Chapter 595: The Ever-Changing Concealed Space

Li Banfeng sat in his office, reviewing documents related to Gourd Village. Shen Jingye was feeling unwell and had taken a day off.

According to the records, Gourd Village was a nightmare for the Dark Star Bureau; it was a topic no member, from branch office to headquarters, wished to discuss.

Analyzing the files and incorporating Li Banfeng's understanding, Gourd Village appeared to be a hidden space with unique properties. Whether it was a dark-dimensional space remained uncertain, as dark-dimensional spaces were just one type of hidden space, and Li Banfeng wasn't very familiar with other variations.

The most significant characteristic of this hidden space was its mutable entrance, a phenomenon Li Banfeng had encountered before in Prole Province, specifically with the shifting entrance of Fool's City.

If he could master this technique, he could not only build a secret laboratory for his wife but also an entire clandestine city.

This was a crucial foundation!

He had to learn this technique, and he had to find Gourd Village.

But why would such a strange hidden space appear in an outer province instead of Prole Province?

It was precisely because Gourd Village was in an outer province that young Shen was so frantic about the matter, giving Li Banfeng's investigative work his full support.

According to the records, Gourd Village's entrance would appear annually from December to January, coinciding with the Lunar New Year's eve, which Shen Jingye referred to as "opening for business."

The entrance typically manifested as two to ten exceptionally beautiful women standing at the hidden space's threshold, enticing passersby to enter.

"Exceptionally beautiful women."

Li Banfeng patted his wine gourd. "Sister, you really don't know anything about this place?"

The wine gourd sighed. "Oh, little brother, stop patting; you've made me all red. I genuinely don't know. Perhaps I once did but can't recall now. If I remember, I'll certainly tell you. If you want to keep patting, switch to the other side; don't always hit this one half."

Since her contract with Elder Yao had been dissolved, the wine gourd had been fiercely loyal to Li Banfeng. If she knew any inside information, she wouldn't withhold it.

Besides, this was an outer province territory, and the wine gourd was from Prole Province, so it was indeed unreasonable to ask her.

Li Banfeng continued poring over the files.

Last year, Gourd Village appeared in the north, resulting in thirty-one disappearances: twenty-five men and six women.

"Women?"

Were they lured away by handsome men?

There was no mention of handsome men in the files.

The year before last, Gourd Village appeared in the neighboring Minyue Province, causing fifty-five disappearances, seventeen of whom were women.

This proportion was even more exaggerated.

Why would exceptionally beautiful women attract so many other women?

As Li Banfeng flipped further through the files, a question continued to bother him: "Why is this place called Gourd Village? Is it just because the girls at the village entrance have gourd-like figures? Even if that's the case, why not call it Gourd Shop, Gourd Tower, or Gourd Garden?"

Tangyuan produced a document. "Because there were survivors."

"Survivors from Gourd Village?"

"Yes, the name Gourd Village comes from the survivors' accounts."

"Why didn't you give me such important information sooner!" Li Banfeng took the file box.

Tangyuan stuck out her tongue. "Actually, these documents aren't of much value."

Li Banfeng opened a document. The survivor was named Wu Nianping, from Gaole City in Minyue Province. He disappeared on December 16th the year before last and returned home on January 21st.

Wu Nianping was a delivery driver. According to his own account and eyewitness descriptions, he picked up an order from a restaurant. As he was getting on his electric bike, he noticed two women at the restaurant's entrance inviting him inside.

He thought there was an issue with the delivery, so he followed the women into the restaurant. Only then did he discover that the restaurant interior was actually a village, and the women told him it was Gourd Village.

Tangyuan explained, "Seventh Master, this is his only remaining memory of Gourd Village. After evaluation, Wu Nianping was found to have developed severe mental illness due to extreme fright. He went insane, and his memory was severely impaired—"

Li Banfeng interrupted Tangyuan, "Having a mental illness doesn't mean someone is insane. Be precise with your words!"

Tangyuan nodded and continued, "Other survivors were in similar conditions. They could only state the name 'Gourd Village' but provided no other useful descriptions."

