While the investigators were making their house call, the remaining member of the team—Zhao Lei—had not been idle this morning either.
The anger and resentment Su Xiao had provoked in Zhao Lei had not dissipated even after a night. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. They were all teammates, so why was he the only one relegated to staying behind, not even given the chance to participate in the investigation?
He had been brooding over being left behind, and Wang Qiang's death made him even more determined. Now that Brother Wang was gone, he felt an even greater urge to prove himself, find clues, and show those two that he wasn't just a rookie who dragged everyone down.
Once he found some leverage on Old Man Li on his own or uncovered the secrets of the underground passage to secure solid clues, he would rub it in the faces of Bai Ci and Lin Wenyu.
With his mind preoccupied, Zhao Lei tightly clutched a crumpled little notebook containing the clues Su Xiao had shared with him last night. He stopped in front of the door at the end of the first floor—Old Man Li's living quarters, which had been converted from a utility room.
He didn't dare to approach directly, instead pretending to adjust his clothes while keeping an eye on the door out of the corner of his eye, calculating how to probe without drawing attention.
But before he could make up his mind, the clattering sound of plastic bottles came from behind, accompanied by heavy, dragging footsteps slowly approaching.
Zhao Lei quickly hid behind a nearby fire hydrant, poking half his head out to steal a glance.
The person approaching was indeed Old Man Li. He still kept his head down, dragging his bulging bag of recyclables, his messy hair covering most of his face.
He slowly walked to his door and stopped, but instead of opening it immediately, he slowly raised his head. His cloudy eyes locked onto the fire hydrant. “Come out. The wind is drafty behind that fire hydrant; it's not good for a young man to catch a cold.”
Zhao Lei's heart skipped a beat. He hesitated over whether to step out. He remembered Su Xiao's warning, but he also felt this was a great opportunity to fish for clues. Maybe Old Man Li really did know something.
After a moment of internal conflict, he braced himself and stepped out, scratching his head as he forced a calm demeanor. “U-Uncle, I was just passing by and stopped here for a moment. Are you just returning from collecting recyclables?”
Old Man Li slowly raised his head. Ignoring the question about the recyclables, he slowly turned around and pushed open his door.
Standing sideways in the doorway, he extended an invitation to Zhao Lei. “Would you like to come in and sit for a bit? Have some water and keep me company.”
With Old Man Li's figure blocking the light, Zhao Lei couldn't make out his expression. Being alone, Zhao Lei felt a bit of fear creep in. He instinctively wanted to refuse, but swallowed the words back down.
If he missed out on key clues because of this, wouldn't those two women mock him?
After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed Old Man Li inside, though he kept his distance, not daring to get too close.
The room was thick with a heavy mustiness blended with the sour stench of trash, making Zhao Lei instinctively knit his brows.
The room was extremely bare, containing only a dilapidated wooden bed, a table with peeling paint, and two chairs. Recyclables were piled in the corner, and the only window had been boarded shut, letting in only a sliver of light that barely allowed him to make out the outlines of the furniture.
Old Man Li tossed the bag of recyclables into the corner and pulled a chair over for Zhao Lei.
Zhao Lei didn't dare sit. Standing where he was with his hands behind his back, he awkwardly began to probe. “Uncle, I heard a little girl named Lele went missing in this apartment before. Have you seen her? I'm just asking casually, since I live here and want to know more about the place.”
Old Man Li glanced up at him, his tone carrying a touch of melancholy and daze. “Lele... that little girl was sweet-tongued. She used to help me collect bottles a while ago. But then she went missing. It's truly a pity, she was such a good child.”
“Ever since that child went missing, her mother went mad. If you ask me, the feng shui of this apartment is just wrong.” Old Man Li lowered his voice, behaving exactly like a typical superstitious old man. “This apartment is incredibly eerie, especially that slope in the back and the passage underneath. Strange noises always echo from down there at night.”
Zhao Lei immediately connected this with the information Su Xiao had shared: a massive swarm of man-eating insects nested in the underground passage. That had to be the source of the strange noises.
Still cautious, he didn't dare mention the insect swarm directly. Instead, he kept his words vague, prompting Old Man Li to elaborate. “Is there... something in that passage? I heard some people say there are strange things inside.”
Old Man Li shook his head, playing mysterious. “That place is extremely cursed. It's not a place for young people like you to go wandering into.”
With that, Old Man Li stood up and slowly walked over to the table. He took out a chipped enamel cup, picked up the thermos in the corner, poured a cup of water, and handed it to Zhao Lei. “Thirsty? Have some water, we can take our time talking.”
“We've been talking for so long, you must be thirsty.” Old Man Li offered the cup, his voice still raspy, but his eyes locked onto Zhao Lei's face with a heavy, silent pressure.
Looking at the seemingly clear water, Zhao Lei's guard shot up. He knew all the tropes from novels—never drink water offered by a stranger. At best, you'd be drugged; at worst, you'd die on the spot.
He felt a smug sense of satisfaction. Fortunately, he read plenty of novels, so he was already on high alert against such underhanded tricks.
He waved his hand, forcing a perfunctory smile. “No thanks, Uncle, I'm not thirsty. Why don't you just tell me what's really going on with that underground passage?”
Old Man Li didn't push him. He slowly withdrew his hand and set the enamel cup on the table.
Just when Zhao Lei thought the old man was about to speak, Old Man Li suddenly lunged forward. His movements were incredibly swift, completely unlike those of an elderly man. Before Zhao Lei could even react, he felt a sudden chill on the back of his neck, followed by a sharp, stinging pain, as if he had been pricked by something.
“You... what are you doing?” Zhao Lei tried to turn around in panic, but his body instantly lost all strength. His limbs grew numb, and his vision blurred.
He could feel his consciousness rapidly slipping away. The last thing he saw was the icy smile on Old Man Li's face.
“Those who know too much should shut up.” Old Man Li's voice rang in his ear, laced with ruthlessness. Immediately after, Zhao Lei lost consciousness entirely, his body slumping limply to the floor.
Old Man Li squatted down and checked Zhao Lei's breathing. Confirming he was dead, the old man slowly stood up and dragged a massive black trash bag from under the bed.
Calmly and skillfully, he stuffed Zhao Lei's corpse into the bag, packing in plenty of plastic bottles to mask it. He tied the opening tight, hoisted the bag onto his shoulder, and walked out of the room.
The hallway was dead silent. Hoisting the bag, Old Man Li made his way toward the entrance of the underground passage at the back of the apartment building. As he passed the third floor, he suddenly stopped. He could faintly hear a young woman's voice coming from a nearby doorway, whispering to a middle-aged woman as she probed for information.
“Auntie, think again. Is there anything unusual about Old Man Li on a regular basis?” Su Xiao's voice carried an intentional gentleness, her tone laced with urgency. “I just want to help find clues for Lele. I appreciate your help.”
Rate on N.U.
