Chapter 1420: Chapter 887: Yinren_2
"The photos are all of male employees wearing suits from the company, including the photo of the missing man mixed in, and the new employees recognized him instantly, unanimously identifying him as that person."
"The leaders were panicked at this moment, and simultaneously, the employees who went to the restroom searching returned, saying they had searched all bathrooms on this floor and couldn’t find the man; people downstairs were also sent to search."
"This person has also disappeared, never to be seen again." The shop owner spoke in a grim tone.
Undoubtedly, this old employee was also harmed, just like the young worker with number 27, living or dead, nowhere to be found.
Analyzing the current situation, it’s very likely that Su Xiaomin and Chen Moting encountered the same incident tonight. It’s uncertain if they might survive.
On the way home, Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan proposed many hypotheses between them, but unfortunately, the clues obtained so far are too fragmented to deduce any valuable insights.
Yang Xiao inadvertently stumbled into Jiang Qingluan’s Ghost Script, and since he hadn’t accessed the script box, he had no intelligence to refer to.
Worse still, Jiang Qingluan had no intelligence either; she received the Ghost Script during a supernatural incident.
The script box only contained a burnt videotape; nothing else.
When she came out, she sustained serious injuries and fell unconscious, leaving no time to inform the Yi Sect to help her search for Ghost Script clues.
"What’s the name of the Ghost Script?" Yang Xiao asked.
"Yinren."
"Yinren..." Yang Xiao repeated quietly, unable to connect the name to anything specific for now. It’s nearly impossible to find clues just based on the Ghost Script’s name.
Previously, through inquiries with the shop owner, Yang Xiao roughly confirmed the name of his residential area, called Happy Home, an old complex not very close to Rongjin Building, which would require a half-hour walk.
It was already late at night, and there weren’t many people on the streets. Despite it being summer, the night breeze still caused chills.
Very soon, they found Happy Home, approached Building 5 beneath its familiar structure of a residential building, only six stories tall with no elevator and just two units per building. Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan came to Unit 1.
The unit door was the old-fashioned gate style, locked but degraded long enough to break when pulled with force.
The gate was heavily corroded, with rust all over it, and Yang Xiao’s palms were left with iron residue after pulling it open.
The entire unit block was silent; no disturbances from any household, nor any light. The whole building seemed like a slumbering beast, quietly waiting.
Because of this, Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan were highly alert ascending the stairs; Yang led in front, while Jiang Qingluan followed. In the corner of the first-floor hallway stood a charred stick, but Yang Xiao didn’t mind, picking it up as protection.
With the building being very quiet, both Yang Xia and Jiang Qingluan lightened their footsteps, unwilling to bother other "residents" in the building.
Luckily, while old, the building’s sensor lights were relatively reliable, allowing Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan to arrive at Room 402 smoothly.
Along the way, they observed closely; the first floor seemed vacant with clutter, and advertising plastered over residents’ doors, clogging keyholes.
The second floor, Room 201 seemed occupied, evidenced by rubber slippers on the doorstep pointing out, likely belonging to an elderly person or at least a middle-aged one.
The third floor also seemed inhabited, Room 301 having garbage bags outside.
The fourth floor, besides Room 402, appeared empty, including Room 401.
Not opening doors rashly, Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan continued upwards reaching the fifth floor, more cluttered. A bicycle rested in the corridor between the two units.
That bicycle, unsure how long it had been there, was dilapidated, with flattened tires and covered in dust.
Yang Xiao was certain neither of the units on this floor were occupied, as so much abandoned junk was left here impeding door access.
Beyond was the sixth floor, but Yang Xiao deemed further exploration unnecessary, so they retraced steps towards the fourth floor, stopping before Room 402, inserting a key into the lock. Turning gently with a crisp bolt release, the door unlocked smoothly.
The layout of the old apartment was simple; opening the door revealed a living room, with a small kitchen, and a smaller bedroom to the left, a master bedroom to the right, alongside a compact bathroom and a small balcony.
Cumulatively, the area would not surpass 70 square meters, with wooden floors in only the two bedrooms while other rooms maintained old-school tile that became slippery when wet.
Having checked every room, both returned and locked the door, allowing them to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Although there are two bedrooms, I still suggest we sleep in one, you’re okay with that?"
Though decided inwardly, Yang Xiao symbolically sought Jiang Qingluan’s opinion, being a gentleman.
Jiang Qingluan shook her head, indifferent and not minding.
They entered the master bedroom, closing its slightly deformed wooden door, locked it, sat on the bed, and Yang Xiao casually sprawled out on the sofa, wrestling with the smoked chicken.
Yang Xiao grabbed a drumstick, popping it into his mouth, chewing heartily as hunger persisted, then snatched another drumstick, handing it to Jiang Qingluan encouragingly: "Have something, beauty; starving keeps one from thinking straight."
Without fuss, Jiang Qingluan joined him, pulling a plastic bag over her hand, grabbed the drumstick, and sat beside Yang Xiao on the sofa, beginning to eat.
"Hey, didn’t see the foam board on the wall behind the door tonight during searches?" Yang Xiao inquired.
"We mentioned seeing it, but there were no papers or names on it." Jiang Qingluan picked up a beer, drinking rapidly.
"Ever figured why names appeared on it later?"
Yang Xiao set down chicken bones, broke off a wing, and continued, "Why were Su Xiaomin and Chen Moting chosen? Why were they preferentially targeted?"
"I pondered the same." Jiang Qingluan reclaimed half of the smoked chicken, slowing Yang Xiao with questions he used to buy time as he devoured.
"Stop." Yang Xiao reached to snatch the last chicken wing, but Jiang Qingluan unhesitatingly swatted his hand away.
Yang Xiao lingered over the wing, shamelessly proposing, "Alright, how about I share my guess for that wing? Maybe you don’t know, I was an orphan, always watching others eating smoked chicken pitifully. Do you understand?"
"Nope." Jiang Qingluan firmly grasped the last wing, eating swiftly; "You’re free to state now."
"Whew..." Yang Xiao chuckled, "You’re shameless, Ms. Jiang from a prestigious family, aren’t you scared of looking bad?"
"What methods work for the person, taught by my master; plus, learned heaps of shameless tactics from the last assignment with you."
With facial flush from the alcohol buzz, Jiang Qingluan also drank rapidly, suggesting her own tension more than Yang Xiao anticipated; she seemed preoccupied.
Yang Xiao adjusted his clothes; despite considering potential defense from Jiang Qingluan as the sole male, her defensiveness puzzled him.
"No jokes now, Su Xiaomin belongs to our group; I’ll share my theory. If I must provide why Su Xiaomin was selected, it’s because she witnessed an ’anomaly,’ mistaking a mannequin locked in the room for a cadaver." Yang Xiao recounted.
"What about Chen Moting, any anomalies?" Since grouped with Jiang Qingluan, her team stayed to survey the office.
Discussing seriously, Jiang Qingluan’s expression grew earnest, striving to recollect the details.
