Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Abnormal Creature
"Did you sell the house? Are you short on money? What happened?"
Zhou Yingting had just answered the phone when a barrage of questions came through from the other end.
"No, I just made some money recently and got a new house."
Hearing the barrage of questions, Zhou Yingting quickly replied.
"Got a new house?"
His aunt sounded puzzled, but then, with a hint of skepticism and concern, said, "Where did you move? Tell me the location."
"Uh, is that necessary?"
Zhou Yingting hesitated when he heard this.
"What, I can’t even know where you live now?"
Upon hearing this, his aunt immediately sounded hurt, "Now you’re so distant from your aunt, huh?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yingting felt a bit at a loss, "I’ll send you my location."
His aunt’s tactic was something Zhou Yingting truly couldn’t resist.
Knowing she still harbored suspicions, worried he had sold the house to do something else.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yingting pulled up their chat history and sent over his location; then he took out the title deed.
He knew she would definitely want to see it later.
More than half an hour later, his aunt arrived at the door.
Zhou Yingting opened the door to welcome her in.
His aunt still looked relatively young, about seven or eight years younger than Zhou Yingting’s father, but she got married pretty early and had a daughter a few years younger than Zhou Yingting.
When Zhou Yingting’s parents passed away unexpectedly, he stayed at his aunt’s when he was in school, and she took care of him.
The compensation money left by his deceased parents was all given to Zhou Yingting by his aunt without taking any share herself.
"Is this the house you got?"
His aunt walked into the villa, looking around speechless with astonishment.
If she remembered correctly, these villas cost over a hundred million, right? Where did Zhou Yingting get the money?
Knowing his aunt found it hard to believe, Zhou Yingting picked up the title deed nearby and handed it to her.
His aunt took the title deed from Zhou Yingting, glanced at it, and once she confirmed it was indeed purchased by Zhou Yingting, she felt relieved.
"I thought you’d done something else after finding your house was already sold."
She looked at Zhou Yingting, puzzled, "Where did you get the money to buy this kind of house? A loan? How much do you repay a month?"
Before his parents passed, they entrusted Zhou Yingting to her care, so she has been looking after him all these years.
"No, didn’t I buy Bitcoin a few years ago? I thought I lost those, but out of nowhere, I found them and made a fortune, so I purchased the house outright."
Zhou Yingting concocted a story on the spot for his aunt and wasn’t worried she wouldn’t believe him.
He then took out his phone and opened his personal tax app. Upon opening it, it showed the funds transferred from Australia and the taxes paid simultaneously.
This app allows him to check the taxes paid.
His aunt had been a bit worried, but after seeing the taxes paid, she immediately felt reassured.
In her eyes, if taxes have been paid, then the money must be legitimate, earned through formal channels.
With this thought, she stopped dwelling on the matter, feeling happy that Zhou Yingting had achieved something.
Judging by the figures Zhou Yingting showed, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of his life.
"Great, you’re doing well; not like your sister. She went to a better school than you years ago, yet now she earns just a meager salary."
At this point, his aunt gently patted Zhou Yingting’s hand, her face full of emotion.
"Meager salary?"
Zhou Yingting looked at his aunt in curiosity, why would she say something like that?
"Isn’t it what she always says herself, claiming she only earns a meager salary and has to work overtime daily."
His aunt sighed, looked around Zhou Yingting’s house with satisfaction, and prepared to leave.
She was just there to ensure Zhou Yingting was fine so she could return home in peace, "Tomorrow’s the Dragon Boat Festival, remember to come over to Aunt’s house for a meal. One more pair of chopsticks won’t be a problem."
"Dragon Boat Festival..."
At her words, Zhou Yingting realized the festival was indeed just around the corner, "If Aunt says so, I’ll definitely be there."
"I’m just afraid if I don’t come and call you, you won’t show up."
His aunt said, then walked toward the door, having no intention of touring Zhou Yingting’s place since she still had work.
Zhou Yingting escorted his aunt to the door and watched as she rode away on her electric bike.
Seeing this, he realized he needed to visit his aunt’s place tomorrow; after all, it wasn’t too far since they were both in Feng City.
He thought for a moment, returned to the sofa to sit, and planned to buy some gifts in advance to bring tomorrow.
.....
The next day.
Zhou Yingting picked up the items he had bought, drove, and set off for his aunt’s house.
His aunt’s place was in an old community far from the center of Feng City; by the time Zhou Yingting arrived, it was almost lunchtime.
He parked a bit of a distance away from the old community since there was no parking space available at his aunt’s place during the holidays.
Carrying the things he bought, as he approached the community, he saw a police line encircling the area from afar.
Seeing this scene, Zhou Yingting was initially stunned, then felt a little nervous, and quickly walked toward the area.
As he got closer, a familiar voice rang out, and he turned to look.
Upon seeing his aunt and her family not far away, he was immediately relieved.
"Aunt, Uncle."
