A group of people hurriedly followed the administrative staff into the technical team's office. Captain Zhou was flipping through an inspection report and casually closed it upon their arrival, handing it over with a greeting, "You're here."
Guan Xia and the others exchanged brief greetings before focusing on the report. As they flipped through, they discovered not only entries for Ning Xin and Ning Ping'an but also a third name—Geng Jing.
The moment Guan Xia saw "Geng Jing," she immediately confirmed that the van from which the technical team had collected biological samples was the same vehicle involved in the disappearance case of Ning Xin and her daughter years ago.
She quickly skimmed the report and looked up at Captain Zhou. "Captain Zhou, DNA from Ning Xin, Ning Ping'an, and Geng Jing has been found. What about Liu Xiang's? Any traces?"
Captain Zhou replied, "I just spoke with Captain Xu. Although Liu Xiang is still in the hospital and can't be arrested within the next couple of days, we’re proceeding with the necessary groundwork. Her biological samples have already been collected, and the matching process is underway. Results should be out soon."
Though the outcome remained uncertain, both Guan Xia and Captain Zhou had already anticipated what it would be.
Unable to contain her excitement, Guan Xia asked, "Have you interrogated Ge Qing about the van yet? If not, can I observe?"
Captain Zhou nodded. "Of course. That’s exactly why I had Wu call you. The moment I got the technical team’s call, I figured you’d want to be part of the interrogation."
Captain Zhou was a meticulous person, and so far, every collaboration with him had been smooth.
After spending just a few minutes in the technical team’s office, the group filed out again.
For Guan Xia, it had only been days since she last saw Ge Qing, but in that short time, Ge Qing had visibly lost weight. Her entire demeanor was listless, her expression despondent, with swollen eyes and dark circles beneath them—she looked utterly exhausted.
During the interrogation, Ge Qing remained numb, mechanically answering the officers' questions without much expression, her gaze fixed dully on the floor.
According to Ge Qing’s testimony, while she had been the one driving the van, it actually belonged to Fan Ya. As far as she knew, Fan Ya had purchased it after taking over her father’s supermarket.
The interrogating officer asked, "Who did she buy it from? Name? Description? Didn’t the supermarket already have a delivery vehicle?"
Ge Qing’s expression remained blank, her voice eerily calm. "I don’t know who sold it. I just know Liu Xiang helped arrange it. When Fan Ya first took over the supermarket, she didn’t have much money, so she bought a used van. The day it was delivered, Liu Xiang drove it over. I remember walking around it—even though it was secondhand, the paint looked freshly redone, and the interior was spotless. None of us ever imagined it was tied to a crime."
The officer pressed further, "After buying the van, did Liu Xiang ever borrow it?"
Ge Qing shook her head. "Not that I recall. Fan Ya drove it occasionally, but not often—usually just to visit her father."
The interrogation continued with a few more questions, but Ge Qing’s answers were mundane, offering no suspicious or valuable leads.
The session lasted only about ten minutes. Guan Xia then observed Fan Ya’s interrogation, which yielded similar responses—the van was secondhand, acquired through Liu Xiang’s connections at a bargain price. As for the seller, Fan Ya couldn’t recall much after two years, only that it was a man of average height and unremarkable appearance who had smoothly handled the transfer. She’d even treated Liu Xiang to a meal afterward before driving the van home.
Despite being used, the van had run without issues for two years. Fan Ya, Ge Qing, and Gao Cuicui had cleaned it several times—both themselves and at car washes—and even replaced the seat and floor mats. Yet none of them had noticed or suspected traces of blood inside.
By this point, Guan Xia and Captain Zhou understood that to unravel the remaining mysteries, Liu Xiang’s confession was crucial.
Leaving the observation room, Pang Le couldn’t help sighing. "These three girls are so unlucky. They thought they’d made a good friend, only to be completely used. But one thing I can’t figure out—given Liu Xiang’s calculated behavior, why would she sell the van to Fan Ya? It’s almost like she was desperate for money."
Hearing this, Guan Xia had a sudden thought. She recalled the bank statements Lu Tingfeng had provided, showing Liu Xiang had transferred nearly 100,000 yuan over the past three years. The van had been sold to Fan Ya around two years ago. Could it be that Liu Xiang had indeed been short on funds at the time, leading to this seemingly irrational move?
