The Legend of Cinderella's Counterattack

The housekeeper's hurried tone was like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing all the sweetness between Lawrence Lu and me. I subconsciously grasped his hand, but the warmth of his palm could not dispel the chill that permeated my heart.

"Missing? What happened?" Lawrence Lu asked calmly, with unquestionable majesty in his tone.

The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained quickly, "Mr. Zhang is responsible for tracking the mysterious signal captured at the charity dinner last time. He went to the source of the signal alone this afternoon. We had agreed to report every two hours, but...but we haven't been able to contact him since the evening!"

My heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. I still remember that mysterious signal so vividly: its cold, sinister aura, like a gaze from the depths of hell, chilling to the bone. Could it be that they've struck again?

"Where is the source of the signal?" Lu Yuxuan asked in a deep voice, a sharp light flashing in his deep eyes.

"Report to the master, it is near an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city." The housekeeper replied quickly.

"Let's go!" Lu Yuxuan didn't hesitate at all, pulled me and walked out with big strides.

The night was deep, the light from the street lamps shimmering in the shadows of the trees, creating a shimmering, shimmering pattern. The wind whistling past the car window seemed to carry a hint of unease. My heart was in my throat, and the housekeeper's anxious expression and the news of Mr. Zhang's disappearance kept replaying in my mind.

"Don't worry, we will definitely find him." Lu Yuxuan sensed my uneasiness, freed one hand and held mine tightly, and the warm palm gave me strength.

I tried to suppress my fear, turned to look at him, and nodded firmly. At this point, fear and worry were no longer effective. Only by finding Mr. Zhang as soon as possible could we stop the conspiracy of that mysterious force and protect the people we love.

It was already late at night when we arrived at the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. Members of the ancient family had already arrived and were surveying the site. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were stunned by the scene before us.

The originally desolate and dilapidated factory was now brightly lit. Dozens of bodyguards in black uniforms surrounded the entire area, and the atmosphere was solemn and depressing.

"How is it? Have you found any clues?" Lu Yuxuan walked quickly to an old man and asked in a deep voice.

The old man was one of the elders of an ancient family and an experienced tracker. He shook his head and said gravely, "We searched the entire factory and found no signs of a fight, nor any trace of Mr. Zhang. It's like... he vanished into thin air."

My heart sank again, an invisible fear entwining itself like a vine, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Mr. Zhang was experienced and skilled, so how could he suddenly disappear? And so near the source of the signal? This was too strange!

"Where did the signal last disappear?" Lawrence Lu asked calmly, with wisdom flashing in his deep eyes.

The elder pointed to a wasteland behind the factory and said, "In that area, there's an ancient altar. The signal finally disappeared near there."

Altar? Some legends Chenxi had told me before suddenly surfaced in my mind. It was said that this area was once the gathering place of an ancient tribe, and that the altar was a place for communicating with the gods. It was also said to contain some mysterious power...

Could it be that Mr. Zhang’s disappearance is related to this altar?

My eyes involuntarily drifted towards the dark wasteland, and a strong sense of unease welled up within me. I felt as if something was lurking in the darkness, waiting for its chance to strike, and that we were about to uncover a huge secret...

Altar...ancient tribe...mysterious power...these words swirled in my mind, lingering like a mist.

"Chenxi, you said before that you collected some legends about this area on your blog. Do you remember what they are?" I held Chenxi's hand and asked anxiously.

Chenxi pondered for a moment, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I remember some legends about the ruins. It is said that this was once a sacrificial site for an ancient tribe. They believed in a mysterious power that could control time and space..."

"Control time and space?" Lu Yuxuan pondered, "If this legend is true, then Mr. Zhang's disappearance may be explained."

My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Mr. Zhang had been taken away by that mysterious force? But why would they do this? What was their purpose?

The representatives of the ancient families also looked solemn. Obviously, they also realized the seriousness of the situation.

"We must find Mr. Zhang as soon as possible and find out the truth of the matter." An elder said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous."

The ancient family members began to take action. They used their family resources and connections to gather information everywhere, trying to find the whereabouts of Mr. Zhang. Lu Yuxuan and I also joined their team. We visited nearby residents and asked them if they had seen Mr. Zhang or had any unusual discoveries.

However, our investigation progressed slowly, as if we were stuck in a fog, unable to find any valuable clues. The residents either remained clueless or evasive, as if deliberately concealing something.

"It seems that we are in trouble." Lu Yuxuan said in a low voice, "Someone is secretly obstructing our actions."

My heart tightened. Could it be that, besides that mysterious force, there were other people operating in secret? Who were they? What was their purpose?

At this moment, a member of an ancient family hurried over, his face pale and his expression panicked.

"Oh no! Patriarch, something happened!" He said breathlessly, "Our people... our people were attacked during the investigation..."

My heart sank suddenly and an ominous premonition came over me.

"Attack? Who did it?" Lu Yuxuan asked sternly.

"We...we don't know either..." the member said tremblingly, "They...they are very skilled, and...and..."

"And what?" I asked anxiously.

