Although Su Xiao's words spared Zhao Lei some embarrassment, everyone present—aside from Zhao Lei himself, perhaps—fully understood what she had left unsaid. After all, Zhao Lei had already exposed his own foolishness earlier.
Lin Wenyu was next. Leaning against the wall, his tone had returned to its usual coldness as he spoke succinctly. "I noticed on the phone map that there might be an unmarked passage entrance beneath the apartment. I haven't confirmed the exact location yet."
"An underground passage?" Wang Qiang's eyes narrowed. He carefully examined the shadow on the map and jotted it down in his notebook. "This is very likely an important clue. We'll need to prioritize investigating it later."
Finally, it was Bai Ci's turn. She pulled out the missing person's flyer and the commission documents from her backpack and placed them on the table. "I'll start by adding some clues related to the commission. This missing person's flyer was given to me by Du Min when I ran into her in the first-floor lobby this afternoon. It has a photo of Lele on it. Pay attention to the jade clasp around her neck."
"This detail wasn't mentioned in the commission documents. An accessory like a jade clasp usually has sentimental value and is very likely a key clue to finding Lele's whereabouts. If we find a similar jade clasp in the apartment, or if anyone mentions anything related to it, we must pay close attention."
Wang Qiang nodded. "Indeed, that detail is very important. Did you find anything else?"
"Aside from that, I also noticed an anomaly," Bai Ci continued. "My room's window faces the ocean. While I was tidying up this afternoon, I realized there was something off about the sound of the waves. There's a strange overlapping quality to it. Occasionally, it falls out of sync with the natural rhythm of the tides, almost as if two different layers of sound are stacked on top of each other."
"The sound of the waves?" Zhao Lei asked, puzzled. "I didn't notice anything. Isn't it just normal ocean waves?"
"It's probably because your room faces the interior of the compound, so you can't hear it clearly," Bai Ci explained. "My room faces the ocean directly, and I can hear it plain as day. That overlapping sensation is definitely not an illusion. I suspect this anomaly might be related to the secrets of the apartment, or perhaps even to Lele's disappearance."
Wang Qiang nodded and wrote this down as well. "Alright, I've noted that down. We can keep an ear out for it during our subsequent investigations."
"Now, let me summarize the clues we have so far. First, our objective is to find Du Min's missing daughter, Lele. Lele has a jade clasp around her neck, and Du Min is convinced she wasn't kidnapped but is still somewhere inside this apartment. Second, there are two suspicious NPCs in the apartment: the manager and Old Man Li. The manager treats Du Min terribly, and Old Man Li behaves strangely. Third, there might be an unmarked underground passage. Fourth, there is an anomaly in the sound of the ocean waves."
"Does anyone have anything to add?"
Confirming that no one had anything to add, Wang Qiang closed his notebook and began assigning tasks for the next day. "Tomorrow, we'll split into three groups to maximize our efficiency."
"I'll pair up with Xiao Su. We'll visit the other residents in the apartment to ask about Lele's movements before she went missing, focusing especially on Du Min's neighbors to see if we can gather any useful information. Su Xiao is quite introverted, so she'll be safer with me, and she can learn how to observe her surroundings."
Hearing that she would be with Wang Qiang, Su Xiao visibly relaxed and whispered, "Okay, thank you, Brother Wang."
"Xiao Lin and Xiao Bai will be in another group," Wang Qiang continued. "Both of you have instance experience and sharp observation skills. You'll investigate the area around the residential compound, focusing on the seaside breakwater and the small park where Lele went missing—especially any blind spots in the security cameras—to see if you can find any direct clues about her disappearance."
"Also, Xiao Lin, if the underground passage entrance you found is near the apartment, you can confirm its location while you're at it. Your skill to lower your presence makes you perfect for this."
"Sure," Bai Ci and Lin Wenyu agreed in unison.
"As for Zhao Lei," Wang Qiang looked at him, his tone turning serious. "You'll be stationed in the fourth- and fifth-floor hallways. Keep an eye on the activity there, particularly the movements of the manager and Old Man Li, and see if they do anything unusual. Remember, you are only to observe. Do not act rashly under any circumstances. If anything happens, contact us immediately via phone."
To keep Zhao Lei on a short leash and prevent him from ruining things with his recklessness, Wang Qiang had intentionally placed him where he could do the least harm to the investigation.
"Huh? You want me to stay behind?" Zhao Lei was somewhat disappointed; he had wanted to go out and investigate. But seeing Wang Qiang's stern expression, he could only nod. "Alright, I get it. I'll stay put and keep watch. I won't cause any trouble."
"Very well," Wang Qiang nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, our current identity is that of tenants. We must keep a low profile during our actions so we don't arouse the suspicion of the NPCs. If you encounter danger, prioritize your own safety and contact the team immediately."
With the tasks assigned, the group briefly discussed potential scenarios and how to handle them before returning to their respective rooms.
However, not everyone stayed put in their rooms to rest. In a corner of the first-floor hallway, Lin Wenyu had switched back to his leather jacket outfit, which lowered his presence. Crouching low, he carefully made his way toward the approximate location of the suspected underground passage entrance he had noted on the map.
Ever since he returned to his room that evening, the clue about the underground passage had been weighing on his mind. Once the night grew quiet, he quietly slipped out, intending to first confirm the exact location of the entrance.
According to his previous analysis, the entrance should be near the utility room at the back of the apartment building. Lin Wenyu carefully crept around to the rear of the building, where piles of discarded junk lay scattered, filling the air with a damp, musty odor mixed with the sour stench of waste.
Lin Wenyu tried pushing the door, but it was locked tight. Just as he was wondering if he could find a way to open it, he suddenly caught a faint scent of sandalwood wafting through the gap in the door.
The scent of sandalwood was extremely faint, masked by the damp, musty smell, making it impossible to detect unless one paid very close attention.
"Sandalwood?" Lin Wenyu frowned, filled with doubt. Why would there be the scent of sandalwood in a run-down apartment like this? Could there be some sort of ritual or offering site hidden in the underground passage?
He leaned closer to the gap in the door to trace the scent, trying to get a better look. Just then, a soft patter of footsteps echoed behind him.
Instantly alert, Lin Wenyu whipped around and ducked behind a nearby pillar, leaving only his eyes exposed to watch the area.
A hunched figure slowly approached. It was Old Man Li, the scavenger. He was still wearing his dusty old jacket, dragging his bulging bag of recyclables behind him.
Old Man Li didn't stop when he reached the locked door. Instead, he walked straight past it and slipped into a narrow passage right beside it—a path so heavily obscured by piles of junk that it was practically invisible unless one looked very closely.
Lin Wenyu finally realized that the locked door was highly likely just a decoy.
About a minute later, Old Man Li emerged from the passage, his bag of recyclables looking even more bloated than before.
Lin Wenyu narrowed his eyes, trying to get a closer look under the dim light, but he couldn't make out any details. Keeping his head lowered, Old Man Li silently dragged his bag toward the apartment entrance, gradually vanishing into the night.
Only after Old Man Li had gone did Lin Wenyu step out from behind the pillar. He walked over to the mouth of the narrow passage, which was pitch-black inside.
He didn't rashly venture inside. Instead, he paused at the entrance for a few seconds to commit the location to memory, then silently turned and left.
He had discovered enough for one night. Charging in blindly would only increase his risk; it would be much safer to return and investigate together with Bai Ci tomorrow after they met up.
Back in his room, Lin Wenyu pulled out his phone and sent a brief text to Bai Ci, quickly outlining what he had found.
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