In front of the abandoned warehouse.

    Jiang Liu kicked open the rusty, dilapidated iron door. With a creak, a cloud of dust flew up, causing the group to back away. She covered her mouth and nose and peered inside, but it was too dark to see anything clearly.

    Behind her, Xu Meng thoughtfully shone a flashlight for her. The dust hanging in the air instantly became a beam of light, barely allowing them to make out the general layout.

    “Do we really not need to go look for him?” Xu Meng held back a cough, her heart filled with unease.

    They still had no leads on Sister Tang Ruo and her brother, and now a living person had disappeared overnight. She couldn’t help but worry for him.

    “It’s broad daylight, no need to rush,” Jiang Liu said, waving her hand to disperse the dust and reassuring Xu Meng with her words.

    What was important now was to verify her theory.

    They had circled the villa twice before discovering this warehouse in a corner. Judging by the material of the iron door, it had been built many years ago. It was covered in rust and overgrown with ivy, which was why they hadn’t noticed it at first.

    Jiang He was inside watching the child; they had to hurry up and search.

    With this in mind, she signaled for Xu Meng to follow closely before striding in.

    From the outside, it looked like an old, temporarily constructed warehouse. There were no windows or lights at all. Who knew how long it had been sealed? The moment Jiang Liu stepped inside, she smelled a damp odor, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

    As she was looking around, she suddenly heard a soft gasp from behind her. It was Xu Meng, who had just followed her in.

    A little worried, Jiang Liu turned her head and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

    “I lost my footing,” Xu Meng replied, saying it was nothing. She hadn’t been watching where she was going and had accidentally stepped on something, which gave her a fright.

    The two of them looked down and saw a deflated leather ball. It had been stepped on and was now lying flat on the ground, all dusty.

    “It’s probably Xiao Liang’s toy. Don’t be scared,” Jiang Liu said. She took the flashlight from Xu Meng’s hand, turned it to its brightest setting, and the two of them began to search the warehouse.

    According to Qiao Pan’er’s notebook, they had lived here continuously until the two children started elementary school, at which point the family moved away. It was clear that many old things were still kept in the warehouse. In a corner, there were even two quilts stacked up, and some scattered toys had been packed in a cardboard box, preserved very well.

    “Toy guns, dolls, marbles, toy cars…” Jiang Liu muttered the names of the things she found. She noticed that whether they were in good condition or broken, they were all signed with a marker pen. A crookedly written character for “Liang” was clearly visible on them.

    There were two children of similar age in the family, so how could there only be toys belonging to one of them?

    Jiang Liu’s patience with the parents was wearing thin. She tossed the items aside and continued to search. Just then, she heard Xu Meng call out from beside her, “Sister Jiang, look at this.”

    Her hands were covered in dust as she held up a grimy stuffed doll for Jiang Liu to see.

    The doll was only about the size of a palm, looking more like a small or medium-sized pendant. Although its exterior was grimy, you could still vaguely make out the shape of a black cat. A patch of red fur on its tail had been torn open, revealing the cotton inside.

    Not only that, but the black cat’s stomach had been stabbed open with scissors, and a crumpled piece of paper was stuffed inside. Jiang Liu opened it and saw more blood-red handwriting. Countless large X’s were drawn on it.

    “Could Xiao Liang have done all this?” Xu Meng shivered. Looking at the unfaded crimson color, she couldn’t help but gasp.

    If a child of this age is guided properly, they already begin to understand things and know right from wrong. They would certainly understand that leaving such symbols on someone else’s belongings is impolite.

    Moreover, in a warehouse filled with a musty and damp smell, the handwriting on the note looked like streaks of fresh blood. It was completely unimaginable that it had come from the hand of a child.

    “It’s possible.”

    Jiang Liu looked at the rabbit and thought for a moment. She haphazardly pushed the things into a corner and strode towards the door. “Let’s go back and try.”

    As soon as she got close to the living room, she heard Xiao Liang’s deafening wails, accompanied by Jiang He’s helpless shouts.

    “What’s going on?” Xu Meng hurried over and saw a shattered toy car in front of the two of them. Xiao Liang was staring at Jiang He with hatred, as if he were looking at a mortal enemy.

    Seeing her was like seeing a savior. Jiang He quickly hid behind Xu Meng, looking innocent. “He asked me to play with him. How was I supposed to know this toy was so shoddily made? It broke with just a little force.”

    “I don’t care, I don’t care! I want a new toy car!!!” Xiao Liang seemed to hear him. With tears still on his face, he shot up from the carpet, grabbed Xu Meng’s clothes, and was about to start crying again.

    Xu Meng looked at him, then at the person behind her, completely at a loss. She could only look to Jiang Liu for help.

    The latter sighed and facepalmed, but then, as if she had thought of something, a glint flashed in her eyes. She bent down, took a tissue from her pocket to wipe his tears, and her tone became uncharacteristically gentle for a moment.

    “Don’t cry. You want a new toy, right?”

    Ever since they entered the house, Jiang Liu’s expression hadn’t been very good, and Xiao Liang was a little afraid of her. Hearing her words, his crying softened, and he nodded timidly.

    Jiang Liu’s lips curved up, her tone carrying an odd, hard-to-discern quality. “Go back to your room upstairs now, and I’ll magic a new toy out for you.”

    Xiao Liang was half-believing, half-doubting. “Really?”

