Chapter 14: The Person Locked in the Basement by Qi Yu

Fang Xiaocao took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and typed out a message to send to Hot Noodles: "Qi Yu has the takeaway, where is he headed?"

This was what Fang Xiaocao urgently needed to know.

At this time, Qi Yu was disguised as a deliveryman, certainly harboring some unspeakable secret.

Hot Noodles: Meiyu Residential Community, Building 103, Unit 3, Basement 102.

"Will it be safe if I head over there now?"

After pondering for a moment, Fang Xiaocao sent the message to ask.

Hot Noodles: You haven't made a choice, I cannot predict in advance.

Looking at the message from Hot Noodles, Fang Xiaocao smiled, started her BMW Mini, and set the navigation to Meiyu Residential Community.

Fang Xiaocao pulled out of the parking space and had driven only two streets in the direction of Meiyu Residential Community when she stopped on the side of the road.

"What about now?"

Fang Xiaocao picked up her phone and sent another message.

Contact does not exist!

Facing the prompt "Contact does not exist," Fang Xiaocao didn't panic but chose to wait patiently.

Hot Noodles: You're going to break me with all this playing!

Five minutes later, Hot Noodles sent a message.

Looking at the WeChat message, Fang Xiaocao laughed.

"Bending the rules feels great."

Fang Xiaocao muttered to herself.

"Do you give me a break normally?"

"I'm just collecting some interest."

"Let's talk results!"

Fang Xiaocao asked with a smile in her message.

Hot Noodles: Humph, just you wait.

Hot Noodles: Safe, Qi Yu has someone locked up in the basement.

"A person?"

On seeing the WeChat message, Fang Xiaocao was taken aback.

"Who?"

Fang Xiaocao asked eagerly.

Hot Noodles: Don't know, but it's someone important, likely a key witness.

Reading the message from Hot Noodles, Fang Xiaocao didn't hesitate to start her BMW Mini and head toward Meiyu Residential Community.

Fang Xiaocao parked her BMW Mini across the street from Meiyu Residential Community, without hurrying to enter.

It wasn't until she saw Qi Yu driving a Maserati out of Meiyu Residential Community that Fang Xiaocao drove around the block and entered the gates of the community.

Meiyu Residential Community was an old complex.

In the security booth, there was only an elderly doorman; there were many tenants from out of town, so there was no need for registration, which conveniently saved Fang Xiaocao a lot of trouble.

Parking her car in a spot near Building 103, Unit 2, Fang Xiaocao got out.

She approached the door of 102, listened intently for a moment, and heard nothing but deathly silence from inside.

The door of 102 was secured with a password lock.

Trying the door, she found it locked.

Clearly, Qi Yu was cautious and hadn't forgotten to lock the door.

Ding-dong!

Just as Fang Xiaocao was considering how to unlock the door, the notification sound from her phone rang out.

Startled, Fang Xiaocao, feeling guilty as if she were a thief, hurriedly took out her phone to check the message.

It was from Hot Noodles.

Hot Noodles: The password is 3081.

Looking at the message, Fang Xiaocao's eyes brightened.

"Why didn't you say there was a password earlier."

Fang Xiaocao muttered to herself and entered the password in succession.

"Click~"

With a soft click, the door lock sprang open.

Fang Xiaocao pulled the door open, glanced around like a thief to ensure no one was watching, and then quickly slipped into 102.

After locking the door behind her, Fang Xiaocao surveyed the room.

The decor was simple; there were no signs of habitation.

"Where is the basement?"

Fang Xiaocao sent a message to ask.

Where the entrance to the basement was, Hot Noodles certainly knew, of that Fang Xiaocao was certain.

Hot Noodles didn't tell itself, it must be to laugh at me.

So, Fang Xiaocao learned her lesson, and instead of waiting for Hot Noodles to speak, she asked directly.

[Hot Noodles: Kitchen partition, there's a storage room, which leads down to the basement.]

"Ah ha~"

Fang Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and said with a laugh.

Upon reaching the kitchen, she immediately spotted the door to the partition.

Fang Xiaocao carefully observed it and found that the partition was obviously frequently used, looking out of place compared to the uninhabited house.

Fang Xiaocao gently twisted the door lock, and the thin plywood door of the partition opened in response.

"Phew~"

Relieved, Fang Xiaocao breathed a sigh of relief seeing this.

"Good thing, Qi Yu didn't lock the door."

Fang Xiaocao said, feeling fortunate.

She walked into the narrow partition.

After advancing just a couple of steps, Fang Xiaocao saw the door that led to the basement.

The moment she opened the basement door, a mix of musty and foul smells hit her in the face.

"Ugh~"

Fang Xiaocao, caught off guard, was nearly sick from the smells suffocating her right after she had eaten her braised pork.

Unable to check the basement, she rushed out of the partition, taking deep breaths of fresh air.

After fishing a mask out of her bag, putting it on, and doing some mental preparation, Fang Xiaocao steeled herself and went back into the partition.

Turning on her phone's flashlight, Fang Xiaocao followed the old wooden staircase into the basement, accompanied by the creaking and groaning of the steps with each step she took.

The basement was incredibly crude, as if dug out privately.

The space in the basement wasn't large and at a glance, she could take in the entire environment.

What met her eyes was a scene of filth and disarray.

Indistinguishable liquids and waste, together with takeaway food containers, were piled up, covering half of the basement.

Seeing this, Fang Xiaocao felt nauseous.

"Ugh~"

Even with the mask on, she could still smell a nauseating stench, like a backed-up sewer.

Next to the pile of garbage was a man with disheveled beard and hair, skinny to the point of being emaciated, curled up in the corner.

The man's neck and hands were both locked with chains as wide as three fingers, and his clothes were stained and stiff like armor.

"Who are you?"

"Why are you locked up here?"

Fang Xiaocao asked.

Upon hearing Fang Xiaocao's voice, the man with the disheveled appearance abruptly lifted his head to look at her.

Those were some eyes!

With sharp, well-defined brows and a determined, bright gaze!

It was incongruous with his disheveled appearance.

"Who are you?"

The hoarse voice reached Fang Xiaocao's ears.

She felt no fear upon hearing the sudden speech, not after seeing his eyes.

If she had been fearful before seeing his eyes, worried that the man might suddenly lash out and harm her,

Now, looking into his eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

"Are you one of them?"

Seeing Fang Xiaocao not responding, the man with the raspy voice asked.

"No, I'm here following him."

Fang Xiaocao answered.

"Who are you?"

"Why are you locked up here?"

Fang Xiaocao approached the man and asked softly.

"My name is Song Lin, I'm the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team at the city's police bureau, I was on an undercover investigation mission, and after being discovered by the suspect, I was wounded, lost consciousness, and brought here," explained the man, the man recognized as Captain Song Lin, in a deep voice.

"Young lady, I can tell you're a good person. Could you help me call the police?" Song Lin asked, the rasp in his voice not concealing its magnetic quality.

"You're Song Lin?"

Fang Xiaocao exclaimed involuntarily.