165: Infiltrate Fuwangduo Beef Sauce Restaurant!

Ye Chen glanced at her. "I mean it literally. That plate of braised beef is human meat."

Bai Shanshan's brow furrowed, her tone becoming serious.

"Ye Chen, no matter the situation, you need evidence."

"My sister thinks highly of you, and I feel..."

"...that you shouldn't be the kind of unreasonable person who throws around baseless accusations."

Bai Wanqing did indeed think very highly of Ye Chen.

She valued him so much that she hadn't even noticed her admiration had long since been mixed with a different kind of sentiment.

It was just that her personality was reserved, and given her special status, she had never been able to voice it.

However, it was understandable. A man as mysterious and powerful as Ye Chen was hard for any woman to resist... Ye Chen pointed in the direction of Fuwangduo. "That plate of braised beef itself is the evidence."

He really wasn't talking nonsense.

The [Houtu Inheritance] governed the earth, and almost every creature that ran on the ground, swam in the water, or flew in the sky fell under the jurisdiction of the Empress Houtu.

As a result...

The power of the Inheritance had instantly identified exactly which species that serving of 'braised beef' belonged to.

But... he couldn't explain it, nor could he say it.

Hearing this, Bai Shanshan hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.

"Then... should I have my colleague buy a portion now and take it back for immediate testing?"

Ye Chen shook his head.

"It's useless."

"Their processing method is very specific. Moreover, the meat has been thoroughly boiled and marinated until tender; almost all biological characteristics have been destroyed."

"With your conventional testing methods, you won't be able to extract any valid DNA or other identifying evidence. The lab report would most likely just show it as 'some kind of mammalian meat' without a definitive classification."

Bai Shanshan's expression darkened. "Then what should we do? Without evidence, even if I have suspicions, I can't apply for a search warrant, let alone arrest anyone."

To handle a case here, she needed to go through an application process.

Searching a shop without evidence was out of the question... Ye Chen kept his hands in his pockets, his tone indifferent.

"The simplest way is to fight our way in right now, beat that boss until he can't stand up, and force him to confess."

"Once he talks, the evidence will naturally be there."

Bai Shanshan: "..."

Good grief!

Was he really suggesting a forced confession through a beating?

This method was very 'Ye Chen'.

Simple, crude, and effective... but completely against procedure.

Once they did that, the other party could turn around and sue them!

Bai Shanshan rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.

Seeing her like that, Ye Chen suddenly smiled.

"I'm just teasing you."

"Am I really that unreasonable?"

Bai Shanshan looked up and gave him a 'what do you think' look.

Ye Chen rubbed his nose and changed the subject.

"However... we can try a different way."

"For example, we can sneak in while they aren't paying attention and see what kind of shady business is hidden in the kitchen."

"Aren't you a cop? If you find direct evidence, can't you make an arrest?"

Bai Shanshan's eyes lit up.

Right!

Although applying for a formal search warrant required procedures and reasons, as long as evidence was found, the paperwork could be filed afterward... especially with a 'human cheat code' like Ye Chen around, the difficulty of a stealth search was practically zero.

Low risk, high efficiency!

"Alright!"

Bai Shanshan barely hesitated before nodding.

She turned to the several plainclothes colleagues who had followed and whispered.

"You guys wait in the car for now, keep the comms open, and wait for my signal."

"If I haven't contacted you in half an hour, or if there's a loud commotion inside, proceed with the backup plan."

"Captain Bai, it's too dangerous for you to go in alone!" a young plainclothes officer couldn't help but say.

Bai Shanshan pointed at Ye Chen. "I'm not alone. With him there, it's safer than if all of you were added together."

The plainclothes officers looked at Ye Chen and then at each other.

They didn't believe for a second that such a fair-skinned young man could be of any help.

But since Bai Shanshan had said so, they could only obey orders and turn back toward the vehicles outside the alley.

Liu Qingluo looked at Ye Chen. "Benefactor, what about me and Red Three Thousand?"

"You two wait outside as well."

Ye Chen instructed, "Qingluo, keep an eye on him. Don't let him run, and don't let him try any tricks."

"Yes." Liu Qingluo complied, her cold gaze sweeping over Red Three Thousand.

Red Three Thousand immediately shuddered and hurried to show his loyalty. "Don't worry, Mr. Ye! I'll be perfectly behaved and wait for your triumphant return!"