Li Banfeng still meticulously reviewed all the survivor information, with Tangyuan assisting him in analyzing some key details.

Zhong Er's investigation focused not on these documents but on the case's specific individual.

The man who disappeared from the pharmacy was Zhang Peiwen, twenty-six years old and unemployed. Zhong Er found an issue with his address: "Zhang Peiwen's residence is just a street away from the pharmacy where the incident occurred. After buying medicine, he could walk home in fifteen minutes. There was no need for him to take a taxi."

Candied Fruit disagreed slightly: "Some people just don't like walking, and a fifteen-minute walk isn't exactly short."

Zhong Er presented the pharmacy owner's statement: "According to her description, Zhang Peiwen once waited a long time outside the pharmacy for a single yuan. He's an introverted and frugal person, so he likely wouldn't choose to take a taxi for a fifteen-minute walk."

Lightbulb frowned. "That's too arbitrary. Just because someone is frugal doesn't mean they don't appreciate comfort."

Zhong Er said no more. In terms of financial background, he was significantly less well-off than Lightbulb, leading to a clear divergence in their understanding of taking taxis.

Li Banfeng hadn't considered this issue either; during his student days, he rarely took taxis alone.

After reviewing files all morning, Li Banfeng decided to visit the family of the individual in the afternoon.

He brought Tangyuan, Lightbulb, Star, and Zhong Er to Zhang Peiwen's residence.

Zhang Peiwen's apartment was in a complex on Disheng Road, built at the end of the last century. It was a walk-up building, and Zhang Peiwen lived on the seventh floor.

Zhang Peiwen's father, Zhang Qinghai, was originally a factory worker but became disabled after an accident left his right leg immobile. He had been confined to his home for years.

His mother, Ai Xiafen, a middle school teacher, had retired five years prior due to health issues. Their combined pensions were the family's sole source of income.

Ai Xiafen, the mother, opened the door. Li Banfeng presented his forged identification.

This was legally forged identification, as the public knew nothing about the Dark Star Bureau, and its agents couldn't reveal their true identities.

Ai Xiafen invited them in. "Police comrades, please sit. My son—"

Zhang Peiwen's father, Zhang Qinghai, came to Li Banfeng, leaning on his cane. "Is there any news about my son?"

Li Banfeng replied, "Not yet. We're primarily here to conduct some investigations."

As he spoke, Li Banfeng surveyed the house's layout.

It was a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment. The living room was quite spacious, but the bedrooms were a bit small.

Since the apartment faced north, the interior lighting was somewhat dim.

Li Banfeng asked, "Which one is Zhang Peiwen's room?"

Zhang Qinghai pointed to the room on the right side of the hallway, and Li Banfeng glanced at it.

The entire apartment was furnished very simply, primarily with wooden furniture. Only Zhang Peiwen's bedroom door was distinctive.

Because it was made of glass.

Zhong Er told the two elderly people, "I'd like to collect some evidence from the individual's room."

Ai Xiafen stood up. "I'll go with you. We'll cooperate fully with your work."

Li Banfeng looked at Zhang Qinghai and said, "Then I'll speak with you first."

Ai Xiafen sat back down on the sofa. "Police comrade, you'd better speak with me. My old Zhang is confused and can't explain anything clearly."

While Zhong Er went to collect evidence, Li Banfeng began asking about the incident.

Tears welled up in Ai Xiafen's eyes. "That day, at three in the afternoon, he went to the pharmacy to buy medicine for me. He shouldn't have gone that day; he should have gone the day before. But the pharmacy wasn't open then. If it had been open, none of this would have happened!"

At this point, Ai Xiafen began to cry audibly.

"Auntie, please don't get upset. We are doing everything we can to investigate," Tangyuan comforted Ai Xiafen, who calmed down slightly.

Li Banfeng asked, "You just said you originally planned to buy the medicine the day before, but because the pharmacy was closed, you postponed it by a day. However, I see many pharmacies near your complex. Why did you insist on going to that specific one?"

Ai Xiafen sighed. "It's because of my uncooperative body. There are a few medicines that only that pharmacy sells."

