"Later, Miss Dragon God discovered that you were all sucked away by the vortex. Recalling the situation at the time, it seems she realized she couldn't stop you in time and followed you directly into the vortex. We didn't even have time to stop her, and could only watch her disappear into it as well."
"After she went in with you, that black vortex vanished without a trace, leaving not a single mark behind."
"We tried every method afterwards, but we couldn't detect that black vortex again, nor could we make it reappear."
Liang Ping spoke, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
"At that time, no one could reach you in time, and you said you could still hold on for a while longer. Then why were you sucked into the vortex so quickly?"
Ye Tiancheng's expression turned serious as he said to Liang Ping, "This is precisely why I wanted to tell you this privately, and not let too many people hear it."
Liang Ping also became more solemn.
Ye Tiancheng continued, "I could indeed still hold on then. Although I couldn't pull the little fox back, I could still prevent both of us from being sucked in."
"But at that moment, a pushing force suddenly appeared behind me. It was precisely because I was suddenly pushed like that that I lost my balance. I could have held on, but after being pushed, I was immediately sucked into the vortex with the little fox."
"I could feel that force. As you said, there was no one around me and the little fox at the time, and I didn't let you get close because I was worried you would be affected."
"Even I could barely hold on. Most of your people are still ordinary people. If they got close, they would likely be sucked into the vortex even faster than the two of us."
"Therefore, only those among us with cultivation could have done this. At that time, the psychological counselor Qiao Zhanyuan was suspected, but some people in the Special Operations Team also have cultivation and might be suspects. We cannot rule out the possibility of an inside informant."
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, Liang Ping realized that Ye Tiancheng and the others had fallen into the vortex because they were harmed.
According to Ye Tiancheng, he could still hold on for a while longer while holding the little fox. During this time, even if Nie Chongyang and the others couldn't do anything, Long Miaomiao would definitely have reacted and come to their rescue in time.
Could it be that even if Long Miaomiao went, she still couldn't have pulled Ye Tiancheng and the others back?
If Ye Tiancheng hadn't been pushed at that moment, the three of them wouldn't have disappeared for a full three years. Even though they had returned safely now, this matter absolutely could not be considered over and done with.
Whether it was Qiao Zhanyuan who had a problem or an inside informant in the Special Operations Team, they had to be investigated.
These were both very serious and important matters.
Liang Ping said to Ye Tiancheng, "I understand the situation. Since there was such a trick involved, we will definitely continue to investigate."
"During these three years, Qiao Zhanyuan has, in a way, joined our Special Operations Team after everything ended, but I can't be sure if he has any issues. We also have to guard against an inside informant."
"If we can truly find a result and locate that person, perhaps we can find out what that black vortex is. I think the person who pushed you is very likely to have some connection to the appearance of that black vortex."
Ye Tiancheng nodded.
He then said, "Originally, I was still suspicious, wondering if the one who was sealed might be the mastermind. However, after Miaomiao chased after us, I later asked Miaomiao if she knew about the situation at the time."
"Although Miaomiao didn't understand much about what this black vortex was, or what kind of existence the space behind the vortex was, she was very sure that the person she sealed was completely suppressed by her and had no remaining power to do this. That's why I ruled out this possibility."
"And confirmed that someone was making a move from behind the scenes."
Based on his understanding of Long Miaomiao, if she said that the being she sealed had no remaining power to act, then the other party absolutely would not have had the power. This left only the possibility of someone making a move from behind the scenes.
That pushing force definitely wouldn't have appeared out of nowhere.
It wasn't an ordinary push; that force disrupted the balance Ye Tiancheng had maintained. There was no one around, and such a push couldn't have been caused by a mere gust of wind.
If it were caused by wind, then that gust of wind would likely not only have pushed Ye Tiancheng, but the others present, while not being blown away, would likely have had difficulty standing their ground.
After finishing the story of three years ago, Liang Ping kept it in mind and recorded the matter. Then they began to discuss the changes in the outside world over the past three years.
Liang Ping told Ye Tiancheng that in the first year after Ye Tiancheng and the others disappeared, there weren't many significant changes. Although it was felt that there were more unrestrained non-humans outside, everything was still within controllable limits.
Moreover, many non-humans didn't just harbor malice. They were willing to voluntarily register with the Special Operations Team and even introduce their acquaintances to register with the Special Operations Team.
This force, during the subsequent sudden changes, also provided great assistance to the Special Operations Team in responding to the changes, effectively controlling the situation.
In fact, everything happened suddenly after a year.
At that time, the Special Operations Team still wanted to make an effort to control the situation, but the changes came too quickly. There was a surge of spiritual energy, causing many creatures to mutate rapidly and also making many existing non-humans even more powerful.
This immediately caused chaos. The Special Operations Team couldn't control it at all, mainly because they couldn't suppress the news.
The matter couldn't be kept secret for long. After Nie Chongyang and the others communicated with the higher-ups, they could only choose to disclose some information, so that ordinary citizens could learn to protect themselves and to minimize their panic.
