Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 695 Broken House
Leaving Fish Street, Ai Liang rode her bicycle toward the town Mr. M had mentioned.

Limited by the weight of the bicycle, Ai Liang's speed was not very fast.

Due to Mr. M's request, Ai Liang could not go to Pan Junyuan's hiding place by taking a taxi.

Although the request was reasonable, Mr. M probably didn't expect that Ai Liang didn't even have a car.

This was truly tough on Ai Liang, who had no means of transportation.

"If I had known, I should have borrowed a motorcycle from Skinny and the others before leaving."

Looking at the location on her phone, Ai Liang sighed.

It takes almost an hour to drive there, let alone by bicycle.

Ai Liang squeezed the brakes to stop the bike, took off her shoes and socks and tied them to the bicycle, then carried the bicycle on her shoulder.

His running speed is much faster than that of a slow bicycle.

To avoid being caught on dashcam footage from passing vehicles, Ai Liang chose to leave the highway and walk in a straight line into the wilderness.

As for why I took off my shoes, it stemmed from a lesson learned during an extreme running test.

Experiments have shown that even when moving at a slow speed of tens of meters per second, no shoes can withstand the strain.

........................

Ai Liang pushed her bicycle to the outskirts of the town, where only a few houses still had their lights on.

It seems that people here all have the habit of going to bed early.

Ai Liang walked slowly along the dimly lit streetlights and finally stopped in front of a large courtyard.

Ai Liang knocked on the tin door, and soon received a message on her phone.

After giving the other party an affirmative answer, a crack was left in the side door, behind which stood Pan Junyuan with a tense expression.

"Don't turn on the lights here, or someone might see us."

Pan Junyuan used the dim light from his phone screen to guide Ai Liang; the light was so faint it was practically nonexistent.

Pan Junyuan seemed to have noticed this as well, and raised his phone to turn on the flashlight, but then awkwardly put the phone down again, remembering what he had just said.

Impulsive and lacking in assertiveness, aside from being quite wary, he's no different from any other college student—in short, just an ordinary person.

Ai Liang mentally summarized Pan Junyuan's personality.

Without Mr. M's help in guiding the operation and covering his tracks, he would probably have been caught in less than half a month.

No wonder Mr. M needed someone to assist with the operation.

"My car is parked right next to the door. Lock the door and take me inside first. Mr. M must have something important to say."

"Ah... yes."

Pan Junyuan tried his best to keep his voice down.

Led by Pan Junyuan, the two passed through the main room and arrived at the back room.

The darkness did not hinder Ai Liang's journey. Through night vision, he could clearly see the cobweb-covered beams and the dust kicked up with every step.

Pan Junyuan, who was leading the way, seemed to want to ease the tension between the two and took the initiative to explain the hiding place.

"This is the suburbs of the suburbs. Due to the lack of infrastructure, most people have moved away. There are only a few elderly people. So there's no need to worry too much about bounty hunters finding this place."

However, because there are few people here, everyone knows each other, including who lives in which house. Therefore, we try to avoid appearing in front of the locals to prevent them from gossiping about strangers. Also, if they see someone entering or leaving the yard, they might contact the owner of the house.

"So you're saying you sneaked in by picking the lock? Aren't you afraid the owner of the house will suddenly come back?"

Pan Junyuan paused for a moment, then repeated the reasons Mr. M had given him yesterday: "I... the safe house that Mr. M prepared for me is here."

According to Mr. M's investigation, the homeowner moved to another city more than twenty years ago and hasn't returned. If there are any signs that the homeowner is returning to Nevada, Mr. M will notify us immediately.

It seems that this hiding place was only decided on a temporary basis. Otherwise, Mr. M would have to monitor the homeowner's movements 24 hours a day to ensure that the house could be used at any time.

Ai Liang had reached a conclusion.

Pan Junyuan pushed open the wooden door and walked into the windowless inner room, which was less than 20 square meters and was filled with all kinds of items.

The piles of earthenware jars and firewood suggest that this was likely a storage room.

Aside from what the original owner left behind, Pan Junyuan's belongings consisted only of a sleeping bag, a backpack, and a laptop computer next to the door.

The scene before her eyes slightly shattered Ai Liang's hopes for a safe house.

The safe houses in the movies, while not exactly futuristic, are at least well-stocked with supplies, weapons, food, and medical care. But my own place felt like I'd traveled back to ancient times; there wasn't even a light bulb, and I had to use a flashlight for light.

Ai Liang strongly suspects that Mr. M didn't want to reveal the locations of other safe houses to her, so he temporarily found this run-down place.

This also explains why, although they said on the phone that it would take at least a week to prepare, they contacted me the very next day.

Ai Liang looked around the room but couldn't find a chair to sit on, so she simply stood there and asked, "So what should we do next?"

Pan Junyuan shook his head, squatted down and knelt on the sleeping bag, and opened his laptop: "I don't know what to do next either. Mr. M said he would wait for you to arrive so we could explain together."

While the computer was booting up, Ai Liang casually asked, "What do you usually do to pass the time when you're not on the run? You don't just stay cooped up in the house doing nothing, do you?"

Pan Junyuan paused his swiping fingers, then said in a muffled voice, "Exercise, and... look at the information Mr. M sent me."

"I know very well that my physical condition can't compare to those who live on the edge. Cramming at the last minute won't last long, but it's better than doing nothing. Besides..."

"And another thing?" Ai Liang waited for him to continue, while also sensing Pan Junyuan's emotions.

Pan Junyuan bit his lip and frowned, saying, "It's nothing."

Shame, disgrace, self-deprecation, self-abasement, frustration, resentment.

The latter two emotions are understandable, but what about the first few emotions?
“The hermit is right beside me now, so we can talk.”

Pan Junyuan's voice pulled Ai Liang out of her thoughts.

A communication software I'd never seen before was running on the computer screen. It only had sound and no picture, which made Ai Liang, who was curious about Mr. M's identity, a little disappointed.

“Now that everyone’s here, I won’t waste any more words. I’ve found someone, Zhao Xingsheng, 37 years old. When he was young, he was one of the henchmen at the Fish Street Gambling House. Later, he was recruited by the Fengqi Group. The time he disappeared and the things he did before he disappeared basically match the arson case. There is a very high probability that this person is the real culprit.”

"Where is he!"

Pan Junyuan asked loudly.

This overreaction made Ai Liang take a second look at him.

“He has been hidden by the Toyosaki Group. I have found out his exact location, but there are some things I need to make clear to you before you start your operation.”

Mr. M said in a serious tone, "You only have one chance. If you fail, it will be almost impossible to find Zhao Xingsheng again. Also, after you catch him, you can vent your anger on Pan Junyuan, but you must not take his life."

If you still want to bring down the Toyosaki Group and live openly in the sunlight, Zhao Xingsheng being alive is the prerequisite for everything.

(End of this chapter)