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Chapter 187 Blocked Life

Chapter 187 Blocked Life
It was raining cold, icy rain outside.

The glass was covered with a layer of mist, making it impossible to see the street clearly.

There are some lush green plants and elegant little flowers planted in the small flowerpots on the windowsill.

The lights in the house are spread on the wooden floor and light yellow wall paint, making it look particularly warm and pure.

Fang Cheng sat at the dining table, eating breakfast and drinking lean meat porridge while looking around the Zhou family's living room.

The TV screen flickered, broadcasting the morning news.

There are also some cute handicrafts on the cabinet.

On the wall behind hangs a family photo.

In the photo, the little girl, about eight or nine years old, sitting on her father's lap is particularly eye-catching.

She has two pigtails, a round face, big eyes, and a timid expression, but she looks very cute.

Looking at Zhou Xiumei when she was a child, Fang Cheng smiled and turned his gaze towards the kitchen where the sounds of pots and pans were coming from.

Through the frosted glass door, you can see the beautiful figure still busy at work.

Fang Cheng put down his chopsticks and shouted inside:
"Xiu Mei, you don't need that much for breakfast, stop busying yourself and come over to eat with us."

"Okay, it'll be ready soon!"

A crisp response, accompanied by a rich aroma of gravy wafted out from the kitchen.

After a while, the glass door was pushed open with a bang.

Zhou Xiumei walked out of the kitchen carefully holding a thermos bucket in both hands.

Then he put the thermos on the table, opened the lid, and used his slender fingers to pick up a ladle and scoop out a bowl of soup.

After carefully scraping off the foam on the surface, he personally handed it to Fang Cheng.

"This is the corn and wolfberry beef stew I just made. Try it. Do you like it?"

Smell the fragrant meat aroma and look at the rich ingredients.

Fang Cheng couldn't help but ask for it, and smiled as he reached out to take it:

"Thank you. I'm just starving. I'll be satisfied as long as I have some meat to eat."

As he spoke, he quickly scooped up a large piece of well-cooked beef, put it into his mouth without hesitation, and devoured it.

It looks like this delicious soup has been simmered for more than 2 hours. When you bite into the beef, it is full of broth, soft and tasty.

Side dishes such as carrot cubes, corn cubes and wolfberries are also fully integrated into the soup, eliminating a little greasiness and adding a fresh and sweet taste.

It can be said that the food is of great color, aroma and taste, not much worse than those prepared by chefs in restaurants outside.

Watching the man wolfing down the food with a completely unconcerned look, Zhou Xiumei pursed her lips and revealed a genuine smile.

"Brother Cheng, eat slowly. I cooked a big pot. You can take it home later and have it as lunch."

Fang Cheng nodded repeatedly but never stopped talking.

The way he eats now is actually very restrained and polite.

If I wasn't afraid of scaring the girl, I could have swallowed this big bowl of broth without even chewing it.

The table was filled with aroma and there were several carefully prepared breakfast dishes.

Soft-boiled eggs, cold jellyfish shreds, chicken meatballs, shredded potato and egg burrito, and crystal steamed buns.

Zhou Xiumei probably spent a lot of energy and time to prepare this sumptuous breakfast.

At this moment, she just narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at the man who was willing to eat the food she cooked with a happy face.

Sometimes he would pick up a pair of chopsticks, pick up some side dishes, and put them on the plate in front of the other person.

"Brother Cheng, I remember these were the foods you loved to eat when you were a kid, right?"

Fang Cheng swallowed the chewed meat and said with a smile:

"Do you remember it so clearly?"

Zhou Xiumei smiled, then picked up a steamed bun with chopsticks and handed it to his mouth in a friendly manner.

"Try it and see how it goes this time. Is it an improvement over last time?"

Fang Cheng wanted to refuse.

But he saw Zhou Xiumei's big eyes staring at him without blinking, as if flashing with expectation.

So he bit into the siu mai, chewed it slowly, and commented seriously:
"I now officially admit that your cooking skills are indeed one level higher than mine."

When Zhou Xiumei heard this, her eyebrows and eyes curved like crescent moons in a smile, and her face seemed to be brushed by a spring breeze, with a rosy glow on her fair complexion.

The whole person seems to have become much more cheerful and no longer so sentimental.

The drizzle outside the window was hazy and damp, and the house seemed to be filled with a soft breeze.

The two chatted briefly as they sat at opposite ends of the dining table, quietly enjoying their breakfast in this ordinary time.

"Xiu Mei, the soup you made is very much to my liking."

After finishing the last bit of soup in the bowl, Fang Cheng couldn't help but praise again: "When we have time in the future, we can exchange cooking skills."

