“Run, why aren’t you running anymore, hmm?” Sang Tong stood by the window, looking down at the man lying on the ground, her voice gleeful as she threw out the words.

The man: …

He wanted to run—how was he supposed to know there were people waiting outside too?!

Ye Jinchen burst through the door and immediately cuffed the man who tried to escape. This time, no matter how much he struggled, it was useless.

“Nice work. Call Old Zhang to come take over. We’ll bring this one back first,” Ye Jinchen said as he pulled the man up and spoke to Sang Tong, who was still standing by the window.

“Oh!” Sang Tong responded cheerfully, clearly pleased by the compliment. She waved her hand and quickly called Zhang Weimin.

Frowning, Sang Tong hesitated as she was asked for the address over the phone. “Huh? The address?”

“Number 67, Zhongxing Road, Urban Village.” A familiar voice called out from the corner. Sang Tong immediately repeated the address.

Once she received confirmation, she hung up the call and looked over at the suspect they’d just arrested. He looked young, around her age. Out of all the things he could’ve done, why choose crime?

On the way back, Sang Tong shared the back seat with the suspect, sitting upright and proper. When the man started fidgeting, she shot him a glance. He immediately settled down.

How could he not be intimidated? Some people may look delicate, but that punch earlier felt like it nearly broke his nose…

Once they brought the man back to the department, Ye Jinchen didn’t rush to interrogate him. As soon as he walked in, someone blocked his path.

“Go change your bandages first. It won’t take more than half an hour,” Zhang Weimin said.

Ye Jinchen gave him a glance. Zhang Weimin raised his hands in surrender. “It’s orders from Deputy Director Chen, I’m just the messenger.”

“Take Xiao Sang with you,” Old Zhang added, seeing Ye Jinchen about to leave.

“No need,” Ye Jinchen declined.

“Xiao Sang, keep an eye on him for me. Make sure he actually goes to the hospital!” Zhang Weimin tried a different tactic.

“Eh! Got it…” Sang Tong quickly agreed.

Ye Jinchen: …

Targeted again.

Ye Jinchen was already a regular at the hospital. The doctor who treated him practically knew him by name.

“Well now, you’re being a lot more proactive about changing your bandages this time,” the elderly doctor teased upon seeing him.

“Doctor, how long will this kind of wound take to heal?” Sang Tong asked, frowning as she glanced at the grotesque wound.

It hadn’t looked too deep yesterday, just long. But after the ointment was applied, it looked even worse. The wound was at its ugliest stage, coated in a mix of red and yellow medicine. Just looking at it hurt.

“At this rate… a month, give or take,” the doctor answered, eyeing Sang Tong curiously.

He glanced at her, then at Ye Jinchen, pushing his reading glasses up his nose. “If he takes good care of it, even just over twenty days isn’t impossible.”

“But absolutely no strenuous activity,” the doctor added meaningfully.

Sang Tong, not catching the implication but feeling guilty anyway, etched that advice into her mind. Once they left the treatment room, she seemed a little distracted.

“What are you thinking about? Watch where you’re going, you almost walked into someone.” Ye Jinchen grabbed her like a chick and pulled her aside.

“They say you should eat what helps heal you. I was thinking maybe I should buy you some pig skin to stew…” Sang Tong said seriously.

Even Ye Jinchen, who was used to all kinds of situations, couldn’t help the twitch that appeared on his forehead.

Lifting his eyes slightly, he tossed out a quiet reply, “Don’t bother.”

By the time they returned to the office, more than half an hour had passed. Sang Tong had assumed Ye Jinchen would go straight into the interrogation, but to her surprise, he wasn’t in any rush. He sat at his desk, reviewing the case files. Sang Tong also began sorting through clues.

Based on what they currently knew, she suspected the perpetrator might be using money as bait to lure women before killing them.

If money wasn’t the motive, then what was?

“Did they find the victim’s shoes at the scene?” Sang Tong asked.

“No. We can’t rule out that they were taken,” came the response. “If not, then they were completely burned—but even with intense burning, some fragments should’ve remained. Yet nothing was found at the scene.”

“Oh.” Sang Tong thought the same.

Just take the fact that the culprit prepared gasoline, Sang Tong felt this was not a crime of passion, it must have been thoroughly planned. So, the choice of location must have been carefully considered as well.

“Let’s go. It’s time. To the interrogation room.” Ye Jinchen stood up, and Sang Tong grabbed her notebook and followed. “You’ll interrogate this person.”

“Huh?” Sang Tong was surprised. Could he really mean her?

“Any problem?” Ye Jinchen frowned, looking at her. “I believe that since you were transferred from the county to the provincial team as an exception, you must have some capability.”

Sang Tong: ...

Being put on the spot like that, Sang Tong hadn’t expected the leader’s heavy-handed move and could only back down.

“Thank you for your compliment, I will work hard!” Or he could just say outright that he wanted to evaluate her...

The somewhat dim and cold interrogation room held the person who had been brought back, now tied to a chair, looking around. His complexion was much worse than when he first arrived.

Sang Tong walked into the room and glanced toward the other side. Through the tinted glass, she couldn’t see, but she knew Ye Jinchen was also watching her at this moment.

