The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 259 Game Consoles

“No, Shanqiu, this is a game, not a case.” Qi Fei said, looking at Feng Yongfu. “Xia Qiao, this is a clue for the Yuanxi station.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Shanqiu asked Feng Yongfu, "What are the two characters for Xia Qiao?"

Feng Yongfu said, "It's the 'Xia' of summer and the 'Qiao' of tall trees."

"What do you mean? Tall trees in summer?" Wu Shanqiu asked, puzzled. "Then this place is full of tall trees."

“The finish line is the starting point. Don’t forget, we’re heading in the direction of the starting point, Xia Qiao…” Qi Fei said thoughtfully, “If you turn it upside down, it’s Qiao Xia—under the bridge. That sounds more like a location.”

“We did cross a large bridge when we came here,” Zhong Kui pointed out.

"Yuanxi Bridge!" Qi Fei couldn't help but raise his voice.

Just then, the torrential rain outside suddenly stopped, and the blazing sun shone on the fresh puddles. The heat generated rushed into the immigration hall, mingling with the sweaty smell of the crowd, urging these people to hurry up and leave for the next stop.

"Old Feng, since you're here, why don't you come with us?" Qi Fei invited as he passed by Feng Yongfu. "I understand your complicated feelings for your brothers." His words were loaded with meaning.
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Few people realize that Yuanxi is actually an island, but it is very close to the mainland. The narrow strait is connected by the Yuanxi Bridge, which transports people to the southwesternmost corner of the mainland.

This also means that the water under the bridge is seawater, not river water—it is salty—the salt stains on the fabrics that Xu Tong mentioned are evidence that they had been in contact with seawater.

The bridge is very close to the border crossing; Qi Fei and his group arrived at the bridge in just fifteen minutes by car.

The sun after the storm was even more scorching, making the entire bridge shine and burning everyone's skin.

They climbed over the railing and headed towards the bridge arch. Sure enough, as they approached the riverbank, they saw an exciting clue—some patterns were scribbled on the wall of the bridge arch, one of which was particularly eye-catching—the image of a two-headed monster.

Unlike usual, this time the monster pointed its two fingers toward the approach bridge.

Clearly, this is a clue left by Xi He.

In this remote place, no local would care about this random graffiti, let alone its implied meaning.

Only when Qi Fei and his group arrive will they notice it and be able to follow its clues to track Xi He's whereabouts.

This mark seemed to be a form of taming by the Xi River, guiding everyone to follow its lead.

Tropical weather is unpredictable. The sun had just cleared up for a short while when a sudden downpour began, just like the day Qi Dongjun disappeared.

The only difference is that the rain fell in Nancheng back then, while the rain is falling in Yuanxi today.

The area under the bridge is covered with lush vines, and the sudden downpour drenches the dark green leaves, creating a waterfall-like effect.

Every few dozen meters they walked, a monster image with a strange smile would appear on the bridge pier, constantly reminding them that they were in the right direction, as if Xi He was afraid they would not be able to find this place.

Thick rain clouds blocked out the sunlight, and everything was dark and unclear.

About half an hour later, in the dim light, a flickering light appeared conspicuously in everyone's sight.

Amidst the cacophony of rain, eerie music drifted through the air; the children's songs played on a cheap speaker sounded familiar to everyone.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu drew their guns, shielding the others behind them, and cautiously walked towards the direction from which the sound and light came. As they got closer, the light source became more tangible—it was a pinball machine, the kind of arcade game often found outside small supermarkets. You could insert a coin and pull a lever to launch pinballs; hitting a target would earn you more pinballs.

The monster was drawn above the pinball machine, pointing at the machine and grinning at them.

"Is this what they mean by letting us play pinball? What a pervert," Wu Shanqiu said, pointing her gun at the monster.

“A trap,” Zhong Xiaoyu said warily from behind them.

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei suddenly turned around, drew his gun, and pointed it at Zhong Xiaoyu, prompting Wu Shanqiu to exclaim in alarm, "Brother Fei, are you crazy?"

Before anyone could react, the dark muzzle of the gun was already pressed against a man's temple.

This person is not Zhong Xiaoyu, but Feng Yongfu.

"Officer Wu, please save me!" Feng Yongfu was so frightened that he dared not move and gasped for breath as he begged Wu Shanqiu for help.

Just as Wu Shanqiu was at a loss, Zhong Xiaoyu said to her, "Trust Qi Fei."

"Officer Qi must have fallen under the spell of the immortal! Help me!" Feng Yongfu continued to shout.

"What are the two characters for Xia Qiao?" Qi Fei suddenly repeated his earlier question.

This time, Feng Yongfu was stunned, his withered lips tightly pressed together, and he remained silent.

"You said the police told you over the phone, how could you know the exact spelling of those two characters just from what they said?" Qi Fei's question left Feng Yongfu speechless.

“Your shoes are covered in red mud, some dry and some new. If you set off at the same time as us, and you arrived in Yuanxi before we met, apart from the heavy rain when we met, it hadn’t rained at all in Yuanxi. This means you arrived in Yuanxi much earlier than us. The reason you happened to be in the immigration hall is because Xi He received a message from me using employee number 0002, right?” Qi Fei said calmly.

At this moment, Wu Shanqiu also realized what was happening and simultaneously pointed her gun at Feng Yongfu.

Feng Yongfu's panicked expression disappeared, along with his usual sorrowful and humble demeanor.

Even with two guns pointed at him, his face relaxed, a deathly relaxation. As the wrinkles disappeared, he looked much younger.

"You don't have much time left." Even his voice sounded different than usual, revealing an innate coldness.

Qi Fei wasn't in a hurry. He moved the gun from his temple to Feng Yongfu's back, pointing it directly at his heart: "Go forward, you can play that pinball machine first."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yongfu actually laughed: "No wonder we're brothers. When you invited me to come over in the hall, you already planned to use me as a human scout, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry, I have to live to save people." Qi Fei said, giving Feng Yongfu a push with his other hand and urging him to walk towards the game console.

Feng Yongfu walked up to the pinball machine, a game machine designed for children. An adult had to kneel down to play, supporting the machine with one hand and pulling the handle outwards with the other.

Feng Yongfu didn't say anything, but his hand holding the handle started trembling uncontrollably.

With a determined look, he pulled the handle outward with all his might. As his fingers loosened, the handle snapped back and struck the marble of fate...