After leaving the crime scene, the trio quickly returned to the main path of the park.
Perhaps news of the homicide in the park had spread, as the crowd only grew larger instead of thinning, with more and more people braving the scorching sun to gawk at the commotion.
Walking against the flow of pedestrians, their minds no longer preoccupied with speculating about the killer's motives, Pang Le finally noticed the wound on Xu Nian's face. "You're hurt? Was it because of the case?"
Before Pang Le could ask more questions, Guan Xia quickly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "It's complicated. It's related to that case we investigated earlier. I'll explain everything later when there aren't so many people around."
Pang Le glanced at Guan Xia, then at Xu Nian, her eyes brimming with curiosity. But she held back her questions and instead stood on tiptoe to peer ahead. Grabbing both their arms, she led them along with the crowd for a short distance before abruptly turning onto a secluded path, completely devoid of people. Unable to contain herself any longer, she blurted, "Now that no one's around, you can tell me!"
Guan Xia sighed inwardly. She had originally planned to wait until Ji An returned so they could discuss it together, but since Pang Le was pressing, she had no choice but to recount the details carefully.
Pang Le was visibly stunned. After Guan Xia finished speaking, she didn't respond immediately. Instead, she gripped Guan Xia's arm tightly, lost in thought for a moment before finally exhaling in relief. "Thank goodness Sister Ji had the experience to sense something was off and stopped investigating. Otherwise, all three of us could've been in serious danger."
Once reassured of their safety, Pang Le bounced back to her usual lively self. "I've always known the world isn't as safe as we imagine, but I never thought danger could come this close. Still, we dodged a bullet this time. I owe Sister Ji my life."
Mention of danger reminded Guan Xia of something. She turned to Xu Nian and asked, "By the way, Xu Nian, I remember when Pang Le and I went to the temple in Quchun City a while back. After returning to Yongquan City, we saw police everywhere—even got pulled over for a sobriety check in broad daylight. The officer said it was for the 'Civilized City' evaluation. Was that really the reason?"
Though some time had passed, Guan Xia still occasionally revisited the memory. Something about it felt off.
Pang Le perked up at the mention, her eyes gleaming as she also turned to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian, as usual, scanned their surroundings to ensure no one was nearby before lowering his voice. "No. We received a tip that Chang Mingda, a Class-A wanted criminal, had been spotted on Taoli Road in Tonghua District. Plus, while investigating the 506 dismemberment case, our unit found a cigarette butt with his DNA in a small river in the Cuiping Mountains. That's why the city was locked down for searches."
"The 506 dismemberment case?" Pang Le frowned.
Guan Xia thought for a moment before recalling—it was the case where all the victims had histories of domestic violence. She quietly reminded Pang Le.
Pang Le let out an understanding "Oh," but her frown deepened. "If his DNA was found in the Cuiping Mountains, doesn't that mean he was hiding there? Did you catch him later?"
Xu Nian shook his head. "No. The city bureau mobilized all available police and even called in the armed police, but there was no trace of him."
They set up a dragnet and still couldn’t catch him? Guan Xia was shocked. While Pang Le and Xu Nian continued discussing, she pulled out her phone to search for news.
Typing "Class-A wanted criminal," she hesitated over the exact characters for the name. But as soon as she tentatively entered "Chang," the search bar auto-filled the rest. Pressing enter, a flood of links appeared.
Guan Xia clicked the first one—an official notice. At the top was a photo of a man around forty, with a gaunt face, narrow triangular eyes, prominent cheekbones, and thin lips. Deep frown lines etched his brow, as if he’d spent years scowling. Though his eyes were small, the photo radiated a chilling intensity.
Below the photo were his identity details, hometown, ID number, and a brief summary of his crimes.
"Suspect in armed robbery and homicide," Pang Le read aloud, having leaned in without Guan Xia noticing. "Damn, another armed killer. Could he be connected to that organization?" Pang Le’s mind raced ahead.
The official wanted notice didn’t elaborate on the cases. Guan Xia skimmed through it quickly before closing her phone and turning to Xu Nian.
Even without her voicing the question, Xu Nian understood the moment their eyes met. He instinctively lowered his voice. "He’s the prime suspect in the 2013 '217 massacre case.' While evading capture, he killed six more people."
Guan Xia and Pang Le’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"Six people?" Pang Le nearly shouted, barely controlling her volume. "What kind of psychopath is this? And he’s been on the run since 2013—eleven years without being caught?"
Guan Xia was fixated on another question. "This Class-A criminal—did he commit his crimes in Yongquan City?"
