Due to Geng Jing's aggressive demeanor, Guan Xia instinctively directed all her attention toward him.
After getting out of the car, Geng Jing took a few large strides and stopped just a few meters away from Liu Xiang and the young man.
Liu Xiang had clearly noticed Geng Jing as well. Though her expression barely changed, Guan Xia keenly observed the slight furrow of her brows—evidently, Geng Jing’s sudden appearance had caught her off guard and even irritated her slightly.
That irritation lasted only a moment before Liu Xiang forced a warm, familiar smile and said in a concerned tone, "Here to buy cigarettes again? I remember you just bought a few packs a couple of days ago. I don’t mind you smoking, but don’t overdo it—take care of your lungs."
Her gentle admonishment seemed to soothe Geng Jing. Though his expression remained tense, his posture relaxed slightly. He stepped forward, gave a curt nod, then fixed his glare on the young man and demanded, "Who’s this? Is he bothering you?"
Fortunately, Guan Xia’s car was parked close by with the windows down, allowing her to focus and barely make out their conversation.
Faced with Geng Jing’s accusatory tone, Liu Xiang’s expression flickered, but she maintained her smile. "Just a friend. He needed something from me. Weren’t you going to buy cigarettes? Let’s go."
With that, she walked past Geng Jing and headed toward the convenience store.
Geng Jing didn’t immediately follow. Instead, he shot the young man a venomous glare and muttered something under his breath—too quietly for Guan Xia to hear.
But judging by the young man’s sudden shift in expression, Geng Jing’s words were far from polite. The carefree, mocking look on the young man’s face vanished, replaced by wide-eyed fury. "What the hell did you just say? Say it again, I dare you!"
As he shouted, he reached into his pocket—a movement that, combined with his aggressive demeanor, sent a jolt of alarm through Guan Xia. Qi Bai and Zhong Xiaoyu even instinctively reached for the car door handle.
Thankfully, before things escalated further, Liu Xiang suddenly stopped and called out sharply, "What are you two doing? I have a lot to do this afternoon—stop wasting time."
Geng Jing jabbed a finger at the young man in one last taunt before striding after Liu Xiang into the store.
The young man hesitated, perhaps out of deference to Liu Xiang. Though his hand remained in his pocket, he didn’t pull anything out. Instead, he kicked the ground in frustration, cursed at a passerby who stared, and then shuffled into the store after them.
Once all three disappeared from view, Guan Xia exhaled in relief and leaned back in her seat. "Judging by that guy’s movements earlier, I’d bet he had a knife or something in his pocket. Thank goodness Liu Xiang has enough authority over them—I was really worried they’d start fighting right there in the street. If Geng Jing got stabbed, or if he stabbed the other guy, our whole plan would’ve been ruined."
Though Guan Xia hadn’t been directly involved in Captain Zhou’s operation, working with Xu Nian and the others had given her some insight into police investigative tactics. Even without thinking too hard, she could guess that Captain Zhou’s team was planning to monitor Geng Jing and his associates closely, hoping to catch the buyers red-handed.
Recalling the brief but tense interaction, Guan Xia mused, "Liu Xiang… we were only speculating before, but now it’s clear she’s a key figure in this. It’s just too bad we only have a few hours left before the 48-hour deadline. Otherwise, following her lead might’ve uncovered even more members of their group."
Zhong Xiaoyu, however, had a different perspective. Still watching the store intently, she said, "From what we’ve uncovered so far, Liu Xiang is cautious and meticulous. We’ve only been tailing her for a short time, so she hasn’t noticed yet. But if we keep it up, she’ll eventually sense something’s off. Did you two notice? Before she went into the store, she glanced around first."
Guan Xia was surprised—she’d been too focused on the confrontation between Geng Jing and the young man to pay attention to Liu Xiang’s movements. "Are you saying… she already suspects she’s being followed?"
Qi Bai didn’t seem fazed. "We’ve got a decent number of people on surveillance, but we’re still limited to about a dozen rotating officers. Liu Xiang has been operating in this area for seven or eight years—it’s normal for her to pick up on something unusual. But it doesn’t matter. Once midnight hits, we’ll take her down immediately."
As the three discussed the situation, they kept their eyes locked on the store.
Just when Guan Xia thought Liu Xiang’s presence would prevent any major conflict between Geng Jing and the young man, a panicked scream erupted from inside the store a few minutes later—"Help! Someone’s been stabbed!"
Several people immediately bolted out of the store in terror.
