Chapter 130: With This Punch, the Void Shatters

"What do you mean?" Yao Tong frowned. He knew he had heard correctly, but he still wanted to ask again. "Recovered?"

"Yes! Whether it’s the intracranial hematoma, the internal trauma, or even the fractures—everything has healed!"

President Zheng felt a strange chill rise from the soles of his feet, creeping up his spine, threatening to freeze him solid. Yao Tong took the scans and examined them carefully. Although he wasn't a doctor, he worked in criminal investigation and could generally understand what he was looking at.

"What on earth is going on?" Cold sweat beaded on President Zheng’s back. He felt a mix of excitement and a fear akin to having encountered a ghost. "Who took Dr. Zhu away? And who managed to heal her in just a single day?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Yao Tong raised his hand. "Are you sure she was in critical condition the day before yesterday? Could you have made a mistake?"

"Do you want to see the CT scans from the day before yesterday?" President Zheng retorted. "Do you think we have nothing better to do than spend hours resuscitating someone in the emergency room? Do you think we were bored enough to put her in the intensive care unit for no reason?"

Yao Tong was equally bewildered. "So, whoever secretly snatched her away did it to get her medical treatment? They took her right out from under our noses, and the hospital surveillance didn't capture a single outsider."

"They healed her completely within twenty-four hours and brought her back? What kind of organization is capable of this? Why does this feel like something out of a supernatural horror story?"

President Zheng said, "Captain Yao, who do you think is behind this? Could it be the Dragon Squad? Or perhaps..."

Yao Tong said, "Wait, hold on... her daughter!"

President Zheng was startled. "Dr. Zhu’s daughter? Tongtong? She has such extraordinary abilities? Could she be some kind of celestial being..."

Yao Tong replied, "I mean, let’s call the daughter first. I wore my uniform to their house yesterday and scared the poor kid into tears. Now that her mother is found, shouldn't we tell her she's safe?"

President Zheng let out an "uh," unsure whether to call Captain Yao thoughtful or hopelessly oblivious. Regardless, they decided to call Dr. Zhu’s daughter first.

***

"Okay... okay... okay... Thank you, Uncle Zheng!"

On the other end of the line, Zhao Yutong hung up the phone and began pacing back and forth. Her entire body transitioned from a state of rigid tension to one of relaxation, until she felt like she was dancing on piano keys. Putting the phone down, she jumped up and threw her arms around the neck of the young man standing nearby, as happy as a chirping little bird.

"What is it? What happened?" Zhang Wuyong had to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her from falling as she hung off him.

"President Zheng said Mom is fine! He said experts from the provincial capital arrived overnight the day before yesterday, and after a full day of emergency treatment yesterday, she’s out of danger. He also said not only is she stable, but her recovery is proceeding remarkably well."

Zhang Wuyong smiled. "Surgery yesterday, and a smooth recovery today? Did they hire a legendary miracle doctor from the city? Shouldn't we prepare a generous gift for them?" He then asked, "Can we go see her now?"

Tongtong let go of him and stepped back, her tiptoes returning to the ground. "Not yet! Uncle Zheng said they need to observe her throughout the day. If we want to see her, we can go around dusk."

Zhang Wuyong nodded. "Fair enough! If the President called personally to say that, then there shouldn't be any issues."

He went to the door across the hall to tell the Zhangs about the call. Song Mei beamed, unable to hide her joy. "That’s good! That’s good! See? Good people get rewarded. I told you, a person as kind as Auntie Zhu wouldn't just meet with such a fate."

Zhang Tao asked suddenly, "Then what was that Captain Yao doing here yesterday?"

Zhang Wuyong said, "It was probably about the car accident the day before yesterday. The place where it happened was out in the countryside; there might not have been surveillance there. The local police station just wanted to clarify whether it was a traffic accident or criminal negligence, so an investigation is standard procedure."

Song Mei sighed. "Oh! Honestly, they shouldn't just show up like that! Having the police suddenly knock on your door—doesn't that just scare the living daylights out of people?"

Zhang Tao said, "It could have been worse. If he had dragged her to the station, that would have been truly frightening. Anyway, I should go open the shop; I can’t keep it closed forever."

Tongtong said softly, "Sorry for the trouble, Uncle and Auntie."

Before Zhang Tao could speak, Song Mei chimed in, "No trouble at all! No trouble! We’re all family, why talk about trouble?"

Their son had spent the entire night at Tongtong’s place. She was now a little worried that when Zhu Yuwen recovered and returned, she might find her daughter with a growing belly. Surely her son wouldn't take advantage of someone in such a vulnerable state? But then again, maybe it didn't count as taking advantage. The two kids had always been close, and in the midst of Tongtong’s extreme grief, physical comfort didn't seem entirely wrong. *Wait, where are my thoughts drifting?* Her son hadn't even gone to the shop to get supplies—he couldn't have done *that*. Then again, perhaps it was precisely because he hadn't gone to the shop that she was worried. They should be taking proper precautions, shouldn't they?

Zhang Wuyong noticed his mother giving him a strange look and suddenly guessed what she was suspecting. He decided to ignore her and let her wonder.

He had something much more important to do now. The system seemed to be stuck. The notification bar remained frozen on the message: [?????????????? WHAT IS HAPPENING??]. It was clear the system was trying its best to clear the message.

By morning, Tongtong, who had realized her hair was messy and her appearance a bit disheveled, finally had the mood to tidy herself up. Zhang Wuyong made up an excuse, went downstairs, and found a secluded spot in the park near the complex.

"System? System, are you awake?" he tried to rouse the so-called "Evil Monk Cultivation System."

Even though Auntie Zhu was fine, he felt that the entire criminal investigation brigade was likely already in motion. If this continued, he feared it might alarm the provincial authorities, or even the central government. Of course, he didn't know if the central government would actually care about a single female doctor in such a small place. But he was afraid! And if this were exposed and hit the trending topics, that would be truly terrifying—no less catastrophic than a comet colliding with Earth. A comet might have a massive impact, but if he just played dead, it might have nothing to do with him. This, however, was different.

No matter how much he called, the system remained stuck. The string of question marks flickered back and forth, giving him the bizarre sensation of hearing a "click-clack" sound. He remembered that the night before last, he had thrown a punch, which seemed to be what caused the system to freeze.

"System, wake up!" He threw a fierce punch at the system interface.

With that punch, the very void seemed to shatter!