Staring at the man on the surveillance feed,
Without a word, he stood up in the management office, pulled out his phone, and dialed the number for Captain Li at the Xicheng Police Station.
"Uncle Sanbao—I need to report a crime!"
"First of all, the emergency number is 110. Calling me won't help. Second, call me Director Li." The phone was picked up after just two rings, and Captain Li's hoarse voice crackled through the speaker.
"I've found the last person who escaped from the Peaceful Apartment! He's been here at the New Century Paradise!"
"You're certain?" Captain Li's voice changed the moment he heard that.
"It's definitely him. Don't drive a police car here—whatever you do. We don't want to spook him and make him run."
"We'll be there in fifteen minutes!"
The call ended. Chen Ge kept his eyes fixed on the surveillance monitor, phone still in hand.
The staff member standing nearby sensed something was wrong and quickly went to get Uncle Xu.
"What's going on?" A moment later, Uncle Xu walked in holding a water bottle. "You won't even let a man eat his lunch in peace. Xiao Chen, why aren't you back at your haunted house? What are you doing here?"
He moved over to the monitors and, seeing Chen Ge holding his phone, asked cautiously, "Who were you just talking to?"
"The police."
Chen Ge didn't turn around. His gaze swept from one surveillance screen to the next. "They should be here within fifteen minutes, I'd imagine."
"The police?! Something this big, and you didn't discuss it with me first?!" Uncle Xu's voice shot up. "The park has comprehensive emergency protocols for natural disasters and criminal incidents—"
"Uncle Xu." Chen Ge turned and cut him off. His expression was calm, but there was something deeply unsettling in his eyes. "Someone is trying to kill me."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire control room went dead silent. Every employee turned to look his way.
"Chen Ge, you've been locked up in that haunted house too long. Did you have some kind of breakdown?" Uncle Xu dropped the "Xiao" and called him by his full name. "What kind of nonsense is this, in broad daylight?"
"I helped the police crack the Peaceful Apartment massacre case from five years ago. But there was one killer connected to that case who's still at large."
By the time Chen Ge reached this point, Uncle Xu had already caught on. "You're saying that person snuck into the park? Planning to get revenge on you?"
"I thought he'd have fled to another province, but I never imagined he'd have the audacity to do something like this." Chen Ge pointed at the man on the surveillance screen. "This visitor is acting strangely. He's wearing long sleeves and a baseball cap, covering his face almost entirely. It's not even cold out, but both his hands are stuffed in his pockets. Even when he smokes or drinks water, he only uses his right hand—his left hand has never come out of that pocket."
"What does that prove? Maybe it's just a personal quirk." Uncle Xu set down his water bottle and closed the door to the management room.