The sudden turn of events left Guan Xia momentarily stunned before she snapped back to reality and reached for the car door. Zhong Xiaoyu, however, grabbed her arm. "Wait—don’t go."
While Zhong Xiaoyu held Guan Xia back, Qi Bai had already leaped out of the car. Guan Xia then saw Xu Nian, Pang Le, and several others rush inside. Judging by their speed and numbers, she guessed they were Captain Zhou’s team and the officers tailing the young man.
Knowing she wasn’t much help in a physical altercation, Guan Xia stayed put but couldn’t hide her disbelief. "Even if those two didn’t know each other, Liu Xiang knows they’re part of the same group. How did it come to this? Did that guy actually stab Geng Jing?"
Zhong Xiaoyu, far calmer, analyzed, "I’ve been observing that young man for a while. Based on his demeanor and physical state, I suspect he might be a drug user—maybe even more than just that. But regardless, with his scrawny build, who knows who stabbed who."
Too anxious to think straight, Guan Xia kept her gaze fixed on the store.
Several more minutes passed. The crowd of onlookers grew, but no one emerged from the store. Unable to wait any longer, Guan Xia finally stepped out of the car and blended into the crowd, peering through the glass doors.
The doors had been shut from the inside, but through the transparent panes, she could still make out some of the chaos within.
Guan Xia noticed a figure standing near the supermarket entrance. Though the person’s back was turned, she immediately recognized the clothes and build—it was Xu Nian, who was currently on the phone, likely reporting to someone higher up.
From the gap where Xu Nian’s body didn’t block the view, Guan Xia saw a young man in handcuffs, looking utterly dejected and barely able to stand without being supported by two officers.
As for Geng Jing’s condition, Guan Xia couldn’t see him at all, nor could she spot Liu Xiang. There wasn’t even any visible blood, making it impossible to guess who had been injured.
Anxious, Guan Xia listened to the hushed murmurs around her. The fragmented whispers, passed from person to person, took her a while to piece together. The gist was that two men had fought, but somehow, a woman—Liu Xiang—had ended up stabbed in the stomach.
Guan Xia was stunned. She never expected that a fight between Geng Jing and the young man would result in Liu Xiang getting hurt. How had she been stabbed? Was she accidentally wounded while trying to break up the fight?
Lost in her thoughts, Guan Xia waited a few more minutes until the ambulance finally arrived. The crowd reluctantly parted, and the tightly shut supermarket doors swung open. She watched as paramedics rushed in and carried Liu Xiang out on a stretcher, with Xu Nian following them into the ambulance.
Only after the ambulance disappeared from sight did Guan Xia and Zhong Xiaoyu return to their car.
No sooner had they settled in than Qi Bai stormed back, slamming the car door and starting the engine with a frustrated growl. “Damn it! Two days of work down the drain. Who’d have thought Geng Jing and that kid would fight and end up stabbing Liu Xiang? What kind of mess is this?”
Cursing under his breath, Qi Bai sped off after the ambulance.
Seizing the chance, Guan Xia asked, “How bad is Liu Xiang’s injury? Is it serious? Life-threatening?”
Qi Bai’s irritation flared again. “No idea yet, but judging by the blood loss, it’s pretty bad. A knife to the abdomen—could’ve hit organs. Either way, whether she’s badly hurt or not, Liu Xiang’s out of the gang’s next operation. As for Geng Jing, who knows what Captain Zhou will decide? Maybe there’s still room to maneuver.”
Zhong Xiaoyu clicked her tongue. “This criminal group is something else. Internal strife? Liu Xiang seemed pretty authoritative earlier—she shut those two down with one word at the supermarket entrance. How’d they end up fighting inside?”
Guan Xia recalled the trio’s earlier dynamic and speculated, “Geng Jing seemed like he had feelings for Liu Xiang. Maybe he was extra sensitive about his pride in front of her. Still, that young guy really stirred the pot. Our carefully laid plans are now a complete disaster.”
The thought of what might come next made Guan Xia curse under her breath too.
Following the ambulance to the nearest hospital, the three rushed into the emergency room. Xu Nian wasn’t there, but Pang Le, Jiang Yingyao, and Ji An were.
Guan Xia immediately grabbed Ji An. “Sister Ji, what’s the situation?”
Ji An shook her head. “Liu Xiang’s in surgery. We won’t know the extent of her injuries until it’s over.”
“What about Xu Nian?” Guan Xia pressed.
“He’s calling Captain Zhou. Things happened too fast—he needs to discuss next steps,” Ji An replied.
