Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

Three people were lying on the ground. Two were motionless, clearly dead. The third was groaning at Chen Feng's feet, blood pooling around him. The air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder.

Chen Feng didn't even glance at the injured man at his feet; his gaze was like a knife as he stared at the terrified young man.

"Who are you?" His voice was colder than the night wind. "Where did you get that piece of cloth in your hand?"

The young man's teeth chattered, his face ashen, and he stared at Chen Feng as if he were a demon crawling out of hell. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Chen Feng stomped harder, making the man on the ground scream even louder.

"Speak!" he growled.

"Yes...yes...yes...it's a reward..." The young man finally broke down, stammering, "The Zhao family...and Wang Dagang...a reward for the little girl...with a mole on her neck...a red string...we...we found her over there...near the garbage dump..."

With trembling hands, he pointed in a direction deep into the alley.

Chen Feng looked in that direction. That was deeper into the shantytown, more chaotic, piled high with all sorts of household garbage and construction waste.

"Found it? When?" Chen Feng pressed, his heart pounding. Was it discarded? Or... torn off during a fight?

"Just...just now...a little over an hour ago..." the young man cried, "We just wanted to...we wanted to find some clues first...and then claim the reward...we didn't...we didn't intend to do anything else..."

Chen Feng's eyes grew even colder. They weren't planning anything else? He had clearly heard the malice in their tone when they were excitedly discussing "finding the person." These people finding Xiao Yu wouldn't be as simple as just "collecting the reward."

He stopped talking and lowered the gun slightly.

boom!

A shot hit the young man in the shoulder. Not a fatal wound, but enough to incapacitate him, causing him to scream and curl up in pain.

Chen Feng then loosened his grip, bent down, and picked up the light blue piece of cloth with small white flowers from the ground.

The fabric was dirty, stained with mud and grime, and the edges were torn, not cut. He brought it close to his nose and could faintly smell a familiar scent—the scent of home, mixed with the smell of sunshine and soap.

It's Xiaoyu! This really is from Xiaoyu's cotton-padded jacket!

She's still alive! And she's nearby!

Overwhelmed by immense joy, Chen Feng trembled uncontrollably. But the next second, an even stronger sense of anxiety and killing intent surged up.

Xiaoyu is here, deep in the shantytown. And these bounty hunters, like hyenas, are also looking for her! And not just this group, but many more!

He must find her immediately! Before anyone else discovers her!

Chen Feng crouched down, grabbed the leader, who was still groaning after being shot in the thigh, by the collar, and lifted him up.

"Where did you find it? Be specific!" Chen Feng's voice was hoarse, carrying an undeniable murderous intent.

The man was in so much pain that his face was covered in cold sweat. Looking at Chen Feng's cold face so close to him, and the gun that could fire at any moment, he was completely terrified.

"It's...it's just ahead...turn right at the third fork...there's a shabby shed...behind the shed...the garbage dump..." he said haltingly, his finger trembling as he pointed into the darkness, "The cloth...the cloth is hanging...hanging on the wire next to the garbage dump..."

Chen Feng looked in the direction he pointed, and the map in his mind instantly became clear. The third fork in the road led to the right; he had indeed passed through that area during his last search. There was a relatively open area filled with construction debris and discarded furniture.

"When you found her, was anyone there? Did you see the little girl?" Chen Feng pressed, his voice tense.

"No...nothing..." The man shook his head. "It's...it's just this piece of cloth...we searched for ages...but didn't see anyone...so we thought we'd wait until dawn..."

Chen Feng stared into his eyes, judging that he was telling the truth. At a time like this, he dared not lie.

In other words, Xiaoyu may have just stayed there, or she may have deliberately left clues? The cloth hanging on the wire doesn't seem like it was accidentally torn.

Could it be... a signal left by Xiaoyu on purpose? Did she know her brother was looking for her?

This thought made Chen Feng's heart beat even faster.

Without further hesitation, he swiftly brought down the knife.

puff!puff!

The dagger swiftly sliced ​​across the throats of the two men, ending their agony and terror. Blood splattered, drawing dark patterns on the dimly lit ground.

Chen Feng expressionlessly wiped the dagger clean and tucked it back into his boot. He didn't even glance at the four corpses on the ground; all his attention was focused on the rag in his hand and the direction the man had pointed.

Light rain... Light rain is right there! Maybe very, very close!

He carefully folded the scrap of cloth and placed it close to his heart. The cloth seemed to still carry his sister's warmth, infusing his cold body with an indescribable warmth and strength.

Then he checked the pistol; there were four bullets left in the magazine, enough for him. He replaced it with a full magazine and put the gun back on his belt.

No longer concealing his tracks, no longer acting cautiously, Chen Feng straightened up and strode off in the direction the man had pointed.

His footsteps were firm, thudding heavily on the sewage and garbage. His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, scanned every possible hiding place ahead. His body leaned slightly forward, poised to strike at any moment.

The alleyway stretched out beneath his feet, like a narrow passage leading to hope. The third fork in the road was soon at his feet.

Chen Feng turned right without hesitation.

The view opened up slightly. To the left was a row of low, dilapidated shacks, their doors and windows tightly shut, utterly silent. To the right was an open space piled high with all sorts of scrap—broken planks, rotten bricks, rusted sheet metal, discarded furniture—like a miniature garbage mountain. Several crooked wires stretched along the edge of the open space, with tattered strips of cloth and plastic bags hanging from them.

The air was thicker with the stench of decay.

Chen Feng's gaze instantly locked onto the depths of the open space, near a half-collapsed earthen wall. There was a particularly messy pile of garbage there, and sure enough, there was a low section of barbed wire next to it.

He walked over quickly, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

On the barbed wire, at chest height, there was a clear hook mark, and the wire next to it was slightly bent. Some debris was scattered on the ground, the same color as the rags in his arms.

right here!

Xiaoyu lingered here; her clothes were torn, leaving this piece of cloth. Was it intentional or unintentional?

Chen Feng stood up and looked around. The shacks were all quiet, as if no one was there. At the far end of the open space, behind the earthen wall, there seemed to be more space.

He went around to the back of the earthen wall.

Behind the wall was a small, triangular area enclosed by the back of a shack and an earthen wall, very well hidden and completely invisible from the outside. In the corner were some dry straw and tattered burlap sacks, suggesting that someone had rested there.

There were marks on the ground—small, indistinct footprints, like a girl's. There was also a relatively flat area with some clean, dry grass spread out, like a makeshift "bed."