After distancing themselves from the supermarket entrance and turning a corner until they were completely out of sight, Guan Xia broke into a jog and followed Jiang Yingyao into the car.
As soon as Wang Yu answered the call, Guan Xia didn’t even wait for her to speak before rushing out, "Wang Yu, we need backup. Join the location-sharing group Ji An sent in the chat. Jiang and I are tailing them now."
Wang Yu understood immediately and relayed the message verbatim to Lu Tingfeng. Guan Xia could even hear Lu Tingfeng’s deep voice responding. Though he usually seemed lazy and a bit carefree, he was incredibly reliable when it mattered.
Wang Yu then asked, "Did you find another suspect?"
Guan Xia confirmed with a quick "Mm," her eyes darting anxiously to the shared location Ji An had posted. Seeing that Ji An was still stationary at the bus stop, she let out a small sigh of relief. "After leaving the local police station near Liu Xiang’s residential area, Ji An, Jiang, and I stopped by her supermarket first. Ji An suspected it might be a hideout. Just as we reached the entrance, I noticed a middle-aged woman who seemed off. Ji An made the call to follow her immediately and told Jiang and me to tail them by car."
Wang Yu pressed, "Did the woman have any transportation?"
"No," Guan Xia replied. "She headed straight for the bus stop—probably taking public transport."
Before Wang Yu could respond, Lu Tingfeng’s voice suddenly cut in through the phone.
"Something’s not right," he said just as quickly. "If she were Liu Xiang’s accomplice in the crime, she’d have transportation to move the children. But she’s taking the bus..."
Before he could finish, Wang Yu caught on and asked, "What did the woman look like? Was she very different from Liu Xiang?"
Guan Xia answered firmly, "Very. Not only did she lack transportation, but her clothes suggested she was struggling financially. Her expression was deeply distressed, yet she still couldn’t afford a taxi."
Lu Tingfeng added, "That only makes it more suspicious. She’s likely not a direct accomplice but someone helping Liu Xiang hide the children—possibly without even knowing the full picture."
Guan Xia thought of Liu Xiang’s wide social connections and agreed with their reasoning.
"Guan Xia, listen," Wang Yu’s tone grew heavier, laced with reassurance. "Liu Xiang’s neighborhood is close to downtown. I suspect this woman isn’t from Shangshuang City but from a more remote area, like a county or town. If that’s the case, she might transfer buses midway, making Ji An’s tailing too obvious. And Jiang stands out too much. Until backup arrives, you’ll need to alternate with Ji An in tracking her."
The idea hadn’t occurred to Guan Xia, and she paused briefly before quickly agreeing, "Got it."
Lu Tingfeng chimed in, "Don’t stress, Guan Xia. Based on your description, we think the woman poses little danger. You don’t need close contact—just find a spot where you can observe her, make sure she stays on the bus, or note where she gets off. And keep your location shared the whole time, like Ji An."
Guan Xia had felt a flicker of nerves after agreeing, but Lu Tingfeng’s explanation steadied her. Though this was her first time tailing a suspect, she took a deep breath and said, "Understood. We’ll stay in touch. See you soon."
Wang Yu added, "Stay safe. I’ll contact Captain Xu for backup. Remember, we’re all around you."
After hanging up, Guan Xia didn’t waste time discussing with Jiang Yingyao. She first checked Ji An’s shared location in the group, confirming she was already on the bus and moving. Jiang Yingyao was following at a safe distance behind the bus. Satisfied, Guan Xia pulled out her sketchbook, mentally recalling the system’s footage of the woman. She quickly began sketching, referencing the paused and enlarged video image.
It was still the tail end of morning rush hour, so traffic was slow. Guan Xia finished the sketch smoothly in about ten minutes and promptly shared it in the group, tagging Xu Nian specifically: "Remember to check with Captain Zhou to confirm the suspect’s identity."
Only after seeing Xu Nian’s brief "Got it" in the chat did Guan Xia put her phone away and ask Jiang Yingyao, "How’s it going? Smooth so far?"
Compared to Guan Xia’s tension, Jiang Yingyao was completely at ease. He smiled. "Tailing a peripheral member of a crime group? Nothing’s going to happen. Don’t worry. Even though Ji An isn’t from my precinct, all detectives are family. She’s experienced—she’ll be fine."