Zhou Yingting approached them, then looked at the community in confusion, "What happened? Why is it cordoned off?"
"I don’t know. I heard someone died. They are investigating inside now."
The uncle beside shook his head, his face also showing a bit of puzzlement.
Because if someone died or something like that, it doesn’t seem necessary to evacuate the entire community. We don’t know the specifics.
"Someone died?"
Zhou Yingting, hearing this, didn’t think much about it. "If no one’s cooked, we can go find a hotel to eat."
"Why waste that money? I’ve already bought the ingredients. Besides, it’s a holiday now, there will definitely be lines."
Upon hearing this, the aunt immediately shook her head in refusal.
Seeing his aunt insist, he did not push further. When he saw his cousin beside him, he couldn’t help but smile mischievously, "I heard from aunt that you’re just making a meager income now?"
The cousin, only a few years younger than Zhou Yingting, nodded continuously upon hearing this, "Yes, yes, it’s really hard to make money now. I have to work overtime every day, it’s killing me!"
This cousin of Zhou Yingting had a bit of a quirky spirit, an oval face, quite pleasant to look at, and having just graduated not long ago, still carried a hint of youth and energy.
Zhou Yingting smiled and handed over what he was holding.
"Here, take it."
"You’re here to eat, not to buy these things. Take them back after the meal."
Seeing what Zhou Yingting was holding, both uncle and aunt grumbled a bit, then looked at the cordon with some concern on their faces.
"How long will this be blocked?"
She was anxious to get back to cooking.
Other residents from the community, hearing this, also nodded repeatedly and started chiming in.
"Yes, what exactly is going on? How long has it been, and there’s still no intention to leave?"
"Is it possible the murderer is still in there? If they were inside, they would have been found by now, right?"
The residents next to them were getting a bit impatient waiting.
Some were worried, "Whose family is the deceased? Does anyone know?"
Some felt this incident was a bit ominous, and this being an old community, such a disturbance might make it hard to sell houses here in the future.
Additionally, it felt a bit creepy.
"Son, isn’t your friend working inside? Can you ask them?"
Someone suddenly thought of something and asked their son, who had come home for the holidays.
The young man responded and picked up his phone to message the person inside. Moments later, he shook his head as he looked up.
"They said the situation here is quite special and can’t be disclosed to the public."
Special situation?
Hearing this, the surrounding residents frowned even more.
What could make this situation so special?
Zhou Yingting stood nearby, originally planning to wait until the lockdown ended, but when he saw someone walking by, he paused slightly.
Thinking for a moment, Zhou Yingting said to the three relatives nearby, "Wait here for a bit. I’m going to see what’s going on."
With that, he didn’t give them time to respond and headed straight for the cordon.
"Hey? Where are you going?"
His cousin, Yu Lingxin, paused upon seeing this and was about to call out to Zhou Yingting.
However, by this time, Zhou Yingting had already reached the cordon and started frowning at the 14th Bureau members inside.
"You can’t come any closer. Please stand back."
Upon seeing Zhou Yingting approach, a security officer immediately came forward to dissuade him, signaling for him to stand further back.
Hearing this, Zhou Yingting nodded and then called into the cordon, "Qiao Peimu."
"Who’s calling me?"
Qiao Peimu, who was investigating the scene, instinctively turned around upon hearing the voice.
Seeing Zhou Yingting outside the cordon, his face lit up with excitement, "Oh, it’s Brother Zhou!"
He then immediately told the security officer, "It’s fine, let him through. He’s one of us."
Upon hearing this, the officer immediately opened the cordon with a serious expression.
Zhou Yingting didn’t hesitate and walked in, leaving Yu Lingxin dumbfounded and staring blankly behind him.
She had just heard them calling Zhou Yingting brother inside? Did Zhou Yingting hold that much weight?
......
"What happened?"
After taking a few more steps inside with Qiao Peimu, Zhou Yingting asked.
Since the incident took place in his aunt’s community and the 14th Bureau was involved, he had to ask.
"An anomalous creature invasion. Last night, it killed a family of three. We’re currently investigating to make sure it’s not still at the crime scene."
Qiao Peimu sighed upon hearing this, "It was a gruesome death. They were almost completely eaten, and based on the scene’s inspections, it appears they were eaten alive."
As he said this, his expression grew somewhat uneasy.
"Is the anomalous creature still inside this community?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yingting’s expression changed slightly, and he glanced at the old community around them.
"Not sure yet, we’re still checking. In theory, it should’ve left after the crime, but there are always exceptions. Moreover, dealing with an anomalous creature can’t be conjectured with common sense."
Hearing this, Zhou Yingting thought for a moment and agreed, "Can I help with the investigation?"
He pointed to Building 8, which was his aunt’s building.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the 14th Bureau, but he felt better if he also checked himself.
"Of course, no problem!"
Qiao Peimu nodded immediately, aware of Zhou Yingting’s capabilities, feeling more at ease with him around.