The interrogation of Liu Xiang lasted an extraordinarily long time—so long that Guan Xia lost all sense of time. It wasn’t until the questioning ended and she stepped out of the observation room, her legs numb and aching, that she noticed the sunlight streaming through the corridor windows. Only then did she realize it was already the next morning.
The interrogation had stretched from night until dawn. Though Liu Xiang’s attitude and testimony made it clear she was still hiding something, the police had managed to extract a significant amount of information, including a long list of accomplices.
Geng Jing’s name was prominently on that list, alongside Fan Ya, Ge Qing, Gao Cuicui, and even the unfortunate couple Liu Xiang had deceived and exploited. The other names were unfamiliar to Guan Xia, leaving her unsure how many were genuine accomplices and how many were victims like Fan Ya.
Of course, these details would eventually come to light. The task force, with the support of the entire Shuangshi police department, would investigate every name on the list thoroughly. But that wasn’t Guan Xia’s responsibility. Her team’s next mission was to uncover the connection between Wu Xingxian and his father with the Kangjian Medical Examination Center.
Even as she settled into the car, Guan Xia’s mind replayed the back-and-forth between the interrogating officer and Liu Xiang. Through their exchange, they had learned the broad details of the five-year-old disappearance case of Ning Xin and her daughter, which Ji An had been investigating. The reason it was only "broad" was because Geng Jing remained at large, and Liu Xiang’s knowledge ended an hour after the car accident.
The accident had occurred because Ning Xin resisted, trying to seize the steering wheel to force the car to flip, hoping to buy time and attract the attention of traffic police or passing drivers. But Ning Xin was frail, and her efforts only caused the car to veer off the road and crash into a tree.
Enraged, Geng Jing nearly strangled Ning Xin on the spot. It was only Liu Xiang’s intervention that stopped him, though he still struck Ning Xin several times, leaving her with minor injuries rather than killing her outright.
Afterward, the plan proceeded as intended. The car was driven off a secluded back road to a desolate area with no surveillance cameras. There, Geng Jing dropped off Liu Xiang, who then switched to another vehicle, met a friend for a meal, and returned home without raising any suspicion from the police.
Near the end of the interrogation, the officer finally asked the question Guan Xia had been dying to hear. Unfortunately, Liu Xiang didn’t answer. Whether she was too exhausted or simply unwilling, she remained silent no matter how the officer pressed her—whether with sharpness or calm.
Standing on tiptoe, Guan Xia tried to catch a glimpse of Liu Xiang’s expression through the crowd but could only see her bowed head, her disheveled hair obscuring her face. It was impossible to tell whether she was resisting or lost in memory.
After a long moment of contemplation, Guan Xia couldn’t help sighing. "Even with Liu Xiang’s confession, there are still unanswered questions. I wonder if there’ll be a chance to ask her myself later."
"She’s already confessed, and there’s solid evidence," Zhong Xiaoyu said dismissively, glancing at Guan Xia. "Life imprisonment is inevitable for her. Whether the mysteries get solved or not isn’t that important."
Guan Xia instinctively turned to look at Zhong Xiaoyu, amused by her pragmatic attitude. Typical of someone with a military police background—focused solely on the objective, indifferent to the process.
Ji An chuckled. "You really haven’t changed at all. After years of running around with me and Lu Tingfeng, you still haven’t developed an ounce of curiosity or patience."
Zhong Xiaoyu huffed. "Who says I don’t have any? I’ve got plenty of both! You just haven’t seen it. Back when I was on missions, I’d lie in a mud pit for hours. If we’re comparing patience, the two of you combined couldn’t match me."
Ji An, well-practiced in handling her, placated her with a smile. "Yes, yes, you’re the most patient. My mistake—you’re better than me and your Brother Lu put together."
Zhong Xiaoyu wrinkled her nose, clearly annoyed by the patronizing tone, but she didn’t argue further. Instead, she turned her head toward the window with a quiet "hmph."
