Sneaking into Zhong Ling's house
At the dinner table, Aunt Zhao really opened up her chatterbox again, talking about the gossips of the Zhang and Li families in the village, how hard her son worked outside, and then returning to Zhong Ling.
"Come to think of it, that Zhong girl is a bit of a weirdo," Aunt Zhao said as she ate a piece of greens with her chopsticks. "She used to work outside, and I heard she wasn't doing very well. Then she came back to look after that shabby house, and everyone thought she was going to die of poverty. But she turned out to be a farmer and turned her life around! Isn't that bizarre?"
"Her land...was it special before?" Xiao Zhou asked casually, handing Zhao Laogen a cigarette.
Zhao Laogen waved his hand to indicate he wasn't smoking, then took over the conversation in a low voice, "That land was just ordinary dry land. When her grandmother was cultivating it, they only harvested some sweet potatoes and corn, just like other families." He glanced at Xiao Zhou and said, "It was only after that girl came back that things became different."
"How is it different?" Falcon interjected in a calm tone.
"It grew fast, and the leaves were an eerie green," Zhao Laogen said, seeming to recall. "After I planted them, they started growing rapidly within a few days. The leaves were so green they looked like they were dripping with oil. The village elders said that the earth's energy was too strong, which wasn't a good sign."
"It turned out to be a good thing," Aunt Zhao retorted disapprovingly. "Everyone in the city was scrambling to get it! If you ask me, it's just that girl who's really talented and knows all about new technology."
"New technology?" Xiao Zhou asked. "Did she use any special fertilizer or seeds?"
Aunt Zhao shook her head. "I haven't seen her use anything special. I've only seen her watering it every now and then, but I haven't seen her take care of it in any way."
Seeds... they seem to be just ordinary vegetable seeds, right? Anyway, after the vegetable patch was burned, the police came and asked about these things, but they couldn't find out anything."
Falcon silently wrote down this information. Everything indicated that this woman had a secret, and the burned vegetable patch was the key among the keys.
After dinner, Aunt Zhao and Zhao Laogen went back to their house to rest. Everyone in the village went to bed early, and except for the occasional barking of a dog, the surroundings were very quiet.
The three hunters returned to the room and closed the door.
"Captain, the situation is basically clear." Xiao Zhou lowered his voice. "The target, Zhong Ling, has left at an unknown time. The key location is her old house at the east end of the village, especially the burned vegetable patch. According to Zhao Laogen, the abnormality in the land only appeared after Zhong Ling returned."
Falcon spread out a simple map of the village, which was drawn based on satellite images and data before they came.
He pointed to the marked area at the east end of the village. "Here are Zhong Ling's old house and vegetable plots. According to Aunt Zhao's description and Xiaolin's observations, there might be something abnormal in this area, causing animals to instinctively avoid it."
"That 'protection mechanism'..." Xiao Zhou's expression grew serious. "Li Qiang's situation shows that direct contact with the source or attempts to leak core information could trigger danger. Our actions tonight..."
"We'll focus on preliminary reconnaissance," Falcon said calmly. "We'll split into two groups. Xiaolin, you'll be responsible for perimeter security and signal monitoring. I'll take Xiaozhou in for a closer observation."
Remember, only observe, do not touch any suspicious objects, do not dig or take any samples. Maintain radio silence unless in an emergency."
"Understood." Xiao Zhou and Xiao Lin responded in unison.
Falcon glanced at his watch and said, "The action will be at midnight. Now rest and get enough rest."
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. Falcon leaned against the head of the bed, closed his eyes and rested, but his brain was working at high speed, simulating various situations that might be encountered.
At midnight, the moon was dim and the stars were sparse. Three dark figures quietly left the Zhao family home, blending into the shadows on both sides of the village road, heading towards the area at the east end of the village.
The hunting falcon led the charge, followed closely by Xiao Zhou, holding a small instrument with a faint light flickering on the screen, as if monitoring something. Xiao Lin brought up the rear, keeping an eye on the movements behind him.
They avoided the main road and came to Zhong Ling's old house through a small road.
"There are no abnormal electromagnetic signals around, and no signs of infrared triggering." Xiao Zhou's voice came through the bone conduction headphones, low and clear.
"How do the animals react?" asked the falcon.
"Quiet," Xiaolin responded, "There's no sound."
The falcon stopped and squatted behind a bush, carefully observing the half-man-high bamboo fence in front of it.
The outline of the house was clearly visible within the fence, and the burned vegetable patch was not far from the outside.
"Target area confirmed," Falcon whispered. "According to the plan, Xiaolin will maintain perimeter security while Xiao Zhou and I will enter the courtyard for a preliminary investigation. Focus on observing the courtyard layout and building structures, especially the vegetable patch. Remember, only observe, not move."
"Understood." Xiaolin quickly found a hidden location with good visibility and set up the equipment.
Falcon gestured to Xiaolin, and the two of them quickly approached the bamboo fence. Falcon reached out to test the fence's stability, then gently pushed with both hands and flipped over lightly, landing silently. Xiaolin followed closely behind, moving just as swiftly.
The two entered the courtyard. It was not large, with a fairly flat, compacted earth floor. Opposite the main house was a pile of farm tools in the corner.
The falcon's eyes first fell on the doors and windows of the main house. The door lock was an old-fashioned padlock that looked intact, and the windows were closed.
He moved slowly, approached the edge of the burned vegetable field, squatted down, and carefully observed the ground in the moonlight.
The charred soil contrasted sharply with the normal soil around it, but apart from the traces of fire, there seemed to be no other abnormalities.
Xiao Zhou was on the other side of the yard, her eyes sweeping over the corners, the eaves, and the large water tank. Something seemed to have caught her attention, and she frowned slightly, but made no sound.
At the same time, at a resort hotel thousands of miles away.
Zhong Ling was half lying on the sofa, and the mobile phone screen in front of her clearly displayed the real-time surveillance images inside and outside the old house.
When she saw two figures climbing over the fence and entering the yard, she raised an eyebrow, her face showing no surprise. The two people in the picture moved professionally and cautiously, clearly not ordinary thieves.
"Interesting," she muttered to herself, her finger sliding lightly across the screen, zooming in on the two people's movements. Their target seemed clear: the yard and the vegetable patch.
After a little thought, Zhong Ling picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, is this 110?" she said calmly. "I want to call the police. The address is the east end of Yunxi Village, Qionghai City. My name is Zhong Ling, and that's our old house."
I'm out of town right now, but I saw someone breaking into my yard through surveillance. There was more than one person, and they looked like professional thieves. Please send someone over to check it out as soon as possible."
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