Chapter 271: A Step Too Late, Ghost Slips Away Like an Eel

Even though it was already ten o’clock at night, the Yangliu Criminal Investigation Brigade moved with swift precision, wasting not a single moment.

The moment Chen Sheng gave the order to mobilize, within less than three minutes, several police cars had already pulled out of the parking lot.

As midnight approached, the roads remained clear. They didn’t even need to turn on the sirens, racing toward the Urban Village at top speed.

To prevent Ghost from escaping ahead of time, Chen Sheng had already instructed the local patrol officers in the area to stake out the residential building and temporarily forbid any tenants inside from leaving.

Since they couldn’t be sure what kind of disguise Ghost might be using, the safest course of action was to prevent anyone from exiting the building.

To avoid the possibility of Ghost taking other tenants hostage, they even had the sub-landlord of the building call each tenant, instructing them to lock their doors from the inside and stay put for the next few hours to prevent any unexpected incidents.

…

Just a few dozen meters from the target location, the police vehicles came to a silent stop. Su Ming and the others jumped out without hesitation and jogged toward House No. 226.

The Urban Village was densely populated and chaotic. The sudden arrival of so many police cars naturally caused quite a stir.

A large group of migrant workers poked their heads out of windows, trying to see what was going on.

But that was the extent of it. While people in the Dragon Country loved to watch a scene unfold, the sight of so many criminal investigators, combined with the uncertainty of the situation, was enough to keep them from getting too close. That saved the officers the trouble of clearing the area.

At the foot of House No. 226, Chen Sheng looked toward the patrol officers who had been staking out the building. His brows furrowed as he asked in a low voice, “What’s the situation? Any sign of movement from Ghost?”

One of the patrol officers, who had been on stakeout for quite some time, shook his head and handed over a key.

“No, sir. We’ve stationed a few people right outside Room 301. So far, everything inside seems quiet.”

“There hasn’t been a single sound, which actually made us wonder… if the suspect might’ve committed suicide out of guilt.”

“But since you gave specific instructions earlier, we didn’t force the door. We’ve just been quietly holding position to prevent Ghost from making a desperate escape.”

“This is the spare key to Ghost’s room. We just got it from the landlord. If he didn’t lock the door from the inside, it should open without issue.”

As Chen Sheng took the key, Xu Changsheng, standing nearby, wore a grave expression. He turned to Su Ming and said, “Xiao Ming, it’s strange that Ghost hasn’t made a single sound.”

“From the start, Ghost kept fleeing because he knew we were onto him. He might’ve even been prepared to go down fighting.”

“But now? The patrol officers who arrived first didn’t hear a thing—not even a single suspicious noise from inside.”

“That’s definitely not normal. These kinds of rental units are built for cheap housing, not privacy. The walls are paper-thin. Any movement inside should be easy to hear.”

“Plus, judging by how cautious Ghost has been, he probably set up surveillance equipment or listening devices. There’s no way he didn’t know we were coming.”

“This whole situation feels off…”

Before Xu Changsheng could finish, Su Ming cut in, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“Unless I’m wrong, Ghost has already slipped away.”

“There’s no way he committed suicide under K’s coercion.”

“Think about it—Ghost was willing to kill his own wife just to protect himself. That tells you everything you need to know: he’s a complete egotist.”

“So even if K threatened him with his family or something else, Ghost most likely wouldn’t comply. He wouldn’t kill himself just to end our pursuit early.”

“And I don’t think K would risk burning bridges with Ghost either. Remember the evidence Lan Cai’er uncovered? Ghost probably knows about it too.”

“That evidence is likely the one thing keeping K from turning on him.”

“When you put all these clues together, there’s really only one conclusion: with K’s help or warning, Ghost left this place ahead of time and relocated.”

“And once K realizes Ghost is no longer useful, he’ll have him eliminated without hesitation—just like he did with Qiang Wei and Poison.”

“To someone as ruthless and calculating as K, only the dead can keep secrets forever.”

“But regardless, we still need to go up and take a look. Maybe we’ll find some leftover clues, or at least determine when exactly Ghost fled.”

As Su Ming finished speaking, Chen Sheng’s expression grew visibly heavier and more disappointed. He had come here hoping for a breakthrough, only to find that Ghost had likely escaped yet again.

Still, without a moment’s hesitation, he took the lead and headed up the stairs of the building.

…

On the third floor of the building, Chen Sheng saw a group of patrol officers crouched at the far end of the corridor, alert and watchful. In front of them was Room 301, marked by the sub-landlord.

Chen Sheng walked straight to the door, took a deep breath, and inserted the spare key into the lock, gently twisting it.

Click—

A crisp unlocking sound rang out immediately.

At that moment, everyone present couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

If Ghost had still been hiding inside, he would’ve definitely locked the door from within. The fact that the key turned so easily meant he had most likely already fled to who knows where.

Since Ghost was almost certainly no longer inside, Chen Sheng didn’t waste any more time. He turned the key again and pushed the door open.

What met his eyes was a messy bed piled with all kinds of makeup products. On the only piece of furniture in the room—a desk—sat two opened containers of instant noodles and a small surveillance monitor facing the door.

This single-room unit had no windows or balcony. A single glance was enough to take in the entire interior.

Chen Sheng’s expression darkened as he stepped inside, immediately unplugging the Tmall Genie on the desk to prevent Ghost from monitoring their movements.

Then he turned to Su Ming and Xu Changsheng, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Team Leader Su, Captain Xu…”

“This Ghost really is like an eel—he slipped away from us again, just a step ahead…”