Empress Of The Lost Kingdom

Thick dark clouds engulfed the sky of Jing city and in an apartment opposite Lee Tae Yang's penthouse, the alpha team who is in charge of the protection of Li Juan, sat with a baffled expression as they contemplated over the incidents that happened in the evening.

"This is the first time in my service that we got caught while tailing someone," Wu Zhi Tian, a man in his early thirties complained as he munched on the fried chicken. "How's that even possible?" 

"Bro, do you think someone might have tipped us off?" Zhang Hong, the youngest one in the group who was wrecking his brain in front of the laptop, joined in the conversation. 

"We have been doing this for years and how can you even think about such a thing?" Someone chided him. 

The alpha team of Bai Corporation was a group of efficient men who were trained to protect and defend Yu clan members from any threat. Since their Queen's life was in peril, they were entrusted with the duty of guarding Li Juan in secret. 

However today their cover got blown before Li Juan, it didn't even take much time for Huang Zi Tao to yield in and come clean about their secret mission. That was only he realized that their Queen has already figured out the existence of the Alpha team and she was actually letting them follow her. However, after watching the team diligently working day and night, she ordered them to take a break.

"Yes, that's what makes me curious," Zhang Hong clicked his tongue before he went on with his assumptions. 

"We've always worked in shadows. How come Queen is the first person who caught us red-handed? I am damn sure that someone from the Yu clan must have informed her about us," 

"Who? Her cousins?" Wu Zhi Tian refuted,

"Well, Zhi Jun usually doesn't have any time to care about any of these. As for others, apart from Bai Mu Chuan and Bai Long, none of them is interested in joining the Alpha team. So there is only a slight chance that they will tip us off," 

"You guys forgot someone capable of collecting the details about us," Huang Zi Tao, the team leader who was silently listening to his members pointed out with a faint smile. 

"CEO Lee, her fiance," 

"Damn, how did I forget him?" Zhang Hong gnashed his teeth in frustration. 

"With his influence and family background, it is almost cakewalk to gather information about someone. Don't you find it's contradicting that he is the grandson of a military family as well as a mafia-like business family which controls the economy of another country? I still can't believe that our Queen chose him rather than one of us,"

Disappointment and sadness were wide visible on Zhang Hong's handsome face as he openly shared his feelings. 

"What did you say?" Huang Zi Tao narrowed his eyes. 

"I mean, anyone can be her suitor and...," Zhang Hong swallowed his words as he realized that his secret was almost blown before everyone. 

"Don't tell me you wished to become her suitor?" Huang Zi Tao sounded surprised.

Since Zhang Hong was younger than other members, he was considered a baby in the Alpha team. But none of them has imagined that their baby brother is mesmerized by their only Queen. 

"If you like her, then why didn't you become her suitor?" 

"Seriously brother?" Zhang Hong asked with a bashful face.

"Have you seen her suitors? Zhang Zhi Jun and Tang Wei Sheng belong to the list of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Not to mention that she rejected the real young master Guan. Do you really think that I stand a chance against them?" 

"Yaaa, what are you saying? Any Yu clan man can become Queen's suitor,"

"But majesty and CEO Lee, it is a match made in heaven," someone commented. 

"Brother, don't say like that..he is already heartbroken that Queen is living with her suitor and even got pregnant before their marriage," Wu Zhi Tian tried to talk on behalf of Zhang Hong. 

"Hey, hey...no..no..I've never thought like that. Actually, I am happy for them," Zhang Hong said in a breath. 

"Don't lie, we all know that you have a crush over Queen?" 

"Well, I think it is normal for men at my age to have a crush on someone like her," Zhang Hong vaguely made an effort to hide his blushing face.

He was one of the lucky Yu clan member who got the chance to meet Li Juan before she was officially enthroned as the queen. Like every one else he was also attracted to the young miss of Bai family at the very first sight. But once he knew about Li Juan's past, he willingly buried his intention to became her suitor.

"But she is too intimidating in real life and only an overbearing man like CEO Lee is capable of handling her," 

"Hey don't call him overbearing. Sometimes I even wonder whether CEO Lee is the same person who is known as the dark Emperor of Lee corporation? Isn't he too sweet to be a boyfriend or a caring father?" Wu Zhi Tian rebutted with a smile, 

None of them had a different opinion to refute Wu Zhi Tian's claims. As they secretly tailed around their Queen, everyone has witnessed the way Lee Tae Yang treated Li Juan as if she is the most precious person in his life. 

"Ring Ring," Huang Zi Tao's ringtone broke their conversation. He immediately picked his phone with a puzzled look,

"Hello, this is Chen Da Meng, CEO Lee Tae Yang's assistant. There is an emergency," A flustered voice heard from the other side, 

"What is it?"

"Young miss is missing,"

"Majesty is missing?" Huang Zi Tao sprang up from his seat in shock, 

"Boss has not arrived yet and I was wondering whether you have any -" 

"Where are you? We will come there," As soon as Chen Da Meng shared his location, the call got ended. 

"Alpha team, gear up and get ready," Huang Zi Tao gave the command and within seconds, the men in the room rushed to take their weapons as if they are preparing for combat.

It didn't even take thirty minutes for the Alpha team to reach the secret base of Lee corporation situated in the juncture between Jing city and downtown.

Though it looked like an old rundown building from outside, however inside a large group of men busily worked in front of the computers under the leadership of Lee Tae Min in order to track down Li Juan's location. 

"Alpha team reporting," 

The six men group stood in attention before Lee Tae Yang who wore a murderous look on his face.

As soon as his flight landed, he came to know that Li Juan went missing from downtown.

He acknowledged their presence with a nod and took a step towards Huang Zi Tao,

"The CCTV footage shows that you are the one who dropped Li Juan downtown," Lee Tae Yang inquired in a cold voice.

