Xu Nian had brought a young cyber police officer from the West District Bureau—a man with an impressively thick head of hair and clear, bright eyes that made him look freshly graduated. Despite his youthful appearance, his technical skills were anything but amateurish. It didn’t take him long to retrieve the usage records from the computer in question.
Xu Nian had barely stepped behind the cyber officer when he heard the young man’s excited voice, “Got it! Captain Xu, come take a look.”
Several heads craned forward to see. Their eyes first skimmed over the lines of incomprehensible code flashing across the screen of the internet café’s computer before settling on the laptop the cyber officer was operating.
Good—this screen displayed something they could all understand: a forum with a minimalist interface.
The rhythmic clatter of the keyboard continued as the officer worked swiftly, explaining, “This website’s design is crude, with only basic forum functions, but its firewall is top-tier. It’s also invitation-only, blocking unregistered visitors. Another thing—posts are divided into public and private. Public ones are visible to all members, while private ones require a password set by the poster to access.”
Xu Nian immediately caught on. “Does this forum have a private messaging feature?”
“It does,” the officer replied, “but I’ve checked—Zhang Weiyan never sent any private messages from this computer on this forum.”
Qi Bai pieced it together. “So, Zhang Weiyan used private posts to relay the information he gathered while scouting the crime scenes to Lu Manqing? That means we’ve found their communication method, but not completely.”
Xu Nian frowned, then asked, “Can we identify all the forum’s members?”
The officer paused, considering. “It’ll be tough. The forum doesn’t require real-name registration. We’d have to trace IPs, which would take a lot of manpower and time. I’ll report this to Chief Zhuang when we get back.”
After a three-hour drive to Qi’an County, the team spent just over an hour in the internet café before leaving with the computer from booth B46—the one Zhang Weiyan had used for years—and returning to Yongquan City.
On the way back, auxiliary officer Li Fan took the wheel while the others dozed off, only stirring when the car pulled into the West District Bureau’s parking lot.
Qi Bai yawned as he stepped out, stretching dramatically. “Ah, another beautiful new day.”
Xu Nian checked his watch and led the way into the office building.
The cyber officer didn’t head upstairs immediately. Instead, he followed them to the temporary office, setting up the forum on Xu Nian’s computer so they could browse it normally before leaving with the confiscated desktop.
While the officer worked, the team crowded behind him, curiosity palpable. The moment he left, they bombarded Xu Nian with questions. “Captain Xu, did you find anything useful?”
Qi Bai gestured at the screen. “Behold—our grand discovery.”
“A forum?” Wang Yu peered at it. “This is how Zhang Weiyan and Lu Manqing communicated?”
As Qi Bai poured himself water, he recounted the previous night’s events.
Wang Yu couldn’t help but marvel. “This organization is meticulous. A small-scale forum with such a high-end firewall? They might not have many members, but they’ve definitely got money.”
“What about you?” Xu Nian turned to Jiang Yingyao. “Brother Jiang, any breakthroughs last night?”
Jiang Yingyao dumped the leftover tea leaves into the trash and refilled his thermos with red dates and goji berries. “We reviewed all the surveillance footage from the old neighborhoods Zhang Weiyan had scouted. Finally spotted Lu Manqing near the Yiqi Residential Complex. But due to poor camera coverage, we couldn’t trace how he entered or retrieved the murder weapon. Still, he was definitely there on the afternoon of January 28, 2021, at 19:29.”
“Did you find footage of Zhang Weiyan placing the weapon?” Xu Nian pressed.
Jiang Yingyao shook his head. “That’s the odd part. Unlike Lu Manqing, Zhang Weiyan didn’t have strong counter-surveillance skills. The footage shows him trying to avoid cameras but failing. The Yiqi complex has cameras on the main paths—they don’t cover the parcel lockers directly, but they do capture anyone approaching them. We checked a month’s worth of footage before January 29 and never saw him go near the lockers.”
Xu Nian concluded, “So, he might’ve only been scouting. The weapon wasn’t his doing.”
Jiang Yingyao nodded. “That’s my take too.”
