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The storage locker contained only a single note, with the words "Heavenly Palace Bathhouse" written on it. Clearly, this was the message Guo Guoqing wanted to convey to us, guiding us to our next destination. As for why Guo Guoqing wanted us to come here, we had no idea without being on-site.
In the car, we all understood that this was a deliberate tactic by Guo Guoqing. He had broken a long, complete clue into fragments, forcing us to tire ourselves out on the road while he manipulated events from afar. I realized that to fundamentally escape this control, we needed to act in ways Guo Guoqing would not anticipate; otherwise, we would remain trapped in this endless loop.
Dezi was driving while I sat in the passenger seat, pondering this situation. Resorting to violence against Guo Guoqing would be the quickest solution, but that was a line we could not cross. So how could we obtain useful information without resorting to violence?
At that moment, someone from the Police Department called: "Captain Shao, Wang Xiaobao's situation has been resolved. Since Wang Xiaobao is under fourteen years old, we cannot take any action against him. His guardian, Wang Fugui, will have to bear some criminal responsibility for this matter. The details are recorded at the Police Department, so I won't elaborate further to avoid interfering with your investigation."
Outside, it began to rain lightly again, mirroring the dampness of our hearts. I said, "Alright, but do you have Zheng Shicheng's QQ?"
"Zheng Shicheng's QQ?" The person on the other end seemed surprised by my question and replied with confusion, "He hasn't left yet; if you need it, I can ask."
"Sure, just send it to me via text." I replied, "That's all."
"What’s going on?" Mary asked from the backseat. "What QQ?"
Before I could respond, I felt the car come to a stop. Turning around, I saw Dezi gesture towards a sign nearby. Sure enough, it read "Heavenly Palace Bathhouse." However, at this time, the bathhouse was not yet open and appeared quite desolate.
From an exterior perspective, the Heavenly Palace Bathhouse looked quite lavish and occupied several hundred square meters across three floors. We could only judge its decor from outside; whether it was merely an attractive facade hiding something unsavory inside remained uncertain. Such bathhouses typically operated from eight in the evening until six the next morning; whether any illicit activities occurred within was unknown.
Although the sign indicated that they were temporarily closed for business, it did provide a phone number. Yuzelin considered calling it to reach the boss of Heavenly Palace Bathhouse. I reached out and stopped her. Yuzelin looked at me quizzically and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Given the timing of when Guo Guoqing informed us about this matter, it was clear he had calculated everything precisely. It was just a simple statement; he could have told us at any time without needing us to go retrieve this note from Tiansen Supermarket. There must be a reason behind his insistence on our actions.
While I didn’t know what that reason was, it was evident that it wasn’t for our benefit. I suspected that Guo Guoqing deliberately wanted us to go to Tiansen Supermarket not just to toy with us but rather for his accomplices to observe us. Only after they saw us retrieve whatever was in the Tiansen Supermarket locker would they begin their next moves.
We were merely pawns in his game! If we walked in directly now, it would likely align with what Guo Guoqing anticipated. Whatever we found would only be what he wanted us to see—part of a plan he had already set in motion. If we didn’t want him pulling our strings, we couldn’t follow his instructions blindly.
The sky had darkened significantly; light rain continued to fall as pedestrians hurried past without noticing us standing in the rain. After some brief contemplation, I said to Yuzelin, "Drive the police car a bit farther away and then walk over."
"It’s almost eight o'clock now; it won’t be long before this bathhouse opens," I told everyone. "We’ll pretend to be customers and see what clues we can find inside this bathhouse and why Guo Guoqing brought us here."
Everyone nodded in agreement as Yuzelin and the police officers drove away a bit further. Fortunately, we were all dressed casually when we stepped out of the car. Initially hoping Mary and Juan Juan would wait in the vehicle for us, both insisted on seeing what activities might be happening inside the bathhouse—after all, as women, such places were rarely visited.
So we decided to take shelter from the rain at a nearby bus stop across the street.
Standing in the drizzling rain, watching the passersby and vehicles around, there was an indescribable ethereal feeling. Mary and Dezi were hiding to one side, while Juan Juan and I took shelter together, enjoying our special little world. It was already late autumn, and winter was just around the corner; in another month and a half, it would be New Year again.
Time seemed to fly by so quickly. When we were kids, we always wished to grow up fast, eager to explore this vast world, wanting to see things we had never encountered in our childhood and trying things we had once been too afraid to do. But in the blink of an eye, we had reached the age of thirty.
