I strode purposefully toward the small convenience store, leaning in closely under the proprietress's scrutinizing gaze, and sure enough, I pinpointed the source of the sound coming from inside.

Blood roared through my system; I could no longer afford to conceal my identity. I pulled my police badge from my coat and barked, "Take me inside, now!"

The woman shrieked and suddenly bolted from behind the counter, running outward like a madwoman. I didn't stop her. Instead, I leaped inside in a single bound, shoved aside the stacks of boxes piled against the back wall, and revealed a dark wooden door.

My heart hammered with both excitement and tension. This simple wooden door took me nearly three minutes to open before I stumbled through in a rush. Inside was a small storage room, perhaps only ten square meters, scattered with bits of merchandise.

"Xiao Xuan! Xiao Xuan, where are you?" I shouted.

A moan answered from the corner by the west wall. I rushed over without hesitation, only to be stunned into silence.

In the corner was a small cot, and on it, two babies, halfway between sleep and wakefulness.

The convenience store couple—they were human traffickers!

I spat out a curse and quickly pulled out my phone to report the situation to headquarters, leaving the rest of the handling to them.

Now that the owner and his wife had fled, I sat alone by the store entrance, waiting for my colleagues. The two infants, awakened by the commotion, wailed ceaselessly, further fraying my already taut nerves. But what choice did I have facing two innocent babies?

Dented Tooth, the underground boxing champion, a human trafficker—what an international joke this had become.

All my pent-up anger was focused on that idiot posting nonsense online, so I whipped out my phone, ready to unleash a verbal assault.

Just then, an SUV appeared from nowhere, stopping before the door with a hiss, and several figures disembarked. I initially assumed they were backup from the station and started to speak, but looking up, I saw they were street toughs. "The boss isn't here. We're closed for business!" I stated.

A bald man snorted, "Are your eyes playing tricks on you, kid? Around the Sanhe area, who dares cross Dented Tooth?"

I was instantly dumbfounded. Dented Tooth? Was that not the person I was looking for?

"Hey, kid, what are you standing around for like an idiot? Grab a carton of tea and load it into the back."

The bald man, seeing my maintenance worker attire, spoke without courtesy.

I stood up, hauled a carton of tea, and tossed it into the rear of the vehicle, making sure to note the license plate number.

The bald man carelessly tossed out a bill. I dropped it into the cash box without even looking. The bald man cursed, "Damn it, are you truly stupid or playing dumb? I gave you a hundred, and you didn't even make change. Trying to shake me down, are you?"

Another man chuckled, "Baldy Qiang, looks like you're sinking lower and lower; even a street punk dares to skim your money, hahaha."

The others joined in the laughter. I quickly grabbed a handful of cash from the box—at least a hundred yuan—and thrust it toward them. "I apologize, I'm truly not the owner. Take it all."

Baldy Qiang's face lit up, and he snatched the money, chuckling, "Smart kid. Otherwise, I would have definitely made you see clearly today."

Amidst the roar of the engine, the group of 'Robin Hoods' sped away in a cloud of dust. I hastily scooped up the two infants, carried them to the neighboring shop, explained my situation, entrusted them to wait for the police, and then, with a deafening, bomber-like roar, I left on that decrepit frame of a motorcycle.

As I continually pushed the bike's speed, I realized its strangeness; it could reach one hundred and fifty miles per hour, handling impeccably. The seemingly fragile frame felt as solid as reinforced steel under the violent vibrations.

Soon, I caught up to the SUV. To avoid alerting them, I maintained a careful distance, tailing them from afar until the SUV hissed to a stop.

I leaned the frame motorcycle against a wall and watched as several men climbed out and entered a seven-story building. Most of these were old residential blocks, rarely exceeding eleven stories.

I hesitated about following them inside. A local thug like Dented Tooth would certainly choose an extremely secluded location for any clandestine activity, definitely not somewhere so open.

Suppressing my agitation, I hid behind a low wall and waited patiently. No matter what, this was my only chance to rescue Xiao Xuan; I had to persist.

Over half an hour passed before one man finally came downstairs. He opened the car door, retrieved something, and then went back upstairs.

This building shared the same structure as most surrounding ones; based on neighboring properties, I knew there were three apartments per floor, two with windows facing my direction, and one facing the other way.