If so, it meant he’d been lurking in Yongquan City all along, making her even more reluctant to go out alone. If not, he’d fled from elsewhere, and now that his trail had been picked up, he might not stay in the city.
Xu Nian immediately grasped her concern and replied swiftly, "Don’t worry. Chang Mingda is from Danlin City in Qingjin Province. The 217 case happened there too. To stay hidden, he’s been active in the Cuiping Mountains. According to our bureau’s intel, he’s long left Yongquan City’s section of the mountains. The last sighting was in Quchun City."
"Quchun City?" Pang Le muttered, her expression turning pensive.
Guan Xia also felt a spark of realization but couldn’t quite grasp it.
After a minute or two, it suddenly clicked. Guan Xia grabbed Pang Le’s arm urgently. "Song Yi! Remember when we went to the temple in Quchun City? Xu Nian’s classmate Shao Ying mentioned they had an urgent operation that day. And that night, Song Yi didn’t post her usual video. Does that ring a bell?"
Piecing together Xu Nian’s information, Guan Xia finally connected the dots—all three incidents tied back to the Cuiping Mountains. She refused to believe it was a coincidence.
Pang Le’s face twisted in horrified realization. "I remember seeing in the camping group chat—two people died during Song Yi’s trip. You don’t think they ran into this Class-A criminal by sheer bad luck, do you?"
Both turned to Xu Nian for confirmation. After a pause, he said, "I don’t know who Song Yi is, but according to my intel, Chang Mingda did flee to Quchun City via the Cuiping Mountains around May 10th. After killing two people, he vanished again."
"All the details match," Guan Xia confirmed. "We arrived in Quichun City on May 14th. I remember it clearly—you kept muttering that night about Song Yi not uploading her video as usual, and then I got a call from Xu Nian’s classmate, Shao Ying."
Pang Le nodded. "Now I remember. An A-level wanted criminal, and he was armed too. It’s a miracle Song Yi managed to escape. Oh, and there’s one more thing."
As she spoke, Pang Le suddenly remembered something and pulled out her phone. She opened a short-video app, found Song Yi’s account, and handed it to Guan Xia. "Look at Song Yi’s current IP. She’s no longer in Dingyuan Province—she’s moved to Ningyun Province. It’s also mountainous there, though not as vast as the Cuiping Mountain Range spanning three provinces in Dingyuan. But the scenery is still stunning. I’ve been really tempted by her recent videos, thinking that once I get closer to Ji An, I might tag along when she visits home and do some hiking."
"Leaving Dingyuan Province outright," Guan Xia mused. Though she wasn’t familiar with Song Yi—they’d never even spoken—she could easily piece together her reasoning. "She must have been traumatized by what happened that night. But she couldn’t just give up her career, so she relocated."
Even as she said this, Guan Xia couldn’t help but wonder: What a coincidence. She’d just met Ji An, who was from Ningyun Province. Once they grew closer, there was a good chance she’d accompany Ji An back to investigate a case she’d been pursuing. And now Song Yi was also in Ningyun. Would their paths cross in the future?
Lost in thought, Guan Xia felt Pang Le nudge her and ask eagerly, "When we eventually go to Ningyun with Ji An, you’ll come hiking with me, right? Trust me, Song Yi’s taste is no joke—the places she finds are breathtaking. I really want to go."
Who could resist Pang Le’s pleading? Guan Xia held out for barely a few seconds before surrendering with a sigh. "Alright, alright, yes, I’ll go with you if we get the chance."
Pang Le immediately beamed and threw her a heart sign. "Love you!"
The three of them had been so engrossed in conversation that they didn’t realize how much time had passed until their throats grew dry. By then, it was already dusk. The park glowed golden under the sunset, the distant lake shimmering with ripples as the chirping of insects and birds made their worries feel worlds away.
Following Guan Xia’s gaze, Pang Le couldn’t help but smile. "Your place might be a bit out of the way, but the view is really beautiful. Xu Nian, was this park why you bought your apartment too?"
Hearing Pang Le’s question, Guan Xia snapped back to attention and looked at Xu Nian curiously.
Xu Nian caught the implication in Pang Le’s words. After a glance at Guan Xia, he smiled faintly and nodded. "Yeah. When I was apartment hunting, this lake caught my eye immediately—it just felt so calming. So on my days off, I often sit by it all day, reading or building with blocks."
Listening to him, Guan Xia suddenly remembered how, since moving in, she’d often found herself curled up on the couch, glancing out at the view while reading or watching shows—both to rest her eyes and to soothe her thoughts.
