Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 7 Clerk Xiaoxi
"I was on duty last night."

After some internal struggle, the security guard finally chose to believe Chen Shu and revealed all the information.

“I’ve worked here for several years. I don’t know everyone in this building, but I’m at least familiar with their faces. Sometimes, when residents want to run errands, they just park their cars right at the entrance of the community.”

After a pause, the security guard glanced at Chen Shu, who was looking at him intently, then turned back to continue carefully, "I have a pretty good impression of this female homeowner because she has parked her Lamborghini at the gate a few times."

She came back once yesterday evening around 6 PM. Then, around 9 PM, she left again. I'm pretty sure of it.

After rambling on and off for a while, the security guard finally gave Chen Shu a positive answer.

Great! We've matched up with the guy at the steakhouse too!

Out of professional habit, Chen Shu casually dug a small hole: "So what time did she come back?"

"They haven't come back yet!"

Having likely discovered Liu Yan's absence overnight, the security guard, having conjured up a scenario in his mind, confirmed it with absolute certainty. At this point, he was fully cooperating with the police investigation, continuing quickly:

"I happened to be covering for a colleague today, so I remember it clearly. She hasn't come home at all since she left last night. Thinking back, she even smiled and said goodbye to me when she left yesterday. I never expected her to be this kind of person; she's usually so..."

Hearing this, Chen Shu felt a surge of joy. Good luck! He caught them both on his first try, no need to call any other security guards. It seemed Liu Yan had been caught after leaving home around 9 PM last night.

"Thanks, Uncle. I'll go take a look around the neighborhood. By the way, where's the property management office?"

He stopped listening to the security guard's gossip and prepared to go to the property management office to double-check the video surveillance footage.

"Just turn this corner and go up to the second floor!" The security guard was still a little reluctant to leave.

"Ok, thanks."

After saying goodbye to the security guard, Chen Shu slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor and casually stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray above the trash can.

He didn't smoke, but that didn't mean he wouldn't. Thinking of Zhu Chaoran's nonsensical words, he smiled for no reason.

I need to double-check the video surveillance. I just took a closer look, and it seems to be a facial recognition system installed at the main entrance of the community. I saw residents coming and going, and it appears to be working normally.

If there is no video surveillance, then we can review Liu Yan's entry and exit records for the past two days.

As Chen Shu walked, he recalled the scene from earlier and pondered silently.

"Boom boom boom!"

Arriving at the first office on the right, he slowly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A sweet, childlike female voice interrupted Chen Shu's thoughts.

Chen Shu then flashed his signature smile and walked into the property management office.

A smile and silence are two powerful tools; they can both lower people's guard and peel them back layer by layer, like an onion.

"Hello, I'm a police officer from Zhongshan Police Station. My colleague came by earlier." Looking at the young female clerk sitting at the desk in front of him, Chen Shu maintained his composure as always and slowly introduced himself.

"Officer, is there anything else?"

The female clerk appeared to be around twenty years old, with long eyebrows, slender shoulders, and a graceful figure. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and her nose was not as delicate as that of most women, but rather prominent and refined, giving her a captivatingly three-dimensional appearance.

Wearing a clean, neat, and sharp business suit, he rested his wrists on the table, the cuffs neatly folded up.

It was clear she had quickly accepted Chen Shu. Seeing that he didn't speak, she quickly added, "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Chen Shu smiled, glancing past the young female clerk's back at the list of property management staff photos on the wall. The photos of the young female clerk and the security guard from downstairs were at the top. The photos were covered in dust, clearly indicating they had been there for a long time.

Relieved, Chen Shu subtly shifted his gaze back to the young female clerk. Seeing her puzzled expression, he smiled and said, "Huang Sisi? Hmm, could you please take me to the monitoring room?"

"That wasn't it just now. Okay, okay, no problem."

Huang Sisi's thin shoulders twitched slightly, but she didn't press for details about the police's visit again. She seemed a little nervous, paused briefly, then closed her notebook, got up, and walked out with Chen Shu.

Upon arriving at the adjacent monitoring room, Chen Shu saw rows upon rows of monitors densely covering the entire wall, all with black screens. He already had his answer in mind, but he still insisted that Xiao Qian turn on the central control computer.

The result was predictable: nothing happened.

They left the monitoring room and returned to the property management office.

"I'm sorry to bother you again," Chen Shu said with an apologetic expression.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I don't really have anything to do in the office." Huang Sisi's cheeks flushed as she hurriedly waved her hand.

"Well, there's something else I need to trouble you with." Chen Shu paused, looking at the young clerk listening intently to him, and felt a surge of goodwill towards him.
"Could you please access your community's main gate's access control system? I'd like to check this person's entry records for the past few days. By the way, is this the only main gate you use?"

He handed Liu Yan's photo and related information to Huang Sixi.

“There used to be two entrances, one in the front and one in the back, for residents to enter and exit, but now that there’s a pandemic, we’ve only left one main entrance. Um, please wait a moment.”

Huang Siqian took the materials, glanced at them carefully, turned on the computer on her desk, and with a few clicks, brought up a form and printed it out.

"Zizzizi!"

As soon as the printer spat out the paper, she grabbed it and handed it to Chen Shu, her face beaming with joy, as if she were happy to be able to help the police officer in front of her.

"Thank you." Chen Shu took the record sheet and started reading it immediately.

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Liu Yan, Room 506, Building 12

July 26, 11:10, entered;

July 26, 19:03, entered;

July 27, 18:09, entered.

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"Is it because you don't need to scan your face when you go out, so there's no record of you leaving here?" Chen Shu asked.

“Yes, when we go out, we just need to press a button next to the door, and the door will open automatically. We really don’t need to scan our faces when we go out,” Huang Sisi thought for a moment and answered seriously.

The record ends around 7 PM on July 27th, and there's nothing after that. It seems that Liu Yan hasn't returned since she left home at 18 PM last night.

"If you remember anything later, just call this number."

Before leaving, the unmarried and single man, trying to appear calm, handed over his police-community contact card and smiled, saying, "If you encounter any other problems, you can contact me. We're all one family."

Huang Sisi lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, and clutched the hem of her clothes.

(End of this chapter)