After a whole afternoon of lively discussions and pooling their ideas together, the team had gathered more and more leads to follow up on. As a result, everyone, including Zhong Xiaoyu, had been swamped with work over the next few days.
Xu Nian submitted the request for Yao Qingyan's records that very evening, and the relevant surveillance footage arrived at the Pingjiang District Bureau early the next morning.
Yun Tian City wasn’t nearby—it was located northeast of Yongquan City, even farther than Jianyang City. The fact that the footage was delivered so quickly spoke volumes about how seriously the task force was taking this case.
As soon as Xu Nian got his hands on the surveillance footage, he immediately called Guan Xia.
When the call came through, Guan Xia and Pang Le had just woken up and were sitting at the dining table having breakfast.
After briefly exchanging updates and confirming that they’d head over soon, Guan Xia hung up the phone, only to hear Pang Le ask, "Did we already get a lead on what we discussed yesterday?"
Guan Xia casually set her phone aside and nodded. "It’s surveillance footage from the hotel Yao Qingyan stayed at in Yun Tian City. I’m guessing they sent it by plane to get it here so early in the morning."
Pang Le clicked his tongue in surprise. "Seems like the investigation into that criminal organization isn’t going smoothly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be prioritizing such minor leads that aren’t even confirmed yet."
Having worked on enough cases, Guan Xia had picked up on the habits of Xu Nian and the other detectives. "That’s just how they operate—they don’t overlook any lead, no matter how small. I’ve watched documentaries about major cases before, and a lot of them were cracked because of some tiny detail that suddenly tied everything together, like pulling on a loose thread."
Pang Le stuffed the remaining half of a steamed bun into his mouth and mumbled, "Working with them for so long has even sharpened my thinking a bit. But speaking of which, remember how we agreed to spar with Zhong Xiaoyu back in Jianyang City? She totally forgot about it. Once we wrap things up these next couple of days, I’m definitely going to challenge her."
Pang Le was clearly fixated on this match, chattering about it the entire drive to the Pingjiang District Bureau.
Guan Xia had expected him to set a time as soon as they saw Zhong Xiaoyu, but to her surprise, he quickly got absorbed in reviewing the surveillance footage and completely forgot about it.
Yao Qingyan had only stayed in Yun Tian City for three days, so there wasn’t too much footage to go through. However, with the team also investigating Wang Huiqin’s identity, Yao Qingyan’s movements over the years, and the kidnapping case involving Luo Deye’s son, only Guan Xia, Pang Le, and Zhong Xiaoyu were left in the office to review the footage.
Zhong Xiaoyu had been running around with Ji An and Lu Tingfeng and hadn’t had much experience with surveillance footage yet, so she was still enthusiastic about it.
Guan Xia and Pang Le, on the other hand, remained expressionless and unfazed throughout the entire process.
After grabbing water and snacks, the three of them settled around the conference table and got to work.
Unlike Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu, who started from the moment Yao Qingyan checked in, Guan Xia first asked Xu Nian for the exact times Yao Qingyan had left the hotel for the stakeout and returned afterward. She fast-forwarded to those moments before letting go of the mouse and watching at normal speed.
The hotel Yao Qingyan stayed at wasn’t high-end, but it was a well-known chain. Even though it wasn’t peak travel season, there were still plenty of guests coming and going. Guan Xia scrutinized every face that appeared on the footage, barely blinking.
She was so engrossed that she forgot about mealtime, only hastily eating a few bites when Zhong Xiaoyu reminded her.
By evening, the office—which had been quiet except for the occasional sound of keyboards—finally came alive again.
First, Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu returned, followed shortly by Xu Nian and Qi Bai. Guan Xia waited a little longer but still didn’t see Ji An, so she turned to Xu Nian and asked, "Where’s Sister Ji? Didn’t she go out with you guys? Why isn’t she back yet?"
Qi Bai gulped down a large glass of water, wiped his mouth, and said, "She’s downstairs. Right before we got out of the car, she got a call and signaled for us to go ahead, so Captain Xu and I came up first."
A bad feeling settled in Guan Xia’s chest. She exchanged a glance with Pang Le, and the two wordlessly moved to the window, where they spotted Ji An standing in a corner of the parking lot, still on the phone.
With her back turned, they couldn’t see her expression, but her body language made it clear she wasn’t calm.
As they watched closely, Zhong Xiaoyu quietly joined them and murmured, "Looks like the investigation in Shangshuang City has yielded something. If I had to guess, we’ll probably be flying there tonight."
While worrying about Ji An, Guan Xia glanced back at the unfinished footage. Determined to make as much progress as possible, she immediately returned to the conference table and resumed her careful review.
Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu seemed to share the same thought, as they soon followed suit.
Xu Nian, sensing something, first listed the day’s findings on the whiteboard before pulling out a burger from the takeout bag and handing it to Guan Xia. "Any discoveries?"
Guan Xia took it without much hope—after all, her intuition hadn’t kicked in despite hours of watching the footage.
Sure enough, even after unwrapping the burger, her system interface remained unchanged. She took a bite and shook her head. "I can’t speak for Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu, but I haven’t found anything yet."
Pang Le immediately chimed in, "Same here. Though we can’t rule out the possibility that Yao Qingyan disguised herself and I just didn’t notice."
