After walking a distance, Chen Fan confirmed that no one was following him.
However, the mask on his face attracted countless curious glances.
He found a dead-end alley, checked the surroundings, and then put his luggage inside and took off the mask.
After all, he had to interact with people later, and wearing this mask was too scary and added unnecessary communication barriers.
As for the bow and arrow, he still carried it on his back because it was too big to fit into space items.
He walked out of the alley and followed the route on his phone, walking nearly two kilometers before stopping at the entrance of a small residential area.
The area was vast, with over twenty buildings, each seven or eight stories high. The gate was wide open with vehicles and pedestrians coming and going, and he could even hear children’s laughter inside.
"It’s exactly the same as ten years ago."
Chen Fan sighed. Living in Anshan City was indeed much safer and happier compared to other places, no wonder countless people wanted to get in.
He followed the flow of people inside, his outfit somewhat unusual but not unique, as there were groups of people with firearms entering the area too.
Hence, he passed through smoothly and arrived at the bottom of building number 5.
"601."
He glanced at a note and started climbing the stairs.
The hallway was slightly dim, and the walls on both sides were covered with various small advertisements, like unlocking services, driving schools, and lucrative child-seeking promos.
But when he reached the fifth floor, the style of the ads on the walls changed drastically.
"Duan Hongqing, you bastard, pay your debts!"
"Duan, you scumbag, selling fake martial arts!"
"A life for a life, a debt must be paid!"
These were the milder ones.
Most were hysterical curses, like threats to kill entire families.
Seeing this, Chen Fan seemed to understand why the old man refused to return.
Facing these alone would require tremendous courage, wouldn’t it?
He finally reached the sixth floor and was about to look for 601 when he was stunned by the scene before him.
There was a room with no front door, exposing its interior at a glance.
The walls on both sides of the door were also covered with various curses and debt collection words.
"Could it be?"
Chen Fan stepped forward and looked inside through the door, finding it empty.
Moreover, the ground, walls, and ceiling were also covered with various curses and creepy drawings.
It sent chills down his spine.
Chen Fan didn’t go inside because there was no need.
With it in such a state, how could anyone still live there?
The old man had predicted that the gift sent might not be accepted by his family, but he didn’t expect the family to be gone entirely.
"Creak."
Just then, a door opened nearby, and a middle-aged woman peeked out, sizing up Chen Fan before asking, "Are you here to collect a debt too?"
Chen Fan glanced at her and nodded, "Yes, where is this family?"
Originally, he planned to leave directly.
But since someone appeared, he decided to ask.
If he could learn their whereabouts, he could deliver the items; if not, he’d drop the matter, having done his best.
"They left."
The woman glanced at the door, "Left a long time ago."
"Left a long time ago?"
"Yes, about two or three years ago,"
She recalled, "After the incident, the old man ran away, leaving behind his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. That old man really is heartless,
He ran away quickly but left his family persecuted, with people coming to demand money every day, some even calling for revenge.
Later, the man tried to sell the house, but hah, couldn’t sell it even if the price was halved twice, no one dared to buy it.
Eventually, they left one day, not sure where they went. Some say they moved to another city. The debt collectors took everything they could, leaving the house in this state."
"I see."
Chen Fan nodded; it matched his expectations.
He only wondered if the family had safely reached their new location.
"Young man," she looked at Chen Fan curiously, "How much did they owe you?"
"A few thousand yuan."
Chen Fan casually said.
"That’s quite a loss,"
She sympathized, "Most people were cheated out of a few hundred yuan. That could be repaid later, but someone died practicing the old man’s fake cultivation technique, making it a big deal.
You wouldn’t believe the chaos back then. We neighbors suffered too, it drove me crazy when I found my door lock damaged one morning..."
"Thanks."
Chen Fan smiled and turned to leave.
"Hey?"
Seeing this, the woman opened the door wider. "Leaving already?"
"Stay and chat a bit?"
"Pity, finally saw an unlucky guy and you’re leaving so soon."
Muttering, she shut the door with a "bang."
"That old man really caused a lot of harm."
Chen Fan recalled the old man selling fake cultivation techniques and sighed.


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