124: Chapter 124 Casual Conversation Holds Profound Meaning; Loose Threads Emerge Naturally

During the afternoon "Basic Chemistry" and "Information Technology Ethics" classes, Ling Ye remained focused as always.

During the break, he noticed Wang Hao and a few friends gathered at the end of the corridor, seemingly engaged in another boisterous discussion.

He did not approach immediately, but waited until the bell rang for the end of the school day and the crowd began to surge outward, then quickened his pace, "coincidentally" walking up beside Wang Hao at the stairwell corner.

"Classmate Wang Hao." Ling Ye called out, his tone calm with just the right amount of familiarity.

Wang Hao was laughing and joking with his companions; hearing the sound, he turned his head. Seeing it was Ling Ye, he paused for a moment, then an exaggerated expression of surprise appeared on his face: "Yo! Ling Ye! It's you! You look like you're in much better spirits! How is it, are you okay now?" His voice was quite loud, drawing the attention of several students nearby.

"Much better, thanks for asking." Ling Ye nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two friends beside Wang Hao, who tactfully waved their hands and left first.

"That's good, that's good! You scared the life out of us that day; that beast was truly going crazy, damn it!" Wang Hao patted his chest with lingering fear, then leaned in closer, lowering his voice with the excitement of sharing a secret, "Hey, let me tell you, later the Security Department called us all in for questioning, and they asked so thoroughly! You were questioned too, right?"

"Yeah, I just went this morning." Ling Ye followed his lead, appropriately showing a hint of lingering fear and confusion on his face, "They asked about a lot of details, and even asked if there had been any strange occurrences in the community recently... It's made me feel a bit uneasy too."

"Right!" Wang Hao slapped his thigh, as if he had found a kindred spirit, "They asked me too! About strange sounds, strange lights, and even if we had been to any special places a few days before the practical training... I think this matter is definitely not that simple! Perhaps that Crystal-Armored Beast was influenced by some ghostly thing!"

His words were a bit mystical, but they fit exactly in the direction Ling Ye was guiding the conversation.

"You think so too?" Ling Ye frowned slightly, feigning deep thought, "In the two days since I was discharged and went home, I seem to have really heard some strange sounds at night, coming from the direction of the Old Factory District, though I don't know if it's just psychological."

"The Old Factory District?!" Wang Hao's eyes lit up, his voice dropping even lower. He looked left and right, confirming no one was paying attention, before saying mysteriously, "You heard it too? I knew it! I live a bit further away from there, so I couldn't hear it clearly, but my cousin—he works in the Municipal Government maintenance team—he told me that their team has recently received several complaints about strange noises from that area, and the patrolling drones didn't find a damn thing! It's extremely eerie!"

Here it comes! Ling Ye's heart stirred, and his face revealed surprise and curiosity: "Your cousin is on the Municipal Government maintenance team? Then he must know quite a bit of inside information, right? If even the drones can't find anything, what could it be?"

"My cousin can't say either." Wang Hao scratched his head, "He said they just do rough work, checking pipelines and making repairs; these 'mystical' matters aren't their concern. However, he said there's a retired senior veteran in their team, surnamed Zhao, whom everyone calls 'Old Zhao', who worked in that area for decades and knows the underground pipelines and the structure of the old factory like the back of his hand. Old Zhao has muttered privately that the area under the Old Factory District 'isn't clean', and that something seemed to have happened when they were digging deep foundations years ago, after which it was sealed off, but sometimes at night, you can still hear some 'underground movements'."

"Old Zhao?" Ling Ye expressed interest at the right moment, "What else did this old master say? What does 'not clean' mean? An accident?"

"My cousin didn't go into detail; he just listened to it as a ghost story." Wang Hao shook his head, but was clearly enjoying the feeling of sharing "insider information", "However, he said that Old Zhao is quite stubborn and rigid; if he determines there's a problem with a place, there's likely really something there. It's a pity he's retired, otherwise, we might have been able to pry some explosive information out of him."

