Yin Feng stood up and was about to pat Xiao Yan's shoulder when You Mingxu's phone rang—it was a video call from Xu Mengshan. She never delayed answering her partner's calls, so she immediately picked up and walked toward the conference room exit.
Xiao Yan, startled awake by the phone, rose to his feet upon seeing Yin Feng. But Yin Feng's gaze was fixed on You Mingxu. As she stepped out of the room, he subtly blocked the door with his foot, allowing him to clearly hear Xu Mengshan's voice.
"Sis You, I'm at Xiang Rong's old house in Taoling Village," Xu Mengshan's face appeared on the screen, the background a dim, shabby room. "Xiang Rong has been back recently—there are signs of habitation. But the door was locked, and there aren't many neighbors around. Also, I found this..."
The screen showed a two-bedroom apartment, built squarely with simple decor, typical of rural housing. Xu Mengshan moved from the living room into one of the bedrooms, where the discovery lay in a black duffel bag under the bed.
Inside the bag, aside from a few changes of clothes, some cash, and a mobile phone, were several iron chains, a boning knife, an electric drill, some hemostatic gauze and medication, and a few thick, black plastic bags.
"Any thoughts?" Xu Mengshan asked over the phone.
You Mingxu replied, "An internet cafe owner sneaks back to his hometown with these items. What do you think I'd make of it?"
Xu Mengshan chuckled softly as he carefully returned the items to their original positions. "He's planning to commit a crime. Get over here fast."
"I'll set off within ten minutes," You Mingxu said.
They had been hoping for the fox to show its tail, and Xu Mengshan's trip yielding such findings was a stroke of luck. However, their investigation was covert, and without concrete evidence, they couldn't arrest anyone or mobilize local police based solely on the contents of the duffel bag. Still, in Ding Xiongwei's eyes, the two of them were worth half a platoon—staking out and capturing Xiang Rong would be a breeze.
As soon as You Mingxu hung up and turned to pack, she bumped straight into Yin Feng's chest. He had been eavesdropping, his expression unreadable as he looked down at her.
Ignoring him, she brushed past and headed straight to her seat to gather her things. By the time she finished packing and called Ding Xiongwei to brief him, Yin Feng and his companion were nowhere to be seen in the office.
The drive from Xiangcheng to Taoling Village in Chenxi County would take over five hours. Seeing dusk approaching, You Mingxu hurried downstairs. At the entrance, she spotted an ordinary black sedan parked nearby. She recognized the driver. Since it wasn't a conspicuous luxury car, she could clearly see Yin Feng sitting in the back seat through the window, watching her from a distance.
You Mingxu got into her police car.
As soon as she pulled out of the police compound, she saw the black sedan tailing her in the rearview mirror. She smirked coldly, slammed the accelerator, and sped through traffic like the wind. Yet, she was no expert driver—usually, the more skilled Xu Mengshan handled high-speed chases. Yin Feng's driver was far superior, following with ease and staying close on her tail.
Once on the highway, You Mingxu's mood settled. Fine, let him follow, she thought. Damn it—chasing after women before amnesia, and still trailing them after. Some things never change.She maintained a steady speed, while the car behind followed at a safe distance.
During her earlier contest of driving skills with the driver, Yin Feng had been resting with his eyes closed. He was well aware of Tuya's driving abilities—that woman was competent behind the wheel, but she was simply not on the same level. At this thought, he paused briefly before continuing to keep his eyes shut, sorting through the case details in his mind.
Li Biran and Liu Ruoyu had met at Xiang Rong's internet cafe.
They had always believed he was just an ordinary cafe owner and had spent a considerable amount of time there.
Xiang Rong had repeatedly informed the police that Li Biran had a friend accompanying him.
Xiang Rong knew about the hidden circumstances of the exchanged murders.
Li Biran preferred the computers in the corner, where there was a sofa nearby for resting. Liu Ruoyu would often occupy a seat close to him.
Were there surveillance cameras and audio monitoring in the internet cafe?
There must have been audio monitoring.
Gu Tiancheng had said this case was more complicated than just an exchanged murder.
Had Xiang Rong guided the two teenagers toward crime? If he were truly a psychopath on the same level as Gu Tiancheng, there were many ways to subtly push two adolescents toward criminal behavior without leaving a trace.
For instance, hypnosis, psychological suggestion, or drugging them to heighten their mental agitation and emotional volatility. From an adult's perspective, he could express sympathy for their plight, instill the idea of seeking revenge and settling scores, and even promote or demonstrate violent methods...
The question was, why them?
Both Li Biran and Liu Ruoyu were teenage internet addicts, controlled by adults, enduring long-term psychological pressure, and lacking moral education from a young age. But there were many such teenagers in the world.
Why them?
Both were from Taohua Ridge and had lived in the same area years ago.
So was Xiang Rong.
Xiang Rong was now single—his wife had divorced him years ago. His only child had drowned years earlier.
...
Yin Feng opened his eyes and called Chen Feng: "How's the search going for the files on Xiang Rong's son's drowning case?"
Chen Feng replied, "I've only found some basic records. It seems the police are reluctant to disclose too many details about this case. I'll keep trying."
After hanging up, Yin Feng lifted his gaze and immediately spotted the dusty police car driving steadily ahead.
On a whim, Yin Feng asked, "How's her driving?"
Tuya answered, "Not bad. For a woman, she's quite aggressive."
Yin Feng snorted and said, "She's aggressive in everything she does, never willing to back down."
Tuya fell silent.
Yin Feng was quiet for a moment, his expression indifferent, as though he had said nothing at all.
Just then, the car ahead turned on its right signal and slowly pulled over to the emergency stopping lane.
Tuya followed and stopped as well. The two of them waited for a minute or two, but there was no sign of You Mingxu getting out or any movement.
Tuya asked doubtfully, "Teacher Yin, should I go check?"
Yin Feng was also watching the motionless police car and said, "She won't pay you any mind. I'll go."
You Mingxu hadn't slept well for several nights, waking up multiple times—something that had never happened before. Coupled with her busy morning reviewing case files and investigating Xiang Rong, she had started to feel waves of drowsiness after driving for a while. The highway ahead even seemed to blur.
So she pulled over into the emergency zone, reclined her seat, pulled out an eye mask, and put it on. Naturally, she didn't feel the need to explain anything to the car behind her. Setting an alarm, she lay down and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.So when Yin Feng walked to the police car with his coat collar turned up and a face as dark as storm clouds, this was the scene that greeted him—the woman lay slumped in the chair, her jacket hood pulled over her head, face obscured, one leg casually crossed over the other, having fallen asleep without a care in the world.
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