Chapter 207 - 205: Walked Here Together
Chapter 207: Chapter 205: Walked Here Together
When Lu Zhishen finished work, Su Miaoyi was just about done eating.
The two of them left the station together.
At the entrance to the city bureau, they happened to run into Zhuang Yanzheng, who was just coming back.
"Just getting back?" Lu Zhishen asked as he tied up his long hair.
"Yeah." Zhuang Yanzheng had been at a meeting and was just returning. "Why are you two only leaving now?"
"There was a fraud case from the branch office. I was working on a composite sketch," Lu Zhishen said.
Zhuang Yanzheng’s gaze fell on Su Miaoyi.
Su Miaoyi was standing turned to the side, staring off into the distance.
Zhuang Yanzheng said, "Did you go looking for food again?"
Su Miaoyi didn’t respond.
Instead, she suddenly started walking forward.
Zhuang Yanzheng watched her steadily descend the steps. "Hey?"
Su Miaoyi didn’t react.
Lu Zhishen frowned, then suddenly understood what was happening.
Zhuang Yanzheng quickly walked up to her. "Where are you going? Are you coming back for dinner?"
Lu Zhishen shot him a speechless glance before answering for her, "She already ate dinner."
After that, neither of them spoke. They flanked her, one on her left and one on her right, and followed as she walked on.
Lu Zhishen craned his neck to get a better look at her.
Her eyes were vacant and unresponsive. Her movements had become somewhat mechanical.
He looked over at Zhuang Yanzheng.
Zhuang Yanzheng had encountered this situation once before.
"Let’s just follow her."
Lu Zhishen had never seen this happen before, only heard about it. He nodded and kept pace beside her.
When they reached the curb, Su Miaoyi didn’t even pause, walking straight into the road.
Lu Zhishen held up a hand to stop traffic, afraid a car would run right into her. As they reached the other side, Zhuang Yanzheng held up his own hand to stop traffic from the other direction.
After they crossed the street, Lu Zhishen’s heart was still POUNDING.
Even though the cars had all been pretty far away, crossing the street without even looking... It was terrifying.
"This is way too dangerous," Lu Zhishen whispered.
Zhuang Yanzheng just frowned, not saying a word.
It was far too dangerous.
"Did you have something to do back at the bureau? If so, you should go. I can follow her," Lu Zhishen suddenly remembered to ask.
Zhuang Yanzheng shook his head. "No, I’m fine. I was just stopping by on my way back."
Lu Zhishen said no more.
And so, the two of them continued to follow her.
It was July now, so the sun set much later.
Even though they’d been off work for a while, the sky still wasn’t completely dark, just dim.
Lu Zhishen and Zhuang Yanzheng observed that even though she was dazed and unresponsive, she managed to avoid nearly every obstacle. She knew to follow the path of the road.
However, as it grew darker, she could only seem to avoid larger objects, like buildings, streetlights, and trash cans on the sidewalk.
Once the sky was completely dark, she walked steadily in well-lit areas.
But in darker spots, she would trip over twigs, pebbles, steps, and curbs.
Zhuang Yanzheng had noticed it last time at the bureau, when she was walking from the main office area to the forensic center. She was steady in the light but prone to falling in the dark.
This confirmed his theory.
No wonder she’d gotten that big bump on her head the night she walked toward the river.
It had been too dark, and she hadn’t seen the tree.
"Where is she going?" Lu Zhishen whispered, checking the time. They had been walking for an hour and a half already. "Does she have to walk the whole way? Can’t she take a bus or something?"
"Apparently not, from the looks of it," Zhuang Yanzheng said.
"Honestly, I’ve never seen a Special Ability that’s such a pain in the ass," Lu Zhishen murmured.
As they entered a darker area, Zhuang Yanzheng kept an eye on Su Miaoyi’s footing. "Who else have you seen with a Special Ability?"
Lu Zhishen didn’t answer.
’I’ve only ever seen it on TV.’
In real life, Su Miaoyi was the only one.
