The bus arrived.
You Mingxu was fully focused.
In the distance, she could see only a few scattered passengers on the bus. Then the bus stopped at the station about ten meters away, and a slender girl stepped off—who else could it be but Jiang Mei?
Nearly all of the dozen or so police officers lying in ambush tensed up.
The bus doors closed behind Jiang Mei, and no one followed her off. Unaware, Jiang Mei began walking toward the direction of the police.
You Mingxu froze for a moment.
She immediately roared, "Stop the bus!" and charged out like a mother leopard.
Yin Feng’s eyes lit up with approval. Her reaction is really quick, he thought. If I were Mingtao, I wouldn’t follow too closely either. I could get off at the previous or next stop to avoid being noticed by the victim—after all, the female massage therapists have been on edge lately. As long as I scout the location and time it right next time, I could just tail her directly near this stop.
The bus driver and the passengers were stunned, watching as police suddenly appeared and surrounded the bus. Jiang Mei, who had just gotten off, was also startled, and an officer immediately ran to her side.
Xu Mengshan led a team straight onto the bus.
You Mingxu took another team to secure the area outside the bus while keeping a vigilant watch on the surroundings.
Xu Mengshan soon came back down, his expression grim. "He's not here!"
You Mingxu’s gaze hardened. Instinctively, she looked back in the direction the bus had come from. Coincidentally, she spotted a dark figure disappearing around a corner several hundred meters away.
Suddenly, it clicked for her—on the way over, she had studied the bus route map. The area was full of residential neighborhoods with frequent stops, spaced about 500 meters apart. Could Mingtao have gotten off at the previous stop and taken a shortcut to follow Jiang Mei here?
"Over there! After him!" You Mingxu shouted.
You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan immediately took a few officers and sprinted in pursuit. The others, seeing this, turned and ran back to the police cars hidden on a side street, launching a two-pronged effort.
In moments, almost everyone had scattered, leaving only two officers behind to handle the scene and escort Jiang Mei home. Yin Feng stood where he was, squinting slightly. Seeing You Mingxu vanish into the distance, he knew that even with an extra leg, he couldn’t catch up. Unhurried, he took out his phone. "Tuya, where are you?"
"On a parallel street about 200 meters from you."
Tuya and Guan Jun had been following them from a distance.
"Pick me up. Let’s go after your boss lady."
Just as You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan reached the intersection, they saw a black car speeding away several hundred meters down the street, leaving only the sight of its rear end.
Both of them were startled.
Did he have backup? Or had Mingtao driven here himself?
Suppressing her shock and doubt, You Mingxu was about to call for a police car when an SUV rushed out from a side road. Tuya and Guan Jun were in the front seats, both grinning at her.
You Mingxu’s mind raced—a non-police vehicle might be even better, allowing them to catch the suspect off guard. She got in with Xu Mengshan, instructing the other officers to wait for backup police cars.
Yin Feng was already in the back seat. As soon as they were inside, You Mingxu called Ding Xiongwei: their team would pursue the suspicious car, while all available police units in the area would mobilize to search for Mingtao, leaving no room for error.
Ding Xiongwei immediately agreed and began arranging the deployment.Tuya grinned and said, "Hold on tight." Summoning all his strength, he floored the accelerator and began speeding at full throttle. The car instantly surged forward, slamming everyone back against their seats. You Mingxu cursed under her breath and started fastening her seatbelt. Suddenly, an arm reached over and wrapped tightly around her waist.
She exchanged a glance with Yin Feng and said, "I'm fine."
Yin Feng replied, "Mm."
His arm remained draped around her waist.
You Mingxu’s heart, which had felt as though it were being drenched by both ice and fire, suddenly grew calm and clear.
She thought to herself, This is no good—I’ve already gotten used to having him backing me up during investigations, inseparable as shadows.
Truly, with Tuya at the wheel, you knew he’d deliver. In just a few minutes, they spotted the suspect vehicle ahead on the road. Since this was a main thoroughfare, there were still scattered cars even late at night, making their tailing less conspicuous.
After a moment’s thought, Yin Feng said, "Tuya, maintain a normal speed and follow two cars behind."
Though puzzled, Tuya immediately complied.
You Mingxu instantly grasped Yin Feng’s intention—was he waiting to see what other tricks Mingtao had up his sleeve, or was he watching for the Punisher to appear? Whatever the case, the net was already cast wide, and Mingtao had no chance of escape. She turned to Xu Mengshan and said, "Tell the patrol cars behind to follow from a distance, preferably encircling the area from the outskirts."
Xu Mengshan understood and immediately made the call.
Soon, the police cars behind dispersed. To any observer, this appeared to be an ordinary road with sparse traffic, nothing out of the ordinary.
"Will Mingtao notice?" You Mingxu asked.
Yin Feng replied, "He’s not that sharp. However, we can’t confirm yet whether he’s the one in that car—or if he’s alone."
The two vehicles drove calmly, separated by a few hundred meters.
They continued like this for half an hour until they reached the northern part of the city, where the traffic grew even sparser. Guan Jun suddenly exclaimed, "Teacher Yin, we’re heading toward the lake."
Yin Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly.
You Mingxu recognized it too—the lake opposite Yin Feng’s house. Wasn’t this the road leading there? She instinctively glanced out the window. The terrain here was low-lying, dense with woods, while Yin Feng’s house stood on higher ground. In the distance, she could faintly make out the scattered lights of the villa area several kilometers away.
You Mingxu froze.
By now, she was one hundred percent certain that the person in the car ahead was up to no good. Otherwise, why would they be driving toward a deserted lakeside at three in the morning?
But why were they heading here?
Yin Feng said, "Let’s wait and see."
They soon entered the lake area, catching only a glimpse of the unlit car ahead as it flashed past.
You Mingxu said to Xu Mengshan, "Tell the other cars to close in and block both ends of the lake."
Xu Mengshan replied, "Got it."
However, it was the middle of the night, and the lake area was completely open, without a single light. The lakeside was thick with trees and riddled with branching paths. By the time they reached the shore, all they saw was a vast expanse of darkness. They could faintly hear an engine in the distance but couldn’t immediately pinpoint the car’s location.
Guan Jun suddenly said, "Could there be an ambush waiting for us? I don’t want to see anyone else die."
Yin Feng looked at You Mingxu, his gaze calm and steady, leaving the decision to her. If she chose to move in now, he would follow.You Mingxu's heart softened for a moment as she recalled him telling her that night that he was their biggest stumbling block. He had even asked her what she would do if he died. He had asked her with such seriousness and calmness. In truth, his heart must have been aching deeply.
Yet now, fearless and unhesitating, he still left the decision to her.
You Mingxu collected her thoughts. Even if they had to charge forward, it would be her and Xu Mengshan. She would have Tuya and Guan Jun pin him down where he stood.
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