American homeless people, surviving in the city

Lin Qi had already thoroughly inspected the entire villa and, as Chen Kelei had said, found no obvious cameras.

Finding miniature cameras hidden in unknown locations requires even more effort.

First, it is virtually impossible to find miniature cameras that are not even known to exist by searching aimlessly.

Current technology allows cameras to be made smaller than the eye of a pin, making it virtually impossible to find one in an entire large villa with the naked eye – it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Therefore, it is necessary to first determine a general range before focusing the search.

However, Lynch found it difficult to imagine why someone would specifically choose to install miniature cameras in their own home, and therefore it was also difficult to logically deduce where those cameras would be hidden.

However, he soon realized that his thinking was getting stuck in a rut.

No one knows what cult members are thinking, so there's no need to think about it too much.

If we consider the logic of installing ordinary cameras, as a tool for collecting information, cameras will always be placed in places where people might come.

In this villa, that is, the secret room and the study on the second floor.

These two locations are the most likely to have surveillance cameras.

After roughly determining the target area, Lynch immediately began to take action.

He had no prior experience searching for hidden cameras, but he could recall seeing online instructions on how to look for hidden cameras in hotels.

There are two methods.

The first method is simpler and more direct because although miniature cameras can be made very small, they still need electricity to operate, as well as memory and networking devices to maintain their functionality.

Therefore, many miniature cameras are often hidden in socket holes, the edges of light buttons, or the sockets and gaps of electrical appliances.

These are also the areas that Chen Kelei reminded Lin Qi to focus on checking.

The second method utilizes the physical properties of the camera.

Lynch also intended to use this method.

He first went to the living room, drew the curtains on all the windows, turned off all the lights, and then, with a flashlight in hand, went to the corridor in front of the secret room.

The dark environment of the corridor was actually advantageous to him at this moment.

After confirming that there were no other interfering light sources nearby, Lin Qi turned off his phone's flashlight and turned on the phone's camera mode instead.

This is because most mobile phone cameras have infrared filters, which can capture weak infrared light sources in dim environments.

Those miniature cameras hidden in the dark emit faint infrared light when they are working!

Lin Qi raised his phone and spun around in a 360-degree circle.

At first glance, nothing was found.

Undeterred, he stared intently at the faintly glowing phone screen in the pitch-black corridor, trying to find any trace of a miniature camera.

Unfortunately, after repeated checks, he was ultimately forced to confirm that, at least in this corridor, he did not find the faint infrared light that the miniature camera should have emitted.

...Could it be that my previous reasoning was wrong? Was the tutorial I found online incorrect? Or is there really no miniature camera in this corridor?

Lin Qi pondered and examined the matter carefully, but he still couldn't get a definite answer.

That anxiety that caused stomach cramps returned, making him feel nauseous in waves.

...No, I need to calm down.

Lin Qi clutched his lower abdomen and took deep breaths, but the foul air inside the villa, filled with the stench of blood, only intensified his nausea.

Even though he had been in America for some time, he had been living a peaceful daily life.

Being able to quickly adapt to street life within these few days was already the limit of what he could do. Now, being asked to investigate alone in the cult's mansion, he still couldn't find any results.

The anxiety and tension brought about by all of this were indeed difficult for him to bear for a while.

Several minutes passed before Lin Qi managed to suppress the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

After clearing his mind, he gave himself the simplest instruction:

All areas where miniature cameras might exist were thoroughly inspected. After the inspection, regardless of whether they were present or not, the results were reported to Chen Kelei, and that was the end of it.

He himself is currently unable to do anything more.

After confirming once again that there was no red light flashing in the corridor, Lin Qi decided not to linger there any longer and prepared to leave to investigate other suspicious areas.

But just before leaving, he suddenly remembered something.

Although the phone camera never captured the red light from the miniature camera, upon closer inspection, it's clear that it didn't actually capture the entire corridor.

There's another button behind the oil painting!

The button is one of the areas that should be checked most carefully when investigating miniature cameras!

With the mindset that "since I'm already here," and without much expectation, Lin Qi still groped his way forward in the dark, found the oil painting, and pushed it aside again.

Then, I raised my phone and pointed the camera at the area behind the oil painting.

The next second, a faint but noticeable tiny red light suddenly lit up on the phone screen.

Lin Qi suddenly held his breath, an indescribable excitement bursting forth in his heart.

He quickly approached, turned on his flashlight, and peered closely at the wall.

Sure enough, in the tiny gap between the button that opens the hidden door behind the painting and the wall, there was a pinhole-sized camera hidden inside!

Found it! Chen Kelei's guess was right, and his own attempts and reasoning were also correct!

The moment Lin Qi found the camera, he understood the homeowner's intention in installing the miniature camera:

If anyone pushes aside the painting and tries to press the button to enter the secret room, they will definitely be captured on camera!

This camera was installed entirely to protect the secret room!

The purpose of this miniature camera, with its extremely clear installation location, made Lin Qi wonder about the installer's intentions.

Whether the homeowner was acting in self-defense, or someone was monitoring everyone who entered the secret room, remains to be seen.

But what made Lynch even more nervous was where this miniature camera would send the footage.

If the recipient is the homeowner, then these cameras are nothing to worry about;

But what if the recipient is an unknown cult member...?

Lin Qi has entered the secret room these past two days, and everything he did has been completely captured by this camera!

The thought of this possibility intensified his anxiety.

Fortunately, he managed to control his anxiety in time this time, preventing negative emotions from affecting his state too much.

...Don't overthink it, prioritize the inspections, and consider everything else after the inspections are complete.

After confirming the location and working status of the miniature camera, Lin Qi pushed the oil painting back to its original position and then continued his inspection of the villa.

With his initial success, his subsequent investigations proceeded quite smoothly.

Soon, he found four more miniature cameras, located in the ventilation opening in the corner of the living room, on top of the bookshelf in the study, and in the doorbell in front of the bedroom.

The fourth camera is located in the eye of the eerie Buddha statue in the secret room!