Chapter Eighteen: Targeted for the Third Time

Facing the half-open door, Xu Fan was just about to kick it open when Chen Bingfeng pulled him back, fixing him with a stern gaze.

“We’re not here to arrest anyone!”

“Force of habit!” Xu Fan replied sheepishly.

The interior was spacious, a three-bedroom apartment with a living room—quite unlike those tin houses, where without partitions, you’d only have a single bedroom and a bathroom, forcing people to cook outside.

All three wore expressions of envy.

Xu Fan sighed, “Captain Lu’s home is in the inner city. I drove him back once, and went inside—it’s even more luxurious than this.”

“We’re here to investigate, not admire the decor,” Chen Bingfeng retorted righteously.

The three of them searched around, and Ye Chen frowned slightly.

The most conspicuous bloodstains in the house were two pools—one in the kitchen, the other in the bathroom—now dried to a dark red.

“The female victim’s body was found in the kitchen; the male was found in the bathroom,” Chen Bingfeng added.

“Why weren’t both found in the bathroom?” Xu Fan had barely finished speaking before he was met with two disdainful glares.

From just half a day’s acquaintance, Ye Chen already had a good grasp—over eighty percent—of this dark-skinned, chubby man’s character.

…No wonder Captain Dai had asked Chen Bingfeng to let Xu Fan be remolded.

“Did you notice something? Something crucial?” Ye Chen’s tone carried a hint of incredulity.

Xu Fan blinked, trying hard to keep up with the conversation.

Chen Bingfeng, face solemn, voiced his doubts: “I was thinking the same thing. How could a wild beast kill two adults in the same house one after the other, and not be noticed?”

“Or perhaps, is it possible there were two of these creatures?”

Ye Chen responded, “Exactly, you’re thinking what I am. Recall how, when we questioned the neighbors, everyone said they didn’t hear any cries for help from inside?”

At this point, Ye Chen shuddered involuntarily.

“Yes, yes!” Xu Fan chimed in earnestly, eager to show he was on the same wavelength.

Imagine—when a beast tries to kill you, any normal person would fight back. Such commotion would surely alert the other occupant. Either they’d rush over to help or flee in search of aid, not sit and wait for death.

This line of reasoning stemmed from the fact that the furnishings remained perfectly orderly—no items knocked over or broken, no signs of struggle.

A single word flashed through everyone’s mind—assassin.

Ye Chen searched the kitchen and bathroom floors intently.

Chen Bingfeng asked, puzzled, “What are you looking for?”

“I’m searching for animal hair. Even if there’s no sign of a fight, if a beast pounced on you and you had no weapon, what would you do?”

Chen Bingfeng instinctively replied, “I’d try to push it away, or… or grab its fur, trying to yank it off.”

Ye Chen nodded. That was precisely it—there wasn’t even a trace of animal hair, which was strange.

“I saw some hair!”

“Where?” Ye Chen and Chen Bingfeng demanded in unison.

“Uh… On the bed, on the bed! I saw curly hair up there just now!”

“Get out!”

“Shut up!”

Behind the kitchen was the back door. Ye Chen gently pushed it open, discovering a narrow alley—a shared passage for all the houses in the row.

Xu Fan explained proactively, “That’s how these residential blocks are laid out—eight or nine houses lined up together. The main doors face the street; the yard walls separate each home, making it seem like a private space. But the narrow alley out back connects all the houses, used for dumping trash, storing odds and ends.”

Chen Bingfeng nodded slightly… That’s the most proper thing you’ve said all day.

Ye Chen noticed the alley was separated from the street by a four-meter-high wall—the standard height for city walls.

Without a word, he squatted, jumped, and grabbed, easily vaulting over.

Chen Bingfeng took a running start, jumped off a trash bin, and followed.

Xu Fan hesitated, rubbing his previously injured backside, then finally dashed for a trash bin. Just as he steadied himself atop it, ready to leap, the two figures reappeared, climbing back into the alley.

They exchanged glances.

“Anything?”

“Nothing!”

Xu Fan looked blankly, not quite following.

“We were checking outside to see if there were any claw marks on the wall,” Chen Bingfeng explained concisely. As a teammate, he felt Xu Fan ought to know.

The next second, the two noticed Ye Chen standing silently, staring intently at the back door handle, his expression grave.

They crowded around, seeing the handle smeared with blackish-red sludge.

Slowly, all their brows furrowed.

Xu Fan, quietly, extended his hand to compare sizes with the stain. This time, no one stopped him.

The three exchanged silent glances—cautious, astonished, bewildered.

Ye Chen leaned in, sniffing the handle carefully, and declared with certainty, “It smells of blood!”

“Beep! Beep! Beep!”

At that moment, their communicators chimed simultaneously, shattering the silence.

They each checked—Captain Dai had messaged the team group: “Assemble!”

“Damn, it’s already so late! Let’s go, the boss is calling!” Xu Fan didn’t hesitate, running toward the trash bin.

Chen Bingfeng grabbed his collar, pulling him back, “Front door! Come on!”

With the sun sinking in the west, the three hurried toward the Outer City Patrol Office.

Suddenly, Ye Chen was gripped by an inexplicable chill, as if a needle pricked his back.

He stopped abruptly, whirling around to look behind.

For the third time!

Just now, in a fleeting instant, he had felt that gaze upon him again.

The first time had been on the way home—nothing happened, except for Little Marinated Egg’s friend reporting a stolen chicken.

The second was on the way to the tavern—the attack happened that night, and someone died.

Now, the third time.

Where was this icy, chilling stare coming from?

“What’s wrong?” Chen Bingfeng turned, puzzled.

“I’ll tell you later! Now’s not the time—not for me, at least!”

Because Ye Chen had calculated—he was only about a night away from completing the Beast-level Breathing Technique.