Chen Peiyue, despite rarely venturing out of the Little Knife Society, was accustomed to a life of comfort and found herself instinctively uncomfortable in such a rudimentary environment.
Streets like these were littered with garbage, and animal waste was not uncommon. The wind did not carry the refreshing scent of nature, but rather the foul odor of refuse.
Following behind Li Chonglou and Yue Hai, Chen Peiyue discreetly took out a mask and put it on.
Gao Baisong had not accompanied them. In this group, he and the second brother were ordinary individuals, and Li Chonglou preferred not to expose them to unnecessary risks during their operations.
Sun Zhong had provided a very detailed address, specifying the exact district, building, floor, and unit number. However, when Li Chonglou followed the directions of passersby to the door, he found no one inside.
"Could they have gone out?" Chen Peiyue didn't overthink it. In her mind, if the information pointed here, the person should be here.
But Li Chonglou keenly noticed a layer of dust on the doorknob, suggesting the place hadn't been occupied recently.
Nevertheless, Li Chonglou was experienced with such situations. Since knocking on the door yielded no response, he turned to knock on the neighboring door.
"Who is it!"
An impatient voice answered, and the adjacent door creaked open, revealing a young face before the three of them.
"Who are you looking for?"
Upon seeing the three people outside, the initially impatient tone subsided considerably.
"Hello, excuse me. I wanted to ask about the person in the apartment next door, where have they gone?"
"Next door? No one lives there. I've been here for a week and haven't seen any activity from inside."
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed at this statement. Sun Zhong's address was here, but why was it unoccupied?
The young man, perhaps out of caution, quickly closed the door again.
"Brother Li, something's not right. Were we tricked?" Yue Hai said solemnly.
Chen Peiyue, unaware that Li Chonglou had obtained this location information from Sun Zhong, remained silent.
Li Chonglou understood Yue Hai's implication but felt the situation was more complex.
Sun Zhong and his brother weren't fools. If Li Chonglou was asking for this location, it was clearly to find someone personally. Lying at this juncture would expose their deception. Anyone with a semblance of intelligence wouldn't lie at such a moment.
From this perspective, the current situation suggested that Sun Zhong and his associates might have also been deceived by someone else.
With this thought, Li Chonglou asked Yue Hai to stay with Chen Peiyue. He then moved aside and called Sun Zhong.
Upon hearing the situation, Sun Zhong's voice on the other end of the line clearly became enraged.
"That bastard took so much money from me and then lied!"
Li Chonglou calmly replied, "Do you have any information about him?"
"Yes! I'll send it to you right away!"
After hanging up, Sun Zhong quickly sent another address.
"Let's go."
Without any hesitation, Li Chonglou led the two towards the new address.
This informant's location was actually in the vicinity of the residential complex. According to Sun Zhong, the reason he sought his help was because he was nearby.
The informant's name was Ah Bao, a notorious local troublemaker. However, when Li Chonglou and the others arrived at Ah Bao's residence, they found his door was also locked.
This time, as soon as he knocked, a neighbor poked their head out and spoke proactively.
"Don't bother knocking. He hasn't been back for three days."
Listening to the neighbor's slightly impatient tone, Li Chonglou began to suspect something.
"Friend, judging by what you're saying, others have come looking for him besides us?"
"Isn't that obvious? They come every day, looking for him. You all know he's a gambling addict, yet you still lend him money."
After speaking, the neighbor slammed the door shut heavily, greatly irritating Yue Hai.
"What an attitude! Brother Li, should I teach him a lesson?"
"Don't cause trouble. In situations like this, don't act rashly."
Li Chonglou glared at Yue Hai. He remembered that the neighbor was just an ordinary person, and according to his rules, he could not casually attack ordinary people unless they were scumbags like Chen Jiji.
Yue Hai shrunk his head under Li Chonglou's glare.
Then, he saw Li Chonglou knock on the neighbor's door again.
"What is it now! Don't think I'll pay his debts for him! I'm not familiar with him, don't bother me!"
This time, the neighbor didn't open the door but shouted impatiently from inside.
Li Chonglou paid no mind to the neighbor's attitude and called out, "Friend, I'm asking where I can find him? I'm willing to pay."
A few seconds later, the previously closed door suddenly opened.
"You mean you want to buy information about him?"
"Yes, if it's useful, a thousand."
"Deal!"
The neighbor's frown immediately relaxed, and he praised, "Out of all the people who have come here, you're the smartest!"
"All of them, they don't even understand the simple principle that you can't catch a tiger without entering the mountains," the neighbor said, happily receiving the money Li Chonglou transferred.
After receiving the money, he was quite straightforward.
"Since you're so prompt, I'll give you a piece of information for free. Ah Bao is still around here. He has a parrot in his backyard that he's raised for over ten years. If he were to leave Shangjing, he would definitely take it with him. I've been feeding it for him now."
After speaking, the neighbor revealed all the possible locations where Ah Bao might be. There were three in total: a bar, a gambling house, and a club.
It was currently noon, so the bar was unlikely, but the remaining two places were possibilities.
However, before setting off, Li Chonglou curiously asked the neighbor, "You're willing to feed his parrot, so why would you… for money…"
The neighbor chuckled, "If this guy continues gambling like this, problems will arise sooner or later. Since that's the case, isn't it all the same whether it happens sooner or later? This way, I can also earn a little money. At worst, I'll share some with him."
The neighbor's words left Yue Hai and Chen Peiyue stunned.
They felt a sense of friendship between the two, but not much…
They couldn't quite categorize the neighbor's actions as good or bad.
"Then we won't bother you further."
Li Chonglou smiled and shook his head. The neighbor's answer had also exceeded his expectations. However, from the neighbor's words, it was clear that the two were still somewhat friends.
After the neighbor closed the door again, Yue Hai sighed, "Relationships are truly complicated."
Li Chonglou merely smiled, "Alright, let's go find him first." After speaking, Li Chonglou pulled up the photo Sun Zhong had sent from his phone.