Chapter 396: Locating
The gatekeeper old man's words nearly left Yang Haoran dumbfounded.
However, after a moment's thought, he understood why the other man had spoken such words.
This was the West City Crematorium, not a food street. If someone came here, it wasn't because of a death, so were they here for a meal? The gatekeeper old man's words were just a little too direct.
"Old man, you've misunderstood. I'm the only one left in my family now. Even if I wanted to patronize your business, I wouldn't have anyone to. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"If no one died in your family, then did your friend die? " the gatekeeper old man asked again.
"No, I just want to ask you about someone. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"Ask about someone? Who? " the gatekeeper old man asked with a confused expression.
"A distant relative of mine, Zhao Hong. " Yang Haoran replied.
"Zhao Hong? You're Sister Zhao's relative? " The gatekeeper old man seemed a bit disbelieving.
"Yes, her relative, it's just been many years since I've contacted her. Is she working today?"
The gatekeeper old man shook his head and said, "You've come at a bad time. She's been on leave for several days. It seems like something happened at home."
"On leave for several days?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran was slightly taken aback. Then, recovering himself, he asked the gatekeeper old man with a smile, "Old man, do you know what happened at Auntie Zhao's house?"
"How would I know? I'm not her man. " the gatekeeper old man said gruffly.
Yang Haoran gave an awkward smile and nodded to show he understood.
"I haven't been in touch with Auntie Zhao for many years. Now, I don't know anything about her at all."
The gatekeeper old man took a puff from his cigarette, grinned, and revealed a mouthful of large yellow teeth.
"Although I'm not Sister Zhao's man, I'm quite familiar with her. I know quite a lot about her affairs."
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's face showed pleasant surprise.
"Oh, really? That's wonderful! Old man, could you tell me?"
The gatekeeper old man picked up the oversized teacup in front of him, took a sip of his low-quality strong tea, and then began to tell Yang Haoran some things about Zhao Hong.
The reason Yang Haoran lingered here, engaging the gatekeeper old man, was actually to glean more information about Zhao Hong from him.
Although the information transmitted by Luo Dui was very detailed, not everything was recorded in the files. Some details or habits not documented there could be learned from other staff members at the West City Crematorium.
The gatekeeper old man claimed to be very familiar with Zhao Hong, about which Yang Haoran was half-believing, half-doubting. However, as the gatekeeper old man continued to reveal Zhao Hong's habits and hobbies, Yang Haoran secretly rejoiced. This gatekeeper old man indeed hadn't been boasting; he truly knew a lot about Zhao Hong.
Speaking of Zhao Hong, the gatekeeper old man was practically spitting as he spoke. His familiarity with Zhao Hong was almost as thorough as his knowledge of his own wife.
Once the gatekeeper old man started talking, he went on for nearly an hour. Throughout the entire process, Yang Haoran only interjected a few words now and then; the rest of the time he was simply listening.
If it weren't for other staff members seeking out the gatekeeper old man, he might have continued talking to Yang Haoran.
"Young man, I'm still on duty now, so I can't talk much more. I've already given you the phone number; you can contact Sister Zhao directly by phone. She's a very good person, I believe you'll like her."
The gatekeeper old man was not going to continue talking, and Yang Haoran naturally wouldn't force him. He was already very satisfied to have learned many things from the other party that weren't in the files.
"Thank you very much, old man. Then I won't bother you any longer."
His words fell, and Yang Haoran, without the slightest hesitation, turned and left.
He had only taken a few steps when Yang Haoran paused, then turned and looked at the gatekeeper old man again.
"Old man, let me give you a heads-up. If possible, you'd best resign from this job. You're not very suited to working here."
The gatekeeper old man's expression changed, then his face turned a little ugly.
"Hey, what do you mean, kid? I, an old man, kindly told you so much, and now what do you mean by saying that? Are you saying I'm slacking off at work?"
