Chapter 224: Cao the Bandit's Conduct

Earlier, the police only checked the surveillance footage after the program started.

Thus they didn't find these two people.

They even once thought that these two "escapees" were troublesome characters similar to Xu Mo, with extremely strong counter-surveillance awareness, deliberately avoiding the cameras.

That's why they couldn't find the two's traces in the surveillance.

Unexpectedly, they still overestimated these two "escapees".

In fact, they weren't avoiding surveillance at all; they simply never left their home after the program started, staying holed up inside!

It's understandable that the surveillance didn't capture them.

They never went out, so checking the surveillance would definitely be useless.

Fortunately, the meticulous police also checked the surveillance from before the program started, i. e., yesterday's footage.

That's how they obtained a clue.

These two people, who haven't been caught on camera since the program began, might have been hiding at home all along!

After receiving the notice last night, they immediately went to buy a large amount of daily supplies, then returned home.

Immediately after, the surveillance no longer captured their movements.

After ending the call with Lao He.

Han Fei also received a message from Lao He.

The content of the message was an address.

This address is not far from their current location, about three kilometers away.

After glancing at the address, Han Fei said to the officers.

"Fall in, everyone go get the vehicles; now we're heading to Lijing Garden Community—there might be two escapees there."

…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

"You have successfully captured the escapee, reward obtained—Psychology Knowledge."

The system notification sound just finished.

A mass of knowledge flooded Xu Mo's mind.

It was all about psychology, including criminal psychology and other related branches.

He didn't need to strain to memorize this knowledge.

It's simply stored in his mind, and it will automatically surface when needed.

Almost immediately after receiving this reward.

The world in Xu Mo's eyes became different.

He could tell whether someone was speaking truth or lies by reading their facial muscles, body movements, even their gaze and words.

Moreover, he could discern the person's true inner thoughts.

By the roadside, a young couple was having an argument.

"Honey, don't be angry, I really have nothing with her; she's just my sworn sister, I've always regarded her as a sister, I swear! I really have nothing with her, definitely not what you think—if I'm lying to you, may I be struck by lightning!"

His eyes darted about, constantly emphasizing the same sentence.

This man is definitely lying.

Sworn sister?

He's actually after the sworn sister!

Of course, even though Xu Mo saw through the man's lie, he didn't choose to meddle and expose him.

Instead, he unconsciously sidestepped the lying man.

He didn't want to be caught in the lightning strike if that guy gets hit.

…

Time is pressing.

To catch the person before the Investigation Team does, one must seize every second.

So right after just having arranged the capture of those two "escapees",

Xu Mo then got ahead of the Investigation Team, rushing nonstop toward the nearest other location where the escapees might be hiding.

At this point, he was already nearly there.

Just like the police.

Xu Mo also realized that it was highly strange that this group of "escapees" had never appeared on surveillance up to now, which prompted him, out of curiosity, to check the footage from the previous day.

The result was that he discovered……

It wasn't that their means of evading surveillance were particularly clever.

On the contrary, the trick they used was quite foolish.

To avoid being caught on camera, the two had bought water, food, and other supplies in advance before the program officially started, then simply hid at home!

Isn't that just asking to be caught?

Once the police fail to find the two's traces in the surveillance, they will certainly turn to other avenues.

No matter where they start the investigation, they will inevitably go to check the place where they live.

I really don't know what these two idiots were thinking.

Even hiding under a bridge would be far better than hiding at home!

…

Lijing Garden Community.

Building 2011.

This is the address Xu Mo found.

He didn't choose to knock on the door.

Instead, he took out a pre‑prepared piece of wire and pried the door open.

Before pushing the door open, Xu Mo thought that the two "Escapee" hiding in the house might look at him in sheer terror upon hearing the door open.

They might even resort to some extreme actions.

But Xu Mo never expected that…

There was actually no one inside the house.

"Hmm? Wrong place?" Xu Mo couldn't help feeling a bit confused.

Instinctively, he stepped back to glance at the house number.

I didn't go to the wrong place!

Then what's going on?

Could it be that I judged wrong, and the two aren't hiding in the house?

That makes no sense.

If they weren't planning to hide at home, why did they bring a huge stock of daily necessities home yesterday?

And according to the surveillance footage,

After last night, the two hadn't gone out the door again.

So they must still be inside!

Xu Mo guessed that the noise of him opening the door might have been heard by the two, causing them to hide.

As for where they could be hiding, it could only be the wardrobe, under the bed, etc.; checking each would reveal it.

Thinking that, Xu Mo walked around the room.

He inspected every possible hiding spot in the house.

No one under the bed.

No one in the wardrobe.

No one in the Restroom.

…

He even checked the refrigerator, but still found no one.

Xu Mo couldn't help feeling puzzled.

He had searched every place he could think of and still found no one.

Could it be that I was really wrong?

While puzzled, he noticed the curtains on the living‑room balcony.

That was also a place where someone could hide.

He had already checked all the other spots.

If someone was hidden in the house, they'd be behind the curtains or crouching in a corner of the balcony.

The next second, Xu Mo walked toward the balcony.

He grabbed the curtains and yanked them hard!

Still no one in sight.

Xu Mo didn't give up, opened the sliding glass door of the balcony and stepped onto it.

He wanted to see if the two were crouching in a corner of the balcony.

After circling the balcony and looking around,

Xu Mo was stunned.

There was indeed no one hidden on his balcony.

But through the window, Xu Mo clearly saw a man squatting on the outdoor air‑conditioning unit of the neighboring balcony—a middle‑aged man with no clothes on!

Is this… performance art?

The middle‑aged man clutched the frame of the air‑conditioning unit with both hands, his body trembling uncontrollably.

His forehead was covered with bead‑sized sweat droplets, unsure whether from fear or the sun.

Realizing Xu Mo was staring at him,

the middle‑aged man on the unit lifted one hand, placed it over his lips, and gestured a "shh" to Xu Mo.

At that moment, the shouting from next door carried through the balcony into Xu Mo's ears.

"Where the hell did you hide the man? Let him out! I'll kill him!"

"Hide a man? Are you crazy? What are you smoking?"

"…"

"What the hell!" Hearing the neighbor's shouting, Xu Mo instantly realized that the man squatting on the air‑conditioning unit was indeed doing performance art, specifically "Cao Ze Behavior Art"!

He came to steal food, but the homeowner trapped him inside, leaving nowhere to hide, so he resorted to squatting on the outdoor air‑conditioning unit.

Realizing this, Xu Mo couldn't help giving the middle‑aged man squatting on the unit a thumbs‑up.

"Big Brother, awesome!"

…

Meanwhile.

The Investigation Team, a step behind Xu Mo, had meanwhile driven up to the entrance of the residential complex.

They were just about to get out of the car and enter the complex…