Xu Nian was jolted awake by Wang Yu’s sharp cries.
The repeated shouts of "Captain Xu" echoed in his ears, but at first, all he felt was a splitting headache and a relentless ringing in his ears. The voices seemed to come from a distant horizon, and it took several minutes before he could make out the words clearly.
Struggling to open his eyes, Xu Nian took a moment to focus his vision before forcing out a hoarse question, "How is everyone? What about Qi Bai? Are Brother Jiang and Qi Bai badly hurt?"
The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the oncoming vehicle slamming violently into the driver’s side.
Wang Yu frantically pressed a tissue against the wound on Xu Nian’s forehead, speaking hurriedly, "Captain, you’re injured. Don’t move. Brother Jiang is fine, but Qi Bai… we don’t know. We can’t wake him up, but he’s alive. Aside from the blood on his face, there are no obvious wounds. He was wearing his seatbelt—maybe the airbag knocked him out. I’ve already called an ambulance."
Hearing that Qi Bai was unconscious, Xu Nian instinctively turned his head, despite the pain, and saw Qi Bai facedown on the deployed airbag. Apart from the blood on his face, there were indeed no other visible injuries.
But Xu Nian wasn’t reassured. He reached out, pressing his fingers against Qi Bai’s carotid artery, and only relaxed when he felt the steady, strong pulse.
Once he confirmed everyone’s safety, Xu Nian’s thoughts gradually cleared. He recalled everything that had happened before blacking out and immediately looked toward the overturned vehicle nearby.
The crashed car was still lying on its roof, but the suspicious white SUV that had hit them was nowhere to be seen.
Xu Nian spotted Zhuang Yinghua in the distance. Her expression was darker than he’d ever seen it. Though he couldn’t make out the details of her gaze from this far, the tension in her jawline betrayed the fury she was barely holding back.
Holding the tissue to his wound himself, Xu Nian first retrieved his gun from where it had fallen beneath the seat, then checked the weapon holstered at Qi Bai’s waist. Ignoring Wang Yu’s repeated protests, he forced himself out of the car, relying on Wang Yu’s reluctant support to stand.
"Where are your guns?" Xu Nian demanded as soon as he stepped out.
Wang Yu answered, "Still on us. Don’t worry, Captain. Brother Jiang and I both have ours."
Xu Nian inspected his firearm before gripping it firmly again.
"Captain, you’re hurt. We don’t even know if you have internal injuries. You shouldn’t be moving around," Wang Yu fretted, glancing at Jiang Yingyao for backup.
Jiang Yingyao stood beside Qi Bai’s driver’s seat, alternating between checking on him and anxiously checking the time.
Dizzy from blood loss, Xu Nian had intended to walk over, but after just two steps, his vision blurred, forcing him to stop. Instead, he asked Wang Yu, "How long was I out? What happened while I was unconscious?"
Wang Yu, still shaken, steadied himself before answering, "You were out for about ten minutes, Captain. I was knocked out too, but only for a short while. When I came to, the car that hit us was already fleeing. But the white SUV stopped. I saw two masked men get out. One of them bent down beside the overturned car for a brief moment before they both jumped back into the SUV and drove off."
As Wang Yu recounted the events, Xu Nian’s expression grew increasingly grim. "They just paused there? Didn’t pull anyone out or take anyone with them?"
Wang Yu nodded firmly. "Just a pause—less than a minute, I’d say."
Realizing what this implied, Xu Nian stared ahead, momentarily stunned.
Wang Yu caught on too, swallowing hard before hesitantly asking, "Did they… did they silence Lu Manqing?"
Xu Nian didn’t answer. Though he suspected the same, without seeing the scene firsthand, he couldn’t be sure.
After standing still for a moment, waiting for the worst of the headache to pass, Xu Nian strode forward.
Nearly twenty minutes had passed, and the distant wails of police sirens and ambulances were now audible. Before Xu Nian and Wang Yu could get close, they spotted the trail of blood snaking out from the overturned car, and their stomachs clenched.
It was only then that Xu Nian noticed—they had arrived in Yongquan City with four vehicles, but now only three remained. The missing one had likely gone after the white SUV.
As they approached, Zhuang Yinghua noticed them immediately. She scrutinized Xu Nian and Wang Yu from head to toe before asking tersely, "How’s your side? I’ve already contacted Lian City’s bureau. They’ll be here soon."
Xu Nian gave a brief rundown of their situation before asking, "The officers escorting the suspect…"
He hesitated, despite already bracing himself for the worst.
