Chapter 25 The Bait
Kendall took an hour-long subway ride.
After arriving, she got off the train with her backpack on and walked with the crowd out of the station.
She knew Helen's exact address from the system and took a taxi directly to Ruby Road.
Although Kendall was wearing a hat and a mask, the driver could tell she was a young woman from her clothes and beautiful eyebrows.
The driver spoke in a slurred accent and said to Kendall, "Young lady, Ruby Road is a very secluded area. Do you live there?"
"No, I'm just going to see someone," Kendall said with a bright smile.
The driver immediately became concerned. "Who are you going to see? A man or a woman? At your age, you have to be careful when you're out and about."
Kendall answered him one by one. "She's a woman. I know, thank you, sir."
The driver only had Kendall as a passenger, and the subway station was quite far from Ruby Road. It would take half an hour to get there. The driver was clearly a chatterbox. Even if Kendall didn't initiate a topic, he could keep talking on his own.
Kendall patiently listened, and from time to time, she would ask some questions to get the information she wanted.
From the driver, Kendall learned that the district, where Ruby Road was located, was the poorest among the nearby districts. Fifty years ago, it was a key development area for the city, but its location was not ideal.
Moreover, there was a major industrial pollution incident thirty years ago. Many factories moved away and relocated to other places. The massive population loss led to the economic decline of the district, and it had now become a typical retirement town.
Half an hour later, the driver dropped Kendall off at Ruby Road. The blue taxi stopped at a crossroad, and the driver pointed at the road, saying, "There, that's Ruby Road."
"Okay, thank you. I'll get off here," Kendall said, taking out her phone to scan the QR code for payment.
The weather was pleasant today. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the morning sun wasn't too hot. The streets of Ruby Town were very clean, but there weren't many pedestrians.
Kendall took off her mask, revealing her delicate and beautiful facial features. Her skin was smooth and fair. There wasn't a single flaw on her face, even without makeup.
Kendall took out the camera she had been carrying in her backpack and hung it around her neck. She looked around with great interest, taking pictures of the streets.
The system in her mind watched as Kendall walked from one end of Ruby Road to the other. She even spent some time in the abandoned small port nearby. It seemed like she was a young traveler here to get some inspiration for her art, not to catch a criminal.
The system started to get worried, afraid that Kendall was neglecting her duty.
> [Host, you just passed by the criminal's house. Did you see it?]
"No rush," Kendall soothed it. "Be patient." With that, Kendall raised her camera and took another picture of the clean beach.
The system didn't understand Kendall's actions. It scanned the area on its own, focusing on Helen's house. What it found was shocking.
> [Host, Helen is on her balcony, secretly watching you!]
The small, elderly woman, with wrinkles all over her face, looked at Kendall with a pair of gloomy, slanted eyes through a pair of binoculars from her balcony. She looked like a venomous snake coiled in a gutter, watching a passerby.
Kendall chuckled softly. She wasn't surprised by what the system said. She had felt that uncomfortable gaze on her back about ten minutes ago.
Kendall asked the system a question. "System, have you ever heard of a phrase?"
> [What phrase?]
"The bait."
Kendall put down her camera, suddenly turned around, and walked back with light and cheerful steps.
The system in her mind was dumbfounded. It didn't understand what Kendall meant, but it kept an eye on Helen's movements. Like an intelligent security camera with a voice assistant, it reported Helen's movements in real time.
> [Host, Helen just went back inside!]
> [Host, Helen is going downstairs!]
> [Huh? Why is she carrying such a big bag?]
> [Wow, she has a back door too.]
> [The back door leads to a small alley that connects to this Ruby Road. Isn't she just making things more complicated for herself?]
The system's silly voice stopped. A moment later, Kendall saw a woman walking out of the alley in the distance. The woman was small and thin with a hunched back. She was carrying a big, heavy bag and looked like she was struggling as she walked alone on the street.
The system gave its usual reminder.
> [Criminal Helen has been found. Please capture her within three days. The reward for completing the task is 12 days of life and 200 karma.]
Kendall's eyes deepened. If it weren't for the system's confirmation, she wouldn't be so sure that the person in front of her was Helen.
The information said she was only forty-seven years old, but looking at her stumbling steps and her head full of white hair, people would believe she was seventy!
Kendall quickly walked up to her and said with concern, "Grandma, why are you carrying such a heavy bag by yourself? Where are you going? Do you need some help?"
Helen looked up, her face full of wrinkles. Her eyes landed on Kendall's face. Seeing Kendall's bare face, a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
Helen coughed twice and said in a weak voice, "I live just up ahead... My husband passed away, and my children aren't around. My cat ran out of food, so I came out to buy some."
"Oh! I love cats too. Let me help you carry it!" Kendall reached out to take the bag of cat food.
Helen immediately let go, grabbed Kendall's arm, and started walking towards her house while saying thankfully, "Thank you, young lady. You're so kind."
Kendall humbly replied, "Not at all. I'm just helping out."
Helen started making small talk. "Young lady, you look unfamiliar. You're not from here, are you?"
Kendall nodded guilelessly, her eyes bright and innocent. "Yeah, Grandma, you have a good eye. I'm a photographer, and I love taking pictures. I just came to this district today. The scenery here is beautiful."
"You young people just love to travel. My good-for-nothing son is the same. He doesn't come home all year," Helen complained. The two quickly arrived at Helen's house. After she opened the door, Kendall helped her bring the cat food inside and was about to leave when Helen grabbed her.
Helen warmly invited her in. "Don't go yet. Stay and have a cup of tea. You helped me so much. I'll feel bad if you leave without even having a drink."
Kendall seemed a bit thirsty too and nodded. "Okay, thank you, Grandma."
Helen came out with a cup of tea and handed it to Kendall. Kendall took a sip and then, a moment later, fell to the ground.
(End of Chapter)