His calm was contagious. Guan Xia finally relaxed into the seat and managed a small smile. "I trust Ji An too. By the way, Jiang, have you done many tailing missions like this before?"
Jiang Yingyao glanced at the traffic light—still red for another ten seconds—before answering. "A few, but not many. Most of our work is pursuit missions."
Guan Xia understood. "Like our previous cases?"
He nodded. "Exactly. But it wasn’t this easy before you joined. We used to run in circles, wasting time. Leads would dead-end, and cases would stall."
After working with Xu Nian and the others for so long, Guan Xia had realized just how overpowered her system was. Still, she didn’t think it was that simple. Every case was exhausting, even if the leads were always accurate. At first, things often seemed scattered, but eventually, everything connected.
She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: A system really is every transmigrator’s best cheat. I just wonder when mine will max out.
Jiang Yingyao, ever the veteran, kept Guan Xia’s mind occupied with casual chatter, maintaining her focus without letting her nerves take over. About an hour later, Ji An suddenly sent a message in the group:
Ji An: @Jiang Yingyao @Guan Xia Heads up—target is getting off at the next stop, Pingcheng South Road. To avoid suspicion, I’ll disembark at the stop after hers.
Guan Xia immediately replied with a quick "Got it," then switched to the bus app and pulled up navigation.
Jiang Yingyao didn’t need further instruction. He accelerated past the suspect’s bus from the left lane and dropped Guan Xia off just before the bus arrived at the stop.
Before getting off the car, Jiang Yingyao said with a cheerful smile, "Don't be nervous. We’re right behind you."
Guan Xia nodded seriously, took a deep breath, and then closed the car door. She walked to the bus stop, trying to act as casually as usual as she stood in a corner, glancing at the bus schedule while keeping an eye out for the bus carrying the suspect.
A few minutes later, Guan Xia spotted the middle-aged woman she had seen earlier stepping off the bus. Without even checking where Ji An was, she turned her head away and moved from her spot near the bus stop to stand diagonally behind the woman. Pretending to scroll through her phone, she continued observing the woman’s movements from the corner of her eye.
Fortunately, people nowadays often pass time on their phones, so Guan Xia’s behavior didn’t draw any attention. Her phone served as the perfect cover for her surveillance.
After about ten minutes, as people came and went at the bus stop and several buses had arrived and departed, the crowd grew larger. Finally, the middle-aged woman showed signs of movement. Still wearing a troubled expression, she stepped forward to a spot where boarding would be easier.
Guan Xia glanced back and saw that a D012 bus had arrived—the one running from South Railway Station to Xinhuai County. A few other people also moved to stand behind the woman, so Guan Xia followed suit, putting away her phone and preparing to board.
As expected, this was the bus the woman intended to transfer to. Compared to the previous buses, this one was much more crowded, with no empty seats and even the standing area mostly filled. Guan Xia squeezed her way on, careful not to stray too far. She positioned herself about two meters away from the woman, near the rear door, ensuring that if the woman got off, she’d have to pass by her.
With so many passengers, Guan Xia didn’t dare look at her phone for fear of losing sight of the woman. Instead, she pretended to gaze out the window while keeping the woman in her peripheral vision.
The ride lasted over an hour. By the time the bus left the bustling six-lane main road lined with skyscrapers and entered the quieter, sparsely populated streets of the small county, Guan Xia’s legs had gone numb from standing. Only when the bus reached its final stop did the middle-aged woman finally move toward the rear door to disembark.
Guan Xia remained vigilant. Luckily, many passengers were getting off here, so she blended in seamlessly.
Noticing the bus was nearing the terminal, Guan Xia had already updated the group chat. As soon as she stepped off, she spotted Wang Yu and Zhong Xiaoyu in her peripheral vision and immediately stopped paying attention to the woman. Without looking back, she walked straight out of the station and quickly found the car they’d been using the past few days. She hurried over and got in.
The moment she entered, Pang Le gave her a big hug, playfully rubbing her cheeks with a bright smile. "Guan Xia, how are you so capable? Handling this kind of mission all by yourself! How was it? Nervous? Or maybe a little excited?"
Jiang Yingyao had already locked the car windows, so there was no worry about being overheard.
