Master of Deception System-Chapter 43: Thorough Investigation

Ye Gaoyi was brought to the entrance of Li Xuan's apartment. He used the spare key for the apartment management to unlock the door to Li Xuan's room.

Upon entering, he found the room exceptionally neat and tidy. The floor was spotless, the furniture arranged neatly, and a faint fragrance hung in the air. Though it still retained traces of occupancy, it appeared as though it had been empty for a while.

"Li Xuan..."

Ye Gaoyi knew he was running out of time. The sooner he discovered any clues left by Li Xuan, the sooner he could determine his whereabouts. If he could ascertain Li Xuan's next move, they would be one step ahead, potentially securing their victory.

Without hesitation, he walked into the room. However, there was nothing of note to be found.

Ye Gaoyi even opened the seemingly old desktop computer, only to find that all the hard drives inside had been wiped clean.

"As expected... no clues left behind?"

Ye Gaoyi couldn't help but feel disappointed. However, this didn't mean he would give up. He carefully searched the living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and balcony, but his years of experience in criminal investigation told him...

There were unlikely to be any clues left here.

"Ah."

Ye Gaoyi sighed, about to dial Kang Shuwei's number on his phone. Yet, just as he unlocked the screen, he suddenly froze.

As if noticing something, he took a couple of steps forward and scrutinized the wall directly opposite the computer.

Then he reached out and gently tapped it.

There was a small hole there.

A hole that seemed to have been left by a nail.

And the marks were fresh.

"What's this..."

Ye Gaoyi quickly stepped back, gazing at the size of the wall. Squinting, he examined it carefully.

At the edge of the wall, some clear traces were visible—a different hue left by something that had been hung up.

Although faint, Li Xuan had only lived here for twenty days, precisely corresponding to these subtle marks.

Thinking this way, he left the room directly, going downstairs while speaking to the bewildered dormitory administrator trailing behind him.

"Hello, where's the trash bin for this apartment?"

"Take me there!!"

...

Meanwhile, Kang Shuwei remained in the principal's office, his expression extremely serious. He stood there holding his phone, almost frozen for several minutes. However, everyone knew his gaze wasn't fixed on his phone.

From the office window, one could see police officers walking back and forth outside, heading to various entrances of the school. There was someone stationed at nearly every entrance. However, the Aerospace University was too vast to ensure every passing student was identified, even with this level of deployment.

Yet, Kang Shuwei wasn't concerned about the strength of this deployment; after all, Sun Ting was still in the monitoring room.

The surveillance system at the Aerospace University was well-established. To safeguard classified information and ensure students' safety, the university had upgraded the surveillance system multiple times.

But Kang Shuwei was still uneasy.

He felt like he had overlooked something.

And in that very instant, a spark of insight flashed in his mind.

"I should think from Li Xuan's perspective..."

"I'm in the shadows, while he's in the light."

"Li Xuan doesn't know that I've been following him the whole time."

"In that case, he can't have executed everything flawlessly in these two months."

"No matter how skilled someone is!"

"His plans and preparations are bound to leave traces..."

"But where are the clues?"

His brow furrowed, his arm, stiff for so long, finally lifted again. He pressed his forehead forcefully with his fingers.

"Yes..."

"He won't leave from the airport due to the facial recognition checks... He must choose an alternative mode of transportation."

He looked back at Gu Hanxue and inquired, "Principal Gu, regarding Li Xuan..."

"Regarding Lin Yi... what do you know?"

"Or has he said anything worth noting?"

Gu Hanxue hesitated, then shook his head, saying, "No, I only met him once. The subsequent handover and preparations were all coordinated by Zhang Qian."

"Zhang Qian, tell Captain Kang..."

Zhang Qian was already somewhat nervous at this point. After all, they had mobilized such a significant force for this Professor Lin, and she had provided many unconventional methods for Lin Yi to use for convenience. She had even given him a SIM card using her own ID...

Under these circumstances, when she suddenly heard the principal's words, she gave a startled shiver.

"What?"

Gu Hanxue repeated, "Tell Captain Kang about Lin Yi's peculiarities, like his habits... things like that."

Although Zhang Qian was nervous, she was an experienced and capable individual. Upon hearing these words, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes."

"Professor Lin has a very regular daily routine. Apart from attending classes and meals, he often visits the library to borrow books for reading. Additionally, every day from 7:00 to 7:30, he goes jogging."

"In the few gatherings we had after the start of the semester, he didn't attend any of them. It seems he's not very good at socializing..."

Kang Shuwei was waiting for more information, but Zhang Qian seemed to falter.

A few seconds later, Kang Shuwei asked puzzledly, "Is that all?"

Zhang Qian hesitated and nodded.

However, she immediately recalled something and continued, "Wait, there's more."

"Professor Lin... Lin Yi once mentioned that if classes ended early, he planned to travel within the country and see the landscapes of China."

Hearing this, Kang Shuwei's eyes lit up.

At the same time, Gu Hanxue also chimed in, "Now that you mention it, the first time I met Lin Yi, he did say something similar."

"He said that if he wasn't needed here, he would travel around the country by train."

"He specifically mentioned Mount Everest."

In Kang Shuwei's mind, all the clues were falling into place.

"Is Li Xuan heading to the train station?"

"I see..."

Ring, ring, ring, ring!

His phone rang.

It was a call from Tao Xiaoyi, who had gone to the bus area.

"The students on the bus just reported that they saw Lin Yi as they were arriving, and he was heading towards the apartments."

"Although we can't verify its accuracy, Lin Yi also told them he would take a taxi and asked the bus not to wait for him."

A faint smile appeared on Kang Shuwei's lips.

The truth was now clear.

Li Xuan was heading to the train station!

Yet, Li Xuan hadn't left the campus yet. This was the perfect opportunity to intercept him!

After ending the call, Kang Shuwei immediately received another call, this one from Ye Gaoyi.

"Shuwei, I've found a new clue."

"On Li Xuan's wall, there are clear traces of something being hung, but it has been taken down now."

"I found fragments of a torn map in the downstairs trash bin."

"It's a map of Jinling..."

"There's a marked asterisk at the train station!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Shuwei nodded, his gaze sharp. "Good!"