After hanging up the phone, Guan Xia and the other two sprinted to the car. Though the distance was short, the sweltering weather had them sweating profusely. Fortunately, it was already sunset, and the sun was no longer scorching. Once inside the car, Ji An didn’t immediately turn on the air conditioning. Instead, she handed them a few tissues. "Wipe off the sweat first and calm your breathing. Sudden temperature changes can make you sick."
Guan Xia quickly dabbed her forehead and neck, her voice tense. "Ji An, what did the police in Yongquan City say?"
Pang Le cut straight to the point. "Yuan Yue is trying to flee. What can we do?"
Ji An wiped her sweat with one hand while fiddling with her phone with the other. After a few seconds, she looked up. "The Yongquan City police have their doubts, but they’ve dispatched officers. However, I just tried calling Zhuo Mingyan, and no one answered."
The worst-case scenario seemed confirmed. Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged alarmed glances. "Could he have been… killed?"
Ji An replied, "I called four or five times with no answer. That’s never happened before. I’m going to his place. Are you two coming?"
Guan Xia and Pang Le nodded.
Ji An started the car and made another call on speakerphone. Guan Xia heard a clear, bright female voice on the other end. Ji An was arranging for Zhuo Mingyan’s phone to be tracked.
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged another glance, silently impressed by the breadth of talent in Ji An’s team.
Only after leaving the neighborhood did Ji An turn on the air conditioning, then sped toward the city center.
It was nearly 6 p.m., the height of rush hour, and traffic crawled at a snail’s pace. Ji An took several more calls along the way. By the time they reached Zhuo Mingyan’s residence, it was past 8 p.m.
As they hurried toward the building, Ji An quickly briefed them. "Those calls were from the Yongquan City homicide team. Yuan Yue suddenly took leave from work at 3:30 this afternoon and vanished. Not just Zhuo Mingyan—his wife, Xiang Zhenli, is also missing. The police suspect Yuan Yue kidnapped them and are urgently searching for her."
"3:30?" Guan Xia was stunned. "That’s right when we arrived at the meeting point, finished reviewing the crime scene photos, and were about to check the surveillance footage."
Ji An nodded. "I thought back—we mentioned Sha Junhao’s name even before watching the footage."
Pang Le sucked in a breath. "So… Yuan Yue was monitoring the meeting point the whole time. She probably saw us the moment we walked in. The second she heard Sha Junhao’s name, she knew we’d uncovered the truth."
"She’s not just cautious—she acts decisively," Guan Xia said. "But what I don’t get is why she’d risk kidnapping Zhuo Xuanya’s parents instead of fleeing. What grudge does she have against their family?"
While Guan Xia and Pang Le analyzed the situation, Ji An’s expression remained stern but carried a hint of something more complicated.
After studying her for a moment, Guan Xia realized it was regret. She was about to offer comfort when Ji An suddenly quickened her pace and rushed into the building.
Guan Xia and Pang Le lagged behind. As they climbed the stairs, Pang Le whispered, "Is Ji An regretting not warning Zhuo Mingyan earlier?"
Guan Xia nodded. Pang Le sighed. "Honestly, even if we could go back in time—without knowing Yuan Yue had cameras there—Ji An still wouldn’t have told him. Zhuo Mingyan isn’t a trained officer; he’d never hide it from Yuan Yue. Plus, without concrete evidence, the police couldn’t arrest her. In the end, silence was the safer choice for him and his wife."
Ji An probably knew this too, which was why she’d hurried ahead before Guan Xia could speak.
Pang Le sighed again. "At the end of the day, we underestimated Yuan Yue. Who’d expect an ordinary girl like her to lay such an elaborate trap so long ago? Back then, Zhuo Xuanya was still alive—they were as close as sisters. Yuan Yue even spent New Year’s with her family. The old saying’s right: you never know what’s behind a smiling face. She looked human, but who knows if she’s a devil inside?"
Catching up to Ji An, they reached the fourth floor to find the door wide open. Through the doorway, they saw several officers in shoe covers and gloves bustling about.
