The bastard had hitched a ride with me before, but now he was turning on me without a second thought. By my old temperament, I would have kicked him in the rear, but since we were at Li Youshan’s door, I had to keep a low profile, so I swallowed my anger.

"Hong Zu, did I kick you anywhere just now?" Ding Qingyuan asked, a hint of sycophancy in his tone.

"It's fine. Take the person over to the car."

"Hey, what is going on? Can you at least give us a hint?" I demanded indignantly.

Hong Yang didn't reply, but Ding Qingyuan answered, "What's going on? You'll know when the time comes."

My heart gave a sudden jolt. Listening to his tone, it sounded like something big was afoot. Especially since Cong Lin, usually so lively, was now completely silent, her face grave—this made me feel even worse.

Could it be that Chen Yujia had finally made his move?

Michelle had speculated he would act, but she couldn't predict what kind of action he would take. I had imagined countless scenarios, but I never would have connected Chen Yujia with the Fourth Criminal Investigation Team.

Was this truly Chen Yujia’s plot? That he would use the Fourth Team to lure me away, and then strike at Li Youshan!

But if he knew I was still in the city, then the deception woven by Michelle and me would be exposed. How could he still proceed against Li Youshan?

I didn't have time to dwell on this now, because no matter what, I couldn't expose my location for the time being. I had to find a way to escape!

I glanced over: the police car was parked in the hotel lot, about fifty meters from the main entrance. This distance was a straight line, making escape difficult. However, about ten meters before reaching the police car, there was an excellent escape route: a narrow path to the right, separated by a vertical distance of about four or five meters. I had been down that path before; it was winding, circling the perimeter of the hotel, with two small passages leading out to another street.

In other words, as long as I could reach that specific point and suddenly dart out four or five meters diagonally, I had an eighty percent chance of shaking off these three.

To keep them off guard, I remained perfectly calm the entire way, repeatedly asserting my innocence, claiming they had misunderstood, and threatening to report them to higher-ups.

But my words had no effect on Hong Yang and the others. Their expressions were almost identical: blank. I was very familiar with that look; it was the expression ninety-nine percent of detectives wear when facing a suspect in a major felony case—myself included.

I continuously adjusted my pace in secret, maneuvering myself as close as possible to Cong Lin. I had no choice; she was the weakest of the three, and I had to choose her as my breakout point.

The target spot was drawing nearer. I suppressed my heartbeat, bringing my physical functions to their peak, and walked toward it step by calculated step.

Finally, just as Hong Yang stepped forward, Cong Lin followed, and Ding Qingyuan lagged behind, I suddenly shoved Cong Lin aside and bolted toward that narrow path with lightning speed.

The three behind me immediately shouted warnings. I heard the sound of bolts being drawn, but I paid them no mind, just kept running, my legs spinning like windmills, before I rounded the corner out of their sight.

Luckily, I knew this area well. I knew there was a wall right after the turn, so I kicked off the wall with one foot and swung instantly in another direction. I hadn't run far before I heard Ding Qingyuan’s scream behind me; he must have slammed into the wall.

I fled quickly to the next street and immediately plunged into the nearby wet market, vanishing in an instant amidst the throng of mingled smells.

Shortly after losing Hong Yang and his crew, Mayor Jiang’s call came through.

"Wang Lei, we sorted it out. Turns out the Fourth Team found your hair at the church scene and listed you as a suspect."

"What? They actually think I’m the murderer?"

"It's fine for now. I reported your situation to Bureau Chief Li, and he ordered Fu Zhen to tell the Fourth Team to stop pursuing you."

"These bastards actually drew their guns! If I hadn't run fast, you’d be coming to collect my corpse. Mayor Jiang, we put our lives on the line for this job; shouldn't there be some sort of compensation?"

"You brat! Do you know how much effort I exerted over your situation? Bureau Chief Li was raising hell in the office just now, chewing me out for acting unilaterally. Who am I supposed to settle this score with?"

I chuckled, "Once the case is solved, can't you just yell back at him then?"

"Stop the nonsense. If you’re fine, I'm hanging up; I’m busy."

