Upon hearing Chen Xiaozhu's words, Auntie Pang pondered for a moment and said, "Nothing particularly noteworthy has happened in the manor. As for those factories, I wouldn't know, nor have I heard of anything special occurring!"
Chen Xiaozhu glanced at Chen Fan and asked again, "Have any outsiders visited the manor?"
Auntie Pang looked at Chen Fan suspiciously and replied, "It's been over three years. At my age, how could I possibly remember so much?"
"Xiaozhu, you are a good daughter. Zhigang was not fortunate enough to have you. You should forget what needs to be forgotten. Paying respects at his grave during Qingming Festival is enough to honor Zhigang!"
Chen Xiaozhu said helplessly, "Auntie Pang, I understand what you mean, but if some things aren't clarified, I can't move past this in my heart. Could you please think a little harder?"
Auntie Pang looked at Chen Xiaozhu with pity, then at Chen Fan, and said, "Give me some time to think!"
Chen Fan and Chen Xiaozhu did not disturb her, allowing her the time to recall.
After a few minutes, Auntie Pang suddenly slapped her forehead and said, "You asked about outsiders, and I actually do recall something."
"About a week or so before the incident involving Old Liang and Zhigang, there was indeed an odd occurrence."
"A guest checked into the manor at that time. I don't remember what they looked like, but after staying for one night, the guest didn't check out and simply disappeared."
"However, they left behind a bag."
"Old Shang at the time thought it best to keep the bag safe, waiting for the guest to return for it!"
Chen Fan's expression brightened, and he asked, "Did that guest ever come back for it?"
"No!"
Auntie Pang said, "Then that incident happened, and everyone forgot about it!"
"Was the bag opened?"
Auntie Pang shook her head. "I don't know about that. Old Liang kept the bag. I don't know if he ever opened it, or what was inside. That's not something I'm aware of."
She looked intently at Chen Fan and said, "Young man, you seem like a good person. You must treat Xiaozhu well in the future. Daughters are not easily won!"
She had clearly misunderstood Chen Fan and Chen Xiaozhu's relationship.
Chen Fan had no time to explain and said, "Old Liang should have kept things belonging to guests like that in a special place, right?"
"Yes, usually in the lockers at the reception."
Auntie Pang added, "But after that incident, the manor was abandoned, so how could it possibly be found now? As for other special events, I really can't recall anything. I only remember that one instance because the guest was so strange, leaving without even getting their deposit back!"
Chen Fan asked a few more questions, but could not elicit any more information from Auntie Pang.
He then left with Chen Xiaozhu.
Before long, they arrived outside a dilapidated manor.
This was the agritainment manor from back then. Chen Fan had invested in some workshops and the agritainment manor to settle the veterans.
The manor was quite large, nestled by the mountains and water. Although on the outskirts, its value was considerable.
The main gate and surrounding walls had long since collapsed, leaving only ruins and a desolate scene.
However, the building that housed guest rooms was still standing.
Upon entering, it was surprisingly clean, not covered in dust.
"I cleaned it," Chen Xiaozhu explained.
Chen Fan looked at Chen Xiaozhu, his heart filled with emotion.
Although the manor's accommodation building was only three stories high, cleaning each room took considerable time and effort.
Three years later, for Chen Xiaozhu to have managed this much, Chen Fan truly felt regret for Yang Zhigang.
If nothing had happened, Yang Zhigang would have lived a very happy life.
After checking the reception area, they saw that the cabinets behind it had been smashed, with nothing left.
"I haven't seen the bag Auntie Pang mentioned," Chen Xiaozhu said.
Chen Fan nodded and went directly to a room at the end of the first-floor guest wing.
It was a suite, and the room was sparsely furnished, appearing quite empty.
"Over the past three years since the incident, people from the town have taken many things from here," Chen Xiaozhu said indignantly.
Chen Fan nodded. After scanning the room, he found a decorative shelf in the walk-in closet of the bedroom. He rotated a small protruding part of the shelf.
The shelf suddenly loosened, revealing a gap that led to a door.
Pushing the door open, they found a secret room leading downwards.
Chen Xiaozhu's eyes widened in surprise.
Chen Fan’s expression was filled with emotion.
He knew about this place, of course, because he had been here before.
When it was first built, Old Liang and the others had given him a tour. This secret room was for emergencies.
Among these veterans, several had come from special forces backgrounds, hence the setup of such a place for urgent refuge.
Having experienced combat, they always maintained a sense of crisis awareness.
However, only Old Liang and a few others knew about this secret room. The incident had happened so suddenly that they clearly didn't have time to use it.
Or perhaps they didn't want to use it. Their habit from the battlefield was to live and die with their comrades; no one wished to cling to life alone.
Chen Fan walked down the steps and turned on the light switch. The lighting equipment inside was still functional.
The underground secret room was relatively spacious, with some limited supplies stored there.
Beyond that, there was nothing else.
However, in a corner of one wall, some numbers were written in black ink.
Three five four four, nine five nine seven.
Looking at these numbers, Chen Fan's expression became even more sorrowful and melancholic.
"It seems the bag wasn't kept here," Chen Xiaozhu remarked.
Chen Fan turned to leave. Once outside, he took out his phone, intending to make a call, but then hesitated.
Chen Xiaozhu asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"Xiaozhu, if it becomes necessary to exhume Zhigang's grave to search for clues, would you agree?" Chen Fan asked wistfully.
Chen Xiaozhu's expression jolted, and she asked disbelievingly, "Why?"
"Those two numbers on the secret room wall were left by Old Liang," Chen Fan said. "They are Morse code, meaning 'coffins'!"
"Coffins?" Chen Xiaozhu was stunned.
"This is a clue left by Old Liang. Many of them had disabilities and poor health, so they kept coffins prepared, you know that, right?" Chen Xiaozhu nodded silently.
"I remember when they were buried, they used the coffins from the manor. Only if they were insufficient were new ones purchased from outside!" Chen Fan explained. "Old Liang leaving this code indicates he knew the situation was not simple!"
"They discovered something crucial in that bag and realized the gravity of the situation."
"It's a pity I wasn't in the country at the time, and they couldn't reach me."
With deep sadness, Chen Fan continued, "They were waiting for someone to contact me, waiting for my return, but they never did. So, they hid the item in the coffins!"
Chen Xiaozhu found it hard to believe. She had never imagined such a convoluted and complex backstory.
"That bag was deliberately left behind!" Chen Fan stated. "Old Liang and Zhigang came from a military background and were very sensitive to danger. Therefore, they wouldn't have simply stored the item and waited for the guest to return like a typical hotel. They examined it."
"And in doing so, they discovered something extraordinary, something that could bring disaster!"
"As for that bloody incident, it was merely staged by someone who wanted to retrieve the item, intentionally provoking it."
"After the incident, they searched every corner of the manor. This secret room should have been searched too. But no one paid attention to these numbers, thinking they were just random scribbles!"
Chen Xiaozhu remained silent and asked, "What if your guess is wrong?"
"Then we will have disturbed their peace for nothing!" Chen Fan said with a sigh. "Therefore, I need your consent. They have other relatives, and I need their agreement as well!"
Chen Xiaozhu's expression flickered as she hesitated.