When Guan Xia left Nanping Bureau, it was late at night. By the time she returned, the sky was already bright.
As soon as she stepped out of the car, she saw Captain Zhou walking toward her with a few others from the direction of the cafeteria, carrying several plastic bags. Spotting Guan Xia and her team from a distance, he waved and called out, "Expert Guan, Captain Xu, you're back! I figured you'd return around this time. So, did you hear the news? The fake Wu Yingze has been successfully apprehended."
On their way back, Xu Nian had indeed received a call. Smiling, she nodded. "Finally caught him. After all these days of hard work, the main culprit's arrest means the case is entering its final stages."
Though still some distance apart, they raised their voices slightly to exchange cheerful greetings. When they got closer, Guan Xia suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Captain Zhou, were all the missing people used as bait successfully rescued?"
Captain Zhou casually handed the breakfast bags to Qi Bai and Jiang Yingyao, his face breaking into a relieved smile. "Just got the news—every single one of them was rescued. A few suffered injuries, but fortunately, they were all minor and will heal with time. However, some of our fellow officers involved in the fake Wu Yingze's capture..."
His cheerful expression dimmed in an instant.
This was news to Guan Xia and the others. The lead investigator who had called Xu Nian hadn’t gone into detail. Shocked, they pressed, "What? There were casualties? How serious?"
Captain Zhou shook his head grimly. "They're all alive, but the injuries are... in critical areas. Even after recovery, they might never return to frontline duty. Still, it’s lucky the tech team identified the imposter’s real identity in time, and the SWAT team was deployed decisively. Otherwise, the casualties could’ve been worse."
Earlier, on the ride back, Guan Xia had felt a flicker of relief—despite the unexpected twists, the case was finally nearing its end. But now, her mood grew heavy again. She couldn’t help but think: No wonder espionage requires specialized units to handle. These criminals are different from ordinary ones—even with so many officers surrounding him, he still managed to hurt people.
As they headed upstairs, Captain Zhou briefly summarized what he knew. According to his intel, six officers had been injured during the fake Wu Yingze’s arrest. The imposter was alarmingly skilled—not only could he cover his tracks, but he also set traps during his escape, slowing down pursuit. He was a master of disguise, highly agile, and exceptionally skilled with knives, targeting vulnerable spots like wrists and eyes. While not fatal, his strikes were designed to incapacitate. Two officers had been injured by traps early on, while the other four suffered wounds to critical areas.
From what Captain Zhou heard, three of them would likely recover well enough to remain in the force, though not in frontline roles. But one officer’s eyes had been severely damaged—even with the medical team’s best efforts, blindness was a strong possibility.
The news left everyone silent, their expressions somber, hearts too weighed down to speak.
Guan Xia had worked on several cases before, but this was the first time she’d seen colleagues injured. Logically, she knew it wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t shake the thought: I have an advantage—if only I’d realized sooner that Wu Yingze was an imposter, maybe everyone would’ve made it home safely, like before.
The thought lingered for only a few seconds before fading. She knew it was wishful thinking. This might be a world blending investigative fiction, but it was still a world—real, with real people who got hurt or even died. The best she could do was minimize the damage, not prevent it entirely.
The grim news cast a pall over the group. After a quick breakfast together, they dispersed to their respective tasks.
While Xu Nian and the others investigated the buyer who had taken Ning Ping'an, Guan Xia requested the surveillance footage from the night of Wu Xingxian’s murder—both inside the building and from nearby streets.
She knew the killer had likely disguised himself, making the footage a long shot. But she had to try. The conventional methods the lead investigator suggested would take too much time.
For the next two days, Guan Xia barely left her computer, pausing only to sleep. Meals were either brought from the cafeteria by Pang Le or ordered in. Even as Xu Nian’s team made progress, Guan Xia still hadn’t found anything.
By September, the heat in Shangshuang City had noticeably eased. One afternoon, as Guan Xia sat absorbed in her work in the temporary office, Xu Nian burst in excitedly. "We’ve got a lead! We contacted the local police in Baofeng City and confirmed that the buyer from Liu Xiang’s video is currently there."
Guan Xia perked up, standing immediately. "Then what are we waiting for? Are there any flights to Baofeng tonight? Let’s pack and go now."
Wang Yu stepped forward from behind Xu Nian. "I checked. There are only three daily flights from Shangshuang to Baofeng—one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at 9 p.m. We can still make it."
