Inside the subway station.
Amon Koutarou stood amidst the bustling crowd, his brow slightly furrowed.
He held a briefcase seemingly casually, its hidden miniature RC detector screen glowing steadily green, with values fluctuating safely within human thresholds, showing no abnormalities.
His sharp gaze followed He Xi Qian Yu's retreating figure as he exited a side entrance, until he disappeared around the corner of a small street.
"Amon." Mado Kureo's slightly hoarse voice came through the miniature earpiece, "Target has left B3 exit, moving towards the apartment. RC detection…no abnormal reaction." Mado Kureo's voice showed no emotion.
The baseball cap woman's voice also sounded in the channel, calm and efficient: "Visual tracking confirmed, target's behavior pattern matches 'going home after work' trajectory, no suspicious contact or abnormal movements detected. Physiological signs monitoring…stable, no signs of disguise."
"Received." Amon responded in a deep, steady voice, "Continue long-distance surveillance of his return to the apartment. If there are no abnormal actions…prepare to withdraw." He made a judgment based on the existing evidence.
Although the scene traces in Aoba Alley were highly indicative, the current surveillance and surprise search of He Xi Qian Yu had not yielded breakthrough progress. He behaved no differently from an ordinary citizen.
The Search Officer's actions required evidence; they could not indefinitely conduct high-intensity surveillance on a "human" based solely on intuition and scene traces.
"See…I told you…they are blind…deaf…" Slaughter hissed triumphantly in He Xi Qian Yu's mind, "Perfect disguise…we are…the best actors…"
He Xi Qian Yu ignored Slaughter's boasting. He could feel that the cold gaze and locking sensation, like a bone-deep parasite, began to weaken and disperse as he approached the apartment building.
Mado Kureo's probe-like presence seemed to have moved to a more distant vantage point; Amon Koutarou and Investigator Hei Yan Qingzi's presences remained in different positions around the apartment perimeter, shifting to regular vigilance, with significantly reduced intensity of surveillance.
He stepped onto the creaking old staircase and returned to the apartment.
"The taste of bugs…"
"Someone has been here…"
Slaughter's words made his eyes narrow.
Relying on his senses enhanced by Slaughter, He Xi Qian Yu quickly scanned the entire space, checking every corner to confirm there were no surveillance devices.
He moved silently to the window, his fingers gently parting a gap in the thick curtains.
Under the hazy glow of a dim streetlamp, in the shadow of the street corner, a black sedan with dark tinted windows was parked quietly.
"Still watching…but not as closely…" Slaughter sensed.
He Xi Qian Yu no longer hesitated. He quickly stuffed a few necessary changes of clothes, toiletries, and some miscellaneous personal items into a backpack. The thick wad of 10,000-yen bills Yoshimura had prepaid him, carefully wrapped in oilcloth, was tucked close to his body in an inner pocket.
With the backpack on, he reconfirmed the location of the surveillance points outside the window.
Taking a deep breath of air mixed with dust and the lingering scent of the Search Officer, he opened the door, not heading towards the main staircase which might be heavily monitored, but instead gliding like a shadow towards the end of the hallway.
There was a rusty iron door there, leading to a narrow fire escape piled with sundries at the back of the apartment building.
He gently pushed open the iron door, feeling the cold metal. The fire escape extended downwards into the deeper shadows of the night.
He agilely flipped over the railing, landing silently, and quickly descended the rusted steps.
He Xi Qian Yu's figure merged into the labyrinthine back alleys behind the building. Relying on Slaughter's extraordinary sensory abilities, and his sense of direction and spatial memory enhanced by the symbiont, he moved quickly through the complex terrain.
He bypassed intersections where surveillance might exist, avoided the light sources of main roads, and specifically chose inconspicuous paths.
By the time he reached the familiar staff entrance door in the alley behind Anteiku Coffee Shop, the night was as deep as ink.
The coffee shop had long been closed, the windows on the first floor were completely dark, with only a warm, faint orange light emanating from Yoshimura's room on the second floor.
The back alley was silent, with only the occasional sound of distant vehicles passing by.
He Xi Qian Yu walked to the door and took out the key Yoshimura had given him. The cold metal slid into the lock, making a soft "click" that was exceptionally clear in the silence.
He gently pushed the door open, and a familiar scent, a mix of coffee grounds and wooden furniture, wafted towards him.
He slipped inside, gently closing the door behind him, the door completely cutting off the omnipresent gaze of the Search Officer.
Leaning against the cold door, He Xi Qian Yu slowly exhaled a turbid breath.
He used the faint light filtering through the door crack to walk steadily towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
The wooden steps made a slight "creak" under his feet, exceptionally clear in the silent shop.
The second-floor hallway was dim, with only a sliver of warm light coming from under Yoshimura's room door. He Xi Qian Yu, following Yoshimura's instructions from earlier in the day, found the vacant staff lounge at the end of the hallway on the left.
He gently twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The room was small and simply furnished. A single bed, a desk, a chair, and a small wardrobe. The air carried a faint scent of dust, indicating it had been unoccupied for some time. But it was generally clean and tidy, with full utilities.
At least it was cleaner than his high school dorm.
He put down his backpack and sat on the edge of the bed. Even though his mind was still clear, the physical fatigue was real.
"…Trouble…has just begun…" Slaughter's whisper sounded, "…Those White Doves…won't give up easily…"
He Xi Qian Yu did not retort, but also felt no additional pressure. He knew Slaughter was right.
The turn of events was somewhat unexpected. He had originally thought that the RC cell detection results would directly clear his suspicion, but now it seemed that was not the case.
Just then, an extremely faint sound of footsteps came from outside the door, stopping at the threshold.
He Xi Qian Yu looked up at the door, with no surprise or tension on his face.
Tap, tap.
Two extremely light, slightly hesitant knocks sounded.
He Xi Qian Yu got up and calmly opened the door. Dong Xiang stood in the dim hallway outside the door, her purple eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the faint light. She held a thick rolled up duvet and a set of clean pillowcases and sheets in her arms.
"Yoshimura asked me to bring these." Dong Xiang's voice was still flat, as if she was merely completing a task. She thrust the bedding into He Xi Qian Yu's arms with clean, swift movements, "They're new. It gets cold on the second floor at night." Her explanation was concise, her gaze sweeping over his face and the empty room without lingering or asking questions.
He Xi Qian Yu, holding the soft, thick bedding that carried the scent of new fabric, nodded: "Thank you, Miss Kirishima."
Dong Xiang paused imperceptibly, and her cool voice sounded again: "We're colleagues now, just call me Dong Xiang."
He Xi Qian Yu smiled: "Thank you, Dong Xiang."
Dong Xiang nodded slightly. Her gaze seemed to linger on his face for an extremely brief moment, her amethyst-like eyes showing no change in emotion, only speaking in her usual cool tone:
"Get some rest."
With that, she turned and left, her light footsteps silently merging into the shadows of the hallway.
…
"She's lying…" Slaughter's voice carried a hint of mockery.
He Xi Qian Yu returned to the room with the bedding and closed the door. He placed the bedding on the bed and began to arrange it.
After making the bed and washing up, He Xi Qian Yu lay down. The bedding was dry and warm, enveloping his tired body.
"…Coffee grounds…disinfectant…and…that woman's cold scent…so unpleasant…" Slaughter grumbled discontentedly, "…Blood…is purer…"
He Xi Qian Yu ignored him.
Outside the window, the night in Ward 20 remained deep.