Old Wang Came Visiting, Even Though He Didn't Live Next Door!

The doorbell rang again early in the morning.

Through the peephole, He Qiu immediately spotted a familiar face— Wang Dansheng, Mr. Wang, whom she could barely call acquaintance.

Unlike the previous visit by three people, this time he came alone, and he was even wearing casual clothes.

When the door opened, the young man noticed that the other man was carrying a simple paper bag, and even his smile seemed less serious and more down-to-earth than before. "Mr. He, I apologize for bothering you again."

It's like a regular visitor who deliberately comes to your door.

"It hasn't even been three days since we stopped! My parents just went out for their morning exercise, and you've already strolled over. You guys have been keeping an eye on this place, haven't you?"

The only person left at home snapped at him, but the unwelcome guest wasn't bothered. He just smiled and casually waved the paper package in his hand.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? I brought a gift."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Wang, please come in." He Qiu stepped aside, but her gaze inadvertently swept across the hallway.

"Just call me Old Wang —alright, alright, stop staring, I'm the only one here today."

As if knowing what he was thinking, Wang Dansheng naturally bent down to straighten his shoes as he entered. Seeing that there was nothing wrong, He Qiu had already taken out shoe covers for him.

"There were too many people last time, so there were some things that couldn't be explained in detail."

Without asking any further questions, He Qiu took the initiative to lead him to sit down in the living room.

Mr. Wang casually placed the paper bag on the coffee table. The bag tilted slightly, revealing the edges of several pastries, which appeared to be carefully wrapped in oil paper.

"It's nothing valuable. I couldn't just keep showing up empty-handed, so I bought some peach shortbread from the old shop I was passing by."

I heard your mother likes to eat this stuff.

These words made the young man opposite him twitch.

These guys even know such details perfectly; it's obvious they've carefully and indirectly learned about the two elders' situation through some means.

As steam rose slowly between them, Wang Dansheng didn't rush into the main topic. Instead, he held the teacup and started chatting casually about everyday things.

He Qiu crossed her arms, looking like she was just watching him show off, not wanting to bother with him too much.

To be honest, this guy's unusually enthusiastic demeanor today reminded me a bit of my own past when I was "doing side jobs," accompanying clients to photograph the autumn scenery of Fengshan—changing into casual clothes, bringing gifts, and trying to get on his good side.

As expected, after the large number of photos were developed and framed, the several photography teams that collaborated with them each received a thick red envelope from the customers who had been flattered.

Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of malice or theft; the ancients were right.

Seeing that the other party's expression showed no sign of softening, Mr. Wang was not discouraged at all.

In fact, before setting off, these "customer service" personnel had put in a lot of effort regarding their "communication goals," including reviewing their personal information on file provided by the national system, possible coping strategies in different situations, analyzing past experiences, dissecting communication methods, and conducting various "preparations," including research on their personal psychological thresholds and localizing their language style.

It can be said that a lot of effort was put in from beginning to end!

"Mr. He, actually, the reason I came today," "Old Wang" said, his tone shifting slightly, finally dropping the preamble and taking a simple envelope from his inner pocket, "Is to show you something."

He Qiu remained silent, only watching as he pulled out a stack of photos and placed them on the table.

The top image is likely a screenshot from a surveillance camera. The resolution is low, but you can barely make out that a young man is lying in an alley with a large patch of blood seeping from his head. There are also some rather strange marks on the ground around him.

"Like you, First-Test User. I can't reveal too much specific information, but I'm a young man, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, and I just graduated not long ago."

"The killer hasn't been found yet. They had professional disguise and counter-surveillance awareness, so they probably did it in the evening. The two people came from opposite ends of the alley and passed each other."

Seeing that He Qiu seemed a little confused, he gave him a special explanation.

Simply put, human instincts dictate that we are more wary of people approaching from behind. However, we are most wary of people walking towards us, usually during the process of getting closer together. After the two people pass each other, we gradually begin to relax.

"This young man was inexperienced; the other party turned around and attacked him from behind, striking him deadly. Then the other party collected the sample," and immediately ran away.

He gestured with his hand to the back of his neck, and even Wang Dansheng himself couldn't help but shrink back. "The incident happened last week. His mother is still in the hospital, unable to accept it."

