Kuang Feifan desperately wanted to snatch a cushion from the sofa and throw it, but the thought that he was currently staying in someone else's villa, and the owner had the right to enter without knocking, forced him to retract the hand that had inadvertently rested on Bai Ru’s slender waist, cough a few times, and sit up properly with extreme reluctance.

Bai Ru naturally leaned back toward the other side of the sofa, smoothing her hair with an expression of perfect composure.

Xu Hui managed a wry smile, turned back, and slowly closed the main door, making a concerted effort to stifle his laughter. When he turned back again, his expression had returned to normal.

“What is it? Any news?” Kuang Feifan’s composure was equally good; in a flash, he was able to ask the question with a calm face.

Xu Hui pulled out his notepad, sat down on a sofa, propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, flipped open the little book, and said, “It wasn’t easy, not easy at all, but I actually managed to track down this person named Shen Jun. It’s all thanks to this Xiangyang Elementary School; even though it’s changed names several times, the school has somehow survived, and the most unbelievable thing is that their archives are actually remarkably well-preserved…”

Kuang Feifan interrupted Xu Hui’s enthusiastic self-praise, asking directly, “Can you just tell me where this person is right now?”

Xu Hui shot Kuang Feifan a look of profound dissatisfaction, flipped a few pages, and then said, “The Shen family seems to move frequently. I followed up on several addresses, and at each one, they told me the family had already moved. Finally, I heard they relocated to Xiaoyin Village. I contacted the local police station there and got an address.”

Saying this, he tore a sheet of paper from his notebook and handed it to Kuang Feifan. “By the way, when are we heading over?”

Kuang Feifan glanced at Bai Ru, considered for a moment, and then said, “You and I will go. Gu Yi and Bai Ru need to monitor He Shaoqing’s physical condition.”

Xu Hui shrugged. “That’s what I was thinking too.”

Xiaoyin Village was outside the city limits, about a three-hour drive. After eating lunch, Xu Hui and Kuang Feifan drove straight there, originally expecting that even if finding the person wasn't smooth, the trip itself wouldn't involve much trouble.

But reality often diverges sharply from imagination.

Following the address Xu Hui had found, they smoothly located the complex where the Shen family was supposed to be living. However, when they knocked and the door opened, the resident wasn't named Shen. Upon inquiring, they learned that a few years prior, something had happened to the Shen family, and the house had been sublet to the current occupants.

As for what exactly happened, the current residents weren’t very clear, only hearing that family members had passed away one after another, leaving only Shen Jun, who was the one who rented the place out. As for where he lived now, they had no idea.

Kuang Feifan wouldn't give up. After repeated questioning, the family finally revealed they only had one mobile phone number; since Shen Jun's address hadn't changed, any mail or rent payments would be directed there via that call.

Xu Hui eagerly pulled out his phone and dialed the number. To their surprise, after several rings, there was no answer.

Helpless, the two had no choice but to leave the former Shen residence. Checking his watch, they saw it was already past six. They conferred briefly and decided to find a place to eat first before making further plans.

They found a random restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and before the food even arrived, Xu Hui dialed that number again. The result was the same: no answer. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he turned to Kuang Feifan and said, “Right, that mobile number—you can triangulate its position, can’t you?”

Kuang Feifan rolled his eyes. “My friend, I don’t have that capability, but…”

He didn't finish the sentence, only sighing. It seemed this matter would still require technological intervention. Kuang Feifan then contacted his close friend at the forensic center, gave him the phone number, and urged him to locate the position immediately.

It wasn't until they had finished eating and walked out of the restaurant that the call from the other end finally came through.

“The location is imprecise; I can only find a general area. I’m sending you the map.”

When the two drove to the destination guided by the map’s coordinates, they realized just how inaccurate that imprecision was. Before them lay a dense cluster of old buildings, structures that must have been at least twenty years old. The crisscrossing alleyways divided these blocks, and finding the phone number owner’s location within this maze would likely be no easier than finding a needle in a haystack.

Looking around, although it was only a little past seven in the evening, there wasn’t a single shadow on the street. Only the lonely streetlights lining the roads cast a desolate and deserted glow across the pavement.

“Damn it, how are we supposed to find anyone here?” Xu Hui stood by the car, scratching his head in frustration.

Kuang Feifan carefully surveyed the surrounding buildings, then suddenly pointed not far ahead. “Look there, a small convenience store. Let’s go ask.”

The so-called small convenience store was merely a ground-floor unit of a residential building converted into a storefront selling cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and basic foodstuffs.

The two walked in and saw an elderly woman, likely in her sixties, sitting on a chair behind the counter, smoking a cigarette while watching television.

Xu Hui first bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, then began to ask, “Ma’am, have you seen this person?”

Saying this, he pulled up the photo of Shen Jun that the police station had sent that morning and held his phone up toward the old woman’s face.

The old woman squinted at the screen for a long time before saying, “I’ve seen him. Isn’t that Junzi? He comes here often to buy cigarettes.”

Xu Hui was overjoyed and quickly continued, “That’s great, Ma’am. Do you know exactly where he lives?”

As soon as the question left his lips, the old woman immediately became guarded, sizing up Xu Hui, and asking, “Who are you? What are you looking for him for?”

Xu Hui had no choice but to pull out the badge and flash it in front of the old woman, softening his tone. “I’m a police officer. This person can help me solve a case, that’s why I’m in such a hurry to find him.”

Unexpectedly, the old woman was still persistent, demanding, “Are you saying Junzi is in trouble? He’s an honest kid, quiet, I’ve never seen him associate with anyone. It’s just me, seeing how hard life is for him alone, I often give him a discount or something. Officer, you must investigate clearly…”

Xu Hui couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He quickly explained, “No, Ma’am, he’s helping me; I’m not here to arrest him.”

The old woman, however, continued rambling persistently for quite some time before finally saying, “Last time, I happened to casually ask. The boy said he now lives in Building 66 on Yinbei Road, but he didn’t mention the floor or apartment number.”

Xu Hui and Kuang Feifan exchanged a look, then asked again, “Where exactly is that?”

“Yinbei Road is two more intersections ahead, then turn right and walk a bit further. You’ll see an alley on the left. Walk into it, and that’s Yinbei Road,” the old woman nearly pulled out a pen to draw a map.

Kuang Feifan couldn't help his curiosity and asked, “Yinbei Road? What a strange name?”

The old woman explained, “There’s a Music Conservatory over there, so the street names were designated based on the compass directions around the academy.”

“I see,” Kuang Feifan muttered under his breath.

Xu Hui didn’t care about such details. Since he had the information, he thanked the old woman, grabbed Kuang Feifan’s arm, and they left the convenience store.

Fortunately, the old woman’s description was quite clear, and they smoothly reached the mouth of the alley she had mentioned.

Kuang Feifan instinctively peered into the alley. Because there were no streetlights inside, it was pitch black, and he couldn't see the end. The alley had formed entirely because the walls surrounding the residential areas created this narrow void. Stepping inside, the surroundings immediately fell silent, as if they had been instantly cut off from the city, entering another world. Even the air seemed to solidify.

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