By the light of their flashlights, Guan Xia and the others had been following the clues for a long time until their phones started dying one after another, forcing them to stop. Guan Xia's phone had long since shut down completely. Xu Nian glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost 4 a.m. Everyone's phones are dead, and without enough light, we won't be able to see any clues even if they're here. Let's head back for now, mark the spot, and return at dawn."
Guan Xia absentmindedly scratched the small scratches on her neck from the branches as she watched Xu Nian, Jiang Yingyao, and Ji An repeatedly mark the area nearby. She was practically brimming with excitement as they started their return journey.
While chasing the clues, they hadn't noticed the distance, but on the way back, it felt like they had run incredibly far—their legs were sore by the time they reached their starting point. Guan Xia mentally calculated that, based on her experience, they must have covered at least three or four kilometers.
This realization made her marvel even more at the first killer's terrifying physical prowess. Not only had they stalked the second killer for who knows how long, fought and killed them, and then transported the body, but they had also taken advantage of the police's diverted attention to go out and kill again. Such stamina was almost inhuman—they could probably win a triathlon with that kind of endurance.
As her mind raced with these thoughts, Guan Xia finally followed the group back to the original crime scene.
Captain Yang and his team had already left, but Captain Geng was still there, standing to the side while talking on the phone. The second killer's body had been removed, but the scene was still bustling with activity. Guan Xia even spotted two uniformed officers shoveling blood-soaked soil into containers, though she had no idea what they planned to do with it.
Wang Yu handed over the evidence they had found, sealed in an evidence bag, to a detective from the Tong'an District Bureau and casually asked, "Are we wrapping up here?"
The detective, a youngish-looking man with thinning hair, carefully placed the evidence bag into a box before answering, "Yeah, we're about to head out. There's another crime scene waiting for us. The bureau has deployed everyone available, but it's still not enough. Captain Yang has already called several times to hurry us along. We're not going back to the station—we're heading straight to the next scene."
Wang Yu was about to ask another question, but the young officer was already rushing off, carrying the sizable box with surprising speed.
Just then, Captain Geng finished his call and approached them. "You're back. Find anything?"
Xu Nian replied, "We located the primary crime scene and signs of a struggle between the two. We also collected some potential evidence left by the suspect and handed it over to your colleagues. What about you? Any findings?"
Captain Geng said, "The preliminary autopsy results are in. The victim had multiple defensive wounds, along with blunt force trauma to the forehead, limbs, shoulders, and chest. The medical examiner believes these were sustained during a struggle. They also found traces of skin tissue and blood—likely the suspect's—under the victim's nails and in their mouth. Once we run these through the database, we might get a hit."
Hearing this, Guan Xia couldn't help but think, No wonder the first killer went on a rampage and killed again—they left behind such damning evidence. They must have a prior record too, which is why they were so certain they’d be caught.
Xu Nian asked, "Do you want to check out the primary crime scene? It’s a bit far—about three kilometers. We left markers along the way, so it shouldn’t be hard to find."
Captain Geng only hesitated for two seconds before shaking his head. "That can wait. Right now, the priority is tracking down the suspect. He’s killed two people in under 24 hours—who knows if there’ll be another victim? Our best bet is to apprehend him before that happens."
With that, Captain Geng walked off to oversee the team’s departure.
Guan Xia stared at his retreating figure, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. A few seconds later, it hit her—of course it sounded familiar. He’d said almost the exact same thing the night before while investigating the second killer’s case.
It was hard to believe that just a few hours later, the second killer had been murdered, and now they were racing against time to hunt down the first.
Guan Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that those words were almost like a jinx.
Shaking off the random thought, she stretched her limbs as the Tong'an District team packed up, then followed the group back to the temporary parking area.
She remembered leaving the Tong'an District Bureau just before 1 a.m., but by the time they emerged from the mountains, dawn was already breaking.
Before boarding their vehicles, Captain Geng pulled Xu Nian aside for a quick discussion. "Captain Yang just called. He’d prefer if your team didn’t go to the next crime scene. He’s aware that your unit specializes in tracking suspects, and right now, locating this guy is our top priority. Captain Yang’s already requested reinforcements, and we’re pulling surveillance footage from the area around the new scene. Do you think you could—"
Xu Nian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Guan Xia for confirmation. Only after she gave a slight nod did he say, "Alright. We’ll head back to the Tong'an District Bureau then."
Captain Geng exhaled in relief, wordlessly clapping Xu Nian on the shoulder in gratitude before shaking Guan Xia’s hand firmly and thanking them both. Then he hurried off to his car.
Their two vehicles only followed Captain Geng’s convoy for a short distance before splitting off at a major intersection. Captain Geng’s team took the overpass, while Xu Nian and Zhong Xiaoyu drove onto the outer ring road.
The sky was just beginning to lighten into a pale blue, though the sun hadn’t yet risen. The streets were still quiet, but traffic was gradually picking up.
At a large intersection where the outer road met the city, they stopped at a red light, their two cars idling one behind the other.
Guan Xia was drifting in and out of sleep when she suddenly heard Pang Le’s voice. "Ji An, what are you looking at? What’s up with that car?"
Before Guan Xia could react, Pang Le nudged her. "Guan Xia, check out that car. Can you tell what’s going on?"
