Due to Doctor Hu's reputation, gathering information about her wasn’t difficult. Ji An only made a few phone calls and soon had the exact address of Doctor Hu.
They didn’t even stop for lunch, driving straight to the local police station.
At this point, Jiang Yingyao’s credentials proved extremely useful. After verifying their authenticity, the officers at the station were more than happy to provide detailed answers to their questions.
“Ah, Doctor Hu—we remember her very well,” said the older, slightly plump officer who greeted them, pouring water as he spoke. “She dedicated her entire life to medicine. She married young but never had time for children. Later, she and her husband grew apart, and they divorced when she was in her thirties.”
The officer placed the cups in front of them and smiled. “Of course, all this is what my mentor told me when I first started working here. Almost everyone in this area with heart problems has gone to Doctor Hu at some point. Even after she retired and stopped seeing patients regularly, she’d still happily help neighbors review their medical scans. I remember when her house was broken into—that was around the end of last year.”
Sitting down on a nearby metal chair, the officer continued, “If I recall correctly, it was the 31st—New Year’s Eve. I was on night duty, chatting with a colleague, when suddenly we got a call about a burglary.”
At this critical point, Guan Xia couldn’t even bring herself to drink, her expression turning serious.
The officer went on, “When my partner and I arrived at the scene, sure enough, there had been a break-in. But the two thieves were already cornered inside. The alley below the window was crowded with people. We barely managed to push through, only to find the thieves beaten black and blue, screaming for help when they saw us.”
Guan Xia instinctively asked, “Nothing was stolen?”
“Right,” the officer confirmed. “According to Doctor Hu’s neighbor across the hall—who gave a statement later—the thieves were spotted almost immediately after climbing through the window. The neighbor had just gotten off work and noticed the kitchen window was open. He remembered clearly—after Doctor Hu passed away, he and others helped her grandnephew with the funeral arrangements. Before leaving, they made sure all the windows were securely closed. There’s no way they’d missed one. So, seeing it open could only mean one thing: burglars. He called some neighbors he knew while still downstairs, and together they trapped the thieves inside.”
Jiang Yingyao interjected, “Can we see the interrogation records of those two thieves?”
The officer smiled. “Of course, follow me.”
After completing the necessary paperwork and locating the case file for the failed burglary, the officer handed the statements to Jiang Yingyao. “Here you go. Take a look.”
Guan Xia and Ji An immediately leaned in, reading intently.
The statements weren’t long. The thieves, being repeat offenders and having failed in their attempt, confessed readily.
According to their accounts, they’d heard the homeowner had passed away, and the inheritor didn’t live in the city or use the property. Seeing an opportunity, they decided to steal some valuables to sell before the New Year. But no sooner had they entered than they were caught. Not only did they leave empty-handed, but they were also beaten badly—so badly they thought they might die in that house. Luckily, the police arrived quickly.
After finishing the three-page statement, Ji An looked up. “Are these two still in prison?”
The officer nodded. “Career thieves. Before this, they’d pulled off two other jobs. And since they’d only recently been released, the sentence was heavier—a year and three months. They’ve only served six months so far.”
Jiang Yingyao asked which prison they were in and, after getting the details, thanked the officer and left the station.
“Seems our suspicions were right,” Jiang Yingyao said as soon as they got in the car. “Next, we should investigate these two thieves. If they’re repeat offenders, there’s a good chance someone hired them. Checking their and their families’ bank transactions should give us some leads.”
“Let’s go then,” Guan Xia checked the time. “We still have a few hours before dark. If we hurry, we might even make it to the prison for a visit.”
Everyone was in a rush—Ji An and Jiang Yingyao were just as anxious as Guan Xia. They barely glanced at the message Qi Baifa sent in the group chat, too busy thinking ahead.
Though the two thieves frequently cycled in and out of prison and seemed to have no fixed address, both were married. One had parents in poor health, the other a child with a chronic illness.
After canvassing the rundown neighborhood where their families lived—especially observing and asking around near their homes—they uncovered some clues.
Despite the thieves’ failed attempt at Doctor Hu’s house and having returned stolen goods from their previous crimes, both families had been living comfortably lately, with no apparent financial struggles.
Most notably, the child with the congenital condition had even undergone surgery in April. Though the family tried to keep it quiet—returning late at night and being secretive—the neighborhood was full of idle onlookers. Two men returning from a late-night mahjong game saw the thief’s wife carrying the child upstairs in a hurry.