She’d always thought it was some absurdly coincidental twist of fate that she and Xu Nian had ended up as neighbors in such a massive city, like something out of a drama. But now she realized it wasn’t just chance—they shared the same preferences, which was why, out of millions of people, they’d ended up in the same building, the same unit.
After exploring the park and satisfying their curiosity, Guan Xia planned to spend the next couple of days quietly at home, waiting for Ji An’s return. She’d assumed the park case would take at least until Ji An got back to wrap up, but on the evening of the 11th, while washing up, she received a system notification confirming the case’s resolution. By the afternoon of the 12th, she’d learned the full story.
Xu Nian knocked on her door just as Guan Xia was sprawled on the couch scrolling through wanted criminal profiles. Lately, she’d been so overwhelmed with cases that even crime novels felt like too much, so she’d settled for skimming photos. It didn’t require much brainpower, and with the system’s records, she’d recognize them if she ever saw them in person—enough to trigger a response if Ji An was around. No energy recharge for her halo, but at least there’d be a reward.
She’d scrolled so much her mind had gone numb, and it took Xu Nian knocking twice before she snapped out of it, scrambling to her feet in slippers to answer the door.
Xu Nian wasn’t empty-handed—he carried a large plastic bag, his expression slightly awkward.
Guan Xia peeked inside curiously. "What’s this…?"
She’d assumed he’d brought some fruit or snacks, but Xu Nian replied sheepishly, "My mom made more dumplings and buns. She insisted I bring you some and even called me multiple times to pick them up from home. She thinks my early mornings and late nights must be disturbing you, and even though you’re too kind to complain, she doesn’t want me taking it for granted."
Guan Xia was surprised Xu Nian’s mother still remembered that. "Your mom is too considerate. You really haven’t been a bother at all."
Xu Nian chuckled helplessly. "Try telling her that."
He lifted the bag slightly, urging her to take it.
Now it was Guan Xia’s turn to feel awkward. After a brief hesitation, she reached out, but Xu Nian pulled back. "It’s heavy—let me bring it in for you."
She stepped aside, watching as Xu Nian expertly navigated to her fridge and began unpacking. Even though these are meant as an apology, she thought, I can’t just accept them without reciprocating. I’ll have to send something back later.
While Xu Nian was busy, Guan Xia quickly poured two glasses of water. She had a feeling he hadn’t come just to deliver food.
Sure enough, once everything was stored and they’d settled on the couch, Xu Nian got straight to the point. "The park case—it’s been resolved."
Guan Xia perked up immediately.
Xu Nian continued, "I just got word. The suspect confessed. His motive wasn’t revenge, a crime of passion, or money—it was envy."
"Envy?" The word felt familiar. Guan Xia thought back and recalled Pang Le’s speculation in the park yesterday. "So the killer really did target happy couples?"
"No," Xu Nian said. "The opposite. The suspect envied the victim for taking love for granted—yet still receiving it."
The answer was so unexpected Guan Xia froze. "What?"
She replayed the scene in the park: the young, delicate-looking man, the beautiful girl wailing in grief, the bouquet of roses. Had their relationship not been as perfect as it seemed?
Hesitantly, she asked, "But from the girl’s reaction, it didn’t seem like their relationship was bad."
When faced with life and death, it wasn’t hard to tell whether someone’s love was real.
Xu Nian said, "According to the investigation by Squad Three, the deceased had planned to propose to that girl yesterday. But just the day before, he had broken up with another girl."
Guan Xia looked shocked. "So he was two-timing? And what about the old man? He was 72 years old. Did the suspect kill him because he was playing with someone’s feelings too?"
Xu Nian replied, "No, that wasn’t the case. The suspect killed him because of something he witnessed by chance. According to the suspect’s statement, he was in a bad mood that day and went out for a walk. During heavy rain, near a residential complex, he saw the deceased and his wife returning from grocery shopping. The deceased was empty-handed, holding an umbrella that only covered himself, while his wife struggled with two heavy bags, soaked by the rain, her steps unsteady. The deceased didn’t even glance at her. The suspect resented that someone like him could have a wife and decided he didn’t deserve such a relationship."
Guan Xia was stunned. "So he killed him for that?"
Xu Nian nodded.
It took Guan Xia a moment to process this before she finally calmed down. She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—this was indeed a world blending crime and detective fiction. A murder motive like this? If the suspect hadn’t confessed, she would never have guessed it in a million years.
