The system's sudden upgrade caught Guan Xia off guard, but more than shock, she felt delight—this meant she could now act proactively rather than reactively.
Before, for the sake of her own safety, she had no choice but to repeatedly collaborate with Ji An, Xu Nian, and the others. On the surface, she appeared to be the one in charge—whether it was Ji An or Xu Nian, they always sought her opinion on cases. But in reality, Guan Xia knew all too well that she had been at the mercy of the system from the very beginning. Even if unwilling, she had to participate in these cases to recharge the halo's energy, pretending it was her own initiative.
Now, things would be different. The halo's intensity was displayed in such a straightforward numerical value, and with the new function she had just discovered, Guan Xia could live as she pleased—staying in or going out whenever she wanted. Best of all, she now had money. She could draw her comics when she felt like it and take breaks when she didn’t. No longer would she have to force herself into situations just to survive or earn a living. To recharge the halo, she could simply glance at the fluctuations in its strength and hand over the names and profiles of those who brought negative values to Xu Nian.
The thought of no longer having to outwit criminals, of simply submitting a list of names during a casual trip to keep the system powered, nearly made Guan Xia burst out laughing.
Fortunately, she remembered the situation she was in and kept her face tilted upward, staring at the ceiling, so the other three people in the temporary office wouldn’t notice anything unusual.
There were still many questions Guan Xia wanted to ask the system, but with a pressing case at hand, she had to suppress her curiosity and attempt—for the first time—to actively shut the system down.
The system had indeed become more intelligent. The moment Guan Xia willed it, it obediently disappeared.
After spending a few minutes calming her excitement, Guan Xia even rubbed her face to maintain a composed and serious expression before straightening up and resuming her all-night surveillance video review.
As midnight approached, just over an hour away, Guan Xia once again spotted the escape route of a group of peripheral members. She had just called out to Xu Nian when her phone, carelessly tossed on the table, suddenly rang in the quiet office.
Guan Xia cut herself off mid-sentence. Pang Le and the others turned to look at her, and for some reason, a sense of foreboding settled over everyone.
Guan Xia immediately picked up the phone. The caller ID confirmed it was Ji An.
As soon as she answered, she heard Ji An’s panting, urgent voice, as if he were running. "Guan Xia, the bar where the target was spotted suddenly caught fire. The flames spread fast—it looks like arson. The place is chaos right now."
At the word "fire," Guan Xia felt both surprise and a strange sense of grounding. Based on the criminal organization’s past behavior, they had anticipated a major move. This act of arson only confirmed their suspicion of a diversion tactic.
Guan Xia immediately asked, "What about Wu Yingze? Is he still inside?"
Ji An replied rapidly, "We’re still looking. So far, he hasn’t been among those who escaped. Lu Tingfeng and Qi Bai rushed in. I’m staying outside as a precaution, and Zhong Xiaoyu is still holding position from the high ground."
Guan Xia felt a flicker of relief—Wu Yingze’s striking ash-gray hair and his entourage of bodyguards made him hard to miss. Even if he tried to flee, their heavy surveillance in the area would make it easy to intercept him.
Still, unease gnawed at her. After only two seconds of hesitation, she decisively stood up. "Stay safe. We’re heading over now."
After hanging up, Guan Xia relayed Ji An’s message concisely.
Xu Nian and the others, already grim-faced, grew even more somber. Without a word, they shot up from their chairs, not even bothering to shut their computers before slamming open the office door and rushing out.
By the time Guan Xia and the team arrived at the scene, it was 11:20 PM.
Despite the time that had passed, chaos still reigned. Crowds of onlookers and fleeing patrons swarmed the area, while firefighters worked tirelessly, dragging or carrying trapped individuals out of the bar, which continued to spew flames and thick black smoke.
The moment she spotted Ji An, Guan Xia demanded, "Where’s Wu Yingze?"
Fortunately, the noise from the crowd drowned out her voice, so no one around them could make out her words.
Ji An’s expression was grave. "Still trapped inside. According to Lu Tingfeng, who infiltrated before the fire, Wu Yingze took two women he was drinking with to a private room upstairs, complaining that the main area was too noisy."
Guan Xia frowned, first worrying that Wu Yingze might die inside—then realizing something was off. Hadn’t he brought several bodyguards?
