Jing Shu pulled up the phone surveillance and found no trace of Lin Yi anywhere. He clearly had a strong anti-surveillance sense. It would be hard to dig up anything. What she did see was that an hour ago, Grandma Jing and Zijin had gone out together. Every afternoon they cleaned the old house, but this was usually when Grandma Jing cooked. Otherwise, what would the family eat at night? Besides, cleaning that place took ten minutes at most.
Which meant there was a good chance they ran into Lin Yi while cleaning, then could not leave. And what Grandma Jing had just said on the phone might have been forced.
Jing Shu took a long breath, closed her eyes, and said, "Take me with you. I think my grandma might be in Lin Yi's hands."
The scene at Qian Duoduo's castle was a wreck. After being bombarded one-sidedly, they were scrambling to handle the aftermath. In order to catch the culprit as quickly as possible, Qian Duoduo even provided a helicopter.
Su Xiangnan, after finishing casualty counts on his side, left with Su Mali. He had lost more than a hundred gas cylinders, many of which exploded accidentally. He had never intended to blow up Xishan, but the buried explosives had set off some of the tanks, causing worse secondary damage.
In the apocalypse, energy was priceless. Su Xiangnan now hated Lin Yi to the bone.
Jing Shu boarded the helicopter with Yang Yang and six special forces soldiers, heading straight for Banana Community. Li Yuetian, who had been on standby, led more than a hundred people to Jing Shu's villa.
Jing Shu could not calm down. A hundred scenarios spun through her mind. She even considered using the new ability of her Rubik's Cube Space to cast an illusion on Lin Yi and rescue Grandma Jing. Thinking that way made her feel a little better. The timing of this Rubik's Cube Space upgrade could not have been more perfect.
Fortunately, helicopters were fast. In a straight line it took only five minutes to reach Banana Community. By then, her villa and Building No. 25 were under a tight perimeter, not even a fly could get out.
The helicopter and the large police presence set the entire community buzzing. Watching a spectacle was a very Chinese habit. Only when Li Yuetian announced through a loudspeaker that a serial killer had fled into the community and everyone had to go home to await inspection did the crowd scatter in fear.
After disembarking, Yang Yang's team split up to sweep Building No. 25 door to door. Li Yuetian led a search around the perimeter, while Captain Wang spread a broader net around the neighboring blocks.
It was the apocalypse. Surveillance was not what it had been, but major routes still had cameras. On the way, Jing Shu asked Yang Yang about Lin Yi.
"With so many of you guarding him back then, how did Lin Yi escape alone?"
Yang Yang was baffled too. "This person is very strange. Maybe after the plan went through that day, everyone relaxed. I don't know why I suggested we have a drink. When I woke up, he was gone. But I checked before drinking—he was triple-cuffed in a sealed room that needed three keys. It is not like I got drunk and opened it myself, right?"
Jing Shu fell silent. If they let Lin Yi slip once, he could wriggle away like a loach and never be found again.
She first rushed back to her own villa. Grandpa Jing panicked the moment he saw the wound on her face. She gave him a few quick words of comfort and was about to dash toward Building No. 25 when Grandma Jing and Zijin came in through the door.
Jing Shu froze.
She heard Grandma Jing say to Zijin, "No idea what's going on outside. Why are there so many police? Must be something big."
"I heard they're arresting a murderer."
"Grandma? Why are you only getting back now?" Jing Shu looked them over with suspicion. She had heard that processing human skin took a long time. There was no way they could have been turned into skins in half an hour.
Seeing her injury, Grandma Jing's heart ached. "Child, what did you get into this time? How are you hurt again? Zijin and I were sorting out the damp things today, so it took us longer."
"What about Lin Yi?" Jing Shu ran her hands quickly over Grandma Jing and Zijin to make sure they were themselves before she relaxed. Zijin lowered her head shyly. Jing Shu seemed very domineering today.
"You should call him Brother Lin from now on," Grandma Jing said. "He left already. Drove out of the province. He said he's going far this time, and he gave me 500 virtual coins to extend his rental time. Said he'll come back anytime. What a child." She sighed.
Jing Shu looked to Zijin. Zijin nodded. "That's what he said. We watched him drive off. He did seem in a hurry."
At least he had not harmed Grandma Jing. She could finally breathe. Still, something felt off. After settling Grandma Jing and Zijin, she hurried to Lin Yi's place.
His unit was right across from Grandma Jing's. The entire building was surrounded. Two-person search teams were working floor by floor. Several people were inside Lin Yi's apartment collecting every trace they could find and hauling things out.
By the time Jing Shu arrived, the place was almost empty. The last cabinet was being carried away.
Yang Yang crouched in the bare living room, staring.
"It's strange. He did not lay a hand on my grandma," Jing Shu muttered, frowning.
"He ran. We will never catch him now. Next time he shows up, it will be another bloodbath. This time was luck. You broke his setup. What about next time? Where will he strike?" Yang Yang slammed his fist into the wall. A dull thud. Blood streamed down his knuckles.
"Yeah." Jing Shu stared at the wall. Something flickered through her mind, then blazed into clarity.
"Captain Yang, we will move the rest back to the station. If you need anything, shout from outside. The brothers are canvassing the area."
Yang Yang waved a hand. "Go. I will stay a bit longer."
The door shut with a bang as the last officer left.
"Damn it. Ten minutes. Where could he go?"
"No. He did not run. He does not need to run. Why would he? Compared to the dangers outside, this is the safest place." Jing Shu's eyes shone.
She thought she finally understood Lin Yi's special ability.
"What do you mean?" Yang Yang frowned.
"Lin Yi. Zero. He is still in this apartment." Jing Shu slammed her fist against the wall.
Thud, thud, thud.
Yang Yang's confusion only deepened. What did she mean?