Leisure time always passes quickly. On the evening of their return to Daqu County from the orphanage, Xu Nian received a call from Captain Tan. The surveillance footage from August 12th eleven years ago, which they had coordinated with various police branches and local stations, had finally arrived.
After hastily finishing their meal, the group rushed to the Daqu County Police Station.
With most of the personnel dispatched to Linshan City under the leadership of Captain Yu from the Criminal Investigation Division, only a handful of officers remained to hold down the fort in Daqu County. The arrival of Guan Xia and her team conveniently filled the gap in manpower.
Captain Tan was exceptionally welcoming, personally arranging their seating and even providing snacks, drinks, and eye drops.
After glancing at the few remaining officers from the Daqu County Criminal Investigation Division seated against the wall, the group settled in and prepared to get to work.
Thanks to their previous experience, Guan Xia was now quite proficient. She casually opened a surveillance video and was about to focus when she noticed Captain Tan, who had just left, suddenly return and engage in a hushed conversation with Xu Nian.
A few minutes later, Captain Tan called out to the officers in the corner and left with a few of them.
With their departure, the office was now almost entirely occupied by outsiders—not just Guan Xia, but even the members of the Second Division were momentarily confused.
"Captain Xu, what's going on...?" Jiang Yingyao asked hesitantly after the door closed.
Xu Nian explained, "Captain Tan just received a report. A member of the public discovered the body of a woman. He took some people to the scene. But before leaving, he mentioned that the DNA results from last night confirmed a match—the DNA found at the crime scene belongs to the suspect, Zhou Yiyang. Captain Yu, who took a team to Linshan City for surveillance, has already apprehended the suspect and is on his way back. They’re expected to arrive tomorrow evening."
Everyone understood now. Wang Yu couldn’t help but chuckle, "Well, we arrived at just the right time. We can help them hold down the fort in the meantime. Let’s just hope we’re not unlucky enough to have another homicide pop up in a single day."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Yu realized she might have jinxed it and quickly muttered, "Knock on wood."
The others shot her disapproving looks. Guan Xia asked, "What about the victim’s identity? Has it been confirmed?"
Xu Nian shook his head. "Captain Tan didn’t mention it, so it’s likely still under verification."
"Then we’ll have to wait," Jiang Yingyao said. "Since the suspect is already in custody, the victim’s identity will come to light sooner or later. For now, let’s focus on solidifying the evidence that Zhou Yiyang and the victim were both in Quiming City before the crime."
Guan Xia stared at the pile of miscellaneous USB drives on the table and silently prayed that everything would proceed smoothly from here on out.
In truth, once a murder is committed, the evidence is always there—just waiting to be uncovered.
As it turned out, good news arrived one after another without much effort.
First, Guan Xia spotted figures resembling the victim and the suspect in a bus surveillance video. Given the low resolution of cameras from eleven years ago and the fact that the bus was moving, the pair only appeared briefly on the roadside for a few seconds. But for Guan Xia, who had memorized their clothing, it was more than enough.
Just ten minutes later, Wang Yu made another discovery—a clip from a rural credit union’s surveillance footage. The victim and the suspect seemed to be engaged in a lengthy conversation on the roadside. Though their faces were blurry due to the distance, their clothing was distinctive enough for Wang Yu to recognize them.
An hour later, Xu Nian found another crucial piece of evidence—a private surveillance video from a household in the outskirts of Daqu County. It clearly captured the two walking closely together, one after the other, past the gate. As everyone gathered to review it, Wang Yu quickly pulled up a map of Daqu County and confirmed, "This direction leads to Jihua Township. Songzhong Village is part of Jihua. It seems they really didn’t take any transportation—they walked the entire way."
The team’s spirits lifted. Pang Le cheerfully remarked, "The long arm of the law never fails. Criminals always leave traces. But what I’m curious about is how a private surveillance video just happened to capture them. What happened to this household that their footage survived for eleven years?"
Wang Yu checked the label on the USB drive and said, "It’s from the local police station. Probably an attempted burglary around that time."
