Chapter 115: Feeding Live Prey to Fish

　　Lu Fei and Hu Zi couldn't help but exchange glances.

　　Was this bald man being so generous out of respect for their faces?

　　Or was there some kind of trap?

　　"Thank you, Mr. Hua." Lu Fei slightly nodded at the bald man and led the Yu Zhensheng couple into the estate.

　　"Thank you! Thank you!"

　　Yu Zhensheng and his wife were extremely grateful, nodding and bowing repeatedly to the bald man.

　　The Moonview Manor wasn't too large in area.

　　Lu Fei and Hu Zi accompanied Yu Zhensheng's parents, thoroughly searching every nook and cranny of the manor, including the kitchen and the warehouse.

　　However, there was not a single trace of the child in any of these places.

　　The bald man also called out the chefs and waiters, asking them to recognize the photo on the missing person notice.

　　But each one shook their head, saying they had never seen the child.

　　"Manager Lu, you see, if there really were a child here, everyone would have noticed by now," the bald man said with a faint smile to Lu Fei.

　　"Dongdong, where are you?"

　　The light in Yu Zhensheng and his wife's eyes dimmed, tightly clutching the child's armband, their faces filled with disappointment and bewilderment.

　　"There are still places we haven't searched!" Hu Zi pointed to the small building behind the mountain villa, "It's right there!"

　　"Brother, that's where I live. Didn't you guys already check it out last night?" The bald man smiled calmly.

　　Hu Zi, unwilling to give up, said, "We did check the building, but not the flat-roofed house."

　　"That's where I raise eels. My breeding method is a trade secret; how can I just let outsiders in? If others find out my recipe, who will be responsible for the loss?"

　　"What's the big deal about raising fish! Are you scared or guilty?" Hu Zi shouted. He didn't have a good impression of this man with a perpetual smile.

　　He had once heard from his father that no one could always keep a smile, unless they were faking it.

　　Lu Fei pressed down on his shoulder and stepped forward with a smile, "Mr. Hua, think of the parents' concern. Let them take a look, so they can rest assured. Moreover, it will also prove the integrity of the mountain villa, and no one will gossip about it anymore, right?"

　　Yu Zhensheng looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, as he nervously watched the bald man.

　　"Since Manager Lu has spoken, it's not entirely impossible." The bald man thought for a moment and said, "But I have a condition."

　　"Mr. Hua, rest assured, no matter what we see, we won't spread it around," Lu Fei said.

　　The Yu Zhensheng couple nodded vigorously.

　　"That's one aspect. Additionally, I'd like to ask Manager Lu for help in resolving the troubles I'm facing," the bald man said with a smile, looking at Lu Fei.

　　Lu Fei slightly narrowed his eyes. It was broad daylight, and the baby spirit attached to the bald man was not visible, but he could see that the bald man was enveloped in black energy.

　　He didn't expect the bald man to use this as a bargaining chip.

　　"Mr. Hua, I'm not very good at dealing with things unrelated to malevolent spirits."

　　"Manager Lu, you're too modest. I've heard there's nothing dirty that Sinisterium Pawnshop can't handle," the bald man's meaning was clear; if Lu Fei didn't agree, he wouldn't back down.

　　Lu Fei turned to look at the Yu Zhensheng couple.

　　The couple did not say anything, but their eyes were filled with tears.

　　"Alright, I agree." Lu Fei quickly made his decision.

　　"Manager Lu, you have a kind heart. I knew you would agree."

　　The bald man, with a hint of self-satisfaction in his smile, led the group through the mountain villa to the row of pitch-black bungalows.

　　He opened the door with a key.

　　A damp, humid air immediately hit their faces.

　　There were two large ponds inside the bungalow. The water surface was calm, but upon closer inspection, one could see many eels, snake-like creatures, beneath the water.

　　The smaller ones were only as thick as a finger, while the larger ones were thicker than an infant's arm.

　　They were squeezed among the mud, seemingly asleep, and the densely packed outlines made one's skin crawl.

　　Yu Zhensheng and his wife looked around anxiously.

　　The interior of the bungalow was very simple; one could see everything at a glance, and there were no places to hide anyone.

　　"See? It's impossible for there to be children here," the bald man said calmly.

　　"What about behind that door?" Lu Fei asked, looking at the last door.

　　"This is where we store the eels' food." The bald man opened the door directly, letting everyone see inside.

　　Huzi was very curious about what exactly was used to raise these eerie moon-gazing eels, so he stretched his neck to look inside.

　　He was immediately stunned.

　　Inside were two rows of iron cages, with over a dozen lambs locked inside.

　　The lambs were all listless, with dull eyes, lying quietly in the cages, making no sound at all.

　　"Sheep?!"

　　Lu Fei's heart skipped a beat.

　　"That's right, we use these live lambs to feed the eels, absolutely not any kind of rotting carcasses. Only fish raised on live prey have the most delicious meat."

　　Frowning, Huzi said, "I've never heard of using live sheep to feed fish. Aren't you being too cruel?!"

　　"Cruel? Isn't it the same as feeding chickens and ducks with worms?" the bald man said without a care, "Anyway, when the sheep grow up, they are meant to be slaughtered for meat. What's the difference between feeding them to fish or to people?"

　　Huzi was momentarily at a loss for words, feeling extremely uncomfortable but unable to find any reason to refute.

　　Lu Fei looked back and forth at the lambs without saying a word.

　　The lambs were all listless and very weak. Some of them had bloodstains on their bodies and did not react at all to the arrival of outsiders.

　　It seemed as if they were all about to die.

　　"Gentlemen, have you seen enough? I don't have the child you're looking for here." The bald man's gaze swept over everyone, and his smile was very confident.

　　Huzi said unwillingly, "We need to search the building one more time."

　　"No problem." The bald man was very patient and immediately led everyone to search the small building again.

　　Of course, they found nothing.

　　"Dongdong, where are you..."

　　Unable to find the child, due to extreme disappointment and grief, Mrs. Yu could no longer hold on and suddenly collapsed, her legs giving way.

　　"Mom! Mom, don't scare me!"

　　Yu Zhensheng frantically held his wife in his arms.

　　Lu Fei quickly came forward, pinched Madam Yu's cold middle finger to help her stabilize her spirit.

　　Huzi hurriedly called 120.

　　The ambulance arrived very soon. Fortunately, Madam Yu was not in life-threatening condition, but she was physically and mentally exhausted and could no longer search day and night. She needed to rest.

　　Looking at his frail wife, Yu Zhensheng seemed drained of all energy.

　　"Maybe we should give up. I have already lost my child; I can't afford to lose my wife too. Mr. Lu, I've caused you so much trouble!"

　　Watching the ambulance drive away, Lu Fei couldn't help but clench his fists, deep in thought.

　　"Poor them! If heaven had eyes, it would have brought their child back!" Huzi sighed with a heavy heart.

　　"If praying to heaven worked, there wouldn't be so many tragedies in this world!"

　　Lu Fei took a deep breath, and when he turned to face the bald man, he actually put on a smile as if his expression had changed instantly.

　　It's just fake smiling, isn't it?

　　Who doesn't know how to do that!