Based on the recent activity, I was sure this group couldn't spot me. I crept over to the SUV and peered through the glass—nothing unusual inside.

Circling the vehicle halfway, I was thrilled to discover that the man hadn't fully closed the trunk; the slightly raised lid wobbled gently, as if beckoning me. I opened the rear hatch to find scattered junk and two steel knives. I nudged them aside, revealing the black matting underneath.

I bent down to examine the matting closely. Finally, a single, long, fine strand of hair came into my view.

After a moment of elation, I carefully picked up the hair and gently tucked it into my jacket pocket, cherishing it more than any earthly treasure.

Having done this, I decided to leave immediately. Delivering this strand of hair to You Qiaolin would reveal the truth.

But then, the unexpected happened.

"Kid, I guess my eyes were blinded today!"

The bald man suddenly stood before me, his dead-fish eyes staring directly at me. Furthermore, the other toughs emerged sequentially from the stairwell, all fixing me with cold glares.

The air grew intensely cold. I knew that if I couldn't devise a solution immediately, these men might tear me to shreds. The only effective solution was to flash my badge, but what about Xiao Xuan?

I took a step back. The bald man slammed the trunk lid shut with a loud clang, the heavy lid pressing down. The others closed in from another direction, the sharp chill of blades making my body tremble.

I gritted my teeth, pulled out my badge, and shouted, "Nobody move! I'm on official duty."

The men froze, their expressions turning strange, like mice spotting a cat. Dented Tooth was the kingpin of Sanhe, and these men were just his underlings, so they possessed an innate fear of the police.

The bald man tried to crane his neck for a closer look. I snapped the identification shut. "The convenience store earlier was suspected of infant trafficking. Were you there to collect a delivery?"

"No, sir! We only deal in legitimate business. Why would we do something so heinous?" one man, who looked like a leader, said.

Perhaps realizing they were unrelated to the case, the men grew bolder. One even stepped forward with a smile. "Officer, your attire is quite fashionable. If all the police in the city dressed like this, it would certainly be lively."

I had no patience for jokes; retreating safely was the priority, but I couldn't appear too eager lest they spot a flaw. I scowled again. "Legitimate business? Hmph. Everyone in Sanhe knows Dented Tooth's name. You're lucky today. If I catch you again, you'll regret it!" To bolster my authority, I pointed sharply at the bald man. "Especially you, Baldy Qiang, I've noted you. Keep quiet for a while!"

A man burst out laughing. "Baldy Qiang, you're officially on the record today. Don't let it scare you into wetting yourself."

Baldy Qiang chuckled, "Boss, you make me sound so scared. But don't worry, even if I fell into a sewer, I wouldn't land in your hands; we are clean people."

These were the sort who would still squirm even when caught, and now, with no evidence in police hands, they were ecstatic, completely disregarding me, deriving a cat-and-mouse pleasure from the situation.

Still, I had found an exit strategy. Pointing at them, I declared, "Don't get cocky yet. We have a long road ahead. We'll see!" Then, I sped away, hearing their mocking whistles fade behind me.

After leaving Sanhe, I immediately pushed the frame motorcycle to its absolute limit, tearing down the road like the wind. Amidst the stunned stares of onlookers, I pulled the bike to a halt in front of the forensics office.

The massive roar had already alerted those inside, and coupled with my startling appearance, I was seconds away from being thrown out on the spot.

After clearing up the situation, I entered the forensics office and met You Qiaolin. I carefully extracted the single strand of hair and asked with tense anticipation, "What's the fastest turnaround time?"

You Qiaolin pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and replied calmly, "This time tomorrow."

Standard DNA testing on hair usually takes three to seven days, assuming the follicle is intact. The timeframe You Qiaolin gave meant he was going all out to assist. I was immensely grateful, and at the same time, profoundly ashamed of my earlier thoughts and actions.

You Qiaolin noticed my unusual expression. "What is it, Wang Lei? You really don't look well. You need a proper rest."

The Special Operations Office housed only Gao Jianning and Feng Siyan, both hunched over their computers, working intensely, the rhythmic clack-clack of keys filling the air. Due to my erratic behavior over the past few days, Gao Jianning barely spoke to me, just offering a nod before returning to his work. Feng Siyan, whom I barely knew, offered a brief acknowledgment and went back to her tasks.

