Coming to Myself

At the same time.

Yin Feng and several of his subordinates stood outside apartment 1801, building 5.

The door was tightly shut, with no decorations at the entrance, showing nothing out of the ordinary.

Before coming up, Chen Feng had managed to inquire with the property management and confirmed that due to the low occupancy rate of the complex, the units above, below, and adjacent to this apartment were either sold but vacant or unsold, all unoccupied. If this was Yin Chen's hideout, it would only make it more convenient for him to operate.

Yin Feng called out, "Xiao Yan."

Xiao Yan stepped forward, moving as lightly as a rabbit, pressing his body against the door and listening carefully for a moment before saying, "No sounds."

"Open it."

Xiao Yan pulled out his tools and, with a few deft movements, produced a "click" as the lock disengaged. He didn't push the door open immediately but listened again carefully before turning to Yin Feng and nodding.

Xiao Yan was the first to push the door open and enter, with Yin Feng and the others following closely behind.

What greeted them was a dim, almost entirely gray apartment.

Gray ceiling, gray walls, gray floors. It was clearly an unfinished unit, uninhabited. Looking around, the interior was completely empty, devoid of anything. Only a rough electrical wire hung down from above the entrance foyer, suspending a bare light bulb.

Just as Xiao Yan's hand reached for the light switch on the wall, Yin Feng shouted, "Don't touch it!"

Xiao Yan jerked his hand back as if pricked by a needle, understanding the danger and feeling a surge of belated fear.

The group turned on their flashlights and slowly moved further into the apartment.

The living room was empty and showed no signs of anything unusual.

As Chen Feng was about to head toward the bathroom and kitchen on one side, Yin Feng stopped him: "Don't split up. We move together." His grave tone sent a chill through the group. Chen Feng and Guan Jun exchanged a glance, then positioned themselves protectively on either side of Yin Feng, forming a defensive formation as the four of them slowly advanced toward the two bedrooms.

The night grew darker, and outside the window, everything was pitch black.

Yin Feng stepped cautiously toward one of the bedrooms. The door was closed. He pressed his ear against it, but there was still no sound from within.

Yin Feng's brow furrowed tightly. For some reason, a sense of unease rose within him. The events of the day began to replay in his mind.

The first thing he recalled was You Mingxu's reasoning and her confident tone. Objectively speaking, her deductions were entirely logical—if he were in her position, he would have reached the same conclusions. That meant You Mingxu's reasoning couldn't be wrong. So why had it led him in a completely different direction? This was a situation he had never encountered before.

This was the first inconsistency.

Next, he thought of the few memories he had from childhood. Yin Chen almost never mentioned his biological mother, and when he looked at Yin Feng's parents, his gaze held only indifference. He remembered Yin Chen's cold, gloomy tone when he spoke of Xing Jifu stealing his wife, and he recalled the desolate house they had just left—the place remained, but everything else had changed.

Even though Yin Chen had eaten a simple meal at Xu Mengshan's home, and even though he had lingered at Yin Feng's parents' house for over an hour—it was these very details that made Yin Feng believe this location was the one Yin Chen cherished most, surpassing even You Ruixue, which was why he had come directly here.

But the way Yin Chen had stared at You Ruixue was far too unforgettable.

Yin Feng's heart jolted violently—Yin Chen's contradictory behavior was the second inconsistency.

Could it be... there was another reason that both he and You Mingxu had overlooked?

Yin Feng's gaze returned to the door in front of him.Perhaps by pushing open this door and taking a look, they would know the answer.

Yin Feng's hand gripped the doorknob.

Behind him, Chen Feng, Guan Jun, and Xiao Yan instinctively held their breath.

Twenty minutes later, approaching 8 p.m., the newly built Fangzhu Yayuan residential complex was quiet with few people around. Faint starlight began to twinkle in the newly fallen night sky. Occasionally, a few people walked through the complex below.

Like a thunderclap out of nowhere, a deafening "boom" echoed across the complex. Many residents leaned out of their windows—some saw what happened, while others were left bewildered.

Meanwhile, pedestrians around the complex looked up and were completely stunned—

On the 18th floor of one building, thick black smoke billowed from a unit's window, with dark red flames nearly engulfing the apartment. Chaos erupted as people scrambled—some called the fire department, others reported to the police. The complex security guards panicked, urgently organizing the evacuation of residents near the affected unit to prevent the fire from spreading.

——

Twenty minutes earlier.

The moment You Mingxu entered the small room, she felt a wave of heat rushing toward her—the temperature inside was surprisingly high. But she had no time to dwell on it.