Yang Haoran smiled and shook his head, then replied, "Old man, you've misunderstood my meaning. What I mean is, the Yin Qi here is heavy; it's not very suitable for you."
"Stop spouting nonsense! What era is this now? Even an old man like me doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, yet you, a young man, still believe in such things? If there really were ghosts in this world, how come I haven't encountered a single one after working here for over ten years?"
Seeing that the gatekeeper old man didn't believe him, Yang Haoran didn't explain further. After smiling and nodding at the old man, he turned and left.
This time, he didn't linger any longer.
The reason Yang Haoran warned the gatekeeper old man was because he sensed Yin Qi wrapped around the gatekeeper old man's body, and quite a lot of it.
If the gatekeeper old man didn't heed his advice and continued working here, then the Yin Qi clinging to him would only grow heavier, and he might even lose his life because of it.
However, judging by the gatekeeper old man's reaction, Yang Haoran felt he likely wouldn't resign from this job just because of a few words.
He had already given the warning he should give. As for how to choose, that was the gatekeeper old man's own business and had nothing to do with him. The reason he warned the gatekeeper old man was still out of consideration for the fact that the other party had told him a lot about Zhao Hong; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered.
Back in the car, before Yang Haoran could even open his mouth, he was met by Bai Xue's gaze, full of resentment.
"What was there to talk about with a gatekeeper old man that you could chat for so long?"
Yang Haoran naturally discerned the dissatisfaction in Bai Xue's tone. He chuckled and responded.
"I learned quite a bit of information about our target from the gatekeeper old man, and this information wasn't in the files Luo Dui sent. That's why I talked to him for a bit longer."
As he spoke, Yang Haoran's gaze fell on the slip of paper in his hand. A phone number was recorded on this slip of paper—Zhao Hong's phone number.
"Whose phone number is this? " Bai Xue glanced at the slip of paper in Yang Haoran's hand and asked.
"The target's phone number. " Yang Haoran replied.
His words immediately caused a look of confusion to appear on Bai Xue's face.
"The target's number? Didn't Luo Dui's transmitted files already have it? Why did you write down a separate one?"
Yang Haoran didn't hide anything and explained to Bai Xue.
"The reason I wrote down this phone number was, first, to prevent the gatekeeper old man from becoming suspicious, and second, I wanted to compare the phone number in my hand with the one in the files to see if they matched."
As he spoke, Yang Haoran took his phone back from Bai Xue's hand, then compared it with the phone number in the files.
Upon comparison, the smile on Yang Haoran's face immediately deepened.
"What's wrong? " Seeing the change in Yang Haoran's smile, Bai Xue asked.
Yang Haoran didn't answer. Instead, he handed both his phone and the slip of paper to Bai Xue. After Bai Xue compared them, her expression also changed.
"The phone numbers are actually different! Does she have two phone numbers, or is the phone number in the files incorrect? " Bai Xue asked with a confused expression.
Yang Haoran smiled and shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.
"What exactly is going on? We'll know once Luo Dui investigates. Moreover, the target isn't at the West City Crematorium; she's been gone for several days now. She's supposedly returned to her hometown. But whether she actually went back to her hometown, this also requires Luo Dui to investigate to find out."
Having said this, Yang Haoran took his phone back from Bai Xue's hand again, then drove away from the West City Crematorium. After arriving at a spot with better signal, he dialed Luo Dui's number.
"Luo Dui, the target isn't at the West City Crematorium. I'll give you a phone number; try to see if you can pinpoint her location for me. If this phone number can't pinpoint a location, then try the phone number in the files."
"Alright, no problem."
After getting Luo Dui's agreement, Yang Haoran hung up the phone, then sent the number from the slip of paper to Luo Dui.
Under normal circumstances, there would be absolutely no problem locating the target's position via phone number. However, if the target stored their phone in an independent space, then it would be impossible to pinpoint their location.
Yang Haoran couldn't be sure if Zhao Hong had stored her phone in an independent space, so he could only ask Luo Dui to try first.
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