She shared her speculation. After a moment of contemplation, Ji An added, "If you look at it differently, selling the van to Fan Ya wasn’t actually that risky. Without Yan Xingyu’s disappearance leading us to Fan Ya and the others, their clean backgrounds would’ve made it nearly impossible to connect them to the Ning Xin case from five years ago."
Guan Xia nodded in agreement. Ji An then shifted gears. "Still, Guan Xia’s theory holds water. I’ve also been wondering about those twelve bank transfers. It wouldn’t be hard to investigate, but right now, everything has to wait for Captain Zhou’s next steps. We’ll have to hold off for now—just two more days. Once Geng Jing is misled and the operation begins, Liu Xiang can be arrested. With a search warrant, we’ll uncover everything about her."
Returning to the office, their earlier plan to review surveillance footage now seemed irrelevant. Finding evidence was the priority; identifying other accomplices was secondary. Once Liu Xiang was in custody, a full-scale investigation would expose everyone involved.
As Guan Xia organized the USB drives containing the footage, she stared blankly at the computer before suddenly turning to Ji An and blurting out, "Ji An, let’s go to Kangjian Medical Center first thing tomorrow for a check-up."
The statement caught even Lu Tingfeng off guard.
Pang Le frowned in confusion. "How does your brain jump like this? We’re literally investigating that place. We already know it’s shady—why volunteer for a check-up? Aren’t you worried they’ll match your organs and target you?"
Perhaps because Ji An and Guan Xia had been working together since arriving in Shuangshi City, Ji An now found herself following Guan Xia’s train of thought. After a brief moment of consideration, she said, "So you still want to use that health check-up center to track down more central suspects?"
Guan Xia leaned back in her chair, staring absently at the ceiling. "I’ve been thinking carefully about this. Although we’ve uncovered a lot of leads, when you look closely, they all point to very minor figures. Whether it’s Geng Jing or Liu Xiang, who seemed crucial at first, they’re still far from the real core of the organization. In fact, the one who first raised our suspicions—Doctor Hu—was the closest to the center. Unfortunately, she’s already dead, likely silenced, and any critical evidence she held is probably lost. So, after turning it over in my mind, the Kangjian Health Check-up Center is the only path we currently have to reach the organization’s core members."
As Guan Xia finished speaking, the others fell silent, clearly deep in thought.
After a pause, Pang Le spoke up. "That does make sense, but I can’t help worrying about the risks. After all, we can’t be sure whether any of the center’s current clients might match with us. If we’re unlucky enough to get matched, wouldn’t that person go from being hidden to exposed? And worse, it might alert the organization."
Lu Tingfeng shook his head. "The task force’s arrival means we’ll soon have a flood of reinforcements, not to mention local support from Shuangshi City. As long as Geng Jing’s lead holds, within ten days at most, all the low-level enforcers will be rounded up. At that point, whether we want to alert them or not, the organization will be spooked. So hiding doesn’t make much difference. But if we can identify the core members before the outer circle is dismantled, we’ll have more time to investigate covertly and a better chance of finding physical evidence."
After speaking, Lu Tingfeng glanced at Ji An and asked, "What do you think, Ji An?"
Ji An pondered for a moment. "It is risky, but if you want to catch a big fish, you need strong bait. I agree with Guan Xia’s idea. But just to be safe, Guan Xia shouldn’t participate in the check-up. She can accompany me instead—I’ll go through the examination while she observes from the shadows to see if we can uncover anything."
Pang Le, concerned for both Guan Xia and Ji An, couldn’t hold back. "If we’re taking precautions, I think we should at least inform Xu Nian and the others. If we’re unlucky enough to be targeted, at least we’ll have backup. Remember, we’ve speculated before that Shuangshi City might be one of the organization’s strongholds. We have no idea how many local players are involved. For safety’s sake, it’s better to have more people watching from the shadows. We shouldn’t risk getting ourselves trapped just to crack the case."
Guan Xia smiled at Pang Le’s nervous expression. "Don’t worry, we’re not reckless. We won’t act rashly."
Pang Le sighed and slumped back in his chair, mimicking Guan Xia’s posture as he stared at the ceiling. "Don’t think I’m overreacting. Maybe it’s because I’ve been tailing people too much lately, but the deeper we dig into this case, the more uneasy I feel. It’s like my gut’s warning me about something. And with Guan Xia’s… unique circumstances, I’m genuinely worried something might go wrong."
