Chapter 143 Brushing Past Each Other
If it were someone else like Wang Lan, Wang Qianfeng would definitely accuse them of being unorganized and undisciplined. But with Wang Lan, Wang Qianfeng didn't dare to. Just think about what Wang Lan had accomplished over the past six months... This guy always seemed to bring you huge surprises when you least expected it.
Last time, in the middle of the night, he went to Penguin Corporation and rounded up an entire elite spy group from the Demon Clan for Wang Qianfeng.
This time... could there be another major breakthrough?
Reason told Wang Qianfeng it was impossible; Wang Lan wasn't really the Chosen One, and nobody could be that lucky all the time.
Yet emotion kept bombarding Wang Qianfeng's reason, telling him to stop being so rational. Think about Wang Lan's discoveries over the past six months. He was just that lucky. He was just that unscientific.
They rode in Hu Qing's car, heading straight for Jinghua Manor.
Jinghua Manor was considered a high-end estate in Suzhou Park, evident from the greenery of the residential area. In lower-end estates, the buildings were usually tightly spaced, with sunlight often blocked by the row of tall buildings in front. Having six hours of sunlight would be considered good.
In contrast, the buildings in Jinghua Campus were spaced at least eighty meters apart, and even buildings side by side were more than fifty meters apart. There were car lanes and bike lanes surrounding each building, with charging stations, carports, vending machines, and medicine cabinets scattered throughout the estate.
As Hu Qing walked, his eyes scanned the estate, a look of longing faintly emerging on his face.
"The average price per square meter in this estate must be over fifty thousand, right?" Hu Qing said softly with a sigh.
"It was fifty-five thousand at launch, and that was four years ago. Now it must be seventy or eighty thousand."
"You investigated this as well?" Hu Qing was curious. How could Wang Lan respond so readily to his casual remark? And Wang Lan wasn't just guessing; he at least knew the opening price.
"When this estate was launched, my financial advisor had urged me to invest in two buildings here. I found the return a bit slow, so I passed on it."
"A nearly fifty-percent increase in four years is slow to you?"
"Where do you get the kind of investment that doubles in value every year?"
Hu Qing fell silent... That was quite disheartening.
They entered the building and took the elevator straight to the 27th floor. After getting into the elevator, their expressions grew serious.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, they were on high alert. Room 2706 was a west-facing unit, and they approached the door. "Hu Qing, sense if there's anyone at home first," Wang Lan instructed.
Hu Qing immediately emitted a faint Star Energy Fluctuation around him, the Star Power conducting through the ground. After half a minute, Hu Qing shook his head.
"It's empty!"
"Unlock it!"
CLICK— A sound of unlocking rang out, but it wasn't from the door in front of Hu Qing; instead, a unit door behind them opened.
A young girl wearing a white down jacket and cute bunny ear muffs walked out of her home.
The girl was startled by the sight of Wang Lan and Hu Qing. "Who are you...?"
"Mr. Cui? You live here?" Hu Qing exclaimed in surprise.
"Uh? Are you… a parent of a student?"
"I'm Hu Feifei's brother, Hu Qing. My sister is in your class."
"Oh! I remember you now, you're Feifei's brother who's a security guard! Hello, I'm glad to meet you. What are you guys doing here...?"
"It's like this. We're on official duty. This is my colleague. A resident of room 2706 is suspected of a major crime, so we're here to investigate. Do you know anything about this family?"
"I don't really know them. I've lived here for three years, but I've never seen anyone from that household. In fact, it's possible that the owner bought the place and never came. You might be making a wasted trip here."
"You haven't seen them in three years?"
"Not once, not even once... If there's nothing else, I need to head out..." Mr. Cui said with a cute smile.
"Ah, sure, sure..."
Hu Qing watched as Mr. Cui got into the elevator, and only reluctantly took his eyes off her when the elevator doors closed.
"She's pretty indeed. If you're interested, don't wait; a girl like that must have lots of suitors."
"Heh... A girl of her caliber, could a poor security guard like me even think about it?"
"You're a Star Martial Warrior, what are you afraid of? Don't Star Martial Warriors have an advantage over ordinary people?"
"Enough talk, let's unlock the door." Hu Qing placed his hand on the lock, Star Power surged, and the lock was trashed.
Locks, since their inception, have always been to deter gentlemen, not villains. If someone truly wants to open your lock, not even a safe can withstand forced entry.
The door opened, revealing a dimly lit room. It was clear that no one had been there for a long time; even the sofa was covered with a dust cover.
Did we really come for nothing? Wang Lan thought with a sinking feeling. If the occupant truly hadn't lived here, or hadn't been here for a long time, obtaining hair or other samples for DNA identification would be challenging.
The houses in Jinghua Manor were all fully furnished, and everything was clean when handed over to the owners. As the two stepped in, their feet disturbed a thin layer of dust on the floor, leaving faint footprints behind them.
"I'll go check the bathroom for any fallen hair," Hu Qing said.
"Okay!"
Wang Lan then turned towards the kitchen. All the necessary cookware and the stove were present, and they didn't look brand new, indicating they had been used at least once. In the large kitchen stood an upright refrigerator and a chest freezer.
Suddenly, Wang Lan noticed something unusual. The refrigerator was plugged in and still running. Normally, if a place was long unoccupied, the owner would turn off the power, not just to save on electricity bills but also for safety reasons.
Wang Lan opened the refrigerator, and his expression changed instantly.