“Is it really that delicious?”

Seeing this, Zhou Xiumei immediately stood up happily: "I'll help you scoop another bowl."

Just as she diligently picked up the bowl and prepared to serve the soup.

Suddenly, there was a sound of boots stepping on the ground outside the door.

Then, with a creaky sound, the shaky door was pushed open.

A tall middle-aged man in a black windbreaker walked in and muttered:

"Why is this door broken?"

Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei turned around and saw that it was Zhou Yongnian who had returned.

"dad!"

Zhou Xiumei immediately put down her bowl and couldn't help but shout in surprise.

Zhou Yongnian also looked up at the two of them, with a strange expression:
"Xiu Mei, Ah Cheng, what are you doing?"

"We...we..."

Zhou Xiumei opened her mouth and tried to explain something, but she stuttered and didn't know what to say.

Her face was red and hot, all the way to her ears, like a child who had done something wrong and was caught by her parents.

Seeing Zhou Xiumei's embarrassed look, Fang Cheng was afraid of being misunderstood, so he immediately took over the conversation:
"Uncle Zhou, there was a murder downstairs last night. Xiumei heard the noise and mistakenly thought someone broke into the house, so she called me. I was worried about her safety, so I ran over and kicked the door in. Fortunately, there was no danger in the end..."

Fang Cheng explained the situation clearly in a few words.

Zhou Yongnian frowned upon hearing this, but then he breathed a sigh of relief:

"I'm glad you're okay. I rushed home today just for this case."

As he spoke, he put on his shoes and took off his windbreaker that was wet by the rain.

Zhou Xiumei quickly stepped forward to take the clothes, hung them on the hanger beside her, and said:

"Dad, haven't you eaten yet? I just made breakfast and soup. You and Brother Cheng can have some together."

Her cheeks were still flushed, but her expression was much calmer.

Zhou Yongnian nodded, sat down at the table, took the bowl of beef soup his daughter had served, and then started eating.

But he seemed a little absent-minded, as if he was still thinking about the case at hand.

His face looked extremely haggard, obviously he had worked overtime again last night.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng asked with concern:
"Uncle Zhou, have you found any clues about the murder case that happened in our building?"

Zhou Yongnian drank a mouthful of the hot soup, then exhaled and shook his head slowly:

"This case is not under the jurisdiction of our Jiangbei Division. It has now been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Team directly under the Municipal Police Department."

Fang Cheng understood what he meant and asked curiously:

"Have similar cases occurred many times in Dongdu?"

Zhou Yongnian nodded solemnly:
"As far as I know, this should be the fourth case that has occurred in the city recently. The cases are very similar. Normal people suddenly go crazy and seem to have turned into man-eating evil spirits overnight..."

After muttering a few words, he glanced at his daughter sitting next to him and stopped talking.

Fang Cheng thought about it, then said carefully:
"Uncle Zhou, in my opinion, these strange cases that happen collectively should have a common source or a mastermind behind the scenes."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yongnian looked at Fang Cheng with some confusion and asked:
"Did you see the fight between the monster and the masked man last night?"

Fang Cheng's expression remained unchanged, and he replied calmly:
"There was a lot of noise last night. I think quite a few people in our building saw it."

"That's true."

Zhou Yongnian nodded slightly and looked at Fang Cheng's body, which was obviously much stronger than before.

Then he looked at his daughter who was just concentrating on drinking porridge without saying a word, and said, "Xiu Mei, Ah Cheng, you should take a leave for the next two days and don't go to work for the time being."

Zhou Xiumei raised her head when she heard this and looked at her father in surprise.

"The exit downstairs has been blocked by the police. Residents in the building can only enter but not leave."

Zhou Yongnian went on to explain:
"Someone from the city police station will come over to take statements and conduct interviews. There may also be a specialist from the special search team who will come to investigate the situation."

Fearing that the two did not understand the meaning of the special search team, he explained a few words, emphasizing that these people were very powerful and had great power and should not be easily offended.

Youqi deliberately emphasized his tone and reminded Fang Cheng again:
"Ah Cheng, you should take care of yourself. It's best if you stay at my house and keep Xiumei company..."

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and then he nodded in response.

After breakfast, he said goodbye to Zhou Yongnian and Zhou Xiumei and returned home to deal with some things.

Clang.

After closing the door, Fang Cheng quickly walked to the balcony, opened a corner of the curtain, and observed the scene outside through the gap.

The rain was still falling, and everything was gray.

From time to time, pedestrians holding umbrellas passed by on the street, or stood opposite, pointing and talking about the tube building.

