He opened the car door for her and got in to sit beside her. She looked at his profile. In his thirty years of life, what exactly had he suffered because of his parents? For now, there was no way to know.
Perhaps someday in the future, when the past had settled and the days were peaceful, at some moment, he would be willing to tell her at home.
You Mingxu held his hand, unaware herself that she was gripping it a little too tightly.
Yin Feng glanced at her and suddenly laughed, saying, "You Mingxu, I don’t want your pity."
You Mingxu detected the coldness in his words and felt a pang of discomfort. The atmosphere in the car seemed to grow tense.
After a moment of silence, she withdrew her hand and rapped him twice on the head: "Who are you being so sarcastic for? Do you still want…" She paused mid-sentence.
But he understood what she meant. He looked at her and uttered a single word: "Yes."
You Mingxu smiled.
Just like that, the atmosphere became comfortable again.
After a while, Yin Feng pulled her into his arms, his hand stroking her waist a few times, applying subtle pressure that made her tingle and feel a slight, not unpleasant, pain. You Mingxu inwardly cursed him as "crazy," but she couldn’t help grabbing his other hand, gently stroking his fingers one by one. Soon, she had the sense that he had truly relaxed.
The police car sped toward the third crime scene. It was noon, and the sun glared brightly. You Mingxu thought:
What is the original sin of a family?
In the end, Yin Chen, who had nothing left, left behind this cruel ritual that seemed like a child’s mischief.
Perhaps each of us always believes that as we grow older, we drift further and further away from home.
But in truth, everyone, whether guilty or innocent, whether living in hardship and pain or thriving with ease—
No matter where they are in the world—
If they look up, who cannot see the shadow of that child standing silently under the soft light of home on that day, all those years ago?
It is something that cannot be changed for a lifetime.
——
It was the fifth day after the Punisher Organization had been completely eradicated.
Three cases had occurred within just six hours.
It was like a black wall covered in poisonous vines being rammed by a heavy tank. Amid the scattered bricks and vines on the ground, you’d find the sharpest stake still lingering, and if you weren’t careful, it would pierce your hand, leaving you bleeding and in pain.
That afternoon, after investigating Yin Feng’s parents’ residence, all the key detectives returned to the station for a briefing to determine the next course of action.
The deputy chief who had overseen the television station operation chaired the meeting.
A colleague from the surveillance team reported the timeline of Yin Chen’s crimes up to that point—
Yesterday.
3:20 p.m.: Yin Chen entered the residential area where Xu Mengshan’s parents lived.
4:12 p.m.: Yin Chen abducted Xu’s father and mother and drove away.
5:05 p.m.: Yin Chen arrived at the residential area where You Mingxu lived.
5:20 p.m.: Yin Chen left Xing Jifu’s severed finger behind and drove away.
6:55 p.m.: Xu Mengshan returned home and reported the crime.
8:20 p.m.: Yin Chen entered the residential area where his parents lived.
9:20 p.m.: Yin Chen drove away.
9:33 p.m.: Security guards discovered the fire and reported it.
Another colleague from the traffic unit drew four arrows on the map on the wall, and everyone widened their eyes.
The first arrow pointed from a building materials market in the southern part of the city to Xu Mengshan’s parents’ home.
The second arrow pointed from Xu Mengshan’s parents’ home to You Mingxu’s home.The third arrow pointed from You Mingxu's parents' home to Yin Feng's parents' home.
The fourth arrow pointed from Yin Feng's parents' home back to a building materials market in the southern part of the city.
A colleague reported, "Surveillance footage along the route shows Yin Chen's movements as described, and the timing matches. However, his trail disappears near the southern city building materials market. Should we focus our search on this area?"
Xu Mengshan spoke up, "Not just this area. There are two possibilities. One is that he's hiding here; the other is that he changed vehicles or switched license plates at the market and went elsewhere."
The deputy chief nodded, "Regardless, the trail ends here. Focus the search there."
Everyone began discussing and planning the search direction and strategies.
At that moment, a voice spoke up, "He will contact us soon."
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Yin Feng.
Yin Feng remained his usual self—dressed in gray top and black pants, simple yet handsome, his eyes filled with cold intensity. "Whatever he plans to do to our parents, he'll definitely show us. Without an audience, it would be too dull."
Despite Yin Feng's "prediction," the police couldn't just wait for it to happen. A large number of officers were dispatched to the southern city market, launching a swift yet meticulous search.
Unlike Xu Mengshan who joined the operation, You Mingxu chose to remain at the police station. She sat before a computer, carefully examining frame by frame the surveillance footage where Yin Chen had appeared.
Yin Feng also stayed behind, remaining by her side.
After working intently for a while, You Mingxu looked up and said, "If there's anything you want to investigate, you can go. Don't worry about me."
Yin Feng pointed a finger to his head and replied, "I am investigating. I'm thinking."
You Mingxu smiled and said, "Actually, I think their trip to the southern part of the city is unlikely to yield results. If Yin Chen doesn't want to leave clues, he won't."
Yin Feng nodded, "For him, this is child's play. If he allowed us to capture his car on camera, he's confident we won't find him."
You Mingxu continued staring at the screen.
Yin Feng asked, "What are you looking for?"
You Mingxu replied, "I don't know yet. But this time, Yin Chen's methods are very different from before. Even the Apprentice Killer Mingtao was cautious and never allowed his face to be captured on camera. That's probably a basic professional standard for high-intelligence criminals."
"But Yin Chen no longer cares—his face, his car, his fingerprints are everywhere. He probably thinks that even if we know these details, it doesn't matter because he has a way to escape. However, he's not a police officer. No matter how strong a criminal's anti-surveillance skills are, they can never think like a police officer."
Yin Feng's eyes lit up, "That's a very interesting perspective. Go on."
You Mingxu smiled faintly, "A police officer looking at these surveillance videos sees that the more traces he leaves, the more details emerge. Existence implies reason, and more details mean more logical connections behind them. By identifying these connections, we might find the answers we're looking for. A criminal, however, would never think this way."
Yin Feng understood her words and even felt inspired by them.
This demonstrated a detective's meticulous thinking and sharp insight.Such was You Mingxu, facing such an urgent situation, yet remaining calm, confident, and stubborn. Even without makeup, her phoenix-like eyes still gleamed with a cold light, momentarily making him see again the woman in Tibet who dared to dance with wolves and captured Gu Tiancheng single-handedly.
Despite experiencing so many joys and sorrows along the way, her resolve remained unwavering.
OpenNovel