Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups-Chapter 229 - 186: Life Under Lockdown_2

"Uncle Zhou, there was a murder downstairs last night, and Xiu Mei heard some noise. Thinking someone had broken into the house, she called me. Worried about her safety, I ran here and kicked the door down, thankfully there was no real danger in the end..."

Fang Cheng explained the situation succinctly.

Zhou Yongnian furrowed his brows upon hearing this, then let out a sigh of relief:

"It’s good that you two are okay. I came back home specifically for this case today."

Saying this, he changed his shoes and took off the rain-soaked coat.

Zhou Xiumei quickly stepped forward to receive the coat, hanging it on a nearby rack, then saying:

"Dad, haven’t you eaten yet? I just made breakfast and also cooked some soup. Have some with Brother Cheng."

Her cheeks were still flushed, but her expression had calmed down considerably.

Zhou Yongnian nodded, sat at the table, and took the bowl of beef soup his daughter had prepared, then started to eat.

However, he seemed somewhat distracted, clearly still preoccupied with the case at hand.

His face also looked quite exhausted, evidently having worked late into the night.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng asked with concern:

"Uncle Zhou, about the murder case in our building, have you found any leads?"

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

"This case isn’t under the jurisdiction of the Jiangbei District; it has been handed over to the criminal investigation team directly managed by the City Police Station."

Hearing the implication in his words, Fang Cheng curiously asked:

"Has there been many similar cases in East Capital already?"

Zhou Yongnian responded in a grave tone:

"To my knowledge, this is the fourth such incident in the city recently. The cases are very similar; ordinary people suddenly going mad, turning into man-eating demons overnight..."

After pausing for a moment seeing his daughter beside him, he did not continue further.

Fang Cheng thought about it and carefully chose his words:

"Uncle Zhou, in my opinion, these collective bizarre incidents might have a common origin or a mastermind behind them."

"Oh."

Zhou Yongnian looked at Fang Cheng with some confusion and asked:

"Did you witness the fight between that monster and the masked man last night?"

Fang Cheng, unchanging in expression, calmly replied:

"The commotion last night was substantial. Many people in our building must have seen it."

"That’s true."

Zhou Yongnian nodded slightly, sizing up Fang Cheng’s noticeably stronger physique.

Then, looking at his daughter, who was concentrating solely on eating her porridge without uttering a word, he instructed:

"Xiu Mei, Ah Cheng, you both take a few days off work for now, don’t go to the office."

Zhou Xiumei looked up at her father somewhat surprised.

"The building’s exit has been sealed by the police; residents can only enter but not leave."

Zhou Yongnian continued to explain:

"Soon, officers from the City Police Station will come for interrogation, and possibly members of the Special Search Team will come to investigate."

Fearing that they might not understand the implication of the Special Search Team, he briefly explained a few more things, emphasizing that these people were very powerful and had great authority, and should not be easily offended.

Especially stressing the point, he once again cautioned Fang Cheng:

"Ah Cheng, be extra careful yourself; it’s best to stay at my place and keep Xiu Mei company..."

Fang Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly, then he nodded in agreement.

After finishing breakfast, he temporarily bid farewell to Zhou Yongnian and Zhou Xiumei, returning to his own home to handle some affairs.

Bang.

Closing the door, Fang Cheng quickly moved to the balcony, and slightly pulled the curtain to look outside through the gap.

The rain was still drizzling, casting a grey hue.

On the street, people occasionally passed by with umbrellas or stood on the opposite side, pointing and discussing the tubular building.

Below, several police cars with flashing lights were parked, and a few uniformed officers stood at the building’s main entrance, apparently on duty.

"It seems Uncle Zhou was right..."

After observing for a while, Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze and murmured lowly:

"Well, I might as well stay at home and practice my skills in the coming days."

Since the tubular building was sealed, it made a good excuse not to go to the club.

Considering that he had just earned the appreciation of the chairman and was about to become the club’s brand ambassador, slacking off wasn’t right.

Fang Cheng could only apologize in his heart.

Besides, there was another matter worth his deep consideration.

That was the police downstairs.

If only ordinary detectives were handling the case, there wouldn’t be much concern.

But the Special Search Team was different.

Fang Cheng knew those people were keenly perceptive and often dealt with supernatural incidents, having rich experience.

It was likely they could easily discern something unusual about him, potentially giving rise to unwanted trouble.

Imagine, an ordinary civilian not belonging to a prominent family but possessing the strength to defeat monsters.

Even if no signs of madness were present, he would certainly attract extra attention from the Special Search Team, ultimately limiting his freedom.

Fang Cheng believed the various secrets disclosed by the Smiling Demon were not overstated.

With that thought, he immediately eyed the assorted training equipment scattered around the room.

The barbells were normal; paired with his muscular physique, they were explainable.

The specially-made restraining straps and weighted iron blocks, however, were best kept hidden.

And... freeωebnovēl.c૦m

The items under his bed in the bedroom also needed to be securely stowed away.

Although unsure whether the police would conduct a house search.

To be safe, he had to prepare in advance.

After a brief consideration, Fang Cheng had an idea.

Half an hour later.

After finishing breakfast at home and resting a bit, Zhou Yongnian again left the house and braved the rain to return to work at the police station.