’The price for this Special Ability is just too dangerous.’
’Dangerous and exhausting.’
「Three hours later」
Su Miaoyi stopped in front of the fire escape door of an apartment building.
’I don’t think I’ve ever walked this long in my entire life,’ Lu Zhishen thought.
He slowly steadied his breathing and looked around.
It was a residential complex, not particularly new, but not old either.
There was an elevator that didn’t require a key card; you just had to press the button to go up.
But Su Miaoyi had led them up the fire escape—all the way to the sixteenth floor, the top floor.
There were two apartments on the sixteenth floor, both visible from the fire escape door.
The door to 1601 was shut tight. Apartment 1602 was vacant and appeared to be under renovation. Its door was wide open, with cabinets and a few bags of cement stacked outside.
The hallway light was sound-activated.
It had turned on when they came up the stairs, but once Su Miaoyi stopped at the landing, she didn’t move.
And then the light went out.
Suddenly plunged into darkness, Lu Zhishen felt a hand grab his arm.
He flinched. His heartbeat, which had just started to slow down, suddenly began to race again.
"Where are we?" Su Miaoyi asked, tightening her grip on Lu Zhishen’s arm.
The sound of her voice made the light turn on again.
Zhuang Yanzheng clapped a hand over her mouth.
Su Miaoyi instinctively grabbed his arm and looked up at him.
Zhuang Yanzheng motioned for her to be quiet, then let her go.
Su Miaoyi looked between the two men, her breathing ragged.
Lu Zhishen stared at her.
’How strange.’
’She wasn’t even out of breath when she came up here, but now that she’s conscious, she’s panting.’
Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at the two apartments on the sixteenth floor and went to 1602 first. His footsteps were so light they were nearly silent.
Su Miaoyi and Lu Zhishen waited outside. One kept an eye on 1601, while the other was ready to rush into 1602 at a moment’s notice.
Apartment 1602 was under renovation, and at this hour, it was empty.
The apartment was practically bare.
The walls looked recently painted, and nearly all the furniture was stacked outside.
After coming out of 1602, Zhuang Yanzheng knocked on the door of 1601.
There was no answer.
Zhuang Yanzheng rested a hand on the gun at the small of his back and listened for any sounds from within. There was nothing.
It seemed to be unoccupied.
Lu Zhishen checked the electric meter.
The meter was running, but the electricity consumption was very low—not what you’d expect if someone was living there.
Zhuang Yanzheng sent a message to the city bureau, asking them to run a check on the address.
Lu Zhishen went downstairs to ask the neighbors. One of them said that someone used to live in the apartment upstairs but seemed to have moved out.
The neighbor didn’t know them, so they couldn’t provide much detail.
They said the previous tenants had likely moved out over a year ago.
In any case, it seemed the apartment had been vacant for more than a year.
"I walked you guys all the way here?" Su Miaoyi asked, though she already knew the answer.
Zhuang Yanzheng said, "You’re a real marathon walker. Next time the city holds a sports competition, you should sign up for the race walking event."
Su Miaoyi: "..."
"There’s a ninety-nine percent chance there’s a body here," Su Miaoyi said.
Zhuang Yanzheng waited a moment for a reply from the bureau.
The owner’s information came through.
But they hadn’t been able to contact the owner.
Furthermore, the current owner on record had purchased the apartment just over a year ago.
After reading the message, Zhuang Yanzheng decided to breach the door.
Lu Zhishen aimed his gun at the doorway while Su Miaoyi picked up a discarded table leg from across the hall.
The door swung open. The apartment was pitch-black and empty.
The three of them crept inside cautiously but found no one.
They turned on the lights and searched every room.
A thick layer of dust covered the tables; it looked like no one had lived there for a very long time.
They didn’t have any shoe covers, only gloves. The three of them put them on and began to look around.
Everything looked normal, just like any ordinary, long-unoccupied home.
Until Su Miaoyi opened the chest freezer in the kitchen, and all three of them jumped in shock...