Guan Xia and the others arrived at Nanping District Station a step later, searching for a while before spotting Lu Tingfeng.
Captain Zhou wasn’t there—likely having gone back to rest. Without a familiar face to guide them, Guan Xia and her companions scoured the building from the second to the third floor, finally locating him in the technical team’s office.
Even at this hour, small groups of people stood outside the office chatting. Among them, a female officer Guan Xia recognized but couldn’t name noticed their arrival and greeted them, "Expert Guan, Captain Xu, you’re back from Baofeng City?"
Guan Xia forced a smile and nodded, eager to go inside. But since it was someone else’s office, she mustered all her social skills for small talk. "Yes, we just got back tonight. Are you all… working overtime?"
The chatting group paused and turned to her. "Yeah, we still have some loose ends to tie up. The higher-ups aren’t pushing us, but since we’ve already been working late these past few days, we figured we might as well finish everything in one go and take a proper break afterward."
After exchanging a few more strained pleasantries, Guan Xia finally got to the point. "We’re here to see a colleague. I noticed he’s inside, so we’ll just head in, if that’s alright?"
As she reached for the door handle, the same female officer who had greeted them earlier placed a hand over hers, stopping her.
Guan Xia looked up in surprise, only to see the woman’s expression turn serious yet apologetic. "Expert Guan, I know you’re worried about your teammate, but the video he’s watching right now… isn’t suitable for multiple people to view at once. That’s why the rest of us stepped out. I know I might be overstepping, but I’d suggest waiting a few minutes—let your colleague finish watching before you go in."
The earnestness in the officer’s eyes and the sympathy lacing her voice sent a chill down Guan Xia’s spine.
Though the officer had been tactful and revealed nothing about the video’s contents, her words indirectly confirmed Guan Xia’s fears—the data recovered from Dong Yihong’s phone by the technical team almost certainly contained footage of Lu Tingfeng’s sister’s murder.
The realization hit Guan Xia like a wave, and suddenly, the cold metal of the door handle beneath her fingers felt scalding. She let go, casting a worried glance through the closed window.
Inside, Lu Tingfeng sat in a far corner, head bowed so low his expression was hidden. But the veins bulging at his temples betrayed the storm of emotions raging within him. Guan Xia half-expected him to leap up and kill someone the moment the video ended.
But Dong Yihong was already dead. Lu Tingfeng had no outlet for his fury, and Guan Xia couldn’t begin to imagine what state he’d be in afterward.
She hurriedly thanked the kind officer, then pulled Xu Nian aside while there was still time. "What do you think? You know Lu Tingfeng better than anyone—can you calm him down?"
Guan Xia’s concern wasn’t just about Lu Tingfeng spiraling into despair. She feared he might make reckless choices in his grief.
After all, while Dong Yihong and his apparent boss, Wu Xingxian, were dead, the criminal organization tied to Wu Xingxian still existed—likely far larger than the fragment they’d uncovered so far. Guan Xia dreaded the thought of Lu Tingfeng being blinded by vengeance, charging headlong into danger on his own.
She barely knew him beyond their collaboration on this case. Even with her unique abilities, she was powerless here. Xu Nian was their only hope.
If Lu Tingfeng acted rashly, it could unravel everything. The last thing they needed was alerting the organization prematurely—especially with Meng Lan still under their close watch in Linshan City.
Anxiety etched across her face, Xu Nian didn’t need an explanation to understand her fears. Without hesitation, he nodded firmly. "Don’t worry. Lu Tingfeng may have a temper, but he’s smart and disciplined. He won’t act recklessly. I’ll keep an eye on him—make sure he doesn’t do anything… unwise."
He emphasized the last word, and Guan Xia exhaled in relief. "Good. That’s all I needed to hear."
But Xu Nian noticed the lingering worry in her eyes. After a pause, he gently patted her shoulder, his voice low and steady. "Really. Leave Lu Tingfeng to me."
Guan Xia met his gaze silently, her mind racing.
Originally, she’d planned to stay in Shangshuang City for a couple more days, checking if the task force had uncovered new leads about the organization while they were in Baofeng.
But now, time was too tight. She’d leave tomorrow—head straight to the orphanage and use her system’s shared vision to determine who there could be trusted. As for Meng Lan… with everything that had happened, Linshan was no longer safe. They needed to find a plausible excuse to bring her to Yongquan City.
Between Xu Nian, Pingjiang District Station, and the task force, Yongquan was infinitely safer.
Her thoughts were cut short when Pang Le suddenly called out, "Guan Xia!"
She turned to see Pang Le waving urgently, beckoning her over.