She wasn’t an expert on the lifestyles of the wealthy, but from what she’d seen in dramas, bodyguards usually waited outside private rooms. If a fire broke out, they’d be the first to know. How could they still be trapped inside?
Her eyes met Xu Nian’s. Something wasn’t right. Their earlier theory suggested this arson was a diversion to let Wu Yingze escape. Had he already slipped away?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, movement at the bar’s smoke-choked entrance caught her attention. Several towering, broad-shouldered men emerged, shielding a figure in their midst.
The man at the center had strikingly light gray hair. Even in the haze of floating debris and soot, his disheveled locks—now streaked with ash—stood out under the flickering firelight. A grimy towel covered his nose and mouth, but the visible part of his face bore a resemblance to Wu Yingze.
Yet before Guan Xia could relax, she scrutinized the figure and frowned. Something felt wrong. The system’s intuition was signaling a different level of danger.
The first time she had accidentally laid eyes on Wu Yingze, the system’s warning had sent chills down her spine, raising goosebumps. But now, while she could tell this man was no saint—likely a criminal—he didn’t evoke that same bone-deep dread.
Still, the upper half of his face matched Wu Yingze’s. Guan Xia wavered, unsure if it was really him.
Then she remembered the newly upgraded system. Without hesitation, she summoned it in her mind.
As expected, the halo’s intensity had dipped slightly in this short time. But with over 70,000 points to spare, Guan Xia couldn’t care less.
Guan Xia opened the details of the halo intensity adjustments and went straight to the last few lines. Sure enough, none of the names listed was Wu Yingze.
Her suspicions confirmed, the thought of commanding the system to vanish flashed through Guan Xia's mind as she lowered her voice and spoke rapidly, "That man isn't Wu Yingze."
The moment Guan Xia spoke, the group, who had just relaxed, widened their eyes in shock. "What?!" they exclaimed.
Fortunately, the noise in the surroundings was loud enough that even though Ji An and the others raised their voices, it didn’t draw attention.
Guan Xia nodded firmly, scanning the area as she spoke, "He must have pulled a vanishing act. If I’m right, the real Wu Yingze is probably disguised under the protection of his bodyguards, pretending to be himself while heading straight back to his residence to lay low. That way, he buys time for the real Wu Yingze to escape."
Xu Nian was still stunned, but he quickly grasped why Guan Xia was looking around. Without a word, he also surveyed the area with practiced efficiency and soon pointed in a direction. "There’s a security camera aimed right at the hotel entrance. If Wu Yingze slipped out through the bar’s main door, it would’ve caught him."
Guan Xia glanced where Xu Nian pointed, then checked her watch. Without hesitation, she ordered, "Gather all surveillance footage covering the bar’s exits. It’s almost midnight—Captain Zhou said checkpoints will be set up along major routes soon. Wu Yingze will try to slip out before the lockdown. He might’ve already left the city by now."
She did a quick mental calculation. Nearly forty minutes had passed since she received Ji An’s call. Given the bar’s location near the outskirts, if Wu Yingze acted swiftly and decisively, avoiding air or rail travel and relying solely on a car, he could very well have escaped Shuangshi City already.
None of them—Xu Nian or the others—understood how Guan Xia could be so certain the man wasn’t Wu Yingze from such a distance and with only half his face visible. But no one questioned her. They simply trusted her instinct and sprang into action.
Guan Xia wasted no time calling Zhong Xiaoyu.
As soon as the call connected, before Zhong Xiaoyu could speak, Guan Xia said, "Wu Yingze has escaped. You can come back now."
Zhong Xiaoyu was clearly shocked, her voice cracking. "What? Escaped? How? We had this place locked down tight—how did he slip through?"
"Vanishing act," Guan Xia replied tersely before hanging up and immediately dialing Lu Tingfeng.
Within minutes, everyone deployed outside had been recalled.
Meanwhile, Xu Nian ended a call and turned to Guan Xia. "I’ve reported it. The task force isn’t waiting until midnight—they’re setting up checkpoints now. Airports, train stations, bus terminals, and major roads are all being secured. Now we just need to figure out which direction he fled."
"When will the surveillance footage arrive?" Guan Xia asked.