"It was only during the subsequent verification of the deceased's identity and background that we discovered he was likely a First-Test User."

He Qiu didn't say anything, but picked up the cup and gulped down a mouthful.

The second photo shows the interior of an apartment building, where the walls and floor are in a mess. The tiles have been chipped away, leaving only the edges and corners. The cement surface is uneven, and a large section of the floor has collapsed in the middle. Even the ceiling has not escaped damage.

It's clearly the scene of an explosion.

"It was quite dangerous; the user who was at home died on the spot. At first glance, it looked like a normal gas explosion, but the subsequent investigation revealed other signs of human intervention."

Mr. Wang couldn't help but shake his head, "Even an elderly couple living downstairs were affected; they're still in the intensive care unit."

Several more photos followed, all of which, without exception, involved the user's "murder."

After reviewing the photos one by one, he put them away and looked at He Qiu. "Mr. He, I know you have your own thoughts and concerns, which is only natural. But objectively speaking, this matter is no longer just about you alone."

Finally, Wang pulled out an A4 sheet of paper with a hand-drawn map of the community. He Qiu recognized it immediately as the location of her own neighborhood.

He also noticed that his location was deliberately circled in red, and there were several markers around it.

"This is----"

"Yesterday, our colleagues detected some unusual activity near your neighborhood," Wang Dansheng said, pointing to the marked areas. "Unfamiliar faces were loitering around the area a couple of times."

"Of course, we might be overthinking it; it's an occupational hazard. But in these kinds of situations, it's better to be overly cautious than to be careless in the slightest."

The shouts of a scrap collector gradually drifted in from outside the window, accompanied by the rumbling of wheels, growing louder as they approached.

"Old Wang" also stopped abruptly, patiently waiting for the sound to subside before continuing.

"It's not like I'm forcing you to make a decision right now."

He then pulled an old cell phone out of his pocket; it had a very outdated design, similar to a Nokia flip phone for seniors.

It even comes with a matching charging device.

"But you need to keep this one. It's a special version with some anti-interference capabilities. Try to keep it in a discreet location where you can always reach it. There's only one speed dial button on it, which connects you directly to us. As long as you dial it, I guarantee that someone will answer immediately, anytime, anywhere."

Without saying much or showing any sign of refusal, the young man picked up the phone and examined it. It looked the same, but it was actually a bit heavier in his hand.

Seeing that the young man showed no sign of resistance, Mr. Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his efforts had not been in vain.

Strike while the iron is hot.

He stood up, walked to the window, glanced out, gestured for He Qiu to come over, and pointed to a silver van parked in the shade of the trees below. "Let me clarify first, those aren't outsiders; they're people we've arranged, working in three shifts. There's another one behind the building, not to monitor your house, but specifically to keep out uninvited guests."

"Also, they reported a couple of days ago that someone seemed to be secretly observing them from behind the curtains at your place. It must be you, right?"

"Yes, it's me."

Without any attempt to brush it off, the young former photographer readily admitted to it.

To be honest, this Director Wang's frankness this time was quite unexpected for He Qiu. He had thought that the other party would try to hide these arrangements as much as possible.

"But is it appropriate for you to explain it so clearly?"

Hearing his question, the customer gave a wry smile. "Well, to be honest—let's put ourselves in each other's shoes. Trust is mutual. We really need your cooperation, but we can't just force you."

"In short, that's all. It's good to be more careful and vigilant, especially since this doesn't just concern your safety."

"If it's urgent or you feel something's wrong, call immediately. Young man, don't be shy or hesitant. Those things are meaningless; no one is more important than you."

Once they reached the door and had just changed their shoes, the person seemed to remember something, suddenly turned around and called out again, "Hey, remember to eat the peach shortbread early too, don't let it get soggy, or it won't taste right."

"Okay, you don't need to bring any gifts next time."

After the door was closed, He Qiu returned to the living room, looked at the phone on the coffee table, and the hand-drawn map that had been left behind, and carefully examined the marked points on it for a long time.

---- In that solemn gaze, a chilling intent, truly deserving of the description "choosing its own kind to devour," gradually rose.