Guan Xia found herself with unexpected free time, while Xu Nian had just wrapped up his previous case and was granted two days off. However, his break lasted only until noon. Right after lunch, he received a call from Director Ren, the head of criminal investigations at the district bureau.
"The municipal bureau has formed a special task force," Director Ren got straight to the point. "It’s for the 129 case from 2021 in the West District. Officers from across the city are being mobilized, and your squad is on the list."
Xu Nian wasn’t surprised. After learning what Guan Xia and her team had uncovered the night before, he had anticipated this. "Understood. I’ll gather the team and report to the West District Bureau immediately."
"Do your best," Director Ren urged. "And stay safe."
After hanging up, Xu Nian sent a message tagging everyone in the squad group chat, then headed straight for the West District Bureau.
He parked his car and waited barely ten minutes before the entire team arrived.
"What’s the case this time, Captain Xu?" Qi Bai, who looked like he’d just woken up, his hair sticking out in all directions, asked while trying to smooth it down. "First the last case in the West District, now this one. Guess we’re really tied to this area, huh?"
"The 129 case," Xu Nian replied, scanning the group to confirm everyone was present before leading the way inside.
Qi Bai quickened his pace to catch up. "The 129 case? The one where a family of four was wiped out? Did they find new leads? Even we’re being pulled in for this."
He glanced back and noticed the usually quiet West District Bureau was bustling today. The small parking lot was nearly full, yet more cars kept pouring in.
As they climbed the stairs, Xu Nian briefly explained the situation. "A concerned citizen provided crucial new evidence. We’ve already identified a prime suspect, but this person is also intricately linked to two others."
Qi Bai whistled. "So, one perpetrator, but possibly two accomplices?"
Wang Yu chimed in, "No wonder they’re mobilizing so many officers. Three suspects mean a massive workload."
Jiang Yingyao, however, zeroed in on another detail. "A concerned citizen? Who?"
Qi Bai’s ears perked up. "Hearing that phrase, I can’t help but think of Guan Xia."
Xu Nian didn’t respond as they reached the second floor and located the task force’s office.
The door was open, and just as Xu Nian’s team was about to enter, another group was leaving. They stepped aside to let them pass, exchanging quick greetings with familiar faces before entering.
"Director Liu, Captain Zhuang," Xu Nian called out. "We’re here."
"Ah, Xu Nian," said Director Liu, the municipal bureau’s deputy director overseeing criminal investigations. "Perfect timing. Captain Zhuang has a pile of tasks waiting to be assigned."
Captain Zhuang Yinghua wasted no time on small talk, handing Xu Nian a stack of documents, several photos, and a solid-state drive. "Your team is responsible for reconstructing the third suspect’s movements on the day of the crime and identifying any connections between him and Zhang Weiyan."
Xu Nian glanced at the printed photos. "Has the third suspect’s identity been confirmed?"
Zhuang Yinghua nodded. "His name is Lu Manqing, 33, from Jianyang City. He owns a pool hall called ‘Dianjiangtai,’ which is still in operation."
Xu Nian acknowledged the information. "Understood. We’ll get to work, Captain Zhuang."
As Zhuang Yinghua turned to assign tasks to another arriving team, Xu Nian’s group stepped out. An administrative officer was waiting and immediately guided them to their temporary office—a repurposed conference room.
The original furniture had been replaced with clusters of desks, four pushed together to accommodate each team. The room was already abuzz with officers discussing their assignments.
Xu Nian surveyed the space and chose a corner spot. Though there were only four desks, extra chairs were scattered around.
Once seated, Qi Bai, still fussing with his unruly hair, asked, "Where do we start, Captain Xu?"
Xu Nian distributed copies of the photos. "Let me outline the situation. The 129 case currently involves three suspects: Zhang Weiyan, the nephew of the victim Zhang Hongda. Despite being related, they had a deep-seated grudge, giving Zhang Weiyan strong motive. The second is Feng Xingping, 27, from Taoyang City. On the surface, he has no ties to Zhang Weiyan, but a witness claims Feng once asked Zhang if he wanted revenge, offering to help—a statement with clear criminal intent. The third is Lu Manqing, whom Captain Zhuang mentioned earlier. On January 29, 2021, at 1:36 a.m.—close to the time of the crime—Lu appeared on a surveillance camera one kilometer from the scene. Additionally, Feng Xingping and Lu Manqing share a peculiar connection."
