To the west of this location is Bajiaojing Street, but to the east is a wasteland. And just thirty meters away is Xiangling Lane, which Yu Cheng mentioned.
According to Ning Zhiheng's deduction, before the intelligence department was about to launch a large-scale manhunt, Yan Yichun learned that the carrier pigeons were about to be arrested. He quickly notified the Special Higher Police Headquarters, informing the Japanese of the operation and prompting them to activate the alarm system, which was initiated by Mr. and Mrs. Takano Ryota.
Ryosuke Takano arrived as quickly as possible and, as requested, carved a clear triangle on the east side of the cypress tree, which was a pre-arranged warning signal.
Upon seeing the signal, the carrier pigeon immediately realized it was about to be exposed. It promptly switched its radio station and prepared for a search, which resulted in the intelligence department's search ultimately yielding nothing, allowing the pigeon to escape this crisis by sheer luck.
Previously, when Ning Zhiheng was interrogating Takano Ryota, he did not notice the special location of this signal. He simply thought that the mark was for the target to see when passing by the street. But now he understands that the other party does not need to leave the house. He can see the mark clearly with a pair of binoculars in his residence in Xiangling Lane. If he has good eyesight, he can see it without binoculars.
Now, based on this location, we can go to Xiangling Lane and see which house offers a clear view of the cypress tree next to Ning Zhiheng. The resident of that house is likely a carrier pigeon.
Since the radio signals have been transferred, we can check whether any of the residents of these houses have moved out. This way, we can greatly narrow down the suspects from 58 households to just a few or even fewer, making the investigation much more efficient!
Ning Zhiheng led his team to the entrance of Xiangling Alley. Not long after, a police chief from the police station, who had been notified, also rushed over with security police.
They spotted Ning Zhiheng and his group from a distance and quickly ran over.
Upon reaching him, the sheriff quickly stood at attention and saluted, panting as he said, "Sir, we are here to cooperate with your investigation. We will follow your instructions."
Ning Zhiheng nodded and instructed, "You just need to take us to Xiangling Lane and check a few houses, understand?"
"Yes, I understand!"
The police chief quickly led the way, taking Ning Zhiheng and his group into Xiangling Alley, a narrow alley with many residents crowded on both sides.
Ning Zhiheng pointed to the houses on the west side and said, "Only check the west side, check each house immediately!"
Since only the residents on the west side could see the cypress tree, Ning Zhiheng gave the order, and the police quickly knocked on the doors of each household on the west side in order, allowing Ning Zhiheng and his team to enter for inspection.
When the residents saw that it was a group of soldiers and police officers who had come to their door, they were so frightened that they dared not say a word and all hid far away.
After entering the room, Ning Zhiheng went to the west window to check if he could see the cypress tree clearly. He soon discovered that the mound of wasteland in front of the cypress tree blocked the view. The residents on the first floor could not see the cypress tree, or could only see part of the trunk, and could not see the triangle he had just carved.
He immediately called over the sheriff behind him and asked, "How long has this pile of yellow earth been here?"
The sheriff scratched his head, puzzled, and answered truthfully, "It's been many years, and nobody has done anything about it."
In other words, this mound of earth was already there in June of last year, so the residents on the first floor would not have been able to see the alarm signal.
So Ning Zhiheng specifically looked for houses with two-story buildings, and sure enough, houses on higher ground could clearly see the triangular signal on the cypress tree.
There weren't many houses like this, only four households. Soon, the residents of these four households were brought to Ning Zhiheng.
Ning Zhiheng tried to soften his tone and asked in a friendly manner, "Don't worry, everyone. We are just conducting a routine investigation and will not have any ill intentions towards you. When did you all move in? Please tell me the specific time."
Seeing Ning Zhiheng speak politely, the residents' tense mood eased. These days, they were most afraid of those in uniforms; once they got into trouble, it would be a huge problem for these ordinary people.
The inquiry revealed that three of the four households were long-term residents, while only one household had moved in just last August.
This must be the house! Ning Zhiheng thought to himself. The carrier pigeon had evaded the search that time and knew that Xiangling Lane was no longer safe. It must have arranged to escape and move to the vicinity of Heilang Street. Now it has appeared in Yanliaofang.
His constant changes of whereabouts made it difficult to solve the case, but in Ning Zhiheng's eyes, his whereabouts were hard to conceal and he was revealing clues.
He then asked, "Do you know who the previous residents of this house were? Bring me their landlord and neighbors."
A moment later, a gaunt old man was brought before us. He said in a trembling voice, "The previous tenant of this house was surnamed Huang, named Huang Zhongxin. He was in his thirties and rented the house from me for two years. He moved out at the end of July last year, and the new tenant moved in in August."
"Do you know where Huang Zhongxin moved to?" Ning Zhiheng asked. He knew the chances were slim, but he still wanted to confirm.
As expected, the landlord shook his head and replied, "I don't know. He and I aren't familiar with each other. Apart from exchanging a few words when it's time to pay the rent, we just nod to each other when we meet, and he doesn't say much to me otherwise."
I asked a few more neighbors, and their answers were all similar. They didn't know much about Huang Zhongxin, except that he seemed to be a company employee with a good salary who had rented the largest room on the second floor.
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