We asked you to solve cases, and here you are sharing your criminal experiences?

No. 17 Qingnian Road, Xingang District, Jiangcheng City.

Recipient: Dark Night Maze Immersive Reasoning Experience Center, received at the front desk.

The main office of the Major Crimes Unit was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Gu Tingchen stared at the big screen and read out the name.

"A labyrinth in the dark?"

It felt like tons of explosives had been detonated in Song Qianxia's brain.

Meng Xiaoqing thought the Dark Night Maze was some kind of neutral party that specifically collected dirt on people.

Did they think it was an underground shelter where they could negotiate with the Star Ocean Foundation?

Song Qianxia knew it all too well!

The Dark Labyrinth is not your average mystery-solving experience.

That was the outer recruitment station and intelligence screening network that Night Owl had set up in Jiangcheng!

Ten years ago, Night Owl used these places disguised as trendy entertainment venues to screen young people with antisocial tendencies.

Pick them out and send them to that inhumane virtual training camp.

By sending the Star Sea Foundation's shady accounts to the Dark Night Maze, Meng Xiaoqing was essentially handing meat to the wolf.

The Starsea Foundation and the Dark Labyrinth are both backed by Night Owl!

Song Qianxia's fingers felt uncontrollably cold.

Meng Xiaoqing sent her life-saving charm to her most deadly enemy.

At this point in time, Meng Xiaoqing has most likely died in what she thought was a safe haven.

Not even a bone fragment will be left.

"Song Qianxia, ​​what's wrong?"

Gu Tingchen keenly noticed her unusual behavior.

Normally, once this girl finds a clue, she'll be jumping around trying to claim credit and ask for a bonus.

Why does your face look whiter than a freshly painted wall today?

Song Qianxia quickly snapped out of her daze and forced an exaggerated smile.

"Captain Gu, you don't even know this restaurant?"

"This is the hottest escape room experience center among young people in Jiangcheng right now!"

"The tickets are ridiculously expensive, several hundred yuan each! And you have to book them half a month in advance."

Then pretend to be heartbroken and jealous.

"I'm shocked that Meng Xiaoqing, that poor cashier, only earns five thousand five hundred a month, yet she sends things to such a high-end place."

Gu Tingchen clearly didn't completely believe her nonsense.

Old Zheng was so anxious that he jumped up and down, grabbing the police cap on the table.

"Forget about mazes! Now that the ledgers have been sent there, I'll take men to seal off and search that shop immediately!"

"No way." Gu Tingchen decisively rejected Lao Zheng's suggestion.

Old Zheng was stunned, and then argued back, his face turning red with anger.

"Why? That's our only lead! If we're even a minute late, the ledger might have been moved!"

Gu Tingchen pointed to the location on the electronic map, his tone calm and restrained.

"This experience center is located in the most bustling area of ​​Qingnian Road in Xingang District. It has all the necessary licenses and permits and is a legally operating entertainment venue."

"We currently have no substantial evidence to prove that they were involved in the crime."

"Based on just a local express delivery order, they sent a large number of special police officers to conduct a raid and search."

"As long as their front desk insists they didn't receive it, or that the package has already been moved elsewhere."

"Not only will you not find anything, but you will also face public pressure and serious law enforcement complaints."

More importantly, this would completely alert the enemy.

If Meng Xiaoqing is still hidden somewhere, the police's visit is tantamount to issuing an execution order.

The Night Owls can destroy evidence much faster than the police can break down doors.

"What should we do then?" Lin Wan asked anxiously from the side. "Are we just going to stand by and wait?"

Gu Tingchen turned to look at the work schedule on his desk and quickly made a decision.

"Since it's an immersive experience center, let's go and try it out."

He turned to look at Song Qianxia and Lin Wan.

"Go and investigate without giving any prior notice. Go in as a regular player."

Song Qianxia's heart skipped a beat.

Go to Night Owl's intelligence station? And then disguise yourself as a player to play an escape room game?

This is like pulling teeth out of a tiger's mouth.

