Number Ten might have been an acquaintance trying to help Chen Ge, or it might have been a mental patient in disguise. The only way to find out was to visit the Linjiang Blood Prevention Station himself.
After confirming he hadn't missed anything, Chen Ge stepped out of the room, crossed the long hallway, and returned to the elevator.
"Behind those closed security doors, there are definitely other secrets hidden away. The secret passage the Association members used to leave could very well be concealed in one of them." Chen Ge regretted not having brought the skull crusher with him. If he had, he would have hammered open every single door to see what lay beyond. "I'll have to remember this lesson for next time."
He stepped into the elevator and watched the numbers change slowly, his nerves finally unwinding. He strapped the butcher knife back onto his calf, removed the skull-crushing doctor mask, and drew a deep breath.
The elevator opened on the first floor, and before Chen Ge could step out, he heard someone speaking outside in a sharp, angry tone.
"How did he get in? I'm asking you—how did he get in?!"
"Manager Huang, I really don't know how he ended up inside the residential building."
"A murderer walked right in, and you still don't know?!"
"I'm sorry."
"I hired you to protect the residents! Not to stand here and apologize! How many incidents have there been these past few days? Count them yourself!"
Chen Ge glanced out of the elevator. Zhu Xiu, whom he had left propped in the corner against the wall, was gone.
"Where is he?" Chen Ge looked into the distance. Gu Feiyu was standing there in his security uniform, head bowed, clutching his phone.
Across from him stood a young man with refined features and a polite appearance—who was, in reality, seething with temper.
"Xiao Gu? What's going on?" Chen Ge walked over.
"Who are you?" The middle-aged man turned to Chen Ge. "You don't look familiar. You're not a resident here, are you?"
After saying this, he shot Gu Feiyu a venomous glare. "He's your friend?"
The compound had a strict rule against admitting outsiders after midnight. Gu Feiyu knew he had messed up again. He pulled off his cap and nodded sheepishly.
"Manager Huang—" At that moment, a siren wailed outside the building, and a middle-aged man in plain clothes walked in. "That one's my friend."
Chen Ge was genuinely surprised to see the newcomer. "Captain Li?"
"Ever since you left the police station, I could tell something was off about you. But I have to admit, kid—you've got skills. This guy was hidden away in a damn good spot, and you still dragged him out." Captain Li pointed toward the entrance of Building Three, where the unconscious Zhu Xiu lay curled on his side on the ground.
"You've been following me since I left the police station?" Chen Ge hadn't noticed a thing. Thinking back on it now sent a chill down his spine.
"I've been a cop for almost twenty years. If someone like you, completely off your guard, spotted me—that's when I'd worry." Captain Li then turned to Manager Huang. "Don't blame the young man. He did fine. This suspect is extremely cunning, with a strong sense of counter-surveillance. Even one of our undercover officers slipped up once. It's perfectly normal that he didn't catch on."
"Even your undercover guys messed up?" Manager Huang's face flipped like the page of a book. He turned to Chen Ge and apologized immediately. "Then this officer must be with you too. Thank you for your hard work, Officer."
Chen Ge ignored him. He looked at Captain Li with a slightly guilty expression. "You were standing outside the building this whole time?"
"Of course I was. I staked out the New Century Amusement Park entrance for an hour and a half waiting for you, then tailed you to the Fanghua Yuan complex and kept watch outside the building until now." Captain Li rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms. "When I saw you find the suspect, I was about to come in—except then you hopped right back into the elevator and went upstairs."
"Captain Li, that's really dangerous."
"If I hadn't been worried you'd do something stupid in the heat of the moment, do you think I'd have the patience to babysit you?" Captain Li lowered his voice and pulled Chen Ge aside. "Zhu Xiu seems to have been traumatized by something. Was he already like this when you found him?"
There was something odd in Captain Li's tone. Chen Ge studied the captain's expression, and it hit him. He said firmly, "He was already like this when I found him. The only reason I left him in the hallway and went back upstairs was to figure out what had happened."
"Mm." Captain Li nodded. "This whole thing is fishy."