Guan Xia grinned and nodded. "It was fine—not too nerve-wracking, but definitely a bit thrilling. By the way, why are you here? And in the same car as Ji An and Jiang Yingyao? I also saw Zhong Xiaoyu earlier—does that mean Xu Nian and Qi Bai are here too?"
Pang Le gave her cheek one last gentle pat before answering. "More than that. Captain Zhou even pulled in two extra teams, just in case something goes wrong during tonight’s operation."
"Operation?" Guan Xia turned to Ji An with a questioning look.
Ji An turned to meet her gaze and explained, "While you were tailing the suspect, we analyzed her further. Our conclusion aligns with Lu Tingfeng’s—we suspect she might be a peripheral member of Liu Xiang’s trafficking ring, responsible for hiding children who’ve been abducted or lured away. There’s a high chance she’s currently sheltering Yan Xingyu, who went missing on August 9th at around 2 PM. Right now, we don’t know how many people are at the hideout or if they’re armed. To be safe, we called in reinforcements. Once we confirm the missing child is there, we’ll raid the place tonight without delay."
Guan Xia hesitated for a few seconds. "But if we do that, Liu Xiang might not notice immediately, but Fan Ya, Ge Qing, and Gao Cuicui live in the neighborhood right next to Yan Xingyu’s. Once he’s rescued, his family will have to be notified. And if they find out, those three women could alert Liu Xiang right away. Then—"
She didn’t finish, but her concern was clear. Having never worked on a case this big before, she couldn’t help but feel both anxious and unsure.
Jiang Yingyao interjected, "Human lives always come first. Even if it risks tipping them off, we can’t afford to wait. But don’t worry—Captain Zhou has already coordinated with their district’s superiors. The moment we confirm the raid, they’ll move in to arrest Fan Ya and the other two. Lu Tingfeng’s team spent the morning gathering intel on them. We’ll have at least 48 hours before Liu Xiang catches wind. That might seem short, but with so many people working on this, it’s more than enough time to get a lot done."
Reassured by Jiang Yingyao’s explanation, Guan Xia stopped overthinking and quickly recounted the details of her surveillance.
Throughout the trip, she had kept a close watch on the middle-aged woman. Guan Xia noticed that as they neared the destination, the woman’s expression grew increasingly distressed, as if she were facing an insurmountable crisis—desperate for help but unsure where to turn, almost like she had nowhere left to go.
Guan Xia speculated, "If this woman really is helping Liu Xiang hide children, her expression and body language suggest something urgent is happening—either involving an accomplice or the child. I lean toward it being the child. If it were an accomplice, unless they’re a wanted criminal, they could still seek medical help. But with a child, especially one whose appearance might raise suspicion if taken outside, it would explain why she looked so helpless, like the sky was falling."
Her words cast a solemn mood over the group. Jiang Yingyao nodded. "Seems Wang Yu made the right call bringing in Xu Nian and Captain Zhou for backup. We’ll definitely need to move tonight."
"Alright then," Jiang Yingyao said, glancing up at the sky and then checking the time. "It's already past two in the afternoon. Let's grab a bite to eat first while we wait for Wang Yu and the others to return. After that, we can split into groups to scout the area near the suspect's residence and get a basic understanding of the surroundings. It’ll make the arrest easier tonight."
Guan Xia had expected Jiang Yingyao to share some crucial insight, so his suggestion about lunch caught her off guard, leaving her momentarily stunned.
Ji An, observing from the rearview mirror, couldn’t help but chuckle. "See, this is why Brother Jiang’s the expert. Before an arrest, you’ve got to have all three advantages—timing, terrain, and unity. Timing means waiting till nightfall, terrain means surveying the area, and unity? Well, that’s making sure everyone’s well-fed and energized."
Pang Le burst into laughter at Guan Xia’s expression before playfully pinching her cheeks. "Even after just a day and a half apart, you’re still this adorable—no, scratch that, you’ve gotten even cuter."
Guan Xia could feel her face heating up under Pang Le’s relentless teasing. She pushed his hand away with a bit more force than necessary, but the lighthearted banter between the two unwittingly eased the tension that had been weighing on her.
Leaning back into a more relaxed posture, Guan Xia finally found the mental space to ask Pang Le about his experiences over the past couple of days.
The moment the topic came up, Pang Le launched into an animated retelling. While Jiang Yingyao multitasked behind the wheel, Guan Xia and Ji An listened with rapt attention.