Li Banfeng told Tangyuan, "Later, write down the medicines Ms. Ai needs. We can help procure some for her."

"No, no," Ai Xiafen shook her head repeatedly. "How could I trouble you?"

Tangyuan smiled. "Please don't worry, this is what we should do."

After questioning for a while, Ai Xiafen still refused to reveal the names of the medicines. She continued to recount the events of that afternoon:

"My son left at three o'clock to buy medicine, and he always returned by three-thirty. I was at home preparing to cook his favorite stir-fried carrots—"

"I want to find my son!" Zhang Qinghai suddenly stood up, leaning on his cane. "I'm going to find him now!"

Tangyuan tried to dissuade him, while Ai Xiafen shouted, "Old Zhang, stop it! They're helping us find our son!"

Zhang Qinghai lowered his head and remained silent. Ai Xiafen continued, "That day, I waited until three-forty, but my son still hadn't returned. I was terribly worried, so I rushed to the pharmacy to look for him."

Li Banfeng asked, "Doesn't he have a cell phone?"

Ai Xiafen sighed. "Forgive me for saying this, but my son is crazy about studying. He can't do anything but read books. He doesn't know how to use a phone or a computer. I went to the pharmacy, and the owner said she saw him buy the medicine and leave. I used to trust this owner, so I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until the police came to investigate later that I realized this woman lied to me. She saw my son standing outside her door and didn't tell me! She's not a decent person; she's the one who harmed my son!"

At this, Ai Xiafen wept even more bitterly.

Lightbulb listened half-heartedly, not expecting to gain much more useful information from Ai Xiafen.

Star, ever so helpful, quickly handed Ai Xiafen some tissues.

Li Banfeng asked very seriously, "Ms. Ai, why do you think the pharmacy owner would harm your son?"

Tangyuan glanced at Li Banfeng; that last question didn't sound like something Seventh Master would ask.

Ai Xiafen was clearly traumatized by her son's disappearance and was speaking without restraint. How could anyone take such accusations seriously?

Perhaps it was because the customs in Prole Province were different, and Seventh Master was somewhat unaccustomed to them.

Ai Xiafen replied, "I buy medicine there often. That woman must have thought we were very rich, so she wanted to kidnap my son and extort money from us!"

Tangyuan raised her eyebrows at Li Banfeng, signaling him not to take it seriously. She had encountered similar situations before; Ai Xiafen's son's disappearance had caused her psychological trauma, leading her to suspect everyone and everything around her.

Li Banfeng continued to chat with Ai Xiafen, while Zhong Er finished collecting evidence from the bedroom and then opened the refrigerator.

Ai Xiafen looked confused. "Are you collecting evidence from the refrigerator too?"

Zhong Er shook his head. "I'm thirsty. I'm just checking if there's anything to drink in the fridge."

Tangyuan frowned, embarrassed for Zhong Er.

Star suppressed a smile. He genuinely couldn't understand what Zhong Er was thinking. At a time like this, searching a family's refrigerator seemed like a blatant disrespect to the Dark Star Bureau.

Then again, the elderly couple didn't know they were from the Dark Star Bureau.

Lightbulb felt the situation was unusual. Zhong Er's approach was indeed peculiar, but he wasn't someone who took advantage of others, nor would he do something so pointless.

Li Banfeng also knew Zhong Er had an ulterior motive but still feigned a reprimand: "What kind of work ethic is that? Don't you have any sense of discipline?"

Ai Xiafen quickly stood up. "I'm so muddled. We don't have any drinks. I'll pour you all some tea."

Li Banfeng stood up. "We've gathered most of the information we need. We should be going now. Ms. Ai, please take care of yourself."

Zhang Qinghai stood up again. "I want to find my son! I want to find my son!"

Ai Xiafen chided her husband briefly, then escorted Li Banfeng and two others out the door.

The moment they reached the door, Li Banfeng heard the voice of a projector. "Seventh Director, I'm suffocating. The lighting and colors in this house are overwhelming."

After leaving the complex, Li Banfeng went to the pharmacy and asked the owner what medicines Zhang Peiwen usually bought.