A nearby restaurant owner mentioned that both families had recently come into money—always in cash. When asked, they claimed it was lottery winnings. But everyone knew lottery payouts went through banks and were taxed. Cash payments didn’t add up. People suspected the thieves had pulled off more jobs than the police knew about.
With their suspicions confirmed, Guan Xia and the others hurried back to the car, heading next to the prison where the thieves were serving their sentences.
To save time, Ji An and Jiang Yingyao took turns driving, one handling the wheel while the other wolfed down lunch in the passenger seat.
After quickly devouring three burgers, Jiang Yingyao took a swig of water and told Ji An to pull over so they could switch.
The two switched seats, and Ji An wolfed down his food, speaking somewhat indistinctly with his mouth full: "The trail is pretty clear once those two habitual thieves led us here. Before his death, Doctor Hu must have noticed something and likely had some evidence in his hands. The question is whether we can get them to talk when we visit. If they reveal who hired them and what they were supposed to steal, things will be much easier."
"Two petty thieves—hardly core members of that organization—shouldn’t be too hard to crack, right?" Guan Xia said hesitantly.
Jiang Yingyao suddenly interjected, "Based on our earlier inquiries, the fact that they paid in cash means they knew those thieves’ basic details, including their home addresses. They must have had close contact. I suspect they might’ve threatened their families."
At this, Guan Xia seemed to realize something belatedly. "Then, is it possible they’ve been keeping tabs on their families all this time? Did we just tip them off by openly asking around in the neighborhood?"
"Unlikely," Ji An said. "Two small-time crooks who botched the job, and it’s been almost a year. Given what we know about the organization’s methods, if these two are still alive, it means they’re considered too insignificant to waste effort on."
Guan Xia quickly caught on. True, the suspected members of that organization in this city were far more ruthless, employing scorched-earth tactics—eliminating witnesses without hesitation. If they’d really cared, these two idiots wouldn’t have survived this long.
The prison where the two thieves were serving their sentences was in the complete opposite direction of where their families lived. The drive took over an hour, and with traffic, it was already dark by the time the three arrived.
Thanks to prior arrangements, the visitation process went smoothly. The first thief brought out was a short, scrawny man with a sharp, weasel-like face.
From the moment he entered the visitation room, his eyes darted around incessantly, clearly skilled at reading people. He obediently sat in the chair opposite without needing much prompting from the guards, though he seemed restless, occasionally stealing glances at Guan Xia and the others, his expression shifting uneasily.
This was clearly a moment for the more experienced Ji An and Jiang Yingyao to take charge, so Guan Xia quietly observed from the sidelines.
Ji An and Jiang Yingyao remained silent at first, locking eyes with the thief in a deliberate show of psychological pressure before finally speaking.
Jiang Yingyao went first. "Ever heard the name Hu Suhua?"
Guan Xia watched the man intently, scrutinizing every micro-expression and gesture.
As soon as Jiang Yingyao spoke, the thief’s fingers twitched involuntarily before he feigned ignorance. "Who? Hu Suhua? Never heard of her. Was she one of the homeowners I robbed? When we case a place, we just study their routines—we don’t bother learning their names."
The thief rambled on, overexplaining in an attempt to sound convincing.
Jiang Yingyao chuckled darkly before his expression hardened. "Let me introduce myself. My surname is Jiang—you can call me Officer Jiang. As for my profession, I’m a detective. That should give you an idea of why I’m here."
He gave the thief a meaningful look.
The thief visibly shrank, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I knew it. The moment you walked in, I could tell."
"And yet you still tried your luck!" Ji An played the aggressive role, slamming the table angrily.
The thief flinched again before blurting out, "I knew, but I swear I didn’t realize I was tangled up in some big case! I just stole stuff—nothing evil! That Doctor Hu wasn’t killed by me, I swear! I only took things!"
"Still lying!" Ji An banged the table again. "If you weren’t involved, why did you target that place so precisely? Out with it—what were you after?"
Now Guan Xia understood why the thief had been so fidgety from the start. He’d sensed Ji An and Jiang Yingyao’s authority and assumed he’d accidentally stumbled into a murder case. Too scared to confess outright but too weak-willed to resist their pressure, he quickly unraveled.
Terrified of being labeled an accomplice, the thief rushed to explain. "Phones! Just phones! The guy who hired me didn’t specify which one—just told me to steal every phone I could find in Doctor Hu’s place. New or old, he wanted them all. He promised payment regardless, with extra for each phone I got. That’s why I took the risk."
