The Dark Room Under the Ground

At noon, Huang Xiaotao ordered takeout boxes for everyone. Wang Dali, after watching videos all morning, excitedly said, "Let's get the takeout!"

I rolled my eyes at him. He didn't show any tact in his words.

The takeout was curry pork chops rice and teriyaki chicken rice, very delicious. One takeout box probably cost over twenty yuan. I thought to myself that Huang Xiaotao was really willing to spend money.

After the meal, the police officer who had gone to investigate the license plate came back, saying he had found it. The owner was a self-employed wholesale towel merchant.

Upon hearing this news, everyone's eyes lit up. In the midst of the case being at an impasse, a new clue had finally emerged, like a clear spring bubbling up in stagnant water. Everyone was extremely excited, of course.

When I heard which residential area the self-employed merchant lived in, it sounded very familiar. It turned out to be the same area where Master Tang sold his buns!

Huang Xiaotao said, "Don't get too excited too early. He's just the owner of the car, not necessarily related to the case. Song Yang, let's go check it out."

Wang Dali excitedly said, "Sister Xiaotao, I want to come along too."

"No need for three people to go. You stay and keep watching videos."

Wang Dali was a little unhappy, but under Huang Xiaotao's firm demand could only obey orders. Huang Xiaotao and I left the police station. She stretched her neck and said, "After staring at the TV all morning, my neck is stiff. It's good to get out and move around, get some fresh air."

I smiled and said, "You really know how to abuse your authority."

"What's wrong with that? I brought you along, didn't I? You should be thanking me!" Huang Xiaotao winked.

We drove to the residential area in question, and asked the property management office about this car owner's residence. The owner was a middle-aged man. Huang Xiaotao asked if he had ever lent out his car. He said he never had.

Huang Xiaotao also asked if he had gone to a certain residential area late at night on a certain date. The owner also said no.

I was observing the whole time. He really wasn't lying.

Huang Xiaotao sighed in puzzlement, "So was your car stolen then?"

The owner said, "No ah, it's always been in the parking lot. What case are you guys investigating anyway? I have a shipment to pick up this afternoon!"

I asked, "What is your license plate number?"

The owner casually recited a number, but it was different from the one we had. It turned out he had two cars. The older one had all kinds of problems, so he'd left it in the parking lot near the residential area and hadn't checked on it for a long time.

Huang Xiaotao asked him to take us to see it. The owner led us to the parking lot near the residential area, walking all the way to the innermost spot. We discovered a different sedan parked there. He scratched his head and said, "Oh no, where's my car?"

"It looks like it was stolen." Huang Xiaotao let out a sigh.

The owner was quite easygoing about it. He said, "No problem, if it's lost then it's lost! I bought that car twenty years ago. I wanted to get rid of it for a while now. This thief did me a favor, officers. I won't be filing a report."

Huang Xiaotao glared at him, "Alright, you can go!"

After the man left, Huang Xiaotao gave me a wry smile, "See, I knew it wouldn't be that easy."

"Why would the perpetrator steal a car here?" I asked.

"Jin Huo Ma must often come around this area, and noticed this old car long ago. This type of van probably doesn't have a security alarm either. Oh right, the car has probably been to a repair shop before. Should we go ask around?" Huang Xiaotao had a brainwave.

"Good idea!"

While agreeing verbally, my eyes couldn't help looking toward Master Tang's steamed bun shop. It was still closed at this time.

Huang Xiaotao asked what I was thinking about. I said, "Why do I feel like everything that's happened so far has some subtle connection to Master Tang, yet the suspect Jin Huo Ma we've singled out is like a ghost, elusive?"

"Didn't you say the owner didn't lie? Or did you see it wrong?" Huang Xiaotao stopped in her tracks.

"My eyes are like a high-precision lie detector, able to capture a person's microexpressions when they lie, even subtle changes in the pores and blood vessels on their face. But I don't rule out special circumstances, like people with extremely resilient mental states who can lie without any emotional fluctuations. It's said that highly trained special forces can fool lie detectors and even truth serums." I explained.

"Could Master Tang be that kind of person? I think he's just an ordinary, timid citizen." Huang Xiaotao said disdainfully.

"That's what I think too..." I replied.

Huang Xiaotao slapped my shoulder, "Oh well, since we're here already, let's see him one more time. No need to be polite this time, ask more questions, see if there are any clues we've missed."

"Okay!"

We knocked on Master Tang's door, but no one answered. Huang Xiaotao made a phone call, to the undercover cops staking out the place, asking if Master Tang had gone out. They replied he'd been home the whole time.

But no matter how we knocked, no one answered the door. Huang Xiaotao handed me two hairpins, "Come on, Detective Song, time to show your skills."

"Breaking into a private residence, isn't that bad?" I hesitated a little.

"No worries, I'll take responsibility for anything!" Huang Xiaotao thumped her chest.

It only took me ten seconds to jimmy the lock open, but there was no one inside the house. Huang Xiaotao immediately flared up and called back the same number, yelling at the cops for losing surveillance on a person. How could they let a whole man leave the shop without seeing?

The call came back, "We're going to look for him right away!"

I saw two people get out of the black car across the street, splitting up in different directions.

I walked back and forth in the shop, using my Abyssal Eyes to carefully investigate. On the cutting board was some flour and a lump of freshly kneaded dough. Next to it was a bucket of prepared meat filling. The lights were all on.

It looked like Master Tang had been about to start steaming buns, but where was the person? There was no other entrance or exit in the shop. Could he have vanished into thin air?

Huang Xiaotao said, "Looks like he's not here. Let's go back for now!"

"Wait!"

My gaze fell to the floor next to the cutting board. Some flour was scattered on the ground, with two straight track marks across it. Huang Xiaotao followed my line of sight and showed a trace of doubt, "What's this about?"

I looked up. Next to the cutting board was a large freezer. I immediately understood, "Someone just dragged this freezer over."

"There must be a hidden door under the freezer!" Huang Xiaotao exclaimed excitedly.

"Come on, let's move it and see."

Huang Xiaotao and I worked together to shift the freezer, revealing a large metal trapdoor underneath. We looked at each other in shock, then I pulled open the door. A stream of cold air rushed out from below.

"It's a bomb shelter!" I said.

"Why is there a bomb shelter under the steamed bun shop?" Huang Xiaotao asked in surprise.

I looked around. The mottled limestone walls had some faded slogans that looked to be from the 1970s. I explained, "This was probably a warehouse originally. When China broke ties with the Soviet Union back then, the Soviets threatened to drop nuclear bombs on China. To respond to the national policy of 'dig deep and store grain', all provinces and cities built quite a few bomb shelters, many of which still exist today."

"Should we go down and take a look?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"Sure!"

I had an inkling that some important clue was hidden down below.

Recommend Series

Villain: Even as a Girl, I Can Still Crush the Protagonist

Villain: Even as a Girl, I Can Still Crush the Protagonist

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

Teaching the Female Lead to Be Thick-Skinned, Not Shameless

Teaching the Female Lead to Be Thick-Skinned, Not Shameless

close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"

Live Stream Kidnapping of a Female Celebrity

Live Stream Kidnapping of a Female Celebrity

saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"

As Long as I Outlast You All, I’ll Be Invincible

As Long as I Outlast You All, I’ll Be Invincible

end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia