Liang Zichen glanced at the ground in front of him. Because the neighborhood where Han Mo lived was so old, the stairwell was still paved with cement. It was unclear whether the community had property management; judging from the cleanliness of the ground, it seemed not. The open space outside Han Mo's apartment hadn't been swept in ages, covered in a clearly visible layer of dust. But it was thanks to this layer of dust that Wang Shen and Liang Zichen noticed some small details.
Liang Zichen stared intently at the layer of dust on the ground, examining it carefully for a while. Actually, that wasn't entirely accurate. What Wang Shen was observing closely were the footprints etched by the dust. There were three households on this floor, and only two rows of footprints. Logically, since Han Mo's house was unoccupied, these two rows of footprints should lead to the other two households. However, the reality was different.
Liang Zichen noticed that one set of footprints led to the apartment to Han Mo's left, while the other set led directly to Han Mo's front door. Conversely, there were no clear footprints at the door of the apartment to Han Mo's right. Therefore, by observing these footprints, Liang Zichen concluded that someone must have entered Han Mo's house.
After figuring this out, Liang Zichen finally understood why Wang Shen was waiting there. However, another thought suddenly flashed through Liang Zichen's mind. Wang Shen and Liang Zichen couldn't determine when the mysterious person entered Han Mo's room; could the mysterious person have already left by now?
Liang Zichen thought for a moment, about to tell Wang Shen about his question. However, just as he was about to speak, he swallowed his words. Liang Zichen carefully examined the footprints on the ground again. If there were footprints entering the house, there must also be footprints leaving. After careful observation, Liang Zichen discovered that the clear set of footprints leading to Han Mo's door all pointed with their toes pointing towards the door of Han Mo's house. That's right, it means that person is still in Han Mo's house!
Only then did Liang Zichen fully understand why Wang Shen was squatting here, refusing to enter Han Mo's house. Liang Zichen shifted his body, squatting to Wang Shen's left, waiting for his target to walk right into his trap with nowhere to escape.
Wang Shen kept glancing at his watch as time ticked by, but the target still hadn't appeared. Finally, Wang Shen couldn't contain himself any longer and slowly straightened up. At that moment, Liang Zichen was also about to move with Wang Shen. Wang Shen understood Liang Zichen's intention and immediately waved him away, signaling him to stay in his original position.
Wang Shen took half a step, then pulled his foot back. He seemed to have thought of something, then took out his phone and snapped a picture of the footprints on the ground. After taking the picture, Wang Shen cautiously moved closer to Han Mo's front door. Finally, Wang Shen reached Han Mo's door. He pressed his ear against the door and listened for a while.
Suddenly, Wang Shen's expression changed; there was indeed movement inside the house. Wang Shen half-squatted by the door, hesitating for a moment about what to do next. After thinking for a while, he saw his phone and a thought suddenly struck him. Wang Shen closed his eyes slightly and tried to recall Han Mo's landline number. Thanks to his exceptional memory, he accurately remembered it. Wang Shen picked up his phone and dialed Han Mo's number.
A moment later, the call was answered. Wang Shen could clearly hear the phone ringing inside the house from outside the door. At that moment, the faint sounds that had been coming from inside the house suddenly stopped. A smile appeared on Wang Shen's lips as he held his phone close to his ear. Meanwhile, he pressed his other ear against the door, listening intently to the sounds coming from inside the house.
A moment later, the call was answered. Wang Shen didn't speak, because no one spoke on the other end. Wang Shen had considered pretending to be a gas company employee collecting payment, but after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea. Now, Wang Shen was standing outside the door, and speaking might reveal his location. Wang Shen and the mysterious person inside remained in this stalemate for a few minutes, then the mysterious person suddenly hung up the phone.
Wang Shen frowned, continuing to listen quietly to the sounds coming from inside the house. The sounds didn't stop because of the phone call; instead, they became even more…intense? Wang Shen thought for a moment, guessing that the mysterious person inside was probably anxious after receiving the mysterious call. But what was the mysterious person anxious about? Currently, Wang Shen couldn't make a precise judgment.
At this moment, Wang Shen turned and glanced at Liang Zichen, then suddenly smiled at him. Seeing Wang Shen's smile, Liang Zichen felt a chill run down his spine for some reason, knowing it couldn't be anything good. After smiling, Wang Shen's expression returned to seriousness. He didn't say anything more to Liang Zichen, but instead picked up his phone and began composing a text message.
A moment later, Liang Zichen's phone vibrated, receiving a text message from Wang Shen. Liang Zichen glanced at Wang Shen with a puzzled look, shrugged, and waved his hand, indicating his incomprehension of Wang Shen's behavior. Wang Shen frowned and pointed to the phone in Liang Zichen's hand. Seeing Wang Shen's expression, Liang Zichen silently gave an OK sign.
Liang Zichen opened the text message, which read: "There's someone inside. Go to the building entrance and pretend to be someone from the gas company, then call Han Mo's landline—the one found in Han Lin's apartment. You should know what to do next. The landline number is…"
After reading Wang Shen's text message, Liang Zichen finally understood Wang Shen's thoughts. He gave Wang Shen an OK sign again and then walked to the entrance of the apartment building. Liang Zichen glanced at Han Mo's landline number and dialed it using his own mobile phone.
A moment later, the call was answered again. It seemed the mysterious person in Han Mo's house was still quite curious. Initially, neither Liang Zichen nor the mysterious person spoke. Liang Zichen sighed inwardly and said, "Hello, this is the gas company. Your gas bill has been overdue for a long time, and we need to read the meter, but no one is home each time. Are you home today? I need to come and read the meter, and while I'm at it, could you please pay the gas bill?" Liang Zichen's tone was slightly angry, and he stated the purpose of his call in a very professional yet patient debt-collecting manner.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then the mysterious person actually spoke: "I'm really sorry, I will pay on time."
Liang Zichen was startled; it was a man's voice. Judging from the voice, the man wasn't very old. After listening to the mysterious man's words, Liang Zichen pretended to be angry and said, "Pay on time! Pay on time! You've been hiding for so long and still haven't paid! I'm nearby; I'll come to collect it in half an hour!" After saying this fiercely, Liang Zichen immediately hung up the phone.
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