Zhuang Yinghua took a deep breath, as though suppressing rage, before replying coolly, "All four officers are alive, but their injuries are unclear. The ambulances are on their way. But the suspect, Lu Manqing, is dead. And a service weapon is missing."
At the mention of the missing gun, Zhuang Yinghua’s expression darkened further. Xu Nian and Wang Yu exchanged shocked glances—not only had Lu Manqing been silenced, but the organization had dared to steal a police firearm. This escalated the situation far beyond Yongquan City’s jurisdiction; both the municipal bureau and the provincial department would be involved.
Zhuang Yinghua spoke quickly, "At this point, the case is bigger than just Yongquan City. I’ve already updated Director Liu. Director Zhang from the municipal bureau will be here soon. If your team is cleared at the hospital, return to Yongquan immediately. Oh, and don’t forget to call Director Ren—he’s probably already heard about this."
Speak of the devil—Zhuang Yinghua had barely finished when Xu Nian’s phone rang. The screen was cracked but still functional, and the caller ID read "Director Ren."
Excusing himself, Xu Nian stepped aside to answer. "Director Ren."
Before he could say more, Director Ren fired off a rapid series of questions, "How are you all? Badly hurt? The guns—are they secure? Did you engage with the suspects? Are you separated? Did anyone pursue them?"
Xu Nian waited for him to finish before answering methodically, "Brother Jiang, Wang Yu, and I are fine. Qi Bai’s still unconscious—we’re waiting for the ambulance. I’ve checked—all four of our guns are accounted for. We didn’t exchange fire with the suspects. All four of us are still at the scene."
Director Ren’s tone softened slightly, though it remained stern. "Call me once Qi Bai wakes up. And if there’s nothing urgent, get back to the precinct as soon as possible."
The explanation was identical to Zhuang Yinghua's. Xu Nian understood that after the sudden turn of events tonight, this case was no longer something their small squad could handle. He immediately responded, "Understood, Director Ren."
What happened next was neither witnessed nor known by Xu Nian. After hanging up Director Ren's call, a large number of police officers and several ambulances quickly arrived. Xu Nian and Qi Bai were both taken to the hospital.
Xu Nian’s injuries weren’t severe—his forehead wound required a few stitches, and he had a mild concussion. The rest were just scrapes and bruises, which didn’t hinder his normal activities. Qi Bai, however, was in much worse shape. Aside from the cuts on his face, two of his ribs were broken, though fortunately, they hadn’t punctured any organs. His left leg was also fractured.
Qi Bai woke up the next day at noon after being wheeled out of the operating room. Dazed at first, it took him a moment to process his surroundings before he suddenly shouted, "Captain Xu!"
He tried to sit up but was immediately pressed back down by the quick reflexes of Wang Yu. "Don’t move! Your ribs are broken. If you don’t want to go back into surgery, stay still."
Only then did Qi Bai register the pain all over his body. He winced, his face contorting, and quickly lay back down. "What the hell happened? I just remember the car in front of us getting hit, and then we were hit too." He glanced around anxiously. "Where’s Captain Xu? Is he okay?"
Xu Nian, who had been sitting on the sofa peeling an apple with a fruit knife, stood up and walked over to show Qi Bai that he was fine before returning to his seat to continue peeling. "I’m fine. But you—two broken ribs and a fractured left leg—you’ll be lying here for a while."
Qi Bai’s movements aggravated his injuries, and he hissed in pain before continuing, "As long as you guys are okay. I thought I was done for back there. By the way, what about the colleagues in the car ahead… are they alright?"
Wang Yu sighed. "Alive, but badly injured. I went to check earlier—they still haven’t woken up."
Before Qi Bai could ask more questions, Wang Yu recounted everything that had happened the previous night.
Qi Bai sucked in a sharp breath. "A gun was stolen? Damn, that organization has some nerve. Not only did they ambush the police to silence the suspect, but they also took a police firearm. The provincial department’s gonna get involved now. But wait—wasn’t the suspect from Jianyang City? Why were we attacked in Lian City? Is that their usual turf, or did they deliberately avoid Jianyang?"
Qi Bai’s mind instinctively started racing. Wang Yu shook his head. "No idea. But for that group to know our route so precisely, they must’ve either been surveilling Lu Manqing or there was something on him."
There was a third possibility, but everyone quickly dismissed it. Their operation to apprehend the suspect in Jianyang City had been sudden and confidential. No one had been alone during the trip—they’d all traveled together overnight, and it was a cross-city operation. At the very least, no one in Yongquan City could’ve leaked the details.