Star, standing nearby, asked, "Bureau Chief Li, are we really going to buy her medicine?"

Li Banfeng shot Star a glare. "Isn't this what we should do? Where's your sense of service?"

Star dared not speak. The owner checked her ledger, and he wrote down the names of the medicines.

Li Banfeng wasn't very knowledgeable about medicine, so he had Tangyuan send the names directly to the medical department.

Lightbulb said, "Chief, you're not trying to buy her medicine; you're investigating her, aren't you?"

Tangyuan also didn't quite understand. "Why investigate her?"

Zhong Er said, "I think Bureau Chief Li's line of thinking is sound."

Star frowned. "Don't always just agree with Bureau Chief Li. Don't always be a yes-man. What are your thoughts?"

Zhong Er hesitated to speak. Once everyone was back in the car, Section Chief Sui Qijun of the Medical Department sent a reply.

"Bureau Chief Li, the definitions for the functions and indications of the medicines you provided are quite vague. It's difficult to infer what illness the user might have from these drugs."

"What kind of answer is that?" Li Banfeng was displeased. "The prescription is right in front of you, and you still can't clarify the ailment?"

Sui Qijun was a bit awkward. "Bureau Chief Li, I don't want to be too assertive, but based on what I currently know, the names of the medications you provided, strictly speaking, cannot be considered actual medicines."

"If not medicine, what are they? I saw these at the pharmacy."

"These items are more accurately described as health supplements with some therapeutic effects, but their ingredients are relatively complex, their efficacy is difficult to ascertain, and their prices are quite expensive."

Li Banfeng hung up the phone and remained silent for a long moment.

Star remarked, "People can take whatever they want; it's none of our business. But since these are health supplements and not essential medicines, we don't necessarily have to buy them for her."

Lightbulb pondered for a moment. "Section Chief Sui said these health supplements are quite expensive. Looking at their family's circumstances, they don't seem wealthy."

Tangyuan said, "That's where you're mistaken. Many elderly people are very superstitious about health supplements. Even if they don't have money, they'll find a way to buy some."

Zhong Er shook his head. "It's not that simple."

Li Banfeng looked at Zhong Er. "What evidence did you find?"

Star said, "I doubt there's any valuable evidence to be found in his home."

Zhong Er ignored Star and handed the evidence to Li Banfeng, who examined it, further confirming his suspicions.

Back at the bureau, in the conference room, Zhong Er produced a plastic bag. "I previously surmised that Zhang Peiwen wouldn't be willing to spend money on a taxi. I found this in the mattress's interlayer."

Lightbulb took the plastic bag and saw various denominations of loose change inside. The largest bill was a single ten-yuan note, with the rest being one-yuan and five-yuan notes, along with many uncommon coins.

"This must be the change he got from buying medicine," Star roughly calculated. The change added up to over a hundred yuan.

"Or it could be change from grocery shopping," Zhong Er said, holding up a schedule. "This schedule was taped to his desk. It took me a lot of effort to pry it off."

Lightbulb took the schedule and read through it, his eyebrows furrowing involuntarily.

Monday: Wake up at 7:00 AM, bathroom from 7:15 to 7:30 AM, breakfast from 7:30 to 8:00 AM, take Dad for a walk in the complex from 8:00 to 10:00 AM, go to the market for groceries from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM: Cook with Mom, 12:00 PM: Lunch, 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM: Nap, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Watch TV, 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM: Buy medicine for Mom, 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM: Watch TV at home. 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Go to the market for groceries, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM: Help Mom prepare dinner, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM: Clean, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM: Do laundry, 8:30 PM: Go to bed.

Tangyuan looked at the loose change in the plastic bag and said to Li Banfeng, "Bureau Chief, regarding the taxi matter, I still hold my view. I don't believe the taxi driver lied. Zhang Peiwen is just a frugal person, but that doesn't mean he lacks spending ability."

Zhong Er shook his head. "If he had spending ability, he definitely wouldn't spend it on a taxi. You can see from the schedule that every Wednesday afternoon, his mother reviews shopping receipts with him. Ai Xiafen would also tally these loose coins with him."

