Chapter 2146 - 1176: Cafeteria_2

After all, if that were the case, there would inevitably be a conflict between the two, and Feng Xiaoyan would definitely scream and even knock on the neighbors’ doors, surely disturbing the other residents in the building.

However, according to Chief Zhou’s investigation feedback, no strange sounds were heard by nearby residents last night.

So this point can basically be ruled out.

Next is the second hypothesis: Guo Tiejun was telling the truth, the door was not opened by him but by Feng Xiaoyan herself.

But Feng Xiaoyan didn’t do it intentionally; she was deceived by the Fierce Ghost disguised outside the door.

However, Yang Xiao doesn’t quite agree with this either. As mentioned, Feng Xiaoyan’s vigilance last night should have been high; it seems unlikely she would open the door recklessly.

Moreover, the only people who could be called insiders in this building were her and Guo Tiejun; the other teammates didn’t live in this building.

At night, Aunt Zhang, the building manager downstairs, would lock the door; the other teammates wouldn’t be able to enter easily, which Feng Xiaoyan should have been aware of.

Next comes the third hypothesis, which Yang Xiao thinks is the most likely: Feng Xiaoyan opened the door herself because she was worried about being implicated by Guo Tiejun, thus escaping from here.

This also explains why she persuaded Guo Tiejun to sleep first upon returning last night, while she stayed on guard—she was trying to seize the opportunity to escape.

"Guo Tiejun, after you left the Cultural Palace last night, did anything happen?" Yang Xiao pursued.

"Not really; we just stopped by the clinic, then returned, and nothing strange happened along the way." Guo Tiejun recalled.

"Why did you go to the clinic?" Ye Zheng was surprised.

"Nothing special. Feng Xiaoyan said she wanted to see if Ma Jing and Zhang Xiaomin were there; she had something to say to them both. When they weren’t there, we left."

"Oh, later Feng Xiaoyan suggested that maybe it would be better to stay at the clinic and not go back, but I thought it was better to stay at home, so we returned." Guo Tiejun said.

"Did you eat something after returning?" Yang Xiao asked.

"I didn’t eat anything; I’m not in the habit of eating at night—just drank a bottle of soda, which was bought by Feng Xiaoyan, saying that sweet food can help people relax. She..." At this point, Guo Tiejun suddenly paused, his pupils involuntarily dilating as if he realized something.

At this moment, Yang Xiao also confirmed his hypothesis that Feng Xiaoyan left voluntarily to avoid possibly being targeted by the ghost, but unexpectedly ended up as a victim herself.

"Did you drink this bottle of soda last night?" Ye Zheng picked up an empty soda bottle from the ground beneath the table.

"No, no, there should be two empty bottles. Last night, Feng Xiaoyan bought two bottles and brought them back." Guo Tiejun emphasized.

Yet, after thoroughly searching the room, Yang Xiao and the others didn’t find the second empty bottle.

"Stop looking." Yang Xiao halted the frantic Guo Tiejun, "You’re not going to find it; I think that bottle was taken by Feng Xiaoyan when she left last night."

"It should be taken away; otherwise, it would have been evidence left behind. The security section’s two chiefs are not amateurs; they would definitely find out." Ye Zheng crossed his arms and sneered.

This Feng Xiaoyan seemed quite shy, but surprisingly clever; yet, she ended up becoming a victim of her own cleverness.

It makes one wonder whether she felt even a bit of regret when the ghost finally came for her.

"This vicious woman..." Guo Tiejun shivered with anger; he never imagined she would dare to plot against him.

No wonder he suddenly felt so sleepy last night. Although he was clearly holding on, he fell asleep before long.

And that sleep lasted straight until noon—his head still a bit dizzy even now. He thought it was his own problem, perhaps not acclimatized, catching a cold or something.

"Actually, when Feng Xiaoyan suggested staying at the clinic last night, you should have been alert." Ye Zheng said: "Moreover, didn’t you insist on keeping Feng Xiaoyan by your side, not letting her leave?"

Feng Xiaoyan was certainly wrong to drug her teammate, but Guo Tiejun, knowing he was very likely being targeted by the ghost, insisted on dragging his teammate along to share the risk—not very dignified behavior either.

Yang Xiao wasted no time assisting the security section in their search, as they were unlikely to find her—it was meaningless.

In the afternoon, Yang Xiao and the team met at their secret base in the storeroom on the third floor of the Cultural Palace.

Yang Xiao did not conceal anything and recounted Feng Xiaoyan’s disappearance and her drugging of Guo Tiejun in detail.

"What exactly happened to Feng Xiaoyan last night, and why did the ghost target her?" Hu Weimin’s face grew increasingly grim.

"Is it possible that Guo Tiejun was originally the target, and because Feng Xiaoyan drugged him, the ghost shifted its focus?" A weak voice emerged, it was Ma Jing, stationed at the clinic.

"In this mission, sabotaging teammates is taboo; it would violate the ghost’s taboos?" Zhao Xuejun couldn’t help but frown.

The group discussed with varied opinions, but it was all speculation, and ultimately no unified conclusion was reached.

However, what happened to Feng Xiaoyan might not necessarily be a bad thing for the whole team. After this incident, certainly no one would dare to easily harm a teammate—it’s a warning.

"Captain Ma, what should we do next?" Guo Tiejun asked.

At this moment, everyone’s eyes were on Yang Xiao, filled with hope; this young man was practically their only hope.