When everyone's eyes adjusted, they were stunned. Right past the entrance was a descending staircase—the room extended downward into a basement larger than the ground-level structure. Rows of fans near the ground had stopped spinning. A thick iron water pipe on one side was gushing water continuously. And against the opposite wall of the basement, tied up were five people—were they not Xu Mengshan’s parents, Xing Jifu, and Yin Feng’s parents?

They were awake, but the churning water had already risen to their mouths. Struggling futilely for breath, their faces pale, they couldn’t even cry for help when they saw the police burst in—they just thrashed more desperately.

It was clear: had they arrived just a few minutes later, they would have found five bodies drowned alive.

With a splash, a figure leaped into the water and swam forcefully toward the bound elders—who else could it be but Xu Mengshan?

Splash—splash—several more officers jumped in. You Mingxu removed her bulletproof vest, discarded her weapon, and was about to dive in when someone stopped her.

Tuya, who had been silently following the police all along, was already sweating profusely from the heat the moment he entered. He tore off his own vest and said, "I'll go for you!" Without waiting for You Mingxu’s reply, he plunged in first.

With enough officers already in the large pool—Xu Mengshan at the forefront, untying his parents—You Mingxu thought for a moment and didn’t insist. Her gaze paused on Xing Jifu’s face. He was almost unrecognizable unless examined closely. After months apart, he was frighteningly thin; though his facial structure remained, he was mere skin and bones, his exposed neck and arms covered in scars. An officer had already reached him and was untying the ropes.

Perhaps these months had subjected Xing Jifu to inhuman torture. Though rescued today, a lifetime of punishment still awaited him.

She then looked toward Yin Feng’s parents. Similarly ravaged, they appeared as two emaciated, scarred elders, barely resembling their former selves. You Mingxu sighed inwardly.By now, the police had located the water valve and shut off the supply pipe. You Mingxu assigned several officers to thoroughly search the interior and exterior of the house, ensuring there were no other traps or dangers.

The hostages were saved!

Within minutes, the police swiftly rescued all five hostages from the "water prison." Perhaps due to extreme shock and exhaustion, all five fell unconscious immediately after being rescued.

As You Mingxu stepped out of the small room, she realized her forehead was drenched in sweat and her throat was parched. Earlier, she had also noticed several hot air blowers above the room blowing heat inside. She couldn’t yet deduce Yin Chen’s true intention behind this action. Was he planning to place the drowned bodies in a high-temperature environment? That would alter the rate and appearance of decomposition. Such twisted reasoning—she would have to ask Yin Feng later; perhaps he could offer insight into the mind of a psychopath.

Tuya also emerged, soaked from head to toe but unharmed. He followed her meticulously, never straying more than a few steps away. Though he had been submerged in water, his face was flushed red from the hot air, giving him a somewhat dazed and overheated appearance.

Seeing him drenched in sweat, You Mingxu smiled and said, "You don’t have to stick so close to me. Why don’t you rest in the car for a bit?"

Tuya shook his head. "He told me not to leave your side for a second."

A warmth spread through You Mingxu’s chest, and she said nothing more.

Ambulances and additional backup were on their way. Several officers were tending to the victims, supporting them as they recovered. Even a tough man like Xu Mengshan was now tearful, staying close to his parents’ side.

Another team of officers was conducting a final sweep of the area around the chicken coop.

The hostages were safe, but there was no sign of Yin Chen.

They had just spoken with Ding Xiongwei, who issued clear orders: everyone was to remain in place, protect the hostages, immediately begin a detailed investigation of the scene, spare no effort in tracking Yin Chen’s whereabouts, and wait for reinforcements.

But where had Yin Chen gone?

A sharp, clear realization struck You Mingxu like a bolt of lightning.

Yin Feng hadn’t been wrong, and neither had she.

The hostages were here, but Yin Chen wasn’t.

He had taken over their home, and now he was returning to his own.

She had to inform Yin Feng of this discovery immediately!

You Mingxu pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Beep—beep—beep—beep—" A series of short busy tones; the call wouldn’t connect.

Clutching her phone, a sudden chill of sweat broke out over her body. She turned to Tuya beside her and shouted, "I’ll call Chen Feng—you try Guan Jun and Xiao Yan! Now!"

Tuya froze for a second, then immediately grabbed his phone and dialed as instructed.

"Beep—beep—beep—beep—"

"Hello, the number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time."

…

None of the four calls went through.

Tuya’s eyes widened, his entire body tensing like an agitated tiger.

You Mingxu lowered her phone. Though her body still felt overheated, her heart plunged into an ice-cold abyss, aching with every beat.