Inside, Ji An was speaking with a thick-browed middle-aged officer. Spotting them, she waved them over.
Guan Xia and Pang Le approached, and Ji An introduced them. "This is Guan Xia, and this is Pang Le. We’re working together. Xu Nian should’ve mentioned us."
The officer nodded, his gaze lingering on Guan Xia—or so she thought—before saying, "Xu Nian did. But this case is complex, and time is critical. Let’s keep things concise."
Ji An seized the opening and quickly summarized their findings.
The officer’s brow furrowed. "During our search of the suspect’s home, we confirmed her computer was linked to several surveillance cameras."
He glanced at the wall clock, then pointed out multiple locations—the dining room, study, kitchen, even the hallway between the bedrooms. Everywhere but the most private spaces like the bathrooms and bedrooms was under surveillance.
Despite expecting it, Pang Le was still shocked. "Yuan Yue is seriously twisted. Does she have some mental disorder? Why monitor Zhuo Xuanya’s family like this? Did she kill out of control issues, or just pure jealousy?"
Guan Xia also found Yuan Yue’s behavior disturbingly abnormal. Recalling Ji An’s earlier description of her personality, it now felt like a warped shadow wearing a normal person’s skin. The most baffling part was that, based on what they knew of Yuan Yue’s past, there was no clear trigger for her descent into this.
Between exchanges with the officer, Ji An answered Pang Le. "From what we’ve gathered, Yuan Yue has no history of mental illness. Interviews suggest no unusual habits—no obsessive-compulsive tendencies, no excessive control issues with friends or coworkers."
It seemed their questions wouldn’t be answered until Yuan Yue was caught.
Guan Xia and the others didn’t stay long at Zhuo Mingyan’s place. After sharing intel and handing over the surveillance footage of Sha Junhao’s movements to the officer, the three returned to their hotel.
Ji An didn’t return to her own room but followed Guan Xia inside. Pang Le flopped onto the sofa and looked at Ji An, asking, "Sister Ji, is there really nothing we can do? I know this might sound a bit shameless, but I think I can still be useful—at the very least, I’m pretty skilled at reviewing surveillance footage."
Guan Xia also looked at Ji An with anticipation. If nothing else, the fact that she had a system in her mind made it impossible for her to stand by idly in such a situation. After all, two lives were at stake. What if the system turned out to be useful here?
Ji An’s expression remained calm, but the slight irritation in her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil. After taking a deep breath, she said coolly, "Fuan City isn’t like Yongquan City. Until Xu Nian and the others arrive, there’s nothing we can do."
Both Guan Xia and Pang Le couldn’t hide their disappointment. Pang Le let out a dramatic groan, rolling from her back to her stomach on the sofa, and muttered weakly, "As expected, connections make all the difference. We just saw them last night, and I already miss them. So, when exactly are they coming?"
Ji An checked her watch and replied, "I looked it up. After Guan Xia called Xu Nian, the earliest flight to Fuan City departs at 7:25 PM and is scheduled to arrive at 10:40 PM. If everything goes smoothly, we should see them before midnight."
Pang Le immediately perked up, sitting bolt upright. "If we’re working tonight, shouldn’t we catch some sleep now? It’s already past nine—we can still get two hours in."
As she spoke, she energetically sprang up from the sofa. Just then, Ji An’s phone rang. Both Guan Xia and Pang Le froze, sensing the significance of the call. They held their breaths, tense with anticipation.
Sure enough, as soon as Ji An answered, a familiar female voice came through. "Sister Ji, I’ve got it. The last known location of Zhuo Mingyan’s phone signal was near Honglong Shopping Mall on Huining East Road in Xingyuan District, Fuan City."
Hearing the precise details, Guan Xia swiftly pulled out her phone, opened the navigation app, and began searching for the location.
Ji An, holding her phone on speaker, walked over to Guan Xia, and Pang Le leaned in to look as well. After a few seconds, Ji An said, "This location is already in the suburbs. There’s a highway, a provincial road, some smaller paths, and… an industrial park nearby?"