The information matched up! "Old Zhao", a retired Municipal Government maintenance worker, thinks the area under the Old Factory District "isn't clean" and that an accident happened during deep excavation years ago. This perfectly aligned with the content of the posts on the Community Collaboration Platform, as well as the "sense of incongruity" Ling Ye perceived and the possibly existing "underground structure"!

"This Master Zhao... can he still be contacted? Or, could your cousin help introduce us? I'm just a bit uneasy and want to understand the situation a bit more." Ling Ye displayed appropriate concern and a desire to learn.

Wang Hao glanced at Ling Ye, a troubled look on his face: "This... my relationship with my cousin is just average, and besides, Old Zhao doesn't seem very willing to talk about his past work since retiring; his temper is a bit strange. My cousin has only heard him complain a few times. Going to find him directly would probably be tough." He paused, his eyes rolling, "However... my cousin has said that although Old Zhao is retired, he sometimes still wanders around near the Seventh District maintenance team duty room to find old colleagues to play chess or chat. If you really want to know, you could try your luck there? Just say you're a community resident and have some minor pipeline issues you'd like to consult the old master about; if your attitude is good, you might be able to chat a few sentences."

He gave a specific, actionable suggestion. "Running into" him near the maintenance team duty room was more natural than calling or visiting directly, and it also left room for maneuver.

"The Seventh District maintenance team duty room... is it over on Xilin Road?" Ling Ye confirmed, having noted the address from the Municipal Government website.

"Yes, yes, that's the place! There's a blue sign at the entrance, it's quite easy to recognize." Wang Hao nodded and added, "But let me warn you, don't get your hopes up too high when you go; whether Old Zhao is willing to talk, and how much he says, is uncertain. Also, that is a Municipal Government place after all, so watch what you say."

"Understood, thank you, Wang Hao." Ling Ye thanked him sincerely. Although Wang Hao talked a lot, the key information he provided was very solid, and he didn't dig into why Ling Ye was so concerned about this; perhaps in his view, this was just normal anxiety and curiosity after experiencing a terrifying event.

"What are you being polite for! We've been through thick and thin together!" Wang Hao patted Ling Ye's shoulder and returned to his casual self, "If there's any new news, let's keep each other informed! I always feel like this matter isn't over!"

The two parted ways at the college entrance. Ling Ye watched Wang Hao's receding figure, already having a plan in mind.

The "Old Zhao" lead had to be pursued. But the timing and excuse for the "chance encounter" needed to be carefully planned. He couldn't appear too eager, nor could he expose his true purpose. It would be best to find a reasonable problem related to community life as an entry point.

Perhaps he could start with the slightly old water pipes or electrical circuits in his own apartment? Invent a minor, intermittent strange noise problem?

He needed to prepare a bit.

Additionally, he received another piece of information from Wang Hao: during the Security Department's questioning, they also asked if he had "been to any special places a few days before the practical training". This further indicated that while the Security Department was investigating the Crystal-Armored Beast anomaly, they were also screening whether relevant personnel had come into contact with possible "pollution sources" or "abnormal areas" before the incident occurred. He and the others in his group were likely included in some sort of screening scope.

This made him even more certain that the Old Factory District was the key.

He did not immediately head to the maintenance team, but first returned to the Oak Street apartment. He needed to make some preparations, such as carefully observing whether there were any minor problems in the apartment that could be used as an "excuse", and then envisioning possible conversation scenarios with "Old Zhao".

At the same time, he also had to continue his evening Cultivate. His remote analysis of the "sense of incongruity" in the Old Factory District using his "Spiritual Sense" could not stop; every successful "filtering" and capture of "information fragments" gave him a deeper understanding of the essence of that anomaly and increased his mastery of his own abilities.

He felt that he was slowly prying open the cracks beneath the hard shell of this strange world, catching a glimpse of the bizarre and grotesque truth hidden within.

And "Old Zhao" might just be the first lamp to help him see the scene inside the cracks clearly.