    “I’m the teacher your mother invited. Don’t you believe me?” Jiang Liu deliberately put on a stern face, a hint of impatience already in her voice.

    Xiao Liang seemed to be convinced. He raised his arm to wipe his tears, finally stopped crying, and trotted upstairs to check.

    Jiang He heard this and was confused. “Where are you going to get a toy? There’s no supermarket around here, is there?”

    Jiang Liu shushed him, putting a finger to her lips to signal him to be quiet. She herself quietly followed the boy, watching as Xiao Liang excitedly ran into his room and immediately saw the wrapped gift box on his desk.

    The moment she saw the box, Jiang Liu’s expression changed several times. She seemed surprised, yet didn’t know what to say. Her gaze shifted to one spot, and she pursed her lips, swallowing the words she was about to speak.

    She stood by the wall near the doorway without going in. Behind her, Xu Meng looked like she wanted to say something but was stopped by Jiang Liu with a shake of her head.

    Until—

    The gift wrapping was peeled away layer by layer, revealing the Black Cat Doll inside, which Jiang Liu had cleaned and sewn up with a needle and thread.

    The small, palm-sized object sat on the desk, facing Xiao Liang. She had sewn its bean-like eyes on a little crookedly, making it look cutely ugly.

    But it was this very object that made Xiao Liang’s excited hands instantly retract. Then, he did something that even Jiang Liu hadn’t expected.

    He threw the wrapping paper, along with the doll inside, out the window. His face was flushed red, his actions extremely rough, and he didn’t forget to curse viciously.

    Jiang Liu signaled for Jiang He to go out and pick it up. She herself walked in with her arms crossed, as if she hadn’t noticed Xiao Liang’s abnormality, and asked feigning confusion, “Don’t you like this toy?”

    Xiao Liang shot her a fierce glare and, without saying a word, pushed her hard and ran off.

    His actions seemed normal, but the trace of fear hidden behind his ferocity was imprinted in Jiang Liu’s eyes.

    What was he so afraid of?

    Jiang Liu didn’t chase after him. Instead, she stroked her chin and walked around the room, then nonchalantly sat on the bed and reached out to examine the enormous teddy bear.

    She and Xu Meng had dealt with that doll. They were both well aware that they hadn’t wrapped it separately.

    And just when she was feeling puzzled, she suddenly noticed some scraps on the bear’s paw that were identical to the wrapping paper.

    She placed the teddy bear on the floor and examined its head repeatedly, the suspicion in her eyes becoming more and more apparent.

    This thing can move? It’s alive?

    As Jiang Liu thought this, her hands didn’t stay idle. She slapped the teddy bear. The soft touch confirmed it was indeed cotton, and there was nothing strange inside.

    “Aren’t we going to chase him?”

    Seeing Xiao Liang run out the door, Xu Meng couldn’t help but worry again. It wasn’t that she cared about Xiao Liang, but she remembered that their main task was to protect the child. She hoped he wouldn’t get into trouble after being scared like this, which would lead to mission failure.

    She was a bit hesitant, but seeing that Jiang Liu was still examining the toy as if nothing had happened, she walked in.

    “Do you see anything wrong with this thing?” Jiang Liu didn’t answer, instead looking at Xu Meng with a subtle expression.

    The bear was just an ordinary bear. Even if you took it apart, you would only find a pile of cotton. It looked like it had been around for some years; the purple fur was already a bit faded from washing.

    Xu Meng hesitated, not sure what Jiang Liu had discovered, but she still squatted down to examine it carefully.

    After a while, she asked in confusion, “Is there anything special about it?”

    Even the craftsmanship wasn’t as good as what you’d find in modern malls. The eyes and mouth were just simply stitched on, and it seemed to have been repaired many times, as the color of the threads was different.

    Jiang Liu frowned. “Is that so?”

    She patted the paper scraps off the bear’s paw. Even though she felt something was wrong with it, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Just as she was about to continue her inspection, she heard Jiang He’s joyful voice carried by the wind from downstairs.

    “Brother Zhao! How did you get back?!”

    Zhao Ziming?

    Jiang Liu and Xu Meng exchanged a look, a hint of joy appearing on their faces. They let go of the tormented teddy bear and hurried out of the room.

    After hearing the footsteps go downstairs, the bear finally let out a sigh of relief. It laboriously swung its arm to hook onto the headboard, struggling to move its body onto the bed. Its back was already covered in a cold sweat.

    Thank goodness it wasn’t discovered.

    It thought, relieved, and quickly patted the paper scraps off its hands. It painstakingly moved back to its original position, trying not to let Xiao Liang notice anything amiss.

    And Jiang Liu was completely unaware of all this.

    Zhao Ziming was back. Not only was he in one piece, but he had even brought back good news.

    “I saw Qiao Pan’er.”

    He sat on the sofa, gulping down water, incredibly thankful to see his arm finally restored.

    When his body returned to its three-dimensional form and he set foot on solid ground, Zhao Ziming was so emotional he almost cried. He was finally out of that place.

    But his thoughts were a jumble of emotions. He just took a deep breath and looked gravely at Jiang Liu, who was coming downstairs.

    “If we want to clear this level, we’re going to have to use our brains,” Zhao Ziming said, his tone unusually solemn, the playful look gone from his face.

    “She wants Qiao Liang’s life.”

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