"Don't hang up! There’s one thing I still don’t understand. How did they know I was still in the city?" This question seemed trivial, but if Chen Yujia’s shadow was involved, the issue became rather complicated.

Mayor Jiang replied, "They checked through Interpol and found you never checked into the US, so they knew."

Ah, I finally relaxed, then boasted into the receiver, "I gave that kid Hong Yang a solid kick just now, felt great."

From the previous confrontation between Mayor Jiang and Fu Zhen, I knew that Hong Yang had 'followed a thief and served the father,' which surely displeased Mayor Jiang. That kick must have given Mayor Jiang a small measure of satisfaction.

"You scoundrel! If anything happens to Xiao Yang, wait till I deal with you!" Mayor Jiang’s thunderous roar came through the receiver.

I quickly slapped the phone down and muttered under my breath, "Only I am truly wretched; unloved by father or mother."

Returning to the hotel, I sat before the binoculars, but I couldn't calm down. I turned on the television and randomly flipped channels.

No, something here was definitely wrong. The church scene had been thoroughly examined; no physical evidence had been left behind. How could my hair have appeared there?

Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat: Someone must have planted it deliberately, and their goal was to use the police force to investigate whether I had truly gone to the US...

A chilling sensation slowly crawled over my body, bit by bit making me cold all over.

The mole—the mole within the police bureau had finally shown himself again!

I had always suspected a mole but could never be certain who it was. At first, I thought it was Gao Jianning, then Xiao Xuan. Only after You Qiaolin was arrested, since he possessed all the qualifications of a mole, was that accusation naturally placed upon him, and I stopped thinking about it.

But the presence of my hair at the church indicated the mole still existed.

This time, it was his most direct action. If we followed the trail, I was sure we would find something!

Without hesitation, I immediately called Mayor Jiang to report the matter. Upon hearing it, Mayor Jiang agreed with my assessment and promised to arrange personnel for a covert investigation immediately.

I paused, then added, "Mayor Jiang, the Fourth Team now knows my whereabouts. I believe Chen Yujia must know too, so I don't think it's necessary to continue monitoring Li Youshan."

"That’s not urgent now. To confirm the mole situation definitively, you should remain out of sight for the time being. This way, we can narrow the suspects down to the Fourth Team and those associated with them."

I silently commended him: Experience is truly the best teacher; Jiang is older and more astute, acting meticulously and leaving no loopholes.

Although according to my deduction, Chen Yujia wouldn't target Li Youshan, I still couldn't rest easy and maintained the tightest surveillance on him. Because I couldn't be certain if my deduction was entirely correct; against Chen Yujia, I had absolutely no confidence.

Sometimes, reminiscing about the past makes me deeply sad, especially thinking of that gentle and kind 'Chen Yujia.' It feels like a needle piercing my heart, yet I don't know if this sting comes from his cruelty or my own stupidity. I desperately want to erase this person from my mind, but memory is an inherent human ability; you have no choice in the matter.

For the past few days, I've been staying at the hotel, my only companion the long sight of the telescope. The days have been incredibly dull.

The weather is beautiful today, the sun unusually mild, warming my skin as I recline in a chair by the window, enjoying the rare sunbath.

During the day, I usually keep the telescope stowed in a corner, only using it at night because it has infrared capabilities. I am separated from Li Youshan’s residential building by only one street. With my good eyesight, I can see across quite clearly.

Li Youshan watched television for a while, then came to the windowsill, glanced down, and suddenly lifted his head, looking directly toward the hotel where I was located.

By this point, it was too late to hide. I simply remained seated, staring at the sky, watching the white clouds drift by. However, my peripheral vision was constantly trained on him. If his gaze swept over me, or lingered for even a few seconds, it would be suspicious. Normally, when a person scans opposite buildings, if they spot someone, they only glance briefly before continuing their scan.

But this phenomenon changes if the person they see captures their interest. This "interest" is a vague term. Seeing a friend might pique interest, seeing an enemy might too, seeing a beautiful woman certainly would, and perhaps seeing a handsome man might as well.