The member took a deep breath, as if making up his mind, and gritted his teeth and said, "And... they seem to be using... the forbidden technique of an ancient family..."

"The forbidden technique of the ancient family?" I gasped. This sentence was like throwing a stone into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves.

The ancient family's forbidden technique, a secret technique only the direct descendants are qualified to learn, is powerful and extremely lethal. It is said to have been sealed away long ago. How could it suddenly reappear? Could it be that the person who attacked the investigators is from within the ancient family?

Lawrence Lu’s expression also became solemn. He looked around and said to me in a low voice, “It seems that things are more complicated than we thought. I’m afraid that things are not peaceful within the ancient family.”

My heart sank, and a strong sense of unease washed over me. If before we were facing an unknown enemy, now we were facing a threat from within our ancient family, which was undoubtedly more dangerous and difficult.

We have decided to suppress this news for now. After all, we don't have any solid evidence yet, and making it public would only cause panic and civil unrest. Our top priority is to find Mr. Zhang as soon as possible and uncover the truth.

Just when we were at our wit's end, an anonymous message quietly reached me. It was an encrypted communication signal. The other party claimed to know Mr. Zhang's whereabouts and was willing to provide assistance, but asked us to meet alone at a designated location.

"Could it be a trap?" I looked at Lawrence Lu with a frown.

"It's possible, but we have no choice now." A gleam of light flashed in Lawrence Lu's deep eyes. "If the other party really knows Mr. Zhang's whereabouts, then we must go, even if the front is a dragon's den and a tiger's lair."

I understand what he means. We have already fallen into this muddy water and there is no way to get out of it unscathed. We can only grit our teeth and move forward until we find the truth.

Following the instructions of an anonymous source, we came to a remote planet, which was desolate and dilapidated. There was only an abandoned space station standing alone in the desert, like a ruin forgotten in a corner of the universe.

"Is this the place?" I looked around, feeling uneasy. Everything here had a strange aura, as if a pair of invisible eyes were watching our every move.

“Be careful, Luo Luo.” Lawrence Lu held my hand tightly and whispered, “I always feel something is wrong.”

We cautiously entered the space station. The equipment inside had long since decayed, and the air was filled with a stale smell. Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly came from the communicator: "Welcome to my territory, Miss Lin, Mr. Lu."

I was shocked. Could this be the person who sent us the anonymous message? Who was he? Why did he lead us here?

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Lu Yuxuan stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

The other party laughed coldly: "Want to know who I am? Then come on, I'll be waiting for you on the top floor. I hope you can make it up alive."

As soon as the words fell, the communicator fell silent. Lu Yuxuan and I looked at each other, and we both saw a solemn look in each other's eyes.

"Let's go, let's go up." I took a deep breath and gripped my weapon tightly. I knew a fierce battle was inevitable, and what awaited us was likely a carefully designed trap...

I held Lu Yuxuan's hand tightly, the warmth of his palm giving me a glimmer of courage. The interior of the space station was utterly dark, with only a few flickering emergency lights barely illuminating the path. The air was filled with the pungent smell of decay, a mixture of motor oil and metal, making me sick.

"Be careful, this place is full of weirdness." Lawrence Lu's voice sounded in my ears, low and calm.

I nodded, tightening my grip on the laser rifle at my waist. We climbed the metal staircase leading to the top floor, each step a terrifying one, like walking on the edge of a knife.

The interior of the space station was intricate, like a vast maze. The walls were covered in mottled rust, and in some places there were even holes, revealing the vast universe outside. I felt my heartbeat quicken, and my palms began to sweat.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Lawrence Lu seemed to sense my uneasiness, and he put his arm around my shoulders, protecting me behind him.

His breath was warm and strong, which reassured me. We continued to climb and finally reached the top.

This is a spacious control room, filled with various instruments and equipment, but most of them have been damaged, with only a few screens still flickering faintly.

A tall figure stood with his back to us in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window was the vast starry sky, dotted with stars, which was breathtakingly beautiful.

"You're here." The man turned around slowly, his voice low and hoarse, making people shudder.

I was stunned for a moment, because the person standing in front of us was Mr. Zhang who had been missing for many days!

"Mr. Zhang, is it really you? Are you okay? What on earth is going on?" I asked in surprise, full of doubts in my heart.

However, Mr. Zhang did not answer my question. He just looked at us with a strange and complicated look, with a weird smile on the corner of his mouth.

"You shouldn't be here..." he whispered, his tone filled with warning and...desperation.

"Mr. Zhang, what exactly happened? Who brought you here? Tell us quickly!" Lu Yuxuan stepped forward and asked anxiously.

However, at this moment, Mr. Zhang's face suddenly became ferocious. He held his head with both hands, let out a painful roar, and his body began to tremble violently.

"No! No! I don't want this!" He struggled in pain, as if he was suffering great pain.

Lu Yuxuan and I looked at each other, completely confused about what was going on.

"Stop him! He's being controlled!"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded in the communicator, and my heart was shocked. It was Chenxi!