Was he kidding?

His hope of recovering his strength was still in Ye Chen's hands!

Even if he were given a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare run away!

Once everything was arranged...

Bai Shanshan led Ye Chen around to the side-rear of the Fuwangduo restaurant.

This was a narrow alleyway piled with clutter and trash cans, the air thick with a complex mix of smells.

Furthermore, the back wall of the restaurant was very high, nearly three meters, with no windows at all—only a few small vents near the eaves at the top.

It would be quite difficult for an ordinary thief to get in from here.

But for Ye Chen... he reached out and put his arm around Bai Shanshan's waist.

Bai Shanshan's body stiffened slightly, her cheeks flushed, and she struggled weakly. "You... what are you doing?"

"Taking you up, of course. Can you fly on your own?" Ye Chen said matter-of-factly.

Before the words had even finished...

He lightly tapped his foot, and his figure leapt up as light as a feather, silently gliding over the high wall and landing steadily inside.

During the whole process, Bai Shanshan only felt a tightening around her waist and a blur of scenery before her, and then she was already inside the wall without making a sound... Good grief!

This guy's qinggong skills were truly impressive!

Ye Chen didn't say anything, instead scanning the surroundings.

Inside the wall was the restaurant's backyard, which was more spacious than imagined, piled with crates of ingredients and empty barrels. The ground was wet.

The back kitchen door was closed, but a small side window was cracked open, and the sounds of chopping and stir-frying came from within.

Using the clutter as cover, the two quickly approached the main building.

There was an inconspicuous small door on the side; Ye Chen was the first to slip inside, with Bai Shanshan following close behind.

It was indeed a storage room filled with miscellaneous items, permeated with a stale smell mixed with spices.

Passing through the messy storage room, there was another door at the end, behind which voices could faintly be heard.

Ye Chen signaled for Bai Shanshan to be quiet, and the two pressed close to the door crack.

Fu Yi's voice immediately drifted over, though he sounded like a completely different person compared to his appearance outside earlier.

"The cops have been checking strictly lately, especially that group from the mainland; they have very sharp eyes."

"Keep it low-key for now, keep your hands clean, and process the goods into even smaller pieces. Don't leave anything identifiable."

"If we get targeted again and ruin the higher-ups' plans, never mind you lot, even I won't be able to take responsibility!"

Several muffled male voices responded in succession.

"Understood, Master Fu."

"Don't worry, tonight's batch of 'fresh goods' will definitely be processed until even their mothers wouldn't recognize them."

"The steamers are all ready. After twelve hours of simmering, I guarantee even the bones will be soft as dregs."

...Soon, the voices disappeared, leaving only the sound of chopping on a cutting board.

Ye Chen and Bai Shanshan exchanged a look, both seeing the chill in each other's eyes.

This shop... had a huge problem!

Although they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, the implications of those words were enough to make one's spine tingle.

Bai Shanshan clenched her fists, nearly bursting in.

But Ye Chen signaled her to stay calm, his gaze quickly scanning the situation inside through the door crack.

It was a very normal-looking back kitchen.

Several stainless steel prep tables were lined up, with chunks of beef piled on the surfaces, the grain distinct and the fat well-marbled.

Fu Yi had his back to the door, directing three shirtless, burly men.

One of them was using a cleaver to forcefully hack at a large piece of dark red beef on the table.

The other two were busy by a stainless steel vat, which was steaming and bubbling with a thick braising liquid.

At first glance... nothing seemed wrong.

Bai Shanshan's brow furrowed as she whispered, "That meat really is beef."

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly.

"Let's not worry about whether it is or isn't for now. I have another way!"

After saying this, he closed his eyes, his mind becoming still.

[Earth Vein Tracking] activated!

With his current position as the origin, the invisible veins beneath the earth lit up like fiber optic cables, rapidly spreading and outlining the surroundings.

In an instant.

A three-dimensional image of the entire Fuwangduo restaurant and its underground structure appeared clearly in his mind.

The part above ground was clear at a glance.

As Ye Chen's 'vision' penetrated the soil layers, he suddenly discovered... hidden beneath a corner of the storage room was a secret passage!

Most importantly... following the secret passage, he actually 'saw' several green humanoid figures.

There were living people!