Xu Nian checked his watch. "Half an hour. They’re bringing the computers here."
So they wouldn’t need to return to Nanping Station. Guan Xia glanced at the still-burning bar, then asked, "What about Wu Xingxian and Peng Yuanwei? Any movement?"
Ji An answered, "I just checked—nothing unusual."
This contradicted Guan Xia’s expectations. She frowned instinctively when Pang Le voiced his confusion. "That’s strange. Wu Yingze and Wu Xingxian are father and son. Even if Peng Yuanwei was abandoned, why leave Wu Xingxian behind? Unless we were wrong all along—what if Wu Yingze really is the mastermind behind the crime syndicate?"
Despite his words, Pang Le looked unconvinced.
No one responded. Guan Xia scanned their surroundings. Though certain their conversation wouldn’t be overheard, the bustling environment still made her uneasy. "Let’s talk in the car," she suggested.
No one objected. The group left the scene and headed for their parked vehicles.
They split into two cars, locking the windows and turning on the AC. Guan Xia called Wang Yu in the other car, putting him on speaker for a quick briefing before the footage arrived.
"Something’s off," Guan Xia began. "The relationship between these two is bizarre. Wu Xingxian isn’t even sixty yet—far from retirement age for someone in power. And judging by his usual behavior, he still has a firm grip on the company. If he built a massive criminal organization in Shuangshi, why would he willingly hand full control to Wu Yingze?"
Before she finished, Lu Tingfeng added, "Another thing that doesn’t add up—we’ve only been in Shuangshi for a little over two weeks, and we didn’t suspect Wu Yingze from the start. At most, he’s been under scrutiny for just over a week. Even with his connections, how did he find a doppelgänger matching his height, build, and even facial features in such a short time? Unless he prepared in advance. But if so, here’s the question: Wu Yingze is only 31. Even his father couldn’t pull this off—where did he get the resources?"
Lu Tingfeng’s frown deepened, his expression baffled. "Xu Nian and I dug deep into the father and son’s backgrounds. According to the records, aside from his years abroad, Wu Yingze has lived entirely under his father’s shadow, heavily influenced by him in both personality and methods. If his father couldn’t manage this, how did he? Did something happen during his studies overseas?"
At the mention of his time abroad, Guan Xia, Xu Nian, and Pang Le all had the same thought, though none voiced it outright. They exchanged uneasy glances.
After a pause, Qi Bai muttered, "No way… He was only abroad for three or four years. That’s not enough time to be turned, is it?"
No one had an answer. A brief silence followed before Zhong Xiaoyu asked, "Do you think Wu Xingxian knew about Wu Yingze’s actions? Especially tonight—his son escaped while he’s still at the office, working late."
Earlier, Guan Xia would’ve sworn the father and son were partners in crime. But after recent events, she wasn’t so sure. If Wu Xingxian had been in control all along, why was there no reaction from him while Wu Yingze fled?
Two more minutes passed before Pang Le hesitantly suggested, "Perhaps Wu Xingxian has some plan of his own, or maybe he’s already fled—just like Wu Yingze, using a body double?"
After a few seconds of contemplation, Guan Xia decisively said, "Let’s go to Wu Xingxian’s company and see for ourselves whether the person still in the office is really him or just a stand-in."
So Xu Nian made another call. As Guan Xia and the others sped toward Wu Xingxian’s company, they received surveillance footage, scanning through it in the car for any trace of the real Wu Yingze while racing to confirm Wu Xingxian’s identity.
While Guan Xia stared intently at the computer screen, Ji An suddenly raised a question. "I’ve been thinking—even if the arrests of the peripheral members alerted Wu Yingze, so far, we still haven’t found any concrete evidence directly linking to him. He had every opportunity to destroy the evidence before we could secure it. So why would he do the opposite and stage such a dramatic escape? Isn’t that practically admitting guilt?"
The moment Ji An posed this question, the others froze.
It was true. If Wu Yingze had managed to learn about the investigation despite the police’s information lockdown and even prepared a body double for his escape, then given his demonstrated capabilities, he should have been able to eliminate the evidence before the authorities could solidify their case. So why this sudden, desperate flight? Wu Yingze’s actions were truly baffling.