The foundation laid in the previous years was good, and after Ye Tiancheng and the others went missing, with the introduction of Qiao Zhanyuan and his sect, coupled with the changes in the outside world, many people indeed had a sense of chivalry. Most people were not selfish. The Special Operations Team rapidly expanded and grew during that time, and managed to stabilize the situation.
At the very least, there were very few large-scale casualties. Most incidents were quickly brought under control by the Special Operations Team after they occurred.
However, during this process, some beings who didn't follow the righteous path also caused them trouble, not wanting them to have an easy time.
Although Liang Ping hesitated, he still told Ye Tiancheng that among these beings was the Fatty who had betrayed Ye Tiancheng. Fatty had also done quite a few not-so-good things in the following two years.
Moreover, Fatty was very concerned about Ye Tiancheng's whereabouts and paid great attention to when Ye Tiancheng would reappear.
Even after three years, Fatty's attention to Ye Tiancheng's whereabouts was no less than that of the Special Operations Team. If it weren't for the Special Operations Team's advantage in strictly protecting all information related to Ye Tiancheng and not leaking it, Fatty would have already known that Ye Tiancheng had returned by now.
For example, the Special Operations Team could monitor Ye Tiancheng's various identity accounts and promptly discover traces of Ye Tiancheng's appearance. However, the Special Operations Team would not allow this information to leak, nor would they allow anyone to inquire about it. No matter how much Fatty tried, he couldn't find Ye Tiancheng through this channel.
Ye Tiancheng might have guessed that Fatty might have an obsession, but he never expected that Fatty would actually turn bad.
Yet, he was helpless.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't bring himself to abandon his brother.
He always held onto a glimmer of hope that perhaps one day, he could still bring Fatty back.
However, Fatty had also done bad things in these three years. Even if he brought Fatty back, Fatty would likely have to pay some price. Some mistakes are mistakes, and even though Ye Tiancheng valued his brother, he couldn't cover up the bad deeds his brother had committed.
In just three short years, everything had changed.
Ye Tiancheng sighed in his heart, unsure of what to do.
He then asked Liang Ping if there had been any news of Hou Mingzhu in the Special Operations Team during these three years. However, to his great regret, the Special Operations Team had no leads in this regard.
Ye Tiancheng didn't press the issue. After talking with Liang Ping, he decided to rest.
Liang Ping arranged for someone to take Ye Tiancheng and the others to rest. He had already instructed someone to prepare temporary accommodation for Ye Tiancheng and the others.
Upon arriving at his temporary accommodation, the conversation with Liang Ping reminded Ye Tiancheng of Hou Mingzhu's missing status, causing him a wave of anxiety. Ever since Hou Mingzhu disappeared, he hadn't had any news of her.
He dared not think of any bad possibilities.
Yet, he couldn't stop himself from thinking.
Ye Tiancheng was extremely worried.
Since he had thought of this and couldn't help but care, Ye Tiancheng remembered that he had asked Helian Sheng to come out, ostensibly for Fatty but also for Hou Mingzhu, to observe Fatty's situation and gather intelligence.
He wondered if Helian Sheng would still be willing to work for him after his three-year disappearance.
Since Ye Tiancheng had thought of it, after a moment of hesitation, he picked up his phone and contacted Helian Sheng.
He first tried sending Helian Sheng a message. Liang Ping had already helped him re-apply for an ID card and a phone card. The Special Operations Team had helped Ye Tiancheng and the others retain their various accounts and phone numbers. After re-applying, Ye Tiancheng was still using his old phone number, so he didn't have to worry about Helian Sheng not responding to an unknown number.
Ye Tiancheng didn't have high hopes, but to his surprise, less than a minute after sending his message, he received a reply from the other side.
Helian Sheng replied to Ye Tiancheng's message, "Mr. Ye, is that you back?"
Ye Tiancheng immediately gave Helian Sheng a positive confirmation.
Shortly after sending the message, Ye Tiancheng received a call, which was from Helian Sheng.
Ye Tiancheng answered the phone.
He said to Helian Sheng, "Long time no see. I apologize. Due to the unexpected accident three years ago, we were unable to continue to abide by our agreement. I wonder how the Helian family is doing now, and if they have been implicated or affected by this?"
Ye Tiancheng first chose to sincerely apologize to Helian Sheng.
This matter was indeed their fault for not keeping their promise. Even if Helian Sheng was angry about it, he would have no complaints.
This was not a trivial matter; it concerned the survival of the Helian family. If anything happened to the Helian family because of this, and Helian Sheng had brought about bad results for the Helian family by trusting Ye Tiancheng, then it would absolutely be Ye Tiancheng's responsibility. Ye Tiancheng would admit it.
However, what Ye Tiancheng didn't expect was that Helian Sheng didn't seem angry at all.
When Helian Sheng heard Ye Tiancheng speak like this, he said to Ye Tiancheng, "I understand your situation at the time. The incident was sudden and beyond human control. I don't blame you, and the Helian family has not suffered any losses because of it, so Mr. Ye, you don't need to blame yourself."
"On the contrary, thanks to the Dragon God, she still has a clone remaining."