Inside were all sorts of organs. Although the fridge wasn't packed full, there were at least five or six livers, hearts, and the like. What kind of bizarre taste does Ma Xiaoxue have?
He closed the refrigerator and opened the freezer beside it. As soon as the freezer was opened, Wang Lan felt utterly sickened.
Inside the freezer, dismembered human parts were piled up. There were arms, legs, and what appeared to be human rib racks, neatly trimmed. Considering the organs in the refrigerator, Wang Lan suddenly felt his stomach churn.
At this point, how could he not be sure that something was wrong with Ma Xiaoxue? He picked up his phone and dialed Wang Qianfeng's number.
"Hello, Wang Lan, did you find something?" Wang Qianfeng asked eagerly on the other end.
"Director Wang, I'm currently in the home of Ma Bo's female bodyguard, Ma Xiaoxue. Her refrigerator is full of human organs, and her freezer is crammed with human hands and feet. She feeds on humans."
As Wang Lan spoke, his Adam's apple kept bobbing.
He had killed before, but processing a human like food and stuffing them into a freezer was a scene that deeply disturbed Wang Lan.
Especially the contents of the freezer... this they call 'trotters,' this they call 'rib rack,' this is... damn it, I can't take it anymore.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Hearing Wang Lan on the phone, Hu Qing also came over from the other room. "What did you find? You look so pale."
"The contents of the freezer make me feel extremely uncomfortable."
Hu Qing chuckled lightly and reached out to open the refrigerator.
"Don't look. It's all severed hands and feet."
"My talent may not be at your level, and my strength might not be either, but brother, I've been on the battlefield, I've killed people. A few severed hands and feet are just a small scene. I might even find some clues..."
Saying this, he opened the freezer. After just one glance, Hu Qing slammed it shut again.
"How about it? Find any clues?"
"Ugh—" Hu Qing suddenly started retching over the sink.
Who was it that just called this a 'small scene'? Wang Lan thought.
"What kind of freak is she?"
"It might not be a perversion. To the Demon Clan, aren't we just ingredients? Did you find anything on your end?"
"Nothing. There was no hair in the bathroom. I don't know if we'll find any in the bedrooms."
"Let's go have a look together."
Leaving the kitchen, they pushed open a bedroom door. It appeared to be a guest room, the bed also covered with a dust sheet.
After searching around and finding nothing, they moved on to another room.
The moment the door opened, a strong scent of perfume wafted out. It was a very intense perfume, the kind rarely used in Jade Country but common among Westerners.
And when they smelled this perfume, the expressions on both Wang Lan and Hu Qing's faces changed almost simultaneously.
Hu Qing looked up sharply, his gaze locking with Wang Lan's. A deep, unspoken understanding passed between them.
"Is it her?"
How could that be… Hu Qing's face turned white. At the apartment door just moments ago, he had smelled this same perfume on Mr. Cui. Although it wasn't as strong then, the scent was identical.
"Not good!" Wang Lan instantly rushed out of the room and towards the apartment's main door.
At that moment, the elevator doors happened to open, and Wang Qianfeng, along with a group of agents from the Intelligence Department, burst out, running right into Wang Lan.
"Director Wang!"
"Wang Lan, where is the evidence?"
"In the kitchen freezer. Open it and you'll see." Saying this, he summoned his Flame Sword and slashed towards Mr. Cui's apartment door.
The blade was swift and decisive, cutting through the lock. Wang Lan gave it a light tug, and the door opened.
"What are you doing? Does this apartment also have a problem?"
"There likely is." Wang Lan entered the apartment. This place felt more lived-in than the one next door, its furnishings and belongings neatly arranged. He turned on the light and went straight to the bedroom.
The lamp on the bedroom desk was still on. A stack of student notebooks lay on it, one of them open. It appeared Mr. Cui had been in the middle of grading homework before suddenly leaving.
Inside the bedroom, a fragrance similar to the one from the bedroom in the adjacent apartment filled the entire space.
"Who lives here?" Wang Qianfeng asked curiously, having come up behind Wang Lan. Xu Shiyun and several other agents were already searching the adjacent apartment; they had, of course, also seen the evidence Wang Lan had pointed out.
Ma Xiaoxue had a problem; that was indeed confirmed. Hence, Wang Qianfeng instantly thought of Ma Bo. If Ma Xiaoxue had a problem, how could Ma Bo escape? If Ma Bo had a problem, then those folks at Jiayi Biotech, the ones making the Demonic Transformation Potion... their involvement was clear.
"In Ma Xiaoxue's room, Hu Qing and I smelled a particular perfume. I also detected that same scent on the occupant of this apartment, Mr. Cui. I hope it's not a coincidence. However, it is coincidental that just as we arrived to investigate Ma Xiaoxue's place, Mr. Cui left this apartment. If she's in league with Ma Xiaoxue, she's probably fled by now, right?"
"Who is she?"
"Cui Xiaolv, the homeroom teacher of Class Three, Fourth Grade, at Tang Town Elementary School," Hu Qing said, walking over from the doorway.
Wang Qianfeng took out his phone and dialed a number. "Connect to the communications department. Hello, I'm Wang Qianfeng. Check the whereabouts of someone for me: Cui Xiaolv, a teacher at Tang Town Elementary School. Yes, she lives in Jinghua Manor."
As Wang Qianfeng made the call, Wang Lan had already begun to quickly search Cui Xiaolv's home. From a drawer in the desk, he suddenly picked up a notebook, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
Liu Jia...