Perhaps Guan Xia's shifting expression was too noticeable. While the detectives from Nanping Division seemed puzzled, Xu Nian and the others had already turned their attention toward her. Ji An even asked nervously, "Guan Xia, did you notice something?"
Guan Xia nodded excitedly, speaking rapidly, "I've heard this man's voice before—just yesterday, on our way from the airport to the hotel. I couldn’t be mistaken. It’s definitely him."
The officers from Shangshuang City also perked up, though one asked with slight hesitation, "What a coincidence. Are you sure?"
Guan Xia nodded firmly. "Absolutely."
Pang Le, prompted by Guan Xia’s observation, suddenly connected the dots, his face lighting up with excitement. "No wonder the voice sounded familiar! Now I remember—it was during the traffic jam yesterday on the way to the hotel..."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a couple of seconds before his eyes brightened. "Wasn’t it that road-rage driver who kept cursing behind us while we were stuck in traffic?"
Guan Xia nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that’s him!"
Pang Le grinned. "You’re amazing. I wouldn’t have recalled it if you hadn’t mentioned it, but now it’s crystal clear."
As he spoke, he began rummaging through his bag and soon pulled out a sketchbook, handing it to Guan Xia cheerfully. "I knew you’d find a lead today. Here you go."
Guan Xia took it without hesitation, flipping to a blank page and starting to sketch.
The others hushed their voices slightly, gathering around Pang Le to ask for details.
By the time Guan Xia was nearly finished, everyone had circled around her. Pang Le pointed at the now-completed sketch with certainty. "That’s him—the guy who kept arguing with drivers trying to cut in during the traffic jam."
Before he could finish speaking, one of the Shangshuang officers had already snapped a photo of the sketch, muttering that he’d run a check on the identity before dashing out of the office.
The group instinctively watched him leave before turning their attention back.
The lead detective on Ning Xin and her daughter’s disappearance case waited until Guan Xia set down her pencil before asking, "Would you like to listen to the recording again?"
Though the question was directed at everyone, his gaze lingered on Guan Xia—clearly, her earlier discovery had revealed who the real key figure in the team was.
Guan Xia didn’t hesitate. "Yes, we should listen once more. Thank you, Captain Zhou."
Captain Zhou, usually stern and rigid, managed a warm smile. "No need for thanks. If anything, we’re the ones troubling you, Specialist Guan."
Since they had already made a breakthrough, Guan Xia didn’t expect further revelations, but since the recording was already playing, she listened attentively to the end.
The last five minutes consisted entirely of Ning Xin and the man’s verbal sparring—the woman’s voice was no longer heard.
Despite Ning Xin’s clever attempts to fish for information, the gap in power was too vast, and her efforts did little to change her perilous situation.
As the vehicle traveled down increasingly desolate roads with fewer passing cars, the man’s tone grew more brazen, dripping with unmistakable malice. Even Ning Ping'an seemed to sense something was wrong—toward the end, Guan Xia could faintly hear suppressed sobs.
The recording concluded with a sudden, violent thud. Guan Xia wasn’t sure how the assailant had noticed, but after the man’s enraged shout and an abrupt, pained scream, the phone was hurled out the window.
Once it ended, Xu Nian turned to Guan Xia just to be thorough. "Any other observations?"
Guan Xia shook her head, and Xu Nian redirected his attention to Captain Zhou. "Captain, regarding Ning Xin’s body—were there any additional clues found later?"
Captain Zhou sighed. "The three perpetrators were either cautious or just greedy. Aside from that plain, inexpensive bracelet, no personal belongings were found near her remains. However, according to the live-in maid who worked at her home, Ning Xin always carried a handbag. She wasn’t fond of jewelry, but she wore a watch daily. There was also a red string around her right ankle with a golden pig charm—a gift from her mother at birth. She never took it off, only replacing the string every year or two. None of these were recovered near the body."
Pang Le rubbed his chin. "So the valuable watch and gold charm are missing, but the cheap bracelet was left behind? That doesn’t sound cautious—more like greed. And given how easily angered he was in the recording and yesterday, ‘cautious’ doesn’t seem to fit."
Guan Xia recalled the few minutes she had observed the man the previous afternoon—his face had been flushed with rage, his expression twisted, eyes bloodshot as he panted and hurled abuse. He had looked ready to leap out of his car and attack someone at any moment.
That was why she and the others had paid him extra attention.
Then, something struck her. She remembered that there had been someone else in the car—a woman in the back seat.
Considering the male-female duo in the recording, Guan Xia strained to recall the scene. But after replaying the system footage, she dismissed the thought—the ages didn’t match.
The woman in the recording had sounded middle-aged, likely in her thirties or forties. But the woman in the car had been young, barely in her twenties, shrinking fearfully against the door as the man raged. Her body language suggested she didn’t know him, and the car’s "Free Roam Rentals" decal indicated she was probably a tourist.