Xu Nian flipped through the files and pulled out two images, placing them in the center. "This. Feng Xingping wears a pendant, and Lu Manqing has a tattoo on his left hand. Both depict the same symbol—a character from a popular video game called ‘Judgment Angel.’"
Qi Bai’s eyes widened. "Damn, this case is complicated. So Feng and Lu are likely working together."
"Judgment Angel?" Wang Yu mused. "The embodiment of justice punishing evil? Didn’t peg these guys for being so edgy."
Jiang Yingyao interjected, "What was the cause of death in the 129 case? Lu Manqing is from Jianyang City—he crossed multiple cities to commit murder in Yongquan City. His first appearance on camera was a kilometer away, meaning he either scouted the area beforehand to avoid closer surveillance or had a local accomplice."
"No wonder Captain Zhuang assigned Zhang Weiyan to us," Qi Bai said. "Zhang’s a local, right?"
"The four victims in the 129 case were all killed by a sharp object piercing the heart," Xu Nian stated. "One strike each—no other wounds."
"Damn," Qi Bai exclaimed. "A professional. Probably has more than four lives on his hands."
Xu Nian considered this. "Here’s the plan: we’ll split up. Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu will review the surveillance footage here. Qi Bai and I will investigate Lu Manqing’s arrival in Yongquan City—his transportation and the weapon’s origin."
The team agreed. "Got it."
Leaving Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu at the West District Bureau, Xu Nian and Qi Bai headed out.
The two of them worked tirelessly, only returning to the temporary office close to midnight.
The entire Xicheng District police station was still brightly lit, with officers constantly coming and going. The temporary office also had several people who hadn’t clocked out yet, intently reviewing surveillance footage.
Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu had also been glued to the monitors all afternoon and half the night. Their eyes were sore and swollen, and as they applied eye drops, they asked Xu Nian, "Captain Xu, did you find anything on your end?"
Qi Bai poured water into disposable cups for himself and Xu Nian before speaking up. "Captain Xu and I ran around all day and finally confirmed that Lu Manqing arrived in Yongquan City on the afternoon of the 28th and left at noon on the 29th—both trips by plane."
"Damn, that’s a tight schedule," Wang Yu remarked. "Arrived on the afternoon of the 28th, committed murder in the early hours of the 29th, and then left by noon the same day. Didn’t even get a full night’s sleep."
Xu Nian downed his water in one gulp and turned to Jiang Yingyao. "Jiang, what about you guys? Any leads?"
Jiang Yingyao leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to keep the eye drops from spilling. His voice was weary as he replied, "We found that before the crime on January 29th, Zhang Weiyan frequently appeared near the crime scene, looking around at every intersection and deliberately facing surveillance cameras multiple times. He was clearly scoping out their positions."
"That settles it," Qi Bai said firmly. "Zhang Weiyan was casing the place, and Lu Manqing did the killing. They were working together."
"But there’s one problem," Jiang Yingyao added. "We still don’t know how they communicated. I had the Xicheng District’s internal team pull Zhang Weiyan’s call records. In the month before the crime, nothing unusual showed up—every call was verified with the owner’s identity, and most lasted under a minute. If they really coordinated by phone, a minute wouldn’t be enough to describe the surroundings in detail."
"Maybe they met in person?" Wang Yu guessed. "Or online—we could check Zhang Weiyan’s social media accounts."
Xu Nian suddenly asked, "What about Zhang Weiyan’s wife’s number? Did you check that?"
Jiang Yingyao nodded. "We did. After his wife’s death, Zhang Weiyan didn’t cancel her number, but he never used it again. Aside from some spam calls, there were no outgoing records."
Xu Nian sat down in the chair next to Jiang Yingyao. "Then we’ll have to trace Lu Manqing’s movements in Yongquan City. But he’s highly cautious and skilled at evading detection. I doubt he met Zhang Weiyan in person."
"Great, another two-pronged investigation," Qi Bai groaned, his face twisting in frustration. "We still haven’t found the source of Lu Manqing’s weapon, and now we have to dig through their social media too."
