Start as a Spiritual Planter: I Have a Game Panel-Chapter 213: Su Mu is Missing?

The first pale light of the next morning filtered through the grimy windows of the Cleaner's Association bedroom when Ram stirred.

He reached out an arm, expecting to find Nyra sleeping beside him, but the space was empty, the sheets cool to the touch.

He sat up, a groan escaping his lips as the memories of the previous night came flooding back, vivid and intense.

A strange mix of sensations washed over him.

Physically, he felt surprisingly refreshed, a vibrant energy humming through his veins that was more than just the aftermath of a good night's sleep.

Emotionally, however, he felt a distinct sense of awkwardness.

He hadn't planned for things to escalate the way they had, not with Su Mu, and certainly not with Nyra.

It was one thing to acknowledge a growing attraction, another entirely to act on it with such unrestrained passion.

He ran a hand through his hair, a wry smile playing on his lips.

He'd always considered Su Mu the calm, collected one, her emotions usually kept under a tight rein.

Yet, it had been Nyra, with her fiery Half-Drow spirit and unexpected vulnerability, who had managed to unlock the desires he'd kept so carefully pent-up.

The memory of her boldness, her uninhibited passion, sent a fresh wave of heat through him.

His thoughts then drift to Su Mu and her abrupt departure after Nyra's interruption.

He frowned.

Something about that still bothered him. "Well, I need to find Mu'er," he muttered to himself, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"To apologize for… well, for leaving her alone last night after everything." He also needed to clear the air, to understand what was going through her mind.

After quickly dressing, Ram spent the early hours within his Sylvan Space overseeing the latest batch of Half-Drow evolutions and directing the cultivation of more Blast Mushrooms and spiritual plants.

Then he made his way to the main control room, expecting to find it mostly empty.

Instead, most of the team was already there, gathered around the holographic console, their faces grim.

Mai was pointing at a section of the city map, Sid was nodding along, and Liam was, for once, looking serious.

Her fingers danced across the interface, coordinating with the faint whispers of Nyra and the shadow half-Drows who were likely out gathering early intel.

The soft glow of the console illuminated her focused and beautiful expressions, with a slight frown now and then.

He also spotted Nyra standing slightly apart from the main group, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the console.

As he approached, she glanced up, her crimson eyes meeting his.

A faint blush rose on her dark cheeks, and she quickly looked away, a shy, almost flustered expression replacing her usual confident smirk.

It was a subtle change, but Ram noticed it immediately.

The fiery, assertive woman from last night was now tinged with a morning-after bashfulness that he found surprisingly endearing.

His gaze swept the room, looking for a familiar figure. "Has anyone seen Mu'er?" he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

Mai looked up from the console, her brow furrowed.

"Su Mu? No, I haven't seen her this morning. I assumed she was with you." She gave him a pointed look, a silent question in her eyes that made Ram feel even more awkward.

A knot of unease tightened in Ram's stomach. Su Mu wasn't the type to simply disappear without a word.

"I'll go check on her once more…" Liam said as he went to check again.

Ram then walked over to Mai. "Anything new from old man Sesh or his scouts?"

Mai didn't look up from the console. "That perverted old man confirmed his people should be in positions within two days."

"They're ready to move on our signal. Nyra reported some unusual movements near the old industrial sector, which might be the followers of the Blood Hawk gang, but more heavily armed than usual. Shane's definitely tightening his grip."

"He's expecting trouble," Ram mused. "Good. Let him expect it… We just need to show him that he can't do as he pleases with us."

"Then he won't bother us for a while, unless he's determined to kill us," he muttered, looking around the room.

"Three days..." Ram echoed, his voice a low rumble that seemed to fill the room.

Just then, the door opened and Liam re-entered, his usual playful demeanor absent.

He shook his head, his expression troubled. "No sign of her. Checked her room again, the general areas, underground, and even the small meditation room she sometimes uses."

"It's like she just… vanished."

Mai's frown deepened. "That's not like Su Mu at all. She always leaves a note or tells someone if she's going off on her own."

"Could she have gone out on her own?" Sid piped up, scratching his head. "Maybe for some air? Or to clear her head?"

Nyra, who had been silently observing, finally spoke, her voice a low murmur. "She was… upset last night. After… after I came in." Her crimson eyes flicked to Ram, then quickly away, that faint blush returning. "Maybe she just needed some space?"

Ram felt a fresh pang of guilt. He hadn't considered how deeply his actions might have affected Su Mu. He'd been so caught up in his own surprise and the unexpected intensity with Nyra.

"Yeah, maybe," he said, though the words felt hollow even to him. "But she would have said something, left a note. She knows we'd worry."

His earlier awkwardness was now overshadowed by a more pressing concern.

"Alright," he said, "Liam, keep an eye on the comms, double-check all the exits, and coordinate with Mai and Sid."

He then turned towards Nyra. Her earlier bashfulness was still there, a subtle blush lingering on her cheeks, but her crimson eyes met his with a flicker of concern for Su Mu.

"Nyra," Ram began, his voice softer now. "Help me find her… use all the Shadow Half Drows. Maybe you can pick up a trail, something we've missed."

Nyra nodded, pushing herself off the wall she'd been leaning against. "Of course, Master."

"I'm going to check her room again myself," Ram said, already moving towards the door.

"Maybe we missed something." As he walked out, he couldn't shake the feeling that Su Mu's absence was more than just a reaction to the previous night.

There was a knot in his gut that told him something else was wrong.

Ram found Su Mu's room as empty and tidy as the others had described. There were no signs of a struggle, no hastily packed bags, not even a stray hair.

It was as if she had simply dissolved into the air. He ran a hand over the cool, smooth surface of the small wooden table by the window, his brow furrowed in thought.

"She was upset last night," Nyra's words echoed in his mind.

He replayed the scene: Nyra's furious interruption, Su Mu's quiet departure. Had that been it? Had the awkwardness and the intensity of the moment driven her away?

But then he remembered her parting kiss, the soft, lingering touch that spoke of something deeper than just a fleeting passion.

It hadn't felt like a goodbye then, more like a promise, an unspoken understanding.

"Did she just wait for me to come?" he wondered, a new unease settling in.

He recalled the strange, almost sad smile she'd given him before leaving the room after Nyra's outburst.

Had she already planned on leaving then? Was her visit to his room, their passionate encounter, her way of saying farewell? The thought sent a pang through his chest.

He paced the small room. "Damn, she was always a mystery, since the day we met," he muttered, recalling their first encounter, her sudden appearance to save him and Xiao Mu, and the Evil Spirit she housed within her.

She'd always kept parts of herself hidden. Has this disappearance been due to that mystery? She did say that she came here looking for her missing sister, but why now?

He stopped by the window, looking out at the alleyway below.

His thoughts were consumed by Su Mu. He'd believed they had crossed a threshold, that their connection had deepened.

Now, he wasn't so sure. Had he misread everything?

"No," he said to himself, shaking his head. The memory of her touch, the intensity in her eyes, couldn't have all been just for vanishing silently.

There had to be more to it. Ram's jaw tightened as he wouldn't just let her disappear.

He'd find out what happened. He needed to know if she was safe, if she had left willingly, or if something, or someone, had forced her hand.

"I'll find you, soon…" he whispered to the empty room. "And if someone took you from me…."

Ram strode out of Su Mu's empty room and rejoined the others still waiting in the control room.

"Any luck?" Mai asked, though Ram's expression likely gave her the answer.

Ram shook his head. "Nope... She's gone."

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