The next morning, Zhong Yiming handed the newly made pills to Chen Fan.
Chen Fan tested them on the spot. They had some effect, but not much.
While Zhong Yiming was an expert in making medicine, he wasn't top-tier in medical skills, just passable.
Furthermore, the medicinal ingredients used in this case weren't aged or genuine.
As a result, the effect of these pills was inferior to the previous True Qi Pills.
After receiving the medicine, Chen Fan had Zhong Hao drive him to the airport.
Upon arrival at the airport, Han Shuying had arranged for someone to be waiting to escort Chen Fan through a private channel to board the plane.
Four hours later, the plane landed at the Dongying Airport.
Chen Fan disembarked and went through customs like any other passenger before exiting the airport.
As he walked out of the arrival hall, a man in a suit with an ordinary face approached him and bowed deeply.
"My King, Shin has finally met you!"
The man was young, around twenty-two or twenty-three, slender, and extremely excited. He spoke in the Sakura dialect.
Chen Fan stopped and looked at the man. "Shin, are you well?"
"Thank you for your concern, my King, Shin is very well!"
He grinned, looking clean and pure.
His full name was Kono Shin, a Sakura national and an outer member of the Night organization.
The Night organization was a powerful entity, not just comprising the Prophet and the Magician, but numbering over a hundred members in total.
Its members hailed from various countries, facilitating operations in different regions.
Of course, even outer members like Shin were elite.
Chen Fan nodded without saying much and left the airport with Kono Shin, getting into an ordinary Toyota.
Kono Shin drove them away from the airport and headed straight for the city center of Dongying.
An hour later, the car stopped outside a common private residence in the downtown area of a Dongying city.
Pushing open the door and stepping into the entrance hall, someone was already waiting inside. It was none other than the Prophet.
"My King, we checked the hideout mentioned in the资料, and it was empty. There were no spies monitoring the vicinity!"
The Prophet said.
Chen Fan took off his shoes and sat down on the tatami. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, it's a residence used by Great Xia special agents. There are few places nearby suitable for surveillance,"
The Prophet continued, "After all, they are special agents, so their skills in these matters are commendable."
Chen Fan nodded.
This was not surprising; if the matter hadn't been so troublesome, Xiang Jingzhong wouldn't have sought his help.
"I personally inspected the scene as well. There were no signs of a struggle, no bullet holes, only indications of a search,"
"It appears that was not the primary point of the incident, and it must have happened rather suddenly!"
"Any other news?" Chen Fan nodded and asked.
Kono Shin replied, "None. Someone was inquiring about the whereabouts of those Great Xia agents. They should also be agents from Great Xia, but no information has surfaced."
"Those who made the target individuals disappear have gone quiet and are in hiding."
Chen Fan looked at the Prophet. "What about the others?"
"They are divided into five groups. Knowing you were coming to the Sakura Country, the Magician, Titan, Shadow, and others have all arrived. They are now scattered throughout Dongying City, gathering information."
The Prophet said, "Now we need to find useful clues."
"Take me to that place to see it!"
Chen Fan said.
"I'll accompany you!" the Prophet replied.
"You stay here, Shin will take me,"
Chen Fan said.
So, Chen Fan and Kono Shin left again and drove to their destination.
It was not far, only two blocks away, and as the Prophet had said, it was a three-story residential building.
The buildings in this area were generally low-rise, and there were indeed no good vantage points for surveillance nearby.
Chen Fan glanced at the small courtyard outside and noticed that people from the Great Xia special department had visited a few times, judging by the slight scuff marks.
The door lock had not been forced, but opening it posed no problem.
Chen Fan stepped inside. Having been to the Sakura Country before, he was familiar with the layout of such residences.
He circled the living room on the first floor but found no clues.
Chen Fan then checked the kitchen and bathroom, which also appeared normal.
The second floor had two bedrooms. After examining one, Chen Fan moved to the other.
Opening the wardrobe, he found a few women's clothes. They likely belonged to Xiang Jingzhu, but there were no clues.
As an operative, Xiang Jingzhu would naturally have used a pseudonym and wouldn't leave behind anything that could prove her identity.
After a thorough search, Chen Fan returned to the entrance and began to examine the area more closely.
His gaze fell upon the shoe cabinet behind the door.
He crouched down, staring at the shoe cabinet, and then reached out to touch it, his gaze fixed for a long moment.
"My King, is there something wrong?" Kono Shin asked.
"Shin, would your family frequently wipe down a shoe cabinet like this?"
Chen Fan said.
Shin hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's been almost ten days, and this shoe cabinet is still very clean,"
Chen Fan said, "Look here, this mark."
The mark was faint but not difficult to notice.
What was significant was that it was a heel print. Judging by its shape, it would have been made if someone, with their back to the shoe cabinet, had lifted their foot and bumped it.
Normally, when entering and changing shoes, one would face the shoe cabinet directly, not turn their back to it while facing the door.
Combined with the fact that the shoe cabinet had been wiped clean, it presented a problem.
"Your Majesty, do you mean this was caused by a struggle?"
Shin, being quick-witted, asked.
"Something like that, but the struggle wasn't intense. It was just a slight resistance,"
Chen Fan said, "You'll be inside. I'll knock, and you open the door."
Shin nodded in agreement.
Chen Fan went back outside and knocked on the door.
Shin opened it.
Chen Fan smiled. "I'll change my shoes. Watch me."
Saying that, he took a step back, then suddenly reached out and looped his arm around Shin's neck.
Shin instinctively struggled.
Chen Fan released his grip and said, "Understand?"
"You mean, it was in this position that you left a shoe print on the shoe cabinet?"
Shin suddenly realized.
Chen Fan nodded. "Not a full shoe print, perhaps only half."
"Alright, let's go."
Chen Fan shook his head. With no more valuable information, there was no need to linger.
He walked out again, preparing to leave.
"My King, what does your discovery earlier imply?"
Kono Shin, with far less experience than the Prophet and the Magician, was still somewhat confused and sought clarification from Chen Fan.
"What do you think?"
Chen Fan replied with a smile.
"Someone tricked the person inside the house into opening the door, then suddenly attacked, subdued the person inside, and took them away?"
Kono Shin thought for a moment and said.
"You are quite right," Chen Fan said. "Anything else?"
Kono Shin shook his head.
As they spoke, they walked out of the courtyard.
At that moment, an ordinary car drove up and stopped in front of them.
A man and a woman got out of the car.
As soon as they alighted, the man and woman stared at Chen Fan and Shin, their expressions extremely vigilant, tinged with a hint of joy.
Kono Shin immediately became wary.
The people who had appeared here might very well be the enemies they were looking for.