There were several police cars with flashing lights parked downstairs, and several uniformed policemen were guarding the main entrance to the building, apparently on duty.

"It seems that what Uncle Zhou said is correct..."

Fang Cheng observed for a moment, then retracted his gaze and murmured in a low voice:

"Forget it, just stay at home and practice your skills for the next few days."

Now that the tube-shaped building has been sealed off, it’s a good excuse not to go to the club.

Considering that he had just been appreciated by the chairman and was about to become the club's image spokesperson, it was really inappropriate for him to be slacking off at work.

Fang Cheng could only apologize silently in his heart.

Besides this, there was one more thing that deserved his careful consideration.

Those are the policemen downstairs.

If it were just an ordinary criminal police officer coming to investigate the case, there would be nothing to worry about.

However, the special search team is different.

Fang Cheng knew that those people had keen perceptions, often dealt with extraordinary events, and had rich relevant experience.

I'm afraid it's easy to see some clues that I'm different from ordinary people, and thus get into unnecessary trouble.

Just imagine, an ordinary civilian who does not belong to a noble family, but has enough power to defeat monsters.

Even if there are no signs of madness for the time being, they will definitely receive extra attention from the special search team and lose the right to move freely.

Fang Cheng believed that the secrets told by the Smiling Devil were not alarmist at all.

Thinking of this, he immediately turned his gaze to the various training equipment in the room.

The barbell is normal, and it can be explained with my muscular body.

Specially made tight straps and weighted iron blocks should not be exposed to the outside.

and also……

Those things under the bed in the bedroom must also be properly stored somewhere.

Although it is not certain whether the police will conduct a home search.

Just in case, we still need to make preparations in advance.

After a little thought, Fang Cheng came up with an idea.

After half an hour.

After having breakfast at home and taking a short rest, Zhou Yongnian went out again and returned to the police station to work in the rain.

Hearing the sound coming from the corridor, Fang Cheng held the metal box and travel bag in his hands, then walked out the door and came to Zhou's house.

At this time, the city police station's criminal investigation team had already arrived.

They were visiting every household, asking questions about what happened last night and taking notes.

It’s just that according to the order, I haven’t found the ninth floor yet.

"Brother Cheng, what are these?"

Seeing Fang Cheng coming in with lots of bags, Zhou Xiumei couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"They are all special items. I'll hide them here for now so that the police won't get in the way when they come."

Fang Cheng didn't explain further.

Zhou Xiumei suddenly remembered the pistol and immediately nodded in understanding.

He immediately took Fang Cheng into his bedroom and hid all the things in the innermost closet.

Then cover it with some old clothes, and no one will find it unless they look carefully.

What's more, when facing the family members of police officers, the criminal police will inevitably relax their vigilance.

No matter how much you suspect, you can't suspect Zhou Xiumei or Fang Cheng who is with her.

Perhaps... this is the reason why Zhou Yongnian specifically reminded me of this.

Fang Cheng's heart was touched, and his eyes fell on the crumbling door again.

A deeply sunken footprint is quite eye-catching.

It was as if he was describing something extremely violent that happened last night.

After thinking about it, Fang Cheng simply decided to dismantle the entire door and hide it under Zhou Yongnian's bed.

Finally, only an iron gate remained.

Even if someone noticed that the inner door was missing, they could explain that it was broken and wait for a new door to be installed.

It took another half an hour to complete all these preparations.

Several patrol officers who were carrying out interrogation and search missions finally arrived.

Perhaps because Zhou Yongnian had greeted them in advance, they behaved more approachably.

One of the young policemen even praised Fang Cheng for his strong physique and asked him if he exercised regularly.

Fang Cheng responded with a simple smile.

Of course, their main questions focused on the murder that occurred last night and the bizarre events that everyone witnessed afterwards.

Compare Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei's answers with other people's testimonies to look for clues that may have been overlooked.

However, Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei had already agreed on their statements.

After questioning for about five or six minutes and taking notes, the police officers just glanced casually at the living room environment and then left.

Knowing that Fang Cheng lived next door, he did not ask to go to his house to check.

Things went unexpectedly smoothly.

Fang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the legendary special search team specialist has not been seen so far.

It was almost noon.

Zhou Xiumei, who was watching TV, stood up and started to make lunch.

She seemed carefree and busy.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng also went into the kitchen to help, showing off his unique skill of flipping the wok and practicing his cooking skills.

Just as he was frying a dish of diced cucumber and meat, he heard footsteps in the corridor.

Two strangers, a man and a woman, came over led by a criminal policeman.

Their eyes looked through the iron gate into the open living room.

I saw them busy in the kitchen, like a couple.