Remembering Qi Bai’s words in the car, Guan Xia lowered her voice. “Qi Bai mentioned Liu Xiang’s out, but Geng Jing might still be salvageable. Does that mean he’ll be released so Captain Zhou’s plan can continue?”
Ji An kept her voice equally hushed. “Liu Xiang’s sharp. With so many cops suddenly showing up, Geng Jing might bluff his way through, but she won’t. Still, it’s up to Captain Zhou. Let’s wait—Xu Nian should be back soon.”
Speak of the devil. Before ten minutes had passed in the ER hallway, Xu Nian returned in a hurry.
Almost everyone crowded around him, demanding, “Well?”
Xu Nian said, “Captain Zhou’s team has the surveillance footage. What happens next depends on whether the video shows Geng Jing stabbing Liu Xiang. If it does, the plan’s shelved.”
The possibility left everyone deflated. Liu Xiang was one thing—she’d been slated for arrest tonight anyway—but they’d pinned high hopes on Geng Jing.
Given the gang’s recent movements, they’d been gearing up for another operation. Captain Zhou’s team could’ve followed the trail to dismantle the small group and even nab the buyers, potentially uncovering new leads to peel back another layer of this mysterious criminal organization.
However reluctantly, they had to accept reality. After a moment of quiet, Guan Xia asked, “What about Yan Xingyu’s buyer? Any sign of them these past two days?”
Xu Nian shook his head. “I asked Captain Zhou while on the phone. Their team’s still staking out the area—nothing yet.”
So every lead had stalled. Guan Xia thought for a second. “What about Liu Xiang’s social connections? Any breakthroughs?”
Another head shake. “Wang Yu and Lu Tingfeng haven’t reported back. Probably nothing.”
Qi Bai sighed. “Guess our only hope now is Liu Xiang pulling through so we can get her to talk. But given what we know about her, that won’t be easy.”
Usually optimistic, Guan Xia felt a headache coming on at the thought of Liu Xiang.
She remembered Liu Xiang’s ex-husband had died in 2016—seven years ago. In that time, Liu Xiang had climbed from the fringes to the core of this criminal group. A woman like that wouldn’t crack easily. Guan Xia wondered how someone who’d once loved her children enough to kill her ex-husband and his lover could’ve turned out this way.
Her thoughts tangled until a sudden realization struck. “Do you think… there’s a chance Liu Xiang doesn’t know what happens to the kidnapped children?”
The others, mid-discussion, paused. “What?”
Guan Xia grew increasingly convinced of the possibility, her voice tinged with excitement as she said, "I just went over it in my head—based on what we know about the two kidnapped children, Ning Ping'an and Yan Xingyu, Liu Xiang was only involved in the initial stage. Her role was to lower the victims' guard, then seize the opportunity to take the children away and hand them over to others. That means she might not actually know what ultimately happens to the children. Maybe we can use this as a breakthrough to get her to talk."
Xu Nian, Jiang Yingyao, and the other seasoned detectives mulled over the feasibility of the idea. Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu exchanged uncertain glances before hesitantly voicing their doubts.
Pang Le said, "But didn’t we assume Liu Xiang was a key figure in this? How could she not know the children were being taken for organ harvesting?"
After a moment of contemplation, Ji An responded, "I think Guan Xia’s theory holds some weight. From the leads we’ve gathered so far, the 'core' we’re referring to is more about figures like Geng Jing—the enforcers in the outer circle of the criminal organization. But if we zoom out to the entire operation, Liu Xiang is also just a peripheral member. It’s entirely possible she doesn’t know the full extent of what these people are doing with the children."
Ji An’s words lit a spark in the group. Qi Bai, visibly energized, chimed in, "If we can get Liu Xiang’s confession, even if the Geng Jing lead goes cold, we’d still make huge progress. At the very least, the crime syndicate would lose two key players. Without enough manpower, they’d have to act, and if we keep close surveillance on Kangjian Health Center, we’re bound to uncover more clues."
Qi Bai then pressed urgently, "Captain Xu, when will the provincial interrogation experts arrive? If we don’t crack Liu Xiang in the first round, it’ll only get harder later."
Xu Nian replied, "I’ve already checked with Director Ren. The specialists from the task force are already on their way, with the earliest batch arriving tonight."
Though the situation had taken an unexpected turn, not all was bleak. At least the focus on Liu Xiang as a breakthrough remained unchanged.
Guan Xia even found herself looking forward to the arrival of the interrogation experts. She had a strong feeling—they were about to extract crucial information from Liu Xiang.