Qi Bai groaned. “If Zhang Weiyan didn’t provide the weapon, where did Lu Manqing get it? If they scouted the lockers, it wasn’t bought on the spot. Surely not online shopping?”
His first thought was an online purchase, but he quickly dismissed it. “Lu Manqing’s too careful to leave such an obvious trail…”
The investigation had taken another twist, leaving everyone frowning in thought.
The temporary office fell silent until Xu Nian clapped his hands. “Even if the footage rules out Zhang Weiyan, this lead isn’t dead. Let’s go—time for some fieldwork.”
Jiang Yingyao checked the time. “It’s past 8. By the time we reach Yiqi, it’ll be rush hour.”
As everyone stood, Xu Nian noticed the dark circles under Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu’s eyes. “You two pulled an all-nighter. Since you’ve finished reviewing the footage, go rest. Come back later to study the forum—it might surprise us.”
Qi Bai agreed. “Yeah, Brother Jiang, at least we slept a few hours on the road. You’ve been up all night. Get some rest—we might need to head to Jianyang City with Chief Zhuang soon.”
After some hesitation, Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu relented. “Alright, we’ll grab breakfast and nap. We’ll be back by noon. I’m curious about that forum too.”
The team split up again. Xu Nian and Qi Bai watched the others drive off before heading to Yiqi Residential Complex themselves.
As soon as they got into the car, Qi Bai started chattering again, unable to hold back his thoughts. "Captain Xu, this suspect Lu Manqing, even though he stayed in Yongquan City for less than twenty-four hours, he sure kept himself busy. Rushing around with such efficiency—it really makes him seem like a professional hitman. I’ve been thinking, if there really is an organization behind this, Lu Manqing must be part of an action team. And if there’s an action team, there must also be an intelligence support group. Could Zhang Weiyan be part of that?"
"No, impossible," Qi Bai dismissed his own speculation almost immediately. "Compared to Lu Manqing’s professionalism, Zhang Weiyan seems way too amateur. And then there’s Feng Xingping—he’s not under our squad’s jurisdiction, so I don’t know what role he plays in this case. But just based on the shared connection to the 'Judgment Angel,' they must be part of the same organization. So, piecing together the clues, one specializes in killing, and the other in recruiting new members?"
After investigating the case this far, Qi Bai felt both clear-headed and confused at the same time. "But even if they recruited Zhang Weiyan, what would they gain from it? And another thing I can’t figure out—the murder of Zhang Hongda’s family of four happened three years ago. It’s been three years since their deaths, and Zhang Weiyan’s life hasn’t shown any noticeable changes. Did he fail some kind of probation period? Otherwise, why hasn’t there been any change in him after all this time?"
Xu Nian instinctively thought of the forum. "It’s not like there’s been no change at all. Remember what the internet café owner said last night? Zhang Weiyan’s frequent internet usage only started after his wife’s death, around 2021. He even had his own dedicated spot there. According to the cyber police at West District Bureau, his online activity over the past three years has been pretty high. His life might look the same, but his mindset? That’s another story."
Qi Bai’s eyes lit up at the reminder. "Then we’d better speed things up. Let’s finish the field investigations quickly and get back to studying that forum."
With that carrot dangling in front of them, Qi Bai stayed energetic all day despite having only slept for about three hours the night before. He even resorted to running at times, managing to return to West District Bureau before lunch.
After a quick meal at the bureau’s cafeteria, Qi Bai, worried that the others who had gone back to catch up on sleep might miss lunch, diligently packed four takeout boxes.
His concern turned out to be justified. The moment they stepped into the temporary office, before they could even settle into their chairs, Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu walked in, yawning incessantly, followed by two auxiliary officers.
Rubbing his growling stomach, Wang Yu called out as soon as he entered, "Qi Bai, got any food? I’m starving."
Qi Bai grinned and pulled out the four boxes from his bag. "Ta-da! Surprise! I figured you’d be too busy sleeping to eat."
Wang Yu’s face lit up. He snatched a box from Qi Bai and started shoveling food into his mouth while trying to speak. "I set an alarm to eat, but I was just too exhausted. Couldn’t get up in the end."