Ye Jinchen was indeed standing by the glass, clearly seeing everything in the interrogation room. He wasn’t deliberately trying to make things difficult for Sang Tong, but the manpower in Team Eight was limited, and as the team leader, he naturally needed to discover each member’s abilities.

His gaze settled on the young woman’s face. She only glanced this way briefly before withdrawing her gaze. Her expression grew more serious, different from when she was smiling—it was a side of her he didn’t know.

She looked at the captured man expressionlessly.

“Name.” Sang Tong sat down and asked the man.

“Zhang San.” The man answered.

“I’m asking for your real name.” Sang Tong wasn’t in a hurry, her tone steady, without any aggression.

“I told you, my name is Zhang San. That’s my real name.” The man was determined to play dumb.

He had originally thought Sang Tong would keep asking the same questions, but unexpectedly she closed her folder and looked at him.

“Five months ago, you sold several cards. Who was the buyer?” Sang Tong got straight to the point.

“Sell what cards? I don’t know.” The man shook his head, acting clueless.

“Yesterday, you stole someone’s ID on Metro Line 6.” Sang Tong glanced at him. The man’s previously loose expression instantly stiffened.

“Last month, you used a kitchen knife to scam two elderly people of unused bank cards in Ping’an Community.” Sang Tong continued.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence we found you... or something else?” A smile appeared on Sang Tong’s face, seemingly harmless, but the man across from her looked visibly tense.

“I want to smoke a cigarette.” The man suddenly said.

“No.” Sang Tong refused without thinking.

“Then I want a glass of water.” He tried again.

This time, Sang Tong poured him a cup of water. She placed the plastic cup in front of him. The man took it, his hand slightly trembling, face hesitant.

“I knew shit would happen!” After drinking, he crushed the plastic cup and threw it on the table, seeming annoyed.

“Five months ago, right? Five months ago I sold thirty bank cards, all to the same buyer...” Listening to him, Sang Tong reopened her folder and quickly took notes.

About ten minutes later, Sang Tong came out of the interrogation room. Ye Jinchen was already waiting by the door.

According to the man’s confession, someone bought thirty bank cards from him five months ago. His operation was just a small workshop, usually catering to gamblers who didn’t have much money. Nobody expected someone to buy thirty cards at once.

Not only that, several phone SIM cards were bought too, all registered under other people’s ID's.

“The stuff is in the locker at the bathhouse. He hasn’t met the buyer in person.” Sang Tong reported.

“Alright, organize everything and send the interrogation records to Xu Ran.” Ye Jinchen said.

“Okay.” Sang Tong replied.

Where Ye Jinchen went afterwards, Sang Tong didn’t know. She spent the entire afternoon organizing the interrogation notes and sent them to Xu Ran at 4 PM. Afterward, she stayed alone in the office going through case files.

At 5:30, she went to the cafeteria to eat. Other team members still hadn’t returned. Sang Tong wasn’t worried. As a rookie, she’d already learned to keep herself busy.

She opened a map app and marked the crime locations...

The bluish-purple light she saw earlier kept flashing in her mind. She hadn’t figured out what it was until she saw the word “Fishery” flash past on the map. Then a guess flickered through her mind.

That long strip of reflected light she saw was very likely the gleam of a fishing rod.

She wasn’t someone who liked fishing, but the team leader in her county was a fishing enthusiast. After cases, during rest periods, he often went fishing at the reservoir.

Sometimes, clues come like a sudden flash of inspiration. Actually, once some things are understood, others become easier to explain.

Night fishing was a very good excuse.

The sky was gradually darkening. Sang Tong hesitated a moment between leaving work or staying longer, mainly because...

Everyone was busy, and it really wouldn’t be appropriate for her to go back and rest. It was better to follow Ye Jinchen, at least it gave her some peace of mind.

Finally, around 8 PM, the team members started returning one after another.

The members of Team Eight, who had been running around all day, were only now able to regroup.

“Meeting at 8:30,” Ye Jinchen announced as he appeared at the doorway.

“Alright, still time to grab a bite,” Zhang Weimin chuckled and went off to make instant noodles for the others. “Xiao Sang, want some?”

“No need, I’ve already had dinner,” Sang Tong waved her hand.

By 8:30, the meeting room was full. It was Sang Tong’s first time attending a meeting at her new unit, and she felt quite nervous.

The evening meeting was mainly to summarize the day’s results, consolidate findings, and plan for tomorrow.

They had received information about the identity of the victim from yesterday, and they would confirm it the next day. As for the previous two victims, the money in their accounts had come from multiple sources. Based on what the person involved in reselling ID cards and bank accounts said that afternoon, it was basically confirmed to be the same perpetrator.

However, since the transactions were conducted through anonymous forums, it would still take some time to track everything down.

There was a lot of fragmented information at the moment. Organizing it into something useful and critical would require a careful sorting process.

“I have a new discovery.” Once everyone had finished speaking, Sang Tong, seated in the corner, raised her hand.

Ye Jinchen looked over. The girl sat there properly, hand raised, looking at him like a well-behaved, obedient student.