Qi Bai thought of this too and instinctively looked at Xu Nian. "What do we do now?"
Xu Nian stood up and handed him the peeled apple. "Nothing. We head back. The three of us will take a few days off before reporting back to the precinct. You, on the other hand, get a long vacation."
Qi Bai took the apple and muttered, "I do want a break, but not like this. I’d rather be working."
After just two days in the hospital in Lian City, the four of them were eager to return to Yongquan City—though the other three drove back while Qi Bai was transported by ambulance.
Due to his fractured ribs, Qi Bai remained hospitalized in Yongquan City while the others went home.
...
On the evening of June 8th, Guan Xia was suddenly notified by her system that the energy of her "halo" had replenished to 100%. While relieved, it also reminded her that she couldn’t afford to stay idle any longer.
After handing over all the case details to the Xicheng Precinct, Guan Xia had enjoyed a stretch of leisurely, carefree days.
Apart from her unwavering morning workouts, she spent her time reading, binge-watching shows, and occasionally sketching out the framework for a new comic or drafting character designs. If not for the system’s sudden alert, she might’ve forgotten that she had to accomplish something significant every so often.
Confirming that the suspect from the previous case had been successfully apprehended, Guan Xia wasted no time scouring the internet for related cases based on her life experiences over the years. As she meticulously examined each photo, she arranged a meeting with Ji An.
Ji An had left Yongquan City the day after their parting at the Xicheng Precinct. Before leaving, she’d called Guan Xia to say she’d be away for a few days but would return immediately if needed.
Guan Xia guessed that Ji An’s departure, much like Lu Tingfeng’s, was tied to the case she’d been pursuing.
After scheduling a meeting with Ji An three days later, Guan Xia found her attention drifting toward the park across the street as she searched for cases.
She’d been living here for over a month but, unsure of the rules governing her "halo," had avoided exploring for safety reasons. The farthest she’d ventured was the market a few hundred meters from her apartment complex. Now that her halo was recharged, she could take the next few days before Ji An’s return to familiarize herself with the neighborhood.
Guan Xia finished dinner while gazing at the lush greenery of the park across the street.
After quickly washing the dishes, she checked the time—only 5 PM, with daylight still lingering. She figured she could take out the trash and stroll around the entrance of the complex, maybe even scope out the park’s entrance.
With that in mind, she changed her shoes and stepped outside—only to see Xu Nian just pulling out his keys to unlock his door.
Guan Xia was surprised by the coincidence and called out cheerfully, "Good evening, Xu Nian."
Xu Nian turned and returned the greeting. "Good evening, Guan Xia."
Only then did Guan Xia notice his injuries—a bandage on his forehead, bruises on his cheekbones and chin, and his arms covered in dark purple marks and scrapes, made even more jarring by the applied ointment.
A quick guess told her it was case-related. The severity unsettled her, but it also piqued her curiosity. What kind of case had Xu Nian been working on where the perpetrator was so vicious? The two serial murder cases she’d previously provided leads on hadn’t even left him with a scratch.
She hesitated before asking cautiously, "You got hurt this badly… What kind of case was it? Was the suspect caught?"
Xu Nian met her gaze and paused for a few seconds before answering. "He was caught. But… he’s dead. It was the case you tipped off to the Xicheng Precinct. The suspect was silenced."
The news came as a complete shock. Guan Xia’s mind went blank for a few seconds before she could process it, and she couldn’t help raising her voice slightly. "What did you say? He’s dead?"
Only after uttering those words did Guan Xia belatedly realize this wasn’t something to discuss in public. She immediately lowered her voice. "He was silenced? How could he be silenced? Where did it happen? Was it in Yongquan City? Is that organization’s headquarters in Yongquan City?"
Questions flooded her mind one after another. Alongside the shock, a creeping fear took hold of her. The thought that she had provided the key leads in this case—and that the organization’s base might be in Yongquan City—made her want to flee immediately.
But the impulse lasted only a few seconds before she snapped back to reality. Guan Xia remembered the suspect in this case was from Jianyang City. Since it wasn’t Yongquan City, Xu Nian and his team would have had to cross jurisdictions to make the arrest. The chances of the man being silenced in Yongquan City were slim.
With that realization, she calmed down.
Xu Nian had been watching Guan Xia’s expression closely. Seeing her composure return, he said, "It’s a bit complicated. Do you have time now? Why don’t we talk at my place?"
Guan Xia nodded without hesitation, casually propping the trash bag against the wall before following Xu Nian into his home.