Jiang Yingyao patted Qi Bai’s shoulder gratefully, handed two boxes to the officers behind him, and sat down to eat while asking, "You guys worked hard this morning. Find anything useful?"
Qi Bai scrambled to pour water for everyone as Xu Nian leaned forward and pushed a box of tissues toward them. "Through the courier station that manages the parcel lockers, we confirmed the exact time and locker number Lu Manqing used to retrieve the murder weapon. Unfortunately, it’s been three years—no chance of recovering any useful forensic evidence."
"Still, that’s a big lead," Wang Yu said after swallowing a mouthful of food. "Did you find out how he got the weapon? Or was it someone else besides Zhang Weiyan who placed it in the locker?"
Xu Nian replied, "According to the courier company, the weapon appears to have been purchased online. But when we checked the store listed as the sender, it didn’t exist on any shopping app. The shipping address was fake too. The delivery address was real, but only listed the neighborhood, no building number. The phone number was a dead end."
Wang Yu sighed, though he had expected this. "Of course. Another dead end." He glanced at Xu Nian’s computer. "Guess that leaves us with the forum as our only lead now."
They had followed every possible trail, and the only direction left was the forum.
Though slightly disappointed, the team wasn’t disheartened. After all, their efforts over the past two days had yielded solid results. More importantly, they were just one investigative unit within the larger task force—the real heavy lifting was being handled by the West District Bureau’s criminal investigation team under Zhuang Yinghua’s leadership.
That afternoon, Xu Nian’s entire second squad stayed holed up in the temporary office. To avoid crowding around a single computer, Xu Nian made another trip upstairs and borrowed additional cyber police officers, setting up the forum on three more computers.
At first, they scoured the forum for clues, but soon found themselves venting frustrations.
"What even is this?" Qi Bai was the first to voice his irritation. "If I didn’t know this was a forum linked to criminals, I’d think it was just some ordinary discussion board. Most of these posts are just mundane daily chatter."
Wang Yu, however, was engrossed. "On the surface, sure, but look closer. Every word is dripping with resentment. The original posters are all venting their hatred and disgust. If every member here is like Zhang Weiyan, then what does that mean? It means every account represents at least one life lost."
Qi Bai’s frustration faded, replaced by a grim realization—before shifting back to helplessness. "That makes sense, but the problem is this forum doesn’t require real-name registration. Without the cyber police’s tech, we can’t trace anything."
"Not necessarily," Jiang Yingyao suddenly interjected. "Come look at this post."
Curious, the group gathered around. Jiang Yingyao tilted the screen and scrolled with his mouse. "Doesn’t this post sound like someone describing how they scouted a residential area?"
The others leaned in to read, but Wang Yu reacted fastest—pulling out his phone to snap a photo. "Jiang, scroll down! Let me take a picture first, then we’ll read it properly."
Jiang Yingyao complied, but seconds after Wang Yu captured the image, the text-filled post suddenly vanished.
Wang Yu first checked the photos in the album, then quickly shared them in the squad’s group chat before letting out a relieved sigh. "Just as I thought—the poster is a total amateur. They must’ve forgotten to set a password."
The others raised their thumbs in admiration before lowering their heads to examine the images in the group more carefully.
"Tianhua Community, Yingbin South Second Road," auxiliary officer Xu Zi'an said, puzzled. "Our city has Yingbin North First Road and North Second Road, but I’ve never heard of a South Second Road."
Wang Yu swiftly pulled up a map. "Yeah, there’s no Yingbin South Second Road in our city."
"Well," Qi Bai chimed in, "we’ve definitely found a lead, but now we don’t know which city it’s referring to. At least we have two search parameters—that should narrow things down significantly."
The discovery instantly wiped away the team’s earlier ease, replacing it with renewed tension. Just as the eight of them were digging deeper into the investigation, Zhuang Yinghua’s call came through.
Xu Nian immediately had a hunch. Sure enough, as soon as he answered, Zhuang Yinghua’s voice rang out: "Xu Nian, gather your squad and head to the third floor now. We’re moving out tonight—we’ve got a suspect, Lu Manqing, to apprehend in Jianyang City."
