Chapter 56 Identity

The woman's mother had been poisoned and made mute. The Qian family had successfully sealed her mouth, and this incident reminded Jiang Cheng of the pitiful woman who had been beaten black and blue, yet couldn't speak.

Her throat had also been tampered with by the Qian family to prevent anyone from recognizing her voice.

The same methods, just as despicable and infuriating.

Currently, the mission storyline was clear, but they still needed to confirm the ghost's identity.

They needed to find out the ghost's name.

But the Qian family was almost completely wiped out, and there were few surviving witnesses like the woman's mother. Where could they find the female ghost's identity?

The woman slowly sat up straight and suddenly said, "I heard my mother say that the police took statements from all the abducted women at the time, recording in detail when they were abducted and what happened to them afterward. Those records should still exist."

Chen Xiaomeng immediately asked, "Do you know where the records are?"

"I'm not sure about the specifics," the woman said uncertainly, "but I think there should be a copy in the town, since Xiaoshijian Village belongs to Anping Town."

They had gathered almost all the information they needed. The two of them didn't delay any longer and got up to leave.

"Oh, right," Chen Xiaomeng turned back and asked, "Have you seen or heard any of the villagers mention the two women who came with us?"

"What?" The woman's eyes widened as she asked, "Two of the women with you are missing?"

"Yes."

"When did it happen?"

"This afternoon."

The woman seemed to realize something, and her face turned ugly. After a long while, she said, "That's probably bad. That ghost rarely attacks women."

Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng understood her implication. Li Lu and Yu Man were likely victims of the villagers.

"Understood."

Chen Xiaomeng had originally planned to save them if she could, using them as cannon fodder. Now, risking their lives to save them would be putting the cart before the horse.

With them staying in the village, they might delay the men's progress, giving them more time.

After saying that, the two of them walked out.

"Where are you going?" the woman asked, chasing after them. She earnestly reminded them, "The village chief might bring people to catch you tomorrow. Be careful and leave here as soon as possible."

Chen Xiaomeng's eyes flickered, and she replied, "We'll go to the deep pool in the back mountain to avoid the trouble for now, and see if there are any clues there."

The woman thought for a moment, "Alright, then be careful. If the village chief catches you, you'll be sent back to the Qian family mansion."

Before leaving, Jiang Cheng turned around and said to the woman, "If you have the chance, leave this place."

The woman smiled bitterly and shook her head, saying nothing.

Two figures blended into the night.

After the woman closed the door and turned to walk towards the bed, the door covered by the quilt in the room opened, and a small face peeked out, calling out crisply, "Mother!"

The woman was startled. After realizing it was her daughter, her panicked expression subsided a little, but she still scolded with a stern face, "Keep your voice down, you'll wake Grandma up in a bit."

"Oh." Hong Hong stood in the crack of the door, her big eyes glancing towards the window.

"Why aren't you sleeping? What are you looking at?" the woman asked.

Hong Hong's throat bobbed, and her eyes dimmed a lot. "Mother," she paused, "they're gone."

The woman was stunned for a moment, then nodded a few seconds later, "Gone."

"Then... can they escape?"

The woman looked out at the dark night, shook her head, and sighed, "I don't know."

"What about us?" Hong Hong suddenly turned her head.

...

In the darkness, the two moved quickly. They didn't choose the relatively flat stone road, because stepping on it would make a "da-da-da" sound.

They walked on the dirt road beside the stone road, which was a bit muddy, but much safer.

The two coordinated tacitly. Since leaving Hong Hong's house, they had been silent all the way, speeding towards the village entrance.

As for Chen Xiaomeng's talk about going to the deep pool in the back mountain to avoid trouble, it was completely nonsense. Neither of them took it seriously.

The deep pool in the back mountain and the road back to Anping Town were in opposite directions.

Whether the woman betrayed them and actively informed the village chief, or whether the fact that they had come tonight was discovered, and the village chief threatened them to tell the truth, it would only disrupt their tracking direction.

By the time the village chief brought people to the deep pool in the back mountain, they would probably have finished their mission and gone home to catch up on sleep.

In a nightmare, don't trust anyone.

Chen Xiaomeng was already tired of hearing that sentence.

"Are you sure you can find the way back to town?" Jiang Cheng asked, lying prone in the bushes not far from the village entrance, glancing sideways. Chen Xiaomeng was lying beside him in the same position, her eyes fixed on the village entrance.

Although they judged that the villagers probably wouldn't dare to come out at night, they were still worried about accidents.

This was an excellent ambush location.

It was also the only way to leave the village.

"If you don't trust me, go by yourself," Chen Xiaomeng said coldly, not even looking at him.

The wind was strong at night, and the town was humid. Chen Xiaomeng's clothes were wet and stuck to her body, and her lips were chapped from the cold.

Jiang Cheng wasn't doing much better, but he brainwashed himself, convincing himself that he was still in the room he had stayed in before, with a roaring stove in front of him, warming his body.

Before long, Jiang Cheng's face miraculously turned rosy.

After observing for a while, nothing happened except for the howling of the night wind.

Chen Xiaomeng, already freezing, finally couldn't bear it anymore. She bent over and cautiously moved along the thickest part of the bushes towards the village entrance.

Jiang Cheng strolled behind her like a cheerful little deer.

His footsteps were even lighter than Chen Xiaomeng's.

Fortunately, they safely passed the open space at the village entrance. About 20 meters ahead, there was a huge rock. After bypassing the rock, they would have left the village.

Just as Chen Xiaomeng strode forward, preparing to walk behind the rock and take a breath, Jiang Cheng suddenly rushed up from behind and hugged her.

Chen Xiaomeng's pupils trembled violently, and a flash of murderous intent flashed in her eyes. She subconsciously wanted to perform a classic back throw on this clueless guy, then break his neck.

But then Jiang Cheng's words instantly froze her.

"Don't move!" he said coldly, "There's a landmine."