Before Guan Xia could respond, Xu Nian added, "I’ve already filed the report. Headquarters approved our investigation plan. We’ll head back to the hotel to pack now."
They quickly tidied the cluttered office, collected all the USB drives containing surveillance footage, and handed them back to the task force to ensure nothing was left behind. Then, they hurried downstairs.
On the way to the hotel, Xu Nian called Guan Xia. "By the way, I forgot to ask—after reviewing the footage from Wu Xingxian’s murder, did you find anything?"
Guan Xia sighed. "That criminal organization came prepared. I’ve spent days in front of the screen and found nothing concrete. Well, not nothing—I could recognize the killer’s figure, but in every clip, he’s disguised, and he moves like a pro at avoiding cameras. I took screenshots, but not a single clear face. I even tried sketching his features based on visible traits, but when we ran them through the database, nothing matched."
Seeing her dejected expression, Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu patted her shoulders reassuringly.
Ji An chimed in, "Given how meticulous this organization is, this level of caution isn’t surprising. They probably planned from the start to eliminate Wu Xingxian without leaving a trace—even if it meant going down with him."
Guan Xia nodded. Although she had anticipated this outcome, it was her first time returning empty-handed. She wasn’t exactly disheartened, just a little unaccustomed to it.
Their flight was at 9 a.m., and by the time they landed in Baofeng City, it was almost midnight again.
Compared to the distance between Yongquan City and Shangshuang City, Baofeng City wasn’t as far from Shangshuang. However, being further south, the weather was noticeably hotter. After enjoying a few days of cooler temperatures, Guan Xia and the others were immediately hit by the sweltering heat as soon as they arrived.
After checking into their pre-booked hotel, the group didn’t immediately turn in for the night. Instead, following their usual routine, they gathered in Wang Yu’s room—some standing, some sitting—for a brief meeting.
Xu Nian was the first to introduce the identity of the buyer who had taken Ning Ping’an away.
After sending a high-resolution photo to the group chat, Xu Nian spoke quickly but clearly, “This man is named Gao Chengye. Similar to the first buyer apprehended by the Nanping branch, he appears to have a legitimate job as a personal assistant. However, our investigation revealed that he actually handles shady tasks for his employer—such as creating ‘accidents’ for his boss’s competitors or using coercion and enticement when his boss takes a liking to someone. In short, he’s a highly paid enforcer, much like Geng Jing.”
Ji An and the others already knew this, so only Guan Xia and Pang Le widened their eyes in surprise.
“Damn, another outlaw,” Pang Le remarked. “What about his boss? Who is he? Do we have solid evidence proving he’s the mastermind while Gao Chengye is just an accomplice?”
Xu Nian shook his head. “Not yet. Based on the current leads, Gao Chengye keeps a low profile. His daily routine is completely nocturnal, and on the surface, he has almost no contact with his actual employer. Another thing—his salary is paid through a shell company. To confirm their relationship, we’d need to dig deeper.”
Guan Xia took a deep breath. “Digging deeper is the task of the special task force. Our goal is to find Ning Ping’an as soon as possible—whether alive or dead.”
Lu Tingfeng thought for a moment before saying, “Ning Ping’an was brought to Baofeng City by Gao Chengye five years ago. According to surveillance footage retention policies, five years is still within the storage period. So, like before, we’ll split into two teams. Once we obtain the surveillance footage, Guan Xia, your team will track Gao Chengye’s movements after he returned to Baofeng City from Shangshuang City five years ago. Meanwhile, we’ll investigate Gao Chengye himself. People like him—those who pose as legitimate employees but actually work as enforcers—never stay as low-key as they seem. He must have some shady friends or a reputation in the underworld. I might be able to dig up some information about what happened five years ago.”
Guan Xia wasn’t surprised. After all, Lu Tingfeng had left the police force years ago and had grown somewhat unorthodox in his investigative methods. Besides official channels, he undoubtedly had other sources of information. Pang Le, however, gave Lu Tingfeng a few curious glances before nodding. “That works. Splitting up will be more efficient.”
Pang Le then glanced at Guan Xia, hesitating as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Guan Xia knew her too well and immediately understood what she was thinking. But after a moment’s consideration, she decided it might be too risky and pretended not to notice.
Zhong Xiaoyu, however, couldn’t resist grinning and slinging an arm around Pang Le’s shoulders. “What? Want to come with me and Brother Lu to investigate Gao Chengye? Not to brag, but I always love tagging along with Brother Lu on these missions. Not only do we get to throw punches, but there’s also zero moral burden. Perfect for loosening up our muscles now and then.”