"We need more people," Jiang Yingyao said, looking at Xu Nian. "See if we can get a few auxiliary officers from our unit. With just the four of us, this’ll take forever."
Xu Nian nodded. "Alright, I’ll call Director Ren."
After reporting the need for reinforcements, Xu Nian sat at the desk opposite Jiang Yingyao, closed his eyes briefly to rest, then resumed reviewing the surveillance footage.
It was clear the Xicheng District station had worked through the night—they’d pulled nearly all available surveillance footage from within five kilometers of the crime scene.
Xu Nian checked Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu’s progress before assigning sections to himself and Qi Bai.
Silence settled over the temporary office, broken only by the occasional clack of keyboards and mice. The four of them numbly scanned the footage until Wang Yu suddenly exclaimed, "Captain Xu, I’ve got something!"
The outburst shattered the quiet, drawing envious glances from other officers before they returned to their own tasks.
Xu Nian, Jiang Yingyao, and Qi Bai nearly leaped out of their seats, crowding around Wang Yu’s monitor.
"Look here," Wang Yu said, rewinding the footage slightly. "At this intersection, Lu Manqing is still carrying a backpack."
He then switched to another camera feed, fast-forwarded, and paused. "But by this intersection, the backpack’s gone."
All three frowned. Xu Nian checked the timestamp—2:43 a.m. on January 29th—then said, "Play the first clip again."
Wang Yu switched back and replayed it. When the figure reappeared, Xu Nian noted the time: 2:05 a.m.
"Which intersections are these?" Xu Nian asked.
Wang Yu replied, "The first is the junction of Qianjin Street and Pingcheng Road. The second is Pingcheng Road and Binhu Road. They’re less than two kilometers apart—a grown man walking at a normal pace should cover that in about 20 minutes."
"But Lu Manqing took nearly 40," Jiang Yingyao pointed out sharply. "Plus the missing backpack—he must’ve disposed of the weapon somewhere along that stretch."
"Not just the weapon," Xu Nian straightened up. "The autopsy report suggests all four victims in the January 29th case were killed by the same blade, stabbed through the heart from the front. When the weapon was pulled out, blood would’ve sprayed. But Lu Manqing’s clothes were spotless—no bloodstains. That means he either changed clothes afterward or wore something protective during the crime."
Qi Bai and Wang Yu’s minds raced, and they blurted out simultaneously, "A raincoat! Lu Manqing probably wore one. That would also explain why he carried a backpack instead of just pocketing the weapon."
Jiang Yingyao suddenly grabbed his thermos and refilled it at the water dispenser. Facing three pairs of questioning eyes, he grinned. "Looks like we’re pulling an all-nighter. Good thing I had the foresight to bring some red dates and goji berries this time."
Qi Bai gave a thumbs-up and immediately pulled out his phone to check food delivery apps. "There’s a fast-food place near Xicheng District station that’s still open. We can grab burgers on our way to Qianjin Street."
Wang Yu dug into his bag. "I brought mosquito repellent. Let’s all spray some before we head out."
Xu Nian thought for a moment, then fished something from his pocket. "Just a few chocolate bars. We can share them if we get hungry later."
Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu burst into laughter as Qi Bai darted over, snatching two pieces of chocolate. He handed one to Wang Yu and hastily tore open the wrapper of the other, shoving it into his mouth. Between chews, he mumbled, "Captain Xu, you should’ve told us you had chocolate! I stayed up all night gaming to rank up since I thought today was my day off. I barely slept before dawn, then just grabbed some crackers for lunch when I got the call. My stomach’s been growling all day."
Jiang Yingyao watched Qi Bai devour the chocolate like a starving man and smacked the back of his head in mock exasperation. "Serves you right for pulling all-nighters. Don’t forget we’re detectives—even on leave, we’re on call 24/7. If you can sleep, don’t waste the chance."
Qi Bai grinned sheepishly and nodded vigorously. "Got it, got it! No more late nights. If I game, it’ll be daytime from now on."
Wang Yu frowned at Qi Bai, hesitated, then reluctantly held out her own chocolate to him.
Touched, Qi Bai beamed. "Wang Yu, you’re the best."
Wang Yu rolled her eyes in disdain, making both Xu Nian and Jiang Yingyao stifle laughs.