"It’s an old industrial park," the woman on the phone explained. "Because the government plans to fully develop Xingyuan District, a new industrial park was built about 30 kilometers away a few years ago. Most factories have relocated, with only a handful still using the old facilities as warehouses."
"So, this old industrial park would be a perfect place to hide someone," Ji An mused, her eyes fixed on Guan Xia’s phone screen as she traced the area with her finger. "With all those winding paths, it’s also ideal for fleeing. The suspect probably scouted this place in advance."
The woman continued, "Aside from Zhuo Mingyan, I also tried tracking the suspect’s phone. Her last signal was detected on a service road about two kilometers from the old industrial park. I checked the surveillance footage from that area—at 4:49 PM today, a car registered under Zhuo Mingyan’s name, with the local license plate BN3437, passed through that road. But it never appeared in the next camera’s footage, meaning it must have changed direction. That road is a straight shot—other than leading to the old industrial park, there are no other exits. Another thing: Zhuo Mingyan’s car is an old manual transmission model without GPS, so once their phone signals were lost, there wasn’t much more I could do."
Guan Xia listened intently, and when the woman finished, she instinctively glanced at Ji An. In other words, technological means wouldn’t be of much help in the upcoming search—it would have to rely on manpower.
Pang Le understood too and immediately looked down at her feet, her spirits lifting. For this trip to Fuan City, she’d specifically packed her lightest and most comfortable shoes—the same pair she’d worn for hiking. Luck really does favor the prepared.
Ji An pressed further, "Are all the surveillance cameras in the old industrial park out of commission?"
The woman replied, "Aside from the few factories still using the old warehouses, most cameras were removed during the relocation. The ones at the smaller road intersections haven’t been maintained in years, so the majority aren’t functional anymore."
"At least we can narrow down a few search points," Ji An remarked before hanging up.
She pocketed her phone and turned to Guan Xia and Pang Le. "Any thoughts?"
Just as Guan Xia was about to speak, the system interface suddenly popped up—a reward notification.
You have successfully assisted the police in solving a homicide case. Reward: Low-Profile Aura recharge (1 use).
Recharging…
Recharge complete.
Guan Xia was momentarily stunned but quickly realized this must mean Sha Junhao had been apprehended.
Pang Le spoke up, "The information Sister Ji just got—the Fuan City police must already know, right? With such a large old industrial park, they’ll probably mobilize a lot of people for the search. In some crime shows, they even recruit nearby villagers for low-risk operations like this. So, can we join in? I may not be much, but I can definitely hold my own in a fight. If I run into Yuan Yue, I’ll have her pinned to the ground in seconds."
Guan Xia wasn’t as eager as Pang Le, but if given the chance, she still wanted to participate. She desperately wanted to understand Yuan Yue’s motives—why she had done all this.
Ji An wasn’t surprised. "If Xu Nian and the others arrive tonight and the suspect hasn’t been caught yet, we might be able to join them in the operation."
"Connections really are everything," Pang Le sighed. Then, checking the time, she hurriedly kicked off her shoes and jumped onto the bed. "It’s 9:30—we can still squeeze in an hour and a half. Come on, let’s all sleep. We might be pulling an all-nighter later."
Since it was just a short nap, Guan Xia didn’t make Ji An go back to her own room. She squeezed in with Pang Le, leaving the other bed for Ji An.
Guan Xia had assumed her mind was too chaotic from the day’s events to sleep, but under the influence of Pang Le’s steady breathing, she soon drifted off. She only woke when Ji An shook her.
Barely opening her eyes, Guan Xia heard Ji An say, "Xu Nian and the others are here—they’re downstairs."
Pang Le also struggled upright, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "What time is it?"
"11:20," Ji An answered.
"They must’ve rushed nonstop. Did they even sleep last night?" Pang Le muttered as she hopped off the bed and slipped on her shoes.
Guan Xia, now more awake, quickly got ready and followed Ji An out the door.
Pang Le lingered behind, double-checking that all three of their phones were accounted for before pulling out the room key card and shutting the door.