With their objective achieved, the team relaxed, carefully storing all the USB drives before settling into casual conversation.
Eventually, Wang Yu grew tired of Qi Bai’s incessant chatter in their group chat and dragged Guan Xia and Pang Le into a gaming session.
Pang Le eagerly agreed, but Guan Xia, recalling her miserable experience the last time they played, firmly declined. She’d rather zone out than spend the entire match staring at a black screen, dying and respawning repeatedly.
As the other two happily teamed up with Qi Bai for online gaming, Guan Xia, bored, decided to watch a crime drama instead.
Just as she was engrossed, she suddenly noticed someone standing in front of her. Looking up, she saw Xu Nian studying something intently.
Puzzled, she followed his gaze and realized he was staring at the wound on her knee.
Only then did Guan Xia notice that, likely from sitting in vehicles for extended periods over the past few days, the thick scab had partially torn. Though no blood had seeped out, the surrounding area was slightly red and swollen.
"It might be infected," Xu Nian murmured, pulling out two items from his pocket—a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and an unopened pack of cotton swabs—before handing them to her.
Guan Xia was surprised. Despite how busy they’d been, Xu Nian had noticed the condition of her wound—something even she had overlooked.
"Do you need help?" Xu Nian asked again. Only then did Guan Xia snap out of her daze. She took the items with a smile and said, "No, I can handle it. But thank you—I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out."
Xu Nian pressed his lips together but said nothing. Instead, he pulled up a chair beside her and watched as she disinfected the wound. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Earlier at the orphanage... you seemed upset. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Xu Nian’s tone was earnest. Guan Xia considered it—she did need help investigating Meng Lan’s case, but for now, Sister Ji’s assistance seemed sufficient. After a brief pause, she decided not to bring it up. Instead, she posed a question that had been weighing on her mind.
After meticulously disinfecting the wound, Guan Xia tossed the used cotton swab into the trash bin. As she screwed the cap back onto the hydrogen peroxide bottle, she asked Xu Nian, "Back when your close friend underwent a drastic change in a short time, how did you communicate with him? Did you ever try to pull him back?"
These questions were as much for Xu Nian as they were for herself. Though Guan Xia had brushed off Pang Le's words lightly during the day, she still felt somewhat lost at heart. She had never had many friends, but she cherished every single one. Faced with Meng Lan's sudden transformation and the unsettling intuitions and suspicions gnawing at her, she felt utterly at a loss.
Xu Nian didn’t press for details. Upon hearing Guan Xia’s questions, he straightened up, furrowed his brow, and thought for a long while before shaking his head. "I did talk to him many times, but obviously, nothing changed. Everyone has their own thoughts and struggles. The most we can do, beyond helping within our means, is to respect their choices."
Perhaps the memories weighed on him, as Xu Nian fell into silence after those brief words.
Guan Xia also went quiet. Indeed, life wasn’t a fairy tale. Everyone had their own path to walk. Beyond offering help where she could, all she could do was respect their decisions.
With a quiet sigh, Guan Xia quickly adjusted her mood. She had always been like this—once she analyzed something deeply and made a decision, she would act on it resolutely, refusing to dwell on unnecessary worries.
After thanking Xu Nian sincerely, Guan Xia packed away the remaining hydrogen peroxide and cotton swabs. Just as she was about to resume watching her show, Xu Nian’s phone suddenly rang.
After a brief exchange with the person on the other end, Xu Nian abruptly stood up, looking resigned. "We’ve got work. Captain Tan’s team hasn’t finished at their scene yet and can’t break away, but there’s been another homicide reported in Daqu County. He’s asked us to check it out first—he’ll bring his team over as soon as possible."
The moment Xu Nian said this, those playing games or scrolling through short videos paused their activities, staring at him in shock.
"No way? I even jinxed it earlier, and now it’s actually happening?" Wang Yu exclaimed, shutting down his game in disbelief.