"Same for me," Zhong Xiaoyu added. "I’ve been checking not just faces but also anyone close to her height. So far, nothing stands out."
Guan Xia did the math—she and Pang Le had arrived at the bureau at 9 a.m., meaning they’d only reviewed about eight hours of footage, barely a fraction of Yao Qingyan’s three-day stay. It wasn’t surprising they hadn’t found anything yet.
"Keep at it," Xu Nian said. "We’ve been running around all day, and the information we gathered is pretty fragmented. We’ll sort through it first and discuss it together later."
Even though Xu Nian and the others had returned, they only had time for a brief exchange and a quick meal before diving back into their respective tasks.
About ten minutes later, Ji An finally walked in. The moment she stepped into the office, Zhong Xiaoyu eagerly asked, "Well? Was it your colleagues from Yun Tian City?"
Ji An's expression was somber as he closed the door behind him and shook his head. "No, it was a classmate from the police academy. He told me another classmate had recently died in the line of duty and asked if I knew about it. Since I hadn’t heard anything, we talked a bit more."
Guan Xia hadn’t expected such news. Though surprised, her heart tightened in sympathy—no wonder Ji An’s posture had looked so tense earlier when she glimpsed him through the window.
Before meeting Ji An, Guan Xia hadn’t experienced much firsthand with life and death. While she felt the weight of the loss deeply, she wasn’t sure how to offer comfort. Fortunately, Xu Nian and the others were more experienced, especially Zhong Xiaoyu, who managed to ease Ji An’s mood with just a few words.
They worked separately well into the night, nearing midnight, when Guan Xia—having already used eye drops twice—finally made a discovery.
What caught her intuition was a young woman of petite stature, delicate features, and a drowsy, unsteady gait. Dressed simply in a white T-shirt and black pants, she wore no mask or hat. Around 10 a.m., she shuffled out of the hotel lobby in flip-flops, yawning repeatedly under the surveillance cameras.
She looked like someone who’d just woken up to grab a meal, carrying nothing but a phone. In the short distance she walked, she yawned six or seven times, her eyes nearly shut, tears from drowsiness streaking her cheeks. Without her intuition nagging at her, Guan Xia would never have suspected a thing.
After rewatching the footage multiple times to confirm it wasn’t a mistake, Guan Xia straightened abruptly and began scouring the USB drive for other surveillance clips from the hotel.
Xu Nian, who’d clearly been keeping an eye on her, immediately approached. "Found something?"
Guan Xia gave a distracted nod, but before she could elaborate, the system interface abruptly popped up—just as it had many times before.
You’re being questioned by the police. Suddenly, you recall that at 23:42 on August 5th, while reviewing surveillance footage, you spotted a young woman whose figure felt eerily familiar. Even though she bore no resemblance to the person in your memory, your sharp intuition told you it was the same individual. You decide to inform the police.
Once the text faded, the same clip Guan Xia had been scrutinizing played again—the drowsy young woman now highlighted by a bright red frame from the moment she entered the camera’s view until she ambled out of the lobby.
Between her intuition and the system’s prompt, Guan Xia grew increasingly certain: this woman, with a face entirely unfamiliar to her, was indeed Yao Qingyan in disguise.
Still searching for additional footage, Guan Xia said to Xu Nian, "I did find something. There’s a young woman who might be Yao Qingyan in disguise. To be sure, I need to check other surveillance angles."
The initial clip barely showed the woman’s eyes, so Guan Xia sought clearer footage to strengthen her case. After some effort, she found what she needed—a clip of Yao Qingyan (disguised) riding the elevator down.
In the video, the young woman angled her face repeatedly, as if checking for smudges in the elevator’s mirrored walls. The reflection clearly revealed a pair of cold, almost disdainful eyes.
Guan Xia swiftly hit pause. Before she could speak, Zhong Xiaoyu, who’d crowded in to watch, gasped. "That’s Yao Qingyan! I recognize her too. Even though her eye shape changed, that gaze is identical. Guan Xia was right—she must have gone to Yuntian City for a mission."
Pang Le asked calmly, "So, do we fly to Yuntian City next?"
Xu Nian pondered briefly before turning to Guan Xia. "What do you think? If you want to track Yao Qingyan’s movements after this, we can fly there tonight."
Guan Xia hesitated, then asked, "Did you uncover anything critical today? Like whether Yao Qingyan was in Linshan City right before Luo Deye’s son was hospitalized?"
Xu Nian replied, "We confirmed Yao Qingyan was away during the days surrounding the suspected kidnapping. She claimed to be traveling but left no trace on public transport or highway tolls. We suspect she wasn’t alone—she likely had an accomplice."
Pang Le interjected, "Great. Just as we’re digging into Yao Qingyan, another possible accomplice surfaces. So, where next—Yuntian City or Linshan City?"
Guan Xia quickly analyzed the situation. "Now that we’ve identified Yao Qingyan’s disguise, tracking her will be easier. But Linshan City is still full of unknowns."
Before she could finish, Xu Nian understood. "Then we head to Linshan City."
Author’s note: Hitting a bit of writer’s block. Updates might be sparse for a couple of days while I sort out the plot. Will try to post more soon.