Tangyuan had already seen the schedule. "This schedule doesn't prove anything. Perhaps it just indicates that his family has a strong sense of time. Everyone lives differently and has different aspirations. We shouldn't judge others by our own standards."

Zhong Er pulled out a flyer. "This is a smartphone sales flyer I found under Zhang Peiwen's pillow. The cheapest phone on it costs only 628 yuan. He circled the number '628' several times. If he had spending ability, he'd surely be aiming for this phone, not a taxi!"

Star said, "No one claimed he definitely wanted a taxi. The driver said Zhang Peiwen kept looking at him, leading the driver to assume Zhang Peiwen wanted a ride, thus causing a misunderstanding."

"There wouldn't be such a misunderstanding!" Zhong Er shook his head emphatically. "When I couldn't afford a taxi, I never dared to stare at one. I imagine you all have had similar experiences."

Lightbulb chuckled. "Not necessarily. I'd dare to look."

Li Banfeng asked Lightbulb, "When was the last time you took a taxi? You've had a car since you graduated."

"Perhaps..." Some clues were already emerging, but Tangyuan was still trying to defend Ai Xiafen. "As a mother, her parenting methods might have issues, but that doesn't negate her love for her child. I saw ingredients in the kitchen; she was preparing his favorite stir-fried carrots. She's still waiting for her child to return."

"Stir-fried carrots," Zhong Er said, looking at Li Banfeng. "Bureau Chief Li, do you remember Zhang Qinghai's reaction when carrots were mentioned?"

Li Banfeng remembered that scene vividly. "He wanted to find his son; his reaction was very intense, as if he wanted to rush out of the house."

"He did want to rush out of the house, but not necessarily to find his son. He probably didn't want to eat carrots anymore; he wanted to escape that home," Zhong Er said, producing a stack of receipts. "These are their grocery receipts from the supermarket for this month. They buy carrots every day. I opened their refrigerator, and there were several plates of stir-fried carrots inside, along with many raw carrots. With this kind of diet, who could possibly tolerate carrots? How could Zhang Peiwen willingly eat carrots? This was Zhang Peiwen's life: eating the same food, doing the same things every day, every action under Ai Xiafen's surveillance and control. Even his bedroom door was transparent."

Tangyuan was silent for a long time. She genuinely couldn't understand how such a family dynamic could exist. "If Zhang Peiwen were willing to find a job and support himself with his own income, he wouldn't have to endure so many restrictions."

Zhong Er picked up the schedule. "Captain You, you also heard Ai Xiafen's description: if he didn't return by 3:40 after going out to buy medicine at 3:00, Ai Xiafen would go to the pharmacy to look for him. Ai Xiafen gave Zhang Peiwen no more than ten minutes' leeway. He couldn't even go directly to buy groceries after returning from the pharmacy; he had to wait at home for half an hour before going to the market. Under such a degree of control, do you think Zhang Peiwen could find a job? Would Ai Xiafen even allow him to look for one?"

Tangyuan fell silent.

Zhong Er organized the evidence. "Captain You, different upbringings lead to different perceptions of things. This situation has happened to people I know, so I'm not surprised by this investigation's findings. But on one point, we've reached a consensus: I also believe there's no need to investigate the taxi driver any further."

Lightbulb was taken aback. "What are you talking about? We've been discussing this all this time precisely to confirm the taxi driver's suspicious points, haven't we? Now that the suspicious points have been found, you say we shouldn't investigate?"

Zhong Er shook his head. "Why investigate him? To rescue Zhang Peiwen? For Zhang Peiwen, going anywhere would be better than staying home. Instead of dragging him back into that hell, we might as well do something else useful."

Tangyuan disagreed. "We can't generalize from a single case. Once Gourd Village opens, many people will disappear, and their situations will differ from Zhang Peiwen's."

This time, Zhong Er remained silent. Everyone looked at Li Banfeng, as the final decision rested with him.

Li Banfeng was pondering an important question: "What is Gourd Village truly like inside? Does anyone want to go and see?"