Chapter 103: Specialized in Handling All Troubles

Xiao Yu walked into Building 113 again. The scent had become extremely faint. Perhaps in another day, he wouldn’t be able to smell it even with Monarch Butterfly’s Nose activated.

Apart from not fully understanding the system and the transmigration, Xiao Yu was always a firm believer in science.  He didn’t believe that anyone could teleport or vanish into thin air. The entire building was surrounded by national security and police.

Everyone was puzzled. 

They didn’t understand why Xiao Yu was so convinced the suspects were hiding there.

Building 113 was thoroughly searched again, with a focus on the central unit. One unit, 8 floors, 3 apartments per floor, a total of 24 apartments.

No clues, no traces, no scents.

Xiao Yu’s head was buzzing. 

‘Did they really disappear? If not, where could they still be hiding? What is a place easily overlooked during a search? Apartments, hallways, emergency exits, elevator shafts, rooftops… all checked, what else is left? There shouldn’t be anything… wait a minute?’

Xiao Yu’s expression turned peculiar.

‘Could it be the elevator shaft? Could someone really hide there?’

Soon, the elevator was opened. The faint scent, almost gone, reappeared and hit his nose.

‘No way.’

Xiao Yu hesitantly stuck his head in, looking into the elevator shaft.

‘Seriously? This is scientific? Could someone actually hide here?’

Civilian elevators were not like commercial ones. Each elevator shaft was designed to fit snugly. 

When moving up and down, aside from the elevator entrance, there were only about two feet to one meter of space on the left, right, and back. 

So, how could anyone hide there? And how could they hide for several days?

Eating and drinking might be manageable, but what about using the bathroom and sleeping?

Oddly enough, the scents were precisely in the elevator shaft. Moreover, apart from the cables, tracks, and a safety ladder, there was nothing in the elevator shaft.

The scent was clearly there, but there was no one to be found.

With the elevator at the top floor, Xiao Yu climbed into the elevator shaft.

As always, he believed in science.

Following the safety ladder, he started climbing down from the seventh floor, bit by bit.

The scent grew stronger. The light in Xiao Yu’s eyes grew colder. Until he reached the first floor.

With a flashlight in hand, Xiao Yu looked at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

Shock absorption layer?

Many people didn’t know what this was. But in modern times, most elevators had it installed. It prevented sudden elevator failures and drops.

With this shock absorption device as a buffer, there was a 30% chance of saving lives.

So, an interesting question came up.

Building 113 was an old building, over thirty years old. The small high-rise elevators of that time didn’t come with shock absorption layers. Even if old buildings had them, they were installed later.

The installation process was quite extensive, and usually, unscrupulous property managers wouldn’t spend the money to install such devices for the residents.

Yet, this particular unit in this residential complex had it?

Releasing his grip, Xiao Yu jumped down. His feet landed on the shock absorption layer.

It felt as solid as the ground. How was that possible?

Narrowing his eyes, Xiao Yu crouched down. He examined the area with his flashlight, and finally spotted a two-foot-square iron plate in a corner. 

The iron plate looked like a square manhole cover, easily overlooked if one didn’t examine the seams closely. The stronger scent seemed to come and go around this iron plate.

Xiao Yu didn’t feel excited, instead, he was a bit unnerved.

Were they demons?

If it weren’t for Monarch Buterfly’s nose, which gave him a dog’s sense of smell, who could have found this place?

Who would have thought such a place could hide people?

Without guessing, Xiao Yu knew there must be a cellar or secret room beneath that iron plate. And such a place must have existed for a long time, not just for a day or two, or even a year or two.

Moreover, Shao Jiafu, the head of National Security Team Four, had confirmed that the suspects were spies.

Could this be a secret hideout for spies?

With a cold expression, Xiao Yu climbed out of the elevator shaft through the door on the first floor.

“Did you find it?”

Seeing Xiao Yu’s face, Shao Jiafu looked astonished and incredulous.

‘Holy crap,’ he almost swore, ‘What kind of monster are you?’

Previously, Wang Dong had told them that Xiao Yu was very formidable. Before coming to Bencheng, Wang Dong had advised, “If you encounter difficulties, find Xiao Yu.”

‘This little guy is indeed a bit terrifying.’

Xiao Yu nodded and pointed to the elevator shaft. “It should be below, but they might have guns.”

Ma Hexuan and Lu Jia had taken a police gun during their escape.  As for the spies, he wasn’t sure. So Xiao Yu didn’t dare act rashly or play the hero.  He didn’t know how many people were down there or how many guns they had. Going down there recklessly would be risking his life.

Professional matters should be handled by professionals.

For instance, a SWAT team on standby began devising an entry plan. 

They tried, but the iron plate couldn’t be opened from the outside.  To get in, they had to cut through the iron plate.

The cutting equipment arrived quickly and acction began.

It took a full half hour to cut the iron plate neatly. Two SWAT officers, holding professional door-breaching tools, struck the iron plate.

Bang!

The iron plate was instantly smashed open and fell, making a loud clang below.

Immediately after…

Bang!

…a gunshot rang out.

Fortunately, the SWAT team was prepared for this. Bullets shot up into the elevator shaft. Sparks flew.

One SWAT officer pulled out a device resembling a grenade. He removed the safety pin, flicked the lever, and threw it down.

An explosion echoed.

It wasn’t a grenade but a stun grenade.

A stun grenade is a special military weapon. Its purpose isn’t to kill. Upon explosion, it emits a blinding flash and a loud bang. The flash temporarily blinds and the high-intensity sound waves temporarily impair hearing and sensation. The stun grenade disrupted organs and the nervous system, temporarily incapacitating its targets.

Xiao Yu’s assessment of such a device was: impressive!

As the stun grenade went off, a SWAT officer jumped down. 

It was impossible to rush in all at once through a two-foot-square entrance. Following closely, the second SWAT officer, then the third…

Angry shouts and wails echoed.

“Report, threat neutralized!”

Hearing this, Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. But the next shout froze his brain.

“Report, there is only one foreign suspect below,” one SWAT officer shouted.

‘One foreign suspect? How could there be only one?’

Xiao Yu’s face turned cold.

‘This is bad… we’ve been tricked!’

Thinking of that Caucasian suspect and Lu Jia’s corpse. 

‘Why did they suddenly appear out of nowhere? Was it to intentionally draw our attention here? No, you must have hidden here initially, otherwise, you wouldn’t have left any scent. It was after you left that the Caucasian intentionally led us here. Damn, these people are cunning and flashy.’

Despite his inner anger, Xiao Yu’s lips curled into a smile.

‘The more challenging this gets, the more excited I become.’