Pang Le chuckled and patted Wang Yu’s shoulder. "Daqu County really is cursed—cases piling up one after another. No wonder this investigation felt suspiciously smooth. Turns out, the real challenge was waiting here all along."
Pang Le then winked at Guan Xia and asked Xu Nian eagerly, "Can Guan Xia and I go to the scene too?"
"Why not?" Wang Yu cut in before Xu Nian could answer. "You two are our bureau’s external consultants, after all. Right, Captain Xu?"
Xu Nian nodded. "Just brace yourselves. Don’t throw up."
By the time they left the Daqu County police station, Guan Xia glanced at the time—it was almost midnight.
Though nearly the entire Daqu County Criminal Police Division was out on duty, a homicide case couldn’t be left entirely to outsiders. So, Captain Tan had managed to scrounge up two more officers to accompany Guan Xia and the others.
When they arrived at the scene, it was exactly midnight. Surprisingly, the crime scene was crowded—not just with onlookers, but also several uniformed firefighters who were clearly on duty.
The two Daqu County officers stepped forward first and asked directly, "Who reported this?"
A young man, covered in dust and blood, his face barely recognizable, limped forward and raised his hand. "I did. The body’s down in that sewer."
The young man led the way, still shaken as he explained, "Today’s just my unlucky day. I was on the phone and didn’t notice the manhole cover—stepped right on it. Who knew it was loose? I’m skinny, so I fell straight in. Luckily, my phone fell with me. The screen’s cracked, but it still works. I turned on the flashlight and was about to call 119 when I saw a body out of the corner of my eye. Looked like they’d been strangled, eyes wide open. Nearly scared me to death."
As the young man rambled on, the crowd around them shifted curiously, clearly eager to catch a glimpse of the scene.
Fortunately, nearby patrol officers arrived quickly and secured the area. The sewer couldn’t accommodate too many people, so only the two Daqu County officers and Xu Nian went down.
Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu habitually began gathering information from the bystanders, while Guan Xia and Pang Le stood by the open manhole, peering down. But it was too dark—even with flashlights, all they could see were bobbing heads. The body remained out of sight.
After a few minutes of seeing nothing, Guan Xia gave up and shifted her attention to surveying the surroundings.
It was a narrow two-lane road. Not far away was a residential complex, its entrance appearing to be a seldom-used side gate, currently locked. However, one of the fence rails nearby had been removed, leaving a gap just wide enough for a slender person to slip through. Given the commotion, many residents had gathered to watch—mostly thin women and children outside the fence, while sturdier middle-aged and elderly men stood inside.
A few passing cars had also stopped, their occupants craning their necks from the outskirts of the crowd. Seeing nothing, they began whispering among themselves.
Guan Xia scanned the area and was about to look away when her gaze inexplicably locked onto a young man standing at the very edge of the crowd. Just like before, an inexplicable intuition gripped her.
Realization dawned, and Guan Xia studied the young man carefully.
He didn’t look very old—maybe late twenties. Tall, but painfully thin, with sunken cheeks. Guan Xia glanced at the gap in the fence. A man of his build could slip through effortlessly.
Her stare was blatant, and the young man soon noticed. His previously calm expression faltered. The moment he met Guan Xia’s eyes, he flinched as if burned, his face twisting into panic. Instinctively, he began backing away, and within minutes, he clumsily shuffled through the fence gap and vanished from sight.
Guan Xia glanced at the residential complex and felt a wave of relief. This case probably wouldn’t be hard to solve. If her intuition was right, she now not only knew what the suspect looked like but also which neighborhood he lived in. All that remained was to gather details about the case and find evidence proving his guilt.
Yet, recalling that strange intuition, Guan Xia pondered. Including this case, it had happened three or four times now—something she’d never experienced before. Had the system quietly upgraded her without her noticing?
This is way too subtle, with not a single hint of movement. She still remembered the last time when the system interface suddenly appeared after that inexplicable intuition—whether it was the style of the text that popped up, the color of the interface, or the borders, everything was exactly the same as before.
But this is actually great news. Perhaps what was once passively triggered could one day become actively triggered.