The room lacked any of its former vitality. I sat there, utterly bored, endlessly twirling a pen, failing every time. Finally, in frustration, I tossed the pen into the holder and leaned my chin on my hands, staring into space.

Half an hour passed with no change—just the tapping of keyboards. I couldn't take it anymore and decided to find something for myself to do, preferably something both tedious and exciting.

Tedious and exciting?

A specific task suddenly struck me—absolutely tedious, certainly exciting, but also utterly disgraceful.

After much hesitation, I decided to go through with it. I changed into civilian clothes, hailed a cab, and headed to the Guoji Xiyuan complex.

After getting out, I walked directly to the gatehouse and flashed my police badge. "Get your supervisor here."

Shortly, a lean, middle-aged man approached. He wasn't tall and wore a formal uniform. His eyes were close-set, giving the impression of poor vision, yet they were very sharp. He treated me with notable humility. This property management company seemed quite legitimate; in my experience, legitimate companies employed courteous security staff, unlike those who behaved like street thugs. Especially the security captains or supervisors—their demeanor instantly reflected the company's standards. If they were always roughhousing, a mild-mannered, slender security supervisor like the one before me would have been torn apart long ago, given the diverse and complex residents.

This put my mind at ease. The more legitimate the company, the more meticulous their procedures and record-keeping, which was precisely what I needed.

The security supervisor shook my hand; the gesture felt familiar, suggesting he likely dealt with the local precinct often.

I checked his badge: "Security Supervisor Li Mingsheng." I got straight to the point. "Supervisor Li, we have a case requiring your cooperation. I need to review some relevant information."

Supervisor Li smiled warmly. "That's our duty, Officer. We will cooperate fully. What information do you need to check?"

"Let's start with the visitor log," I said.

Supervisor Li immediately replied, "Please wait here, Officer. I'll bring them right over."

I knew that a proper property management firm would keep detailed visitor logs at the gatehouse, recording the time of arrival, the resident visited, and the visitor's name. Since I recalled the time You Qiaolin visited, I could accurately locate that woman.

To avoid revealing my true intent, I added, "Bring me the logs for the entire last month."

Ten minutes later, Supervisor Li returned carrying a stack of ledgers. As before, he set them down and left, closing the door behind him.

I sat down at the spotless desk, flipping through the slightly curled ledgers, feeling like a naughty elementary schooler afraid of being discovered. Since the guards worked in shifts, the handwriting varied, making it a bit difficult to read. Following the timeline backward, I finally found yesterday morning’s visitor registration form. Oddly, You Qiaolin’s name wasn't listed. I figured this guy must have been sneaking around, afraid of being known.

A sudden chill ran through me as I considered this. Why would You Qiaolin sneak around? He could openly associate with a woman like that without any need for secrecy. Why hide his real name?

Recalling past events, sitting alone in the records room sent a shiver down my spine. Terrifying thoughts flooded my mind, pulling my nerves taut, almost to the breaking point.

Then I remembered the three conditions You Qiaolin had outlined for the killer: first, highly educated; second, financially comfortable; third, exceptionally audacious.

The muscles in my face twitched involuntarily. Didn't these three conditions describe him perfectly? Among the highly educated, who could be more audacious than a forensic pathologist who dealt with corpses daily?

A flash of silver materialized before my eyes—You Qiaolin's common dissecting knife, thin as a cicada's wing, capable of slicing through flesh before you even knew it.

If he could cut through the flesh of the dead, what stopped him from cutting the living?

Perhaps his scalpel skills had reached the level of a 'Master'?

At that moment, the blood clots of Li Yalian and the others began to surface in my mind. No wonder he was so calm, his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses holding an inscrutable gleam—he must have been admiring his own handiwork, doing so openly, even in the presence of detectives tasked with capturing criminals. That must have given him an even greater thrill.

These horrific notions caused my blood temperature to plummet; I could barely feel my limbs, as if I too had been meticulously sliced apart by that thin, gleaming silver blade.

I fought to regain physical sensation, and a sudden question challenged my resolve: If You Qiaolin did it, why tell me those three conditions? Only a fool would do that, and he was far from foolish. But perhaps that was his brilliance—revealing everything to better conceal himself.

What was happening?

Was You Qiaolin still my colleague?