After waiting over an hour, the young officer from Nanping Division who had gone to run the identity check rushed back in, sweating and out of breath.
He carried a stack of photos, which he handed to Guan Xia without bothering to wipe his brow. "Take a look—see if you can pick him out from these."
Guan Xia accepted them and swiftly arranged them across the conference table. With just a glance, her instincts locked onto the right one.
"This one," she said, pointing to the photo in the center of the third row. "I’m certain—it’s him."
Pang Le studied it closely before nodding. "Definitely. No doubt about it."
After Guan Xia and Pang Le finished speaking, the young male officer visibly relaxed. He picked up a photo from the table and handed it to Captain Zhou, saying, "Captain Zhou, our database matched this person as well. His name is Geng Jing, 45 years old, originally from Hanshan County, Shangshuang City. Currently, he works as a ride-hailing driver. His records show he’s divorced, with an ex-wife and no children. They separated in 2015. His ex-wife’s name is Tang Lianhua—here’s her photo."
The young officer produced another photo and passed it over. Captain Zhou examined it carefully before asking, "Have you checked her details? How old is she?"
"She was born in 1984, so she’s 40 now," the officer replied.
Guan Xia mused, "40 this year, which means she was 35 five years ago—fitting the age range of the other woman in the recording."
"Then we’ll investigate both," Captain Zhou decided firmly before turning to Xu Nian. "Xu Nian, what are your thoughts?"
Xu Nian considered for a moment. "Captain Zhou, to save time, why don’t we split the work? We’ll look into Geng Jing, and your team can handle Tang Lianhua?"
The young officer seemed hesitant, but Captain Zhou agreed without hesitation. "Good. Let’s stay in touch and share any leads immediately."
Xu Nian nodded seriously and shook Captain Zhou’s hand.
By the time they left Nanping Station, it was already lunchtime. The group found a quiet restaurant nearby, booked a private room, and continued their discussion over the meal.
"Xu Nian, how should we proceed next?" Qi Bai asked as he poured water for everyone.
Instead of answering directly, Xu Nian turned to Guan Xia. "What do you think?"
After a brief pause, Guan Xia said, "I’m wondering if we can follow the trail further."
A faint smile flickered in Xu Nian’s eyes. "Exactly what I was thinking. A plan this meticulous couldn’t have been pulled off by just two people. Besides the man and woman, there must be other accomplices. If we arrest them rashly, we’ll only scare off the rest. Before, they were in the shadows while we were exposed, but now the tables have turned. It’s been five years—Nanping Station never traced the case back to them. After all this time, even if they were cautious before, they’ve likely grown complacent. If we focus on Geng Jing, we might uncover something big."
Xu Nian’s words instantly energized the group. Even Ji An’s eyes gleamed with subdued excitement.
Qi Bai suddenly grinned at Wang Yu. "See? Working with Guan Xia on cases only gets more complicated—never less. How about it? This one’s pretty thrilling, isn’t it?"
His remark reminded everyone of the mass burial site they’d discovered at the foot of the wild mountain.
A brief silence fell over the room. Pang Le broke it, saying, "Speaking of which, our earlier theory suggested that there might be a sizable human trafficking hub near that mountain. The bodies unearthed were all adult women and children. Could there be a connection to our current case?"
Guan Xia hesitated. Pang Le’s speculation seemed far-fetched—the two cities were thousands of kilometers apart—but since both cases involved adult women and children, a link wasn’t impossible.
The room stayed quiet for a few minutes as everyone pondered. Finally, Ji An spoke up. "Personally, I doubt there’s a connection. The methods differ too much. Traditional human trafficking is opportunistic—targets aren’t pre-selected, and the approach is flexible. But Ning Xin and her daughter’s disappearance involved stalking, surveillance, and vehicle sabotage. If not for Ning Xin’s death and the lack of ransom demands, it would’ve looked more like a kidnapping."
Pang Le nodded. "Fair point. So, for now, our only lead is this Geng Jing."
As the discussion continued, Zhong Xiaoyu asked, "By the way, it’s been days since the burial site was uncovered. Have they found the suspected trafficking hub yet?"
Jiang Yingyao shook his head. "The details aren’t clear, but colleagues from other stations mentioned that Yuanshan’s bureau has been transferring personnel to Changshan County. There must’ve been a breakthrough. If things go smoothly, we should get updates soon."
Zhong Xiaoyu nodded. "Makes sense. Compared to our current case, that one has endless leads—two suspects in custody, a burial site uncovered, and over a dozen bodies. It’d be strange if they didn’t make progress."
As Guan Xia listened, her focus remained fixed on the Ning Xin case. A nagging feeling told her that digging deeper might unearth something far larger than they anticipated.