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged amused glances. Zhong Xiaoyu’s personality was something else—strong and capable, yet childlike in certain ways. It was a wonder how she’d managed to preserve that innocence after everything she’d been through.
After a few more moments of lighthearted banter, they returned to the main topic. Ji An said, "Technically, we could arrange to see Liu Xiang now, but last night’s interrogation showed her defenses aren’t fully broken. She’s still hiding something. Let’s wait a few more days—until Geng Jing is captured. Then, when you meet her, you might get all your answers."
Guan Xia wasn’t in a hurry. "Like Zhong Xiaoyu said, she’s already caught, and the evidence is solid. Her resistance won’t last forever. But there’s one thing I keep thinking about—the ‘person above’ she mentioned in her testimony. Who is that? I doubt it’s Wu Yingze or Wu Xingxian. A criminal organization that big wouldn’t have its leaders handling such things personally."
Lu Tingfeng suddenly spoke up. "Remember what Liu Xiang said? The phone card was unregistered, and it was an old-style keypad phone without internet. Whoever’s behind this is even more cautious than Liu Xiang. I doubt we’ll trace them through that phone alone. If we really want to dig out this organization, we’ll have to start with Wu Xingxian and his father."
At this, Guan Xia remembered something. "Right, you and Xu Nian have been looking into the Kangjian Medical Examination Center these past few days. Found anything?"
Lu Tingfeng kept his eyes on the road as he drove smoothly with the traffic. "It’s only been a few days. We’ve just scratched the surface, but from what we’ve seen so far, Xu Nian and I suspect the center’s higher-ups—especially the director—might be involved. The director’s a golf and fishing enthusiast. Coincidentally, so is Wu Yingze. We checked their call records. On the surface, they don’t communicate, but they frequent the same golf course and fishing spots."
Guan Xia’s eyes lit up. "So they’re secretly in contact."
Lu Tingfeng gave an acknowledging hum. "Both Xu Nian and I suspect the same thing. Just look at these two men's hobbies—whether it's the golf course or fishing, these are open yet relatively secluded places, perfect for discussing confidential matters without fear of eavesdropping."
Zhong Xiaoyu nodded in agreement. "That makes a lot of sense. The director of Kangjian Health Center is one thing—he sounds like an older man, so fishing fits. But look at Wu Yingze. He’s only in his early thirties, and with his ever-changing hair color—red one day, green the next—he doesn’t seem like the type to patiently sit by a riverbank. His supposed love for fishing is most likely just a cover."
Lu Tingfeng glanced at Guan Xia through the rearview mirror and asked, "What about you guys? Any leads?"
Guan Xia slumped back into her seat with a sigh. "Don’t even ask. We’ve been tailing him for three days, early mornings to late nights, and found nothing. Wu Yingze lives up to his flashy blond persona—he never sits still. Every day, it’s either bars or some other entertainment spot. He sleeps in till noon and comes home in the dead of night. But that just makes his sudden visit to Kangjian Health Center in the pouring rain and his 'fishing hobby' even more suspicious."
Pang Le suddenly had an idea. "If he claims to love fishing but rarely does it, doesn’t that mean every fishing trip is actually a rendezvous? In that case, we should just focus on tracking the director of Kangjian Health Center. But fishing usually happens near lakes or rivers, and they’re so cautious—getting close without being noticed won’t be easy..."
As she spoke, her eyes lit up, and she turned to Guan Xia. "But with you here, maybe getting close doesn’t even matter..."
Guan Xia caught her meaning and nodded thoughtfully. "As long as we confirm that their fishing trips are actually meetings, we might even get some useful intel."
For now, they set aside thoughts of Liu Xiang and focused entirely on Wu Xingxian and his son. With another suspect added to the list, Xu Nian had to request reinforcements from the task force, pulling in extra personnel to take shifts tracking the targets.