Guan Xia jolted awake, squeezing next to Pang Le to follow Ji An’s gaze toward the adjacent vehicle.
The car was parked right beside theirs, its windows untinted. Guan Xia could clearly see a middle-aged man sitting in the driver’s seat. Despite the sweltering July heat, he wore a jacket zipped all the way up to his neck. His face was flushed, beads of sweat covering his forehead, veins faintly visible beneath his skin.
Zhong Xiaoyu leaned over for a look and muttered suspiciously, "Why does he look so panicked? His face is all red—could he be drunk?"
Ji An glanced around but saw no traffic police at the nearby intersections—it wasn’t yet rush hour.
In a low voice, Ji An said, “Something’s off. This doesn’t look like drunk driving.”
Guan Xia also sensed something strange about the middle-aged man and was about to speak when Ji An turned to her and asked, “Guan Xia, what about you? Do you notice anything?”
As soon as Ji An finished speaking, the system interface abruptly popped up.
You’ve been questioned by the police. Suddenly, you remember—at 5:49 a.m. on July 16th, while waiting at a red light, you saw a middle-aged man with a tense expression, his face unnaturally flushed, his mental state visibly strained. Your sharp intuition tells you he must be connected to a homicide. You decide to inform the police.
The text on the system interface had changed again, but Guan Xia didn’t have time to analyze it. She immediately spoke up, her words rapid: “I also think he’s suspicious. It’s not drunk driving—my gut says there’s a ninety percent chance he’s linked to a murder.”
After so many similar experiences, only Zhong Xiaoyu still seemed slightly surprised, while Pang Le and Ji An took it in stride.
Pang Le even asked, “Should we stop him now? It might be risky on the main road. The light’s about to turn green—should we use this lull in traffic to find a way to force him to pull over?”
For some reason, Pang Le looked almost excited.
Ji An checked the traffic light ahead and said decisively, “Contact Xu Nian first. This road has a 60 km/h speed limit—see if we can work with Xu Nian’s team to box in that car. Also, call Captain Yang. We don’t have jurisdiction outside our city.”
As she spoke, the light turned green, and cars began moving through the intersection.
Guan Xia had just pulled out her phone when she remembered it was dead. She was about to borrow Pang Le’s when a sudden roar of an engine cut through the air. The car beside them swerved sharply, overtaking the vehicle in front before accelerating far beyond the speed limit, quickly leaving the others behind.
Guan Xia was momentarily stunned, but Zhong Xiaoyu reacted instantly, flooring the gas and overtaking Xu Nian’s car, then speeding after the suspect.
Between maneuvers, Zhong Xiaoyu muttered, “Damn, he’s making a run for it. We’ll need to call traffic police too—just us might push him to desperation.”
As Zhong Xiaoyu drove like a madwoman, the other three scrambled to coordinate. Guan Xia used Pang Le’s phone to call Xu Nian, leaving Pang Le to borrow Ji An’s, while Ji An, in the passenger seat, used the car’s display to alert the police.
While dialing, Guan Xia glanced back and saw Xu Nian’s team accelerating to catch up, even though they had no idea what was happening.
The moment the call connected, Xu Nian asked, “What’s going on? Did you spot the suspect?”
Guan Xia replied, “Probably unrelated to our current case, but Ji An and I noticed a man acting suspiciously at the red light. There’s a high chance he’s connected to a homicide.”
Xu Nian wasn’t surprised. “Did you call traffic police?”
Guan Xia glanced at Ji An. “Ji An’s on it now. Pang Le’s also contacting Captain Yang. Ji An mentioned you don’t have jurisdiction outside the city, so we’ll need Captain Yang’s team to bring him back to Tong’an Station.”
Xu Nian agreed. “Right, we can’t act outside our jurisdiction. Just keep eyes on him until traffic police and Captain Yang’s team arrive.”
From then on, Xu Nian’s and Guan Xia’s cars deviated from their original route, tailing the middle-aged man’s vehicle relentlessly—whether he sped up, slowed down, or switched roads, they followed blatantly, making no effort to hide their pursuit.
Already jumpy, the man quickly noticed and drove even more recklessly, weaving through traffic in a desperate attempt to shake them off.
Zhong Xiaoyu remained unfazed, keeping pace effortlessly. She even scoffed, “With skills like that, you think you can lose me? If I let you escape, my years of military training would’ve been wasted.”
After a chase spanning over ten kilometers—nearly taking them out of Jianyang City, judging by the highway signs—Guan Xia finally heard distant sirens.
Whether spurred by the sirens or Zhong Xiaoyu’s relentless pursuit, the man suddenly jerked the wheel, trying to ram into their car.
Guan Xia gripped her seatbelt, a gasp caught in her throat, but Zhong Xiaoyu anticipated the move. She swerved sharply, hitting the gas and cutting into the man’s lane before he could strike, foiling his plan completely.
Glancing dismissively at the car behind them, Zhong Xiaoyu muttered, “You really thought you could hit me with that driving?”
The man tried the same tactic several more times, but neither Zhong Xiaoyu nor Xu Nian let him succeed or escape. After another ten minutes, the traffic police finally arrived.
(Author’s note: On my period, brain feels like rusted gears. Can’t write well now—will update more once it’s over. Love you all, mwah!)
