[Let me go! Robbery in broad daylight! There are robbers!]

The chubby bat gently placed it on the ground and patted its head soothingly with its little paws:

[Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I just want to ask you for a favor and answer a few questions for my sister.]

It leaned closer to the gecko and whispered mysteriously, "After we're done, I'll take you to a mosquito buffet, all you can eat!"

Upon hearing "mosquito buffet," the gecko instantly stopped struggling, its little eyes widening in surprise.

[Is Zun Du fake? You can't lie to me!]

Now that the weather is cold, there are almost no mosquitoes, and few insects either; it's often hungry.

[I'm a seasoned foodie, you know!]

The chubby bat proudly landed in front of Xia Zhining with its tail.

Surrounded by so many "two-legged creatures," the gecko seemed a little uneasy, nervously rubbing its little paws together.

Xia Zhining squatted down and asked softly, "Little gecko, you're always in the chimney, have you seen anything strange? You mean the kind that 'bangs' against the wall."

The gecko tilted its head and thought for a moment, then suddenly flicked its tail excitedly: "Yes, yes! Inside that straight chimney, near this side of the wall, there's a small crack, and inside lives a two-legged creature that can't move!"

[When the wind blows in from above at night, her foot will 'thump' against the piece of wood where I often lie down to catch bugs.]

At first I thought she was a new friend, but she never tries to take the bugs from me, which is really boring.

The gecko's words sent a chill down Xia Zhining's spine.

She tugged at Ji Shuyun's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly: "Brother... Gecko said there's a hidden compartment in the chimney, and it seems like... there's a corpse hidden behind it!"

"What?!" The Yuncheng police officer's expression changed drastically, and he gasped.

What was initially thought to be just a fraud case turned out to involve a death!

Ji Shuyun immediately stepped forward to inspect the chimney structure, his brow furrowed: "The chimney pipe is too narrow; we need the fire department's professional demolition tools to assist us."

The fire department arrived at the scene quickly.

The sirens of rescue vehicles and the sounds of people moving around broke the tranquility of the old house.

Startled by the commotion, the old woman shakily walked out and, seeing the firefighters carrying ladders and tools, immediately became excited:

"What are you doing? This is my house. No one can do anything without my permission!"

She pointed to the demolition hammer in the firefighter's hand, her voice trembling with tears: "This is an old house! Are you going to demolish it?"

She turned sharply to Feline, tears streaming down her face: "Feline, have you forgotten that you grew up here, and how you loved to curl up by the fireplace and listen to your grandmother tell stories when you were little?"

“You said this is your favorite house. Your parents built it themselves, and your father designed the chimney…”

"Now they're going to smash it!"

Xia Zhining and Fei Lin explained, "Ms. Fei, we suspect there's something behind the chimney's cavities."

"The chimney has a secondary layer?"

Feline grew up in this house and this was the first time she had heard about it.

She firmly held her grandmother's shoulder: "Grandma, since the police say there's a problem with the chimney, let the police take a look."

"Find out the truth behind the ghost story, and you'll be able to sleep peacefully from now on."

Feline turned to the firefighters and nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, please begin."