Guan Xia shared his unease—it was why she’d felt relieved when she heard the task force had arrived.
Before she could reassure Pang Le, he suddenly sat up straight and turned to Ji An. "Wait, Ji An, didn’t we just catch two people sent by a buyer? If we follow that lead to the buyer, couldn’t we trace it back to the core members?"
Before Ji An could respond, Guan Xia interjected pessimistically, "Didn’t we listen to the interrogation at noon? The two they sent were clueless college students. The only contact they had was someone called Brother Chen. We don’t have his full details yet, but it’s easy to guess he’s some shady character—slippery and hard to pin down. Just verifying the truth in his statements would take ages. By the time we track down the buyer, all the outer members will already be rounded up. We can’t put all our hopes on one lead."
Hearing this, Pang Le slumped back again, sighing at the ceiling. "Fine, fine. Working with Guan Xia always means charging straight into the lion’s den. I should be used to it by now. Let’s not stay up late tonight—head back to the hotel early so we can get in line tomorrow morning. Otherwise, we might miss our slot again."
Guan Xia checked the time—it was already past 10 p.m. She straightened up. "Let’s go then. By now, Qi Bai and Zhong Xiaoyu might have been relieved from their shift. We can ask them about Liu Xiang’s situation. If Xu Nian’s back, we can also ask about the task force’s plans."
It was the first time in days they’d returned to the hotel so early.
As expected, Zhong Xiaoyu was back, but Qi Bai hadn’t returned with her—like Wang Yu, he’d been called to a meeting with the task force.
When they knocked on the door, Zhong Xiaoyu had just woken up, her hair a mess, hastily tied into a low ponytail. She was devouring a cup of instant noodles, barely pausing to greet them before wolfing it down. Only after half-filling her stomach did she wipe her mouth and ask, "You’re back? Any progress?"
After summarizing the day’s findings, Zhong Xiaoyu immediately declared, "A health check-up? And a chance to strike at the heart of the operation? Count me in. My last check-up was over two years ago—ever since I started investigating my uncle’s case, I haven’t had time. This is perfect, killing two birds with one stone."
The decision was made just like that. Then, with sudden excitement, Zhong Xiaoyu added, "Do you think one of us might actually get matched and go undercover? The sellers are dangerous, but the buyers aren’t as bad, right? If we can nab a buyer and follow the trail, wouldn’t that lead us straight to the core?"
Guan Xia hadn’t expected Zhong Xiaoyu to have such a daring streak. Ever since her uncle’s case was resolved, she’d become almost reckless—like a tiger returning to the wild.
Before Guan Xia could rein in her dangerous idea, Ji An cut in sternly, "The sellers are dangerous, and so are the buyers. Look at Yan Xingyu—to ensure smooth transport, they keep their victims unconscious. Don’t forget what these sellers do. A criminal organization this big, running a health check-up center, would have no trouble getting their hands on anesthetics. If you’re drugged, you might never wake up—shipped straight to the operating table. Don’t kid yourself about the risks."
Guan Xia noticed the dimming light in Zhong Xiaoyu's eyes as she sighed and said, "Alright, alright, I get it. Just to be clear, I'm not looking for thrills. It's just that back when I was in the military, every mission had a clear objective—no need for painstaking detective work. But after retiring, I've spent years doing nothing but unraveling clues. I really miss the days when I could just grab a gun and throw punches. Who knows how long it’ll take for the task force to round up those thugs? I feel like my bones are rusting from inactivity."
As she spoke, Zhong Xiaoyu sprang up from the couch and stretched her limbs.
Pang Le’s eyes lit up at the sight. He jumped off the bed in an instant and jerked his chin toward the door. "Since Xu Nian and the others aren’t back yet—probably won’t be sleeping anytime soon—how about we spar for a bit while we wait?"
Zhong Xiaoyu’s excitement was immediate. "Yes! Perfect. It’s late and quiet now. Let’s head to the alley behind the hotel—the dead-end one they use for trash bins. I scoped it out when I first got here. No one goes there except for hotel staff dumping garbage, and they last did it half an hour ago. No idea how often they come, but they definitely won’t be back anytime soon. We can throw down without disturbing a soul."
Listening to this, Guan Xia couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: No wonder she’s ex-armed police—always surveying the terrain first. And now it’s actually coming in handy.