He went to Soul city on the belief that Li Juan will be safe when she has a team of highly efficient men secretly guarding her. However, it was almost impossible for him to believe that the Alpha team turned down their guard and let someone abduct Li Juan. 

"Yes, Majesty actually found about the fact that we were tailing her. She said that it's her aunt's birthday and  I tried to tag along. But she refrained me by saying that it's her family and there is no need for protection," Huang Zi Tao reported in a self-blaming tone.

The alpha team was following Li Juan from the moment she left her research lab. However to his surprise, rather than going to her home, Li Juan approached him and ordered Huang Zi Tao to call it a day and take rest.

Since Huang Zi Tao refused to listen to her, Li Juan allowed him to drive her to Mei Rong's house and leave after making sure that she is in safe hands. 

"So you left her there?" Lee Tae Yang's intimidating voice pulled him back to reality. 

"Young miss insisted on going alone. She said that you will be returning soon. So I was forced to return after she safely went inside the house," Huang Zi Tao claimed.

"Today morning, Aunt Mei Rong went to visit her ailing mother in S city," 

Lee Tae Yang's words sent shivers to the brave leader of the Alpha team,

"Then who is that person who opened the door for her?" Huang Zi Tao couldn't help but ask. He saw Li Juan entering the house with a wide smile on her face and how did she go missing from that house? 

Was it because of his mistake of leaving her alone that Li Juan went missing? 

"Boss," One of the men who was sitting in front of the computer system called out for attention,

"There aren't any tampering in the cc TV cameras in the downtown market area after 8 pm. However, right after team leader Huang left, there was a blackout in the entire area for fifteen minutes," 

Listening to his report, Lee Tae Yang rushed towards the system to check the footage. 

"It was evident that young miss was abducted by during the blackout," 

"We have checked the house and there weren't any signs of a physical attack, but we found these," Chen Da Meng placed Li Juan's phone and smartwatch along with a piece of cloth, 

"They have used chloroform to make her unconscious," 

"It's a pre-planned abduction," Lee Tae Min pointed out as he ignored his aching head. He was hospitalized due to viral fever. However, as soon as he got Chen Da Meng's message, he rushed to the base without any delay.

"Before and after the blackout, there aren't any vehicles in the vicinity of Aunt Mei Rong's house. Though she lived in the far end of the street, it is not a secluded place. 

So they must have been waited somewhere near the alley to avoid getting on to the CCTV footage and moved during the black out. 

"Since no one has contacted you for ransom- we can strike out the chances of abducting young miss for money," Huang Zi Tao mentioned as he checked the CCTV footage.

"Boss, someone has cut off the power and this car, it leaves the alley as soon as there is a blackout," Someone informed,

"Look into its route,"

"Can you check into Tang family's phone calls as well?" Zhang Hong asked Lee Tae Min who was busy with giving orders.

"It's negative. We have checked their call records. There aren't any suspicious activities within Tang Wei Sheng and his family," 

"Can you show me the records?" 

Lee Tae Min glanced at the man from the alpha team who is around his age, before signalling to hand over the phone records. 

"These are the records of Tang Wei Sheng and Tang Yi, isn't it?"  Zhang Hong took a look at the data's on the sheet as his lips curled into a bitter smile. 

"Did you find anything odd in these records?" He waited for a reply from Lee Tae Min,

"Tang Wei Sheng never contacts or attends any calls apart from this number," 

"That's his assistant's number," Lee Tae Min explained. 

"Yes, but today he made two outgoing calls," 

"It's his father's number and Ning Jing. After the scandal got publicized, Tang Corporation is trying to shut down the rumours by re-arranging once called off the wedding. We have even checked Tang Wei Sheng's location, he went to meet his family. What's the point of mentioning it now?"

Whether it is because of his head ache or the stress, Lee Tae Min appeared agitated. He was considered as one of the top level hackers in the K country and he single handily managed to hack into the C country's security system and phone company's data server to gather information related to Li Juan's missing.

Who is the boy to question him?

"We should not leave any stones unturned," Zhang Hong replied and shifted his eyes back to the records. 

"Tang Wei Sheng made the first call to his father around nine and after that he immediately called Ning Jing. Both of these call's duration was less than one minute," 

He paused and turned to face the man who was silently listening to him. Unlike others, it was the first time Zhang Hong met the vicious man whom he only knew from the reports that he hacked from the data servers of K country. 

The world knew Lee Tae Yang only as a business man or doctor, but only few knew the infernal side of him.

The gentle self which Lee Tae Yang maintained so far...it was facade for the sake of Li Juan's happiness. He changed for good and now someone seeking death by taunting the devil himself.

"But Tang Wei Sheng was at his apartment all day and right now he is at Tang mansion," Lee Tae Min meddled in between. 

"Tae Min," Lee Tae Yang stopped his brother by calling out his name.

"What would have made Tang Wei Sheng, reach out to his family who betrayed him?"

"Are you saying that," The lines on Lee Tae Min's forehead creased as he pondered about the possible reasons for Li Juan's abduction.

"We are not the only ones who are worried about Li Juan's life," Lee Tae Yang's voice rendered cold and ruthless. 

"If my assumptions are correct, abducting Li Juan was nothing but a warning for Tang Wei Sheng," 

"Aiishhhh, those bastards," Lee Tae Min cursed without any hesitation, "why are they still dragging Noona into their mess?" 

"Boss, this car stopped at the west end of Jing city, at a redeveloping area, near the Min river," The man who was looking at the CC TV footage informed. 

"Min river?" 

Lee Tae Yang robotically repeated as he recollected Li Juan's words about her recurring dream of drowning in a river.