She raised her hands, attempting to desert her post.

"Captain Gu, I'm a total scaredy-cat, and I'm terrified of the dark. Besides, I can never solve any escape room puzzles. Can I not go?"

Gu Tingchen rejected her request without hesitation.

"You understand networks and how to crack mechanisms. It's full of complex electronic combination locks and secret passages; if you don't go, who will?"

"Also, call Zhou Zheng from the SWAT team."

Gu Tingchen began to select his men with swift and decisive action.

"He's skilled and can handle any sudden violent situation."

Zhou Zheng happened to be there to get Gu Tingchen's signature on a riot control drill report.

Upon hearing this, the muscular SWAT team captain's face fell.

"Captain Gu, what kind of escape room do you want me to play?"

Zhou Zheng looked reluctant, but raised his thick arm to show off his biceps.

"I could punch through that lousy cipher wall. What's the point of deciphering the code? That's just a waste of time!"

Lin Wan rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Captain Zhou, could you please use your brain, which is all muscle?"

"We're going undercover to investigate a case and find hidden evidence, not to carry out a forced demolition project."

Zhou Zheng was speechless for a long time after being choked by Lin Wan's words, and could only shut his mouth in frustration.

At 2 p.m., the four men changed into civilian clothes and met in the underground parking garage of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Gu Tingchen was wearing a black casual jacket. His rugged features and tall stature made him look like a dangerous undercover assassin.

Zhou Zheng wore a tight-fitting short-sleeved sports T-shirt, his exaggerated pectoral muscles looking like they were about to burst out of the shirt.

Lin Wan was dressed very elegantly, wearing ankle boots, looking like a white-collar worker who had just finished get off work.

Only Song Qianxia.

She was wearing an extremely oversized, faded hoodie paired with baggy jeans.

A pair of stiff, black-rimmed glasses sat on his nose.

Holding a half-finished cup of cheap bubble tea in his hand.

Lin Wan looked her up and down with disdain.

"Are you going to play an escape room game, or to collect scrap metal under the overpass?"

Song Qianxia took a sip of the pearl, chewing it with a loud smacking sound, and retorted confidently.

"What do you know! This is called the 'College Loser Suit.' It's the perfect camouflage that's least likely to arouse suspicion in entertainment venues like this."

Gu Tingchen looked at her incongruous attire and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

"Alright, stop arguing. Get in the car, Zhou Zheng, drive."

The four men got into an inconspicuous black civilian car.

The car drove out of the municipal bureau's underground parking garage and headed straight for the new port area.

On the way, Gu Tingchen sat in the passenger seat and began to explain the operational rules.

"Once inside, don't act too professional. Pay attention to the blind spots of the surveillance cameras and the movements of the employees."

"The main objective is to find a place where the ledgers could be hidden, or any clues that Meng Xiaoqing might have left behind."

"Song Qianxia, ​​you're in charge of finding an opportunity to hack into their internal network and see if you can retrieve the package delivery records for the past two days."

Song Qianxia, ​​with a plastic straw in her mouth, gave a muffled reply.

She leaned against the car window, her mind preoccupied with other things.

The interior of the Night Owl Experience Center is far more complex than it appears on the surface.

There must be hidden passages and mechanisms inside to select assassins and test human nature.

If we take Gu Tingchen and the others too far, they might stumble upon those core areas they shouldn't touch.

The risk of her multifaceted identity being exposed will increase exponentially.

How can we find the account book that Meng Xiaoqing sent without arousing Gu Tingchen's suspicion?

The car weaved through the bustling streets of the new port area.

Half an hour later.

A three-story stand-alone building, painted entirely black and without any signage, came into view.

The building's exterior resembles a giant iron box.

There was only a dark red neon sign standing at the entrance.

It reads in large characters: Dark Night Maze.

Zhou Zheng parked his car in a marked parking space on the side of the road.

The four people got out of the car.

Song Qianxia looked at the gloomy black door and swallowed the last sip of milk tea.