Zhong Xiaoyu’s words only made Pang Le more eager. She looked at Guan Xia with puppy-dog eyes.
Guan Xia sighed in resignation. “Fine, fine. Go if you want. But be careful. Don’t come back covered in injuries because you couldn’t hold back.”
Pang Le immediately brightened up, raising her fingers as if taking an oath. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect myself. If I get hurt, I swear I’ll listen to you from now on—no more going against your word.”
Zhong Xiaoyu, having achieved her goal indirectly, grinned again and happily high-fived Pang Le.
Ignoring their antics, Guan Xia turned back to Xu Nian. “By the way, you haven’t told us about Gao Chengye’s boss yet. Is the situation similar to the first buyer’s employer we uncovered?”
Xu Nian nodded and sent another high-resolution photo to the group. “This man is Xi Weihong, the chairman of a local manufacturing company. The company mainly produces home appliances, furniture, and smart home devices. Unlike someone like Wu Xingxian, who built his business from scratch, Xi Weihong inherited his company from his family. Only the smart home division was developed under his leadership.”
“A third-generation rich kid,” Pang Le mused, rubbing her chin. “And a local, so another big fish in a small pond. But if we could track down Gao Chengye this easily, he’s nowhere near as cautious as Wu Xingxian. Seems like we won’t need much longer to find Ning Ping’an.”
Since they still had limited leads, the meeting didn’t last long. In less than an hour, everyone dispersed to their rooms to rest.
Over the next two days, the team resumed their routine of early departures and late returns. But as Pang Le had predicted, the investigation in Baofeng City was much easier than their previous efforts in Shangshuang City, where they had probed the Kangjian Medical Center. Not only did Guan Xia’s team make progress, but Lu Tingfeng’s side also soon had a breakthrough.
Another late night, another gathering in Wang Yu’s room. As they wolfed down their late dinner, they shared their findings from the past two days.
Guan Xia went first. While the food was still too hot to eat, she handed out printed screenshots from the surveillance footage. “Ji An and I spent two days reviewing the footage. Maybe because Gao Chengye trusted the Kangjian Medical Center’s criminal network, or maybe he let his guard down on home turf, but he didn’t go to great lengths to cover his tracks. We were able to follow his movements without much trouble. As of this afternoon, we traced him driving Ning Ping’an into Anjiang District of Baofeng City. We haven’t had time to visit the site yet, but based on navigation maps and some quick online research, Anjiang District is a newly developed area—the last part of the city to undergo urbanization. It’s also close to several tourist attractions, so in recent years, not only have many high-rise residential complexes been built, but several villa districts have also sprung up near the scenic mountain edges. On top of that, some older neighborhoods have been demolished and redeveloped. In short, it’s a complex environment in terms of population and layout. Fortunately, five years ago, when Ning Ping’an was brought here, most roads were already equipped with surveillance cameras. With a few more days, we should be able to pinpoint the exact location where Ning Ping’an was taken.”
After summarizing her team’s progress, Guan Xia finally dug into her meal.
Lu Tingfeng put down his half-eaten takeout, wiped his mouth, and said, "Things are going smoothly on our end too—like killing two birds with one stone. We found out that the real owner of Gao Chengye, Xi Weihong, has an illegitimate son, actually a year older than his legitimate child. Rumor has it the boy was born from a forced breakup with his 'white moonlight.' On the surface, Xi kept it well hidden, but privately, he doted on the kid. However, the son fell seriously ill at eight, apparently with leukemia. He underwent a bone marrow transplant at fourteen and recovered well, living normally for a few years. No one knows exactly how long, but after a few years, the disease relapsed. The original marrow donor refused a second donation, and word is Gao Chengye resorted to some shady methods to handle it. The son had another surgery—successful, but his recovery wasn’t as smooth as the first time. He remained sickly for years. Then, around 2019, out of nowhere, he suddenly became healthy—like a normal person, even racing cars, getting into fights, and frequently hitting up nightlife spots. Some speculate it was due to a breakthrough in foreign medical technology, especially since before this sudden recovery, Xi’s son had traveled abroad several times."
Leukemia. Sudden recovery. 2019. At these keywords, Guan Xia’s eyes lit up, her expression tinged with excitement as she exchanged a glance with Ji An. If the buyer had acquired Ning Ping’an from the impostor Wu Yingze for the sake of the illegitimate son… didn’t that mean Ning Ping’an might still be alive?
