Nannan could personally eliminate all these people, it would alert the vengeful spirits behind them, and might even lead to a major battle.
If the other party then prohibited them from leaving this world, they would have no choice but to wait for death.
What to do?
Fang Ming felt a headache. This kind of strategic planning was really not his strong suit.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Fang Ming.
He had it! Didn’t he still have Number One?
Number One’s abilities were perfectly suited for this situation, even better than Qing Mian’s (青面).
“Number One, come out quickly, it’s time for you to show off your might,” Fang Ming whispered.
A煞纹 (Sha Wen) on his body detached from Fang Ming’s body and condensed into Number One before him.
“Hahaha, is it finally time for me, Nicholas Constantine, to shine?” Number One shouted as soon as it appeared.
This idiot!
Fang Ming quickly covered its mouth and cautiously looked around.
Fortunately, the roaring machines in the mining area masked Number One’s voice.
“Are you stupid? What are you shouting about?” Fang Ming pressed his forehead.
Number One also realized it had almost caused trouble and scratched its head sheepishly.
“Listen, I have a glorious and arduous mission for you,” Fang Ming said to Number One with a serious expression.
Number One was also infected by Fang Ming’s demeanor and became solemn.
“What is it? I will do my best to complete it.”
“You go find the list of this mining area, then find a person named Fang Daolong. Once you confirm his location, go find him and tell him I’m looking for him,” Fang Ming explained the plan to Number One.
“No problem, it’s a small matter.” Number One saluted.
Fang Ming: “… Where did you learn that from?”
“Be careful,” Fang Ming cautioned.
“Ok ok, no problem.” Number One quickly slipped onto the wall and then entered the mining area along the wall.
Fang Ming and Nannan waited outside quietly.
One minute, two minutes… Soon, half an hour passed, but there was still no sign of Number One.
“Could something have gone wrong?” Fang Ming was a little worried.
In this world, all the people he had encountered so far were weaklings. This was not at all consistent with a realm within a realm, especially since the vengeful spirits behind them were as powerful as a painter.
He wouldn’t be surprised by any turn of events.
Finally, after another nearly half an hour, Number One’s aura slowly approached, but its spirit seemed a bit depleted.
What was going on? Fang Ming’s heart skipped a beat. Had Number One encountered some accident?
Number One quickly approached Fang Ming and began to complain as soon as they met.
“Fang Ming, that Fang Daolong is too much! He started beating me as soon as we met. He almost beat me to death! If I hadn’t quickly revealed my identity, you might not have seen me,” Number One said indignantly.
What was all this about? As soon as it met him, before it could even speak, it was grabbed and repeatedly slapped. If it hadn’t finally mentioned Fang Ming’s name, it might have been beaten to death.
“Pfft.” Fang Ming couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You’re still laughing!” Number One exclaimed indignantly.
“Alright, alright, it’s just a minor injury. Nannan can help you heal it later, and I’ll make you a good meal to replenish your strength when we get back.”
Fang Ming consoled it.
“Hmph!” Number One snorted proudly and refused to talk to Fang Ming.
Fang Ming didn’t get angry and asked, “How is it, did you call him out?”
“Just a moment, he said he needs to ask the foreman for leave and will be out soon,” Number One said grumpily.
Fang Ming immediately became excited. He was finally going to see his father! Surely nothing would go wrong this time.
About ten minutes later, an elderly figure emerged from the gate of the mining area. He looked around, instantly sensed Fang Ming’s location, and walked directly towards them.