Chapter 237: Smoke Guidance
The questioning took about an hour.
Xiao Ye then put his arm around Lin Chuyue as they walked out of the small building. "My men have pinpointed their surveillance feed and are tracking them now."
"How about we grab a bite first? We'll head over once we get word."
Lin Chuyue nodded. She knew there was no use in rushing. "Okay."
The three of them went to a nearby restaurant, found a reasonably clean place, and had a simple meal.
News arrived quickly.
The couple's last known location was an old residential complex.
The surveillance in the area was sparse, with almost no cameras, so they were only able to track them to the complex entrance.
They were lucky the supermarket across the street had a camera; otherwise, they might not have found the place at all.
The car stopped.
The three of them got out of the car together.
Lin Chuyue suddenly pulled her hand away from Xiao Ye's. "I want to walk on my own."
Outside of moments of high emotion, she didn't want too much physical contact with Xiao Ye. It made her uncomfortable.
'After all, I'm supposed to be his sister-in-law, at least in name...'
Xiao Ye understood her reservations and didn't press the issue.
As they entered the complex, they found it was even more dilapidated than they had expected.
Besides the old buildings themselves, trash was strewn everywhere, looking as if it hadn't been collected in a very long time.
Xiao Ye said, "My men found out this complex is scheduled for demolition, so most of the residents have moved out. Only a few households are still living here."
"The property management company is gone, too. At this point, nobody's looking after the place."
Since most of the buildings were condemned, many of the entrances had been boarded up to prevent people from sneaking in and getting hurt.
Only one building, with its walls in better condition, was still temporarily habitable.
Otherwise, the authorities would have forced them out long ago.
Mu Xiang, chewing on a piece of gum, said, "There are so many buildings. Are we supposed to check them one by one? If they're really trying to hide, I bet they're not in the one decent building."
"As for the derelict ones, all the doors will be shut. If they stay quiet, we'd never know they were there."
Xiao Ye nodded and looked at Chuyue. "It's up to you now."
Lin Chuyue nodded and took out a tiny piece of clothing.
It was an infant's garment, hand-sewn by Lin Chuyue's parents. The baby's mother had kept it with her ever since she was pregnant.
It was definitely a cherished personal item.
This time, Lin Chuyue had brought many items belonging to Lin Feng and his wife.
Xiao Ye took out a lighter and set the small garment on fire.
As long as anyone or anything related to them was nearby, it would lead the way.
Sure enough, the smoke didn't drift with the wind. Instead, it curled and moved unnaturally in another direction.
Xiao Ye immediately said, "Let's go! Follow it!"
Following the smoke's trail, they soon arrived at a dilapidated building on the edge of the complex.
The main entrance was sealed, but a ground-floor window was broken, offering a clear way inside.
There was a clear footprint on the windowsill.
"They must be in here. Come on, let's go in too."
The three of them climbed through the window into the building.
The inside was thick with dust, and a trail of footprints led upward.
By the second floor, however, it seemed the couple had realized their mistake. The dust on the floor had been swept by something, obscuring the trail.
The trail finally vanished on the fifth floor.
Xiao Ye led them back down to the third floor and looked at the doorknobs on the doors.
Many of the doorknobs were covered in cobwebs.
But the doorknob to one apartment was spotless, without even a speck of dust.
"This is it."
Xiao Ye raised his hand and knocked, but there was no response.
"We mean you no harm. We just want to ask a few questions. If you don't open up, I'll have to resort to force."
"I'd rather not do that, so I hope you'll open the door."
After a long pause, there was still no sound from inside.
Xiao Ye waved his hand, signaling one of his men to kick the door in.
A soft approach wouldn't necessarily be appreciated.
It was better to use a bit of force and make the people inside afraid.
BANG!
A loud crash echoed through the building.
The door rattled in its frame.
Xiao Ye motioned for the man to pause.
Sure enough, this time, the sound of footsteps came from inside.
The door soon opened, but it was held in place by a chain lock.
It was the man who answered. He did bear some resemblance to the person in the photograph.
Upon seeing him, Lin Chuyue started to say something in her excitement, but Xiao Ye held her back.
"Hello," Xiao Ye said. "We're here to ask a few questions. Please open the door."
"Whatever you want to ask, you can ask from there. This building is condemned. If you insist on using force, you might bring the whole thing down!"
Xiao Ye smiled faintly and gave his man a look.
The man pulled out a dagger, its blade flashing in the dim light.
The chain was sliced in two, leaving only a smooth cut surface.
The man froze for a second, but by the time he reacted, it was too late.
Xiao Ye pushed the door open and stepped inside.
It was a very old apartment and felt incredibly gloomy, even in the daylight.
There was a living room and a bedroom with its door shut tight. The woman was probably hiding inside.
Xiao Ye's gaze fell upon the man. "Don't be afraid. We really do mean you no harm. If we had wanted to hurt you..."
...you'd already be dead. Tell your wife to come out. Let's just have a nice chat right here."
The sofa in the living room was reasonably clean, just about fit for sitting.
Mu Xiang pulled Lin Chuyue to sit down. It was easier to get worked up while standing; sitting might help her stay a little calmer.
The man remained silent for a moment, but before he could speak, the bedroom door opened and a woman walked out.
She, too, looked very much like the person in the photo. Aside from a few more wrinkles, there were almost no major changes.
But Xiao Ye spotted a problem.
Mu Xiang gave a slight cough; she had clearly noticed it too.
Seeing the woman made Lin Chuyue even more agitated. She tried to stand up, but Mu Xiang held her back. "Wait, not yet!"
"But..."
Mu Xiang impatiently tightened her grip. "I told you, not yet!"
Lin Chuyue could only sit back down, though she was clearly on edge, her eyes locked onto the couple.
The woman looked at Xiao Ye coldly. She was afraid, but she hid it well. "Wh-what do you want to ask us?"
"We're just ordinary people. We don't know anything."
Xiao Ye's gaze shifted between their faces. He sneered, "Ordinary people who get plastic surgery together as a couple?"
The two of them froze on the spot.
"You..."
They never imagined Xiao Ye would expose their secret the moment he laid eyes on them.
Lin Chuyue, startled, asked from the sofa, "What's going on?"
Mu Xiang unwrapped a new piece of gum and popped it into her mouth. "The reason I stopped you is because their faces have obviously been surgically altered."
"A normal person might not be able to tell, but we can see it clearly. This couple's bone structure and their facial features don't match at all!"