The pace of life before and after turning twenty felt different. Childhood seemed to drag on forever, while now it rushed by too swiftly. Juan Juan held my hand and leaned her head on my shoulder as we watched the bustling world together. Unable to resist, I kissed her forehead lightly, grateful for her unwavering companionship over these seven years.
Seeing my sudden gesture, Juan Juan playfully punched me with her fist and said, "What are you doing, you rascal? Acting all flirtatious in broad daylight? Oh? Are you thinking about going into the Bathhouse soon and recalling how you wronged me before? Trying to cover it up with a kiss?"
I surprisingly enjoyed this feeling. To be honest, working in this line of work exposed me to too much darkness. If I had to face it alone, I feared I might lose myself one day. I was fortunate to have found someone who shared my ideals. With that thought in mind, I couldn't help but glance back at Dezi and Mary. They were in a corner, seemingly deep in conversation, with Mary's tinkling laughter occasionally ringing out and Dezi's face flushing red from time to time.
Youth is truly wonderful; seeing them felt like looking at Juan Juan and me from seven years ago.
Juan Juan looked at them and said to me, "Watching them feels like seeing our younger selves. Do you remember the dream we talked about back then?"
"Of course I do," I replied with a smile. "When we retire one day, we'll buy a house in the countryside with a big yard. We won't do anything but sit at the door from sunrise until sunset. Just think how leisurely that life would be."
Juan Juan said, "I remember when you first mentioned that; I thought you had no ambition at all. Everyone else is aiming higher step by step, but your ultimate dream is this? But now that I think about it, such a life isn't bad at all. After seven years of handling so many cases, the conclusion is always the same: it's good to be alive."
At this point, Juan Juan's expression darkened slightly. I knew she must have been reminded of Geng Shaofei—a pain she would never forget. I understood that everyone has their own burdens that they need to resolve themselves. Just like how I still couldn't bring myself to hold a gun unless I found Captain Shi to help me untangle my own knots.
I held Juan Juan a little tighter and slowly said, "Yes, living is more important than anything else. Life may not always go as we wish—perhaps ten out of ten times it doesn't—but at least we're not facing these things alone: friends, family, loved ones. One should never end their own life or take someone else's lightly."
We chatted back and forth while waiting for the Heavenly Palace Bathhouse across the street to open its doors. At a certain age, people tend to reflect on their surroundings more often; I couldn't escape that either. At that moment, Yuzelin and his team had parked their car and hurried over to the bus stop.
"All parked! What's our next move?" Yuzelin asked.
"Now we just wait for them to open," I replied. "To investigate what's happening inside, pretending to be customers might not be very useful. So when we go in later, let's split into three groups: Dezi and I will be one group. I'll create some commotion when the time comes; meanwhile, you all should check around."
After saying this, I glanced at Yuzelin and the three brothers from the Police Department he brought along.
"What about us?" Mary asked defiantly.
I frowned slightly before responding, "I didn't plan on letting you go initially, but since you insist on doing this anyway, there's nothing I can do about it. You should know that regular bathhouses rarely serve female customers; however, this one seems upscale enough that they might cater specifically to women."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?" I asked.
Mary nodded and smiled as she replied, "Of course! You want us to pretend we're wealthy ladies; there's nothing embarrassing about that—it's all undercover work!"
Mary seemed to be quite excited, and I couldn't help but say to the two of them, "You both should be careful. Any place connected to Guo Guoqing is clearly not a good place. Don't end up getting sold out and then helping others count their money, got it?"
As I spoke, I gave Mary a light tap on the head.
Mary stuck out her tongue and replied, "Don't worry, we'll be safe."
"And don't expose yourselves!" I added.
"Understood."
Just as we were talking, I noticed a sudden brightness across the street. It turned out that the neon sign of the Heavenly Palace Bathhouse had lit up, casting a red and green glow over our side as well. Soon after, the lobby inside lit up as well. I told everyone, "Let's enter in order. You two groups go in first to assess the situation, and then Dezi and I will follow!"
"Action!"
The young master was coerced by the young lady of the Nine Calamities Rebirth True Immortal Cultivation Family to become a son-in-law. In the dead of night, with just the two of them alone, the Busty Fairy suddenly reached out to touch the young man's back...
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