NOVEL WEB Vol. 1 - Ch. 384 - The Church
As soon as Gu WeiJun got off the plane, a message from the butler popped up on his phone.
Whatever vacation mood he had vanished instantly.
He hadn't expected Gu ZhaoChuan to return at such a critical moment—let alone that he would take their father with him. What shocked him even more was why their father willingly went with Gu ZhaoChuan. Didn't he know what kind of person that man had become?
Beside him, Mo QingXia looked visibly tense.
To say she was angry would be an understatement.
After all, she had raised Gu ZhaoChuan herself. She had always believed he was a good child—top marks in school, polite, well-liked. But now, he had become an accomplice—someone who had hurt his own family.
When WeiJun first told her everything, she couldn't believe it. But then she saw HuMing's state—and she had no choice but to believe.
She knew what HuMing had been through before he came to the Gu family. Those things had nearly cost him his life.
"Will Father be okay? I heard HuMing is returning too… Did you contact him?" Mo QingXia asked anxiously.
"He'll be fine. Don't worry," Gu WeiJun said, trying to sound calm. "Right now, we need to stay level-headed and think clearly. What concerns me most… is that they might try to target you all next."
He knew the kind of people they were dealing with. Shi Zhong was no saint. If anything, he was ruthless. The incident with Gu WeiYi had proven that well enough.
And now, protecting the rest of the family was his top priority.
"QingXia, once we're back home, your job is to keep everything stable on the domestic front. Let WeiYi and I handle the rest."
"But what about HuMing?" she asked, her voice tightening. "Is he really going to face all this danger with you?"
Mo QingXia knew how serious things were, and she couldn't bear the thought of HuMing—just a young man—getting dragged into it.
"QingXia… HuMing isn't a child anymore. If he were that naive, he wouldn't have made it this far. You have to trust him."
Gu WeiJun had seen enough to understand—HuMing wasn't just capable. He was determined. He had his own judgment, and no one could stop him from following his convictions.
His thoughts sharpened.
The coming confrontation with Shi Zhong was inevitable. And what would happen next? No one could say.
…
A news report crackled through the car radio:
"We interrupt with a local news update—A newly opened church in the city has quickly gained attention, drawing in a surprising number of new followers. It's the first time something like this has happened in the area. The church is reportedly backed by a philanthropist who has helped several struggling businesses avoid bankruptcy. If given the chance, many would love to catch a glimpse of this mysterious benefactor..."
Inside the quiet car, HuMing sat in the passenger seat, listening silently.
He was already aware of his grandfather's abduction—but there was no use panicking now.
Gu ZhaoChuan had hidden his tracks well. No one had been able to locate him.
Still, there was another way to find him: through Gu WeiYi.
Gu ZhaoChuan clearly still valued his freedom. He didn't want to be fully under Shi Zhong's control—yet he was using him as a tool to accomplish his own ends.
That meant he was walking a dangerous tightrope. HuMing suspected Gu ZhaoChuan had a bigger plan in mind.
Which meant: he needed a plan too. One that was airtight.
"Sir, we've arrived at the Gu residence."
HuMing opened his eyes slowly. Outside the window, the familiar facade of the Gu family estate came into view.
He hadn't realized how much time had passed. In just a few years, this place had become his home.
And over those years, he'd slowly become part of the family. Perhaps it was the bloodline—or something deeper—but the Gu family had accepted him almost instinctively.
On the steps by the front gate, Gu YunZhou sat lost in thought. When he saw the car, he jumped to his feet and hurried over.
"Cousin—you're back! Have you heard? Grandpa's gone! Gu ZhaoChuan took him!"
HuMing stepped out of the car. It was the first time he'd seen YunZhou so visibly shaken.
But he understood. He placed a firm hand on YunZhou's shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"YunZhou. You need to calm down. This isn't over yet. We've seen the surveillance footage—Grandpa left willingly. That means he has a plan. We need to trust him."
Gu YunZhou slowly nodded, pulling himself together.
As they walked off to the side, HuMing asked quietly, "Have you heard anything about that church downtown?"
Gu YunZhou blinked. "Yeah, actually… One of my old classmates from middle school—his dad went bankrupt. I heard that church helped him get back on his feet."
Then he paused, his expression tightening. "But come to think of it… my classmate's been acting strange lately."
"Strange how?" HuMing asked, frowning.
"He looks… sick. Always coughing. His eyes—there's just no light in them. Like he's exhausted all the time."
YunZhou recalled running into him recently on the street. The guy had always been healthy—but now looked like a shell of himself.
They'd talked briefly. And from that conversation, Gu YunZhou had gathered something else:
Entry into the church wasn't easy. You needed connections. Someone inside had to recommend you.
HuMing went quiet.
Suddenly, images from his past life surfaced—memories of what Shi Zhong had done.
Shi Zhong had been on the verge of finishing his drug formula then—and all his "test subjects" had been real people.
He'd gathered them through "charitable" means, funneled to him by his partners. Then he'd used those people as currency in dark deals.
HuMing had first encountered those test subjects while chasing Shi Zhong—and Shi Zhong had released them like wild dogs to slow him down.
What Gu YunZhou was describing now—it sounded too familiar.
Could this church be another one of Shi Zhong's infiltration tools?
If so, HuMing needed to get inside. Fast.
"YunZhou. Stay home for the next few days. Especially your sister—make sure YunQin is careful."
"You're planning to investigate the church, aren't you?" YunZhou asked. "Is it related to Grandpa's disappearance?"
HuMing didn't answer immediately.
But seeing YunZhou like this reminded him of when they'd first met—he'd once suspected YunZhou of being one of Gu ZhaoChuan's planted pawns.
Now, after all this time, he truly understood the boy's heart.
And the fact that Gu YunZhou had made the connection so quickly?
He had been suspicious of that church for a while.
"Tell me the truth, were you planning to investigate that church on your own?"
Gu YunZhou froze—then scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
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