He groaned in frustration. "I knew the money wasn’t worth it. Not only did he name the target, but he only wanted phones. I’m no scholar, but even I know what’s in phones—photos, recordings, documents. I wasn’t keen, but my idiot partner insisted it’d be easy. The guy seemed dangerous, so I went along to avoid trouble."
His voice grew more agitated. "And guess what? Just like I thought—it was a nightmare. We’re pros, spent ages casing the place, but less than ten minutes in, someone started banging on the door. Sounded like a whole mob ready to kill us. I tried escaping through the window, but nope—more people waiting outside. We were screwed."
"You seem awfully familiar with this kind of job," Ji An remarked. "Done it before?"
The thief protested immediately. "No way, Officer! I swear on my sick old father’s life—this was my first time, and I didn’t even succeed!"
Jiang Yingyao cut in. "Do you remember what the guy who hired you looked like?"
The habitual thief shook his head. "Don't even ask if I remember—I never got a clear look. People who do this kind of thing don’t exactly show their faces openly. They’re always covered up. Not just her—my buddy and I were also decked out head to toe. And the spot where we met was pitch black. All I could tell was that it was a person, a woman, and she was tall—a whole head taller than me, probably over 175 cm. Her voice sounded nice, even though she was deliberately lowering it. But hey, I’ve got an ear for these things—I could still pick up on it. She also had long legs, wearing jeans and boots. But her upper body was wrapped up tight, so no clue if she was heavy or not."
"Still calling that 'not getting a clear look'?" Ji An scoffed. "How did the meeting happen? Was there a middleman introducing the job, or did she seek you two out?"
The thief replied, "No idea. I tried probing, asked who referred her to us. Not only did she not answer, she snapped at me, told me not to ask questions I shouldn’t and to watch my mouth unless I wanted to lose my life. Like I said, I’m a coward, so I shut up after that. From then on, right up until she left, I didn’t dare say a word about backing out."
For the next while, Jiang Yingyao and Ji An grilled him repeatedly, rephrasing the same questions in different ways until the thief had nothing left to say and was practically on the verge of tears. Only then, after Guan Xia and the others concluded he wasn’t lying, did they have the guards take him back.
The other thief wasn’t spared either. Compared to the first one, this guy was much burlier—tall for an average person, with small eyes and thick eyebrows. Just from his expression, you could tell he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
And indeed, he wasn’t as sharp as the first one. He didn’t even realize Jiang Yingyao and Ji An were detectives. At first, he was reluctant to talk, but the moment he heard they were cops, he became compliant, answering whatever they asked.
Jiang Yingyao and Ji An went through the same routine—asking the same questions in different ways—until they confirmed his story matched the first thief’s word for word. Only then did they thank the guards and leave.
"With this testimony, we’ve finally got a breakthrough," Jiang Yingyao said as soon as they got in the car.
Guan Xia rubbed her tired shoulders. "Today wasn’t a waste. We hit up several places and gathered a ton of leads. But I keep thinking—if the data on that phone is really that important, even though these two failed, those people won’t just give up. They’ve probably tried other methods by now. My guess is they’ve already gotten their hands on the phone they were after."
Ji An didn’t start the car right away. Instead, she turned on the lights and twisted around to look at Guan Xia. "Since there haven’t been any more break-ins after that, it’s likely they found another way."
Before Ji An could finish, Jiang Yingyao seamlessly picked up the thread. "The grandnephew who inherited Doctor Hu’s estate and handled his funeral."
Guan Xia sighed. "Great. Just when we thought we had a lead, it’s like stepping into another loop. Now we’ve got to chase the next link. I remember what the thief said—they scouted the place and heard the heir didn’t live in the city and wouldn’t be staying there, so they went ahead with the job. If we’re looking into him, we’ll have to travel again."
Having come all the way to Shangshuang City, Guan Xia never expected the trail would lead them out of town.
"Let’s discuss it back at the hotel," Ji An said, turning back to start the car. "It’s almost 10 PM. The others are probably already there. I checked my phone earlier—Zhong Xiaoyu has called a few times."
That reminded Guan Xia she hadn’t checked her phone all afternoon. She pulled it out and saw even more missed calls—from Pang Le, Xu Nian, and Zhong Xiaoyu. Probably because Ji An wasn’t answering, Zhong Xiaoyu had dialed her instead.
Glancing at the dark sky outside the window, Guan Xia called Pang Le back, briefed him on the situation, and agreed to meet at the hotel for details. Then they set off on the return trip.