Before Guan Xia could speak, Pang Le tilted her head toward the technical team’s office, murmuring, "Look at Lu Tingfeng…"
Guan Xia’s heart dropped. She spun around—
Lu Tingfeng was still seated, but now his posture was rigid. His face was eerily blank, veins still prominent at his temples. Yet tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks, and his eyes—burning with fury, hatred, and grief—were bloodshot.
Before Guan Xia could process it, Lu Tingfeng suddenly shot to his feet. In a blur, he stormed out of the office before anyone could react.
The group instinctively moved to intercept him, but Lu Tingfeng didn’t give them a chance. Zhong Xiaoyu barely managed to gasp out, "Brother Lu—" before he brushed past them, strides long and furious.
Everything about his demeanor screamed danger. Guan Xia instinctively moved to chase after him, but Xu Nian pressed a hand to her shoulder. "I’ll go," he said, then sprinted after Lu Tingfeng.
The thunder of their footsteps faded down the stairs, leaving the others exchanging uneasy glances.
Zhong Xiaoyu finally broke the silence. "Guan Xia, what exactly was in that evidence? Why did Brother Lu react like that? Shouldn’t we all work on this together? Why did he run off alone—doesn’t he need our help?"
Everyone turned to look at Guan Xia with puzzled expressions after hearing Zhong Xiaoyu's question.
Guan Xia shook her head and replied in a low voice, "It's a clue, but also evidence. If I'm not mistaken, what Lu Tingfeng just saw was likely the deleted footage Dong Yihong had stored on his phone—the entire process of how he murdered his victims."
Though everyone had already sensed something was wrong from Lu Tingfeng's state, Guan Xia's words still made their eyes widen in shock.
"What?" Even the usually composed Ji An exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you saying Lu Tingfeng was just watching a video of his sister being murdered?"
Guan Xia nodded grimly.
Zhong Xiaoyu murmured, "No wonder... no wonder Brother Lu was in such a terrible state. I've known him for years, and this is the first time I've seen him like this—like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment."
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she shuddered and stammered, "Wait... in that state, Brother Lu wouldn’t actually go and kill someone, would he?"
Qi Bai also looked horrified. "No way... Brother Lu wouldn’t break the law like that... right?"
Despite his words, his pale face betrayed his own doubt.
Zhong Xiaoyu grew frantic. "Then what are we waiting for? We have to go after him! We can’t just stand by and watch Brother Lu become a murderer!"
She was about to dash off when Ji An grabbed her arm. "Calm down—didn’t you see Xu Nian already ran after him?"
Only then did Zhong Xiaoyu remember. "Oh, right, right... Xu Nian went after him."
Guan Xia added with a mix of exasperation and amusement, "Did you all forget? Dong Yihong is already dead. He died the same day as Wu Xingxian—stabbed through the heart in the hallway, a single fatal blow. Brother Jiang was the one who confirmed the cause of death."
Qi Bai also came to his senses. "Oh yeah, I forgot the killer’s already dead."
Then, exchanging a glance with Zhong Xiaoyu, he frowned. "But if the killer’s dead... then what’s Brother Lu planning to do?"
The group’s briefly eased tension immediately returned as they all turned worried gazes in the direction where Lu Tingfeng and Xu Nian had disappeared.
For the first time, Guan Xia found herself at Nanping Division without working on a case, and it felt strange. As they waited in the hallway for updates, they discussed the situation and eventually decided to watch the video Lu Tingfeng had seen. That way, they could better understand his mental state and figure out how to help.
While the others managed to endure, Guan Xia had overestimated her own resilience. She only made it through a third of the video before bolting out of the tech team’s office.
Since activating the system, Guan Xia had thought she’d gained a deeper understanding of human nature. But she never imagined evil could reach such depths.
That child was so small—how could anyone bring themselves to harm her? Guan Xia watched as the bright, beautiful little girl, once full of life, was tortured beyond recognition. The light in those dark, innocent eyes dimmed into despair. She tried to force herself to keep watching but ultimately couldn’t bear to see it through to the end.
Logically, Guan Xia knew the child had died long before she’d ever learned of her existence. Yet, in her heart, she clung to the delusion that as long as she didn’t finish the video, the girl was still alive.
Amid the grief, an uncontrollable fury ignited inside her. She had known about the cruelty of this criminal organization from her investigations, but nothing had prepared her for such a visceral confrontation with it.
The brutality was so stark that even her rational anger teetered on the edge of collapse. Never before had she felt such a burning need to solve a case—to uproot an entire criminal syndicate, leaving no one behind.
For once, fear was eclipsed by rage. There was only one thought in her mind: this organization had to be destroyed. Every last one of them.
[Author’s note: Hit a bit of writer’s block—need to sort out the plot. Will try to write more tomorrow. Love you all!]