It had to be said—Wu Yingze was far more careful than Liu Xiang or Geng Jing when it came to covering his tracks. After a full week of surveillance, aside from that rainy night when they’d caught him visiting Kangjian Health Center, his behavior had been flawless.
If Guan Xia and the others hadn’t known for sure they hadn’t tipped him off, they might’ve thought he’d sensed something. For days, Wu Yingze hadn’t set foot on a golf course or gone fishing. His routine was strictly limited to home and entertainment venues—nothing out of the ordinary.
Before they knew it, it was the late hours of August 24th. Guan Xia, Qi Bai, and Zhong Xiaoyu had just watched Wu Yingze return home and were about to wrap up their stakeout after an hour of waiting when Captain Zhou called. This time, it was big news—they’d caught Geng Jing red-handed with a buyer, evidence and all.
The three of them were thrilled, barely registering why Captain Zhou had called instead of Xu Nian. Just as they were about to start the car and head back to Nanping Precinct, Guan Xia’s gaze drifted outside, where a figure in a delivery uniform on an electric bike caught her attention.
Frowning, Guan Xia wondered if it was just her imagination, but the figure looked oddly familiar. The distance and late hour made it hard to be sure, but something about it nagged at her.
Playing it safe, she stopped Qi Bai from starting the car and asked, "Am I remembering wrong? Did we see any food deliveries go into the complex during our stakeout?"
Qi Bai and Zhong Xiaoyu both thought for a moment before shaking their heads. "I don’t think so. A few delivery guys passed by, but none actually entered the neighborhood."
Realization dawned on Guan Xia, and she locked eyes with Zhong Xiaoyu. In unison, they said, "Wu Yingze."
Qi Bai added, "That bastard sneaking out in the middle of the night in disguise? He’s definitely meeting someone. All this time tailing him is finally paying off."
He moved to start the car but hesitated. "Wait—this car’s been following Wu Yingze all night. Even if we’ve been alternating with Xu Nian’s team, there’s a chance he might recognize it. To be safe, we need a different vehicle."
Guan Xia agreed and was about to call Xu Nian when Zhong Xiaoyu’s phone rang instead. "It’s Ji An," she said, putting it on speaker.
At this hour, a call from Ji An could only mean a major breakthrough. Guan Xia hung up her own call, and Ji An’s urgent voice came through immediately. "Xiaoyu, put me on speaker. We’ve got a new development—Peng Yuanwei, the director of Kangjian Health Center, just left alone in his car five minutes ago. At this time of night, we suspect it’s a rendezvous. Has Wu Yingze made any moves?"
Guan Xia replied just as quickly, "He left three minutes ago, disguised as a delivery guy. No car—just an electric bike."
Even from a distance and without a clear look at his face, her instincts told her it was definitely Wu Yingze.
Ji An’s voice carried a hint of satisfaction. "After a whole week, we’re finally about to catch the fox by the tail. Guan Xia, listen—Wu Yingze is more dangerous than Peng Yuanwei. For safety, switch cars before following. I’ve already called Xu Nian—he and Lu Tingfeng are on their way. Xu Nian mentioned there are two task force teams near you. Qi Bai has their number—have him call them. Use their car to tail."
Ji An’s suggestion aligned perfectly with their earlier thoughts.
After hanging up, Ji An immediately shared a live location in their group chat. Qi Bai contacted their colleagues, and within minutes, a taxi with its "occupied" light on pulled up beside them.
The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face from the task force.
Seated in the driver's seat was a striking female police officer with an air of authority. She jerked her head toward the trio and commanded, "Get in."
The three quickly climbed into the car. The officer stepped on the gas, speeding forward like a bullet, and said, "I’ve already briefed my colleagues. See that identical car behind us? They’re with us—no need to worry. We’re experts at tailing people. There’s no way the target’s getting away."
Guan Xia wasn’t worried at all. On the contrary, she was buzzing with excitement. After all this effort, they were finally about to uncover a crucial lead.