This interest changes the duration of their gaze. If they want a second look, their eyes will linger; if they don't, the glance will be fleeting, stopping for no moment at all.

I am absolutely someone Li Youshan would not wish to see, assuming he already knew my identity. Under that premise, his eyes would sweep past as if he hadn't noticed, or perhaps linger for a longer period to confirm my features.

Li Youshan’s gaze swept past, as if he hadn't seen me, and then he turned back into his room.

I inwardly thought, This is bad. Although the preceding analysis was merely a deduction based on numerous examples, it had been verified many times.

Did Li Youshan spot me?

Impossible. He’s just an ordinary driver; how could he have spotted me so quickly?

Just then, Li Youshan opened his door. I hurriedly changed my clothes and rushed downstairs.

A while later, Li Youshan emerged from the stairwell door. Since the car accident, Li Youshan’s license had been suspended, leaving him with nothing to do but wander around. Usually, he only strolled the nearby streets and rarely went far.

I followed him discreetly from a distance, expecting him to head to a mahjong parlor for a while, but this time he walked to the bus stop. It seemed he intended to travel further afield. I didn't think much of it, bought a newspaper, and stood concealing part of my face a good distance away from him.

Li Youshan stood there. A bus passed, but he didn't board. A while later, another arrived, and he still didn't get on. My position was relatively close to the stop; I glanced at the sign. There were four routes here. The two that had passed were the 501 and 735. The other two were the 547 and 914.

The 547 bus came lumbering along, letting off many passengers. Li Youshan remained standing there, not boarding. It seemed he was waiting for the 914. I quickly checked the general route for the 914 and discovered its final stop was in the suburbs.

Is the guy heading to the suburbs? That's where his meeting spot with Chen Yujia is...

I started letting my mind wander without reason. Then the 914, swaying like a stout aunt, approached. I shuffled a few steps forward to make sure I didn't miss getting on.

But the unexpected happened: Li Youshan still did not board the bus.

The foot I had extended immediately snapped back to attention and began to shake, much like Wang Xuyang's, while my mind worked: Why did he come here, only to not take the bus? Could he be like some delinquent teenagers who specifically frequent bus stops to watch pretty girls?

However, when I peered through the gap formed by my hand and the newspaper, I saw that he was indeed waiting for a bus, occasionally craning his neck to look down the road.

Is he waiting for someone?

Right, he must be waiting for someone. Maybe a relative just arrived at the house. My curiosity instantly waned.

Just then, another 735 arrived. I leaned lazily against something, motionless. Since he was waiting for someone, I wasn't in a hurry; I'd just wait here with him.

Suddenly, Li Youshan began to move. Before the bus had even fully stopped, he started walking toward the door. Luckily, this allowed me to barely keep up.

However, before moving, I hesitated slightly because my actions were now too conspicuous. Just like Li Youshan, I hadn't taken the previous 735, but now both of us were boarding the next one. It was too obvious—so obvious that I regretted getting on the bus with him.

But his unusual behavior today suggested something was up. If I gave up tailing him, I couldn't imagine what might happen. So, in the end, I followed him, risking being exposed.

It wasn't rush hour, so there weren't too many people on the bus. Li Youshan sat in one of the front seats, while I took the last row, which allowed me to observe everyone.

The bus swayed forward like an aunt’s shopping basket. I looked at the passengers—about eight or nine people in total. Li Youshan was in the third row, with empty space both in front and behind him. In the single seat to his right sat a young, fashionable woman, dressed provocatively, frequently examining her face in a small mirror like a White Bone Demon checking her reflection.

The bus braked sharply at a red light. Everyone on board lurched forward and then settled back into their seats.

It was then that I noticed a strange phenomenon: Li Youshan’s left hand hadn't moved at all. To be precise, his left shoulder remained completely still, not even swaying during the sudden stop.

I felt something was fishy and bent down, looking forward beneath the seat. I saw Li Youshan’s left hand flash briefly under the seat before being retracted. When I looked up again, his left shoulder had begun to twitch rhythmically.