Chapter 24: Caught, Sorry, You’ve Suffered!

Chapter 24: Captured, Sorry for Putting You Through This!

Sea Eagle finally noticed the police ambush surrounding him. After a lifetime of hunting wild geese, he never expected the goose to turn on him!

"Damn it!"

If he still didn’t realize Xia Xian was bait, he didn’t deserve to call himself a criminal!

But the situation left him no room to do anything more to her. He immediately turned to flee!

"Stop! I’ll shoot if you run!"

Quan Ruifeng snapped, his gun still firmly in hand. He was licensed to carry a firearm and never holstered it.

It was precisely because of his marksmanship that he could guarantee his shot would beat Sea Eagle’s slash, which was why he hadn’t intervened sooner.

Just as Xia Xian had guessed, he wanted Sea Eagle to slip up more, to gather more evidence to secure his conviction. Otherwise, the man would never confess easily.

Sea Eagle had already committed several major crimes, and his mental fortitude far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Quan Ruifeng’s threats meant nothing to him—he knew his only chance of survival was to escape!

So he ignored Quan Ruifeng’s warning and plunged blindly into the thick grass, desperate to get away.

Quan Ruifeng gave chase immediately. If Sea Eagle managed to disappear into the dense foliage, there was no telling whether he’d truly escape.

Moreover, Xia Xian’s identity was blown. If Sea Eagle got away, he would undoubtedly return for revenge—not just against her, but others would suffer too.

With that in mind, Quan Ruifeng didn’t hesitate. He raised his gun again and pulled the trigger!

"Ah!"

Another scream tore through the air as the bullet struck Sea Eagle’s thigh, forcing him to his knees in agony.

Those two seconds of delay were all Quan Ruifeng needed. He caught up in a flash and drove a fist into him.

"Didn’t I tell you not to run?"

His voice was icy as he followed up with a vicious stomp. Three years—finally, this scum was caught!

"You think I’ll listen to you? Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Even after being knocked down, Sea Eagle refused to give up. He rammed his head into Quan Ruifeng, then swiftly reached into his pocket with his uninjured left hand, pulling out another knife!

Quan Ruifeng, combat-tested, didn’t wait for the blade to swing his way. He steadied himself and disarmed Sea Eagle barehanded!

He seized Sea Eagle’s wrist, twisted hard, and dislocated it with a nasty crunch before wrenching the knife away. Then, in one fluid motion, he hurled Sea Eagle over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground!

Liu Jun and Qian Xiaogui, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally saw their chance. They rushed forward—one pinning Sea Eagle with all his weight, the other kicking the knife far out of reach.

"Ah! Shit! My stomach—!"

Sea Eagle nearly had his ribs crushed under Qian Xiaogui’s weight. He arched his back in pain, screaming—now utterly spent.

Quan Ruifeng cuffed him to Qian Xiaogui before finally turning to untie Xia Xian.

Xia Xian had been bound tightly, unable to help even if she wanted to. Besides, her role as bait had already been a complete success—all she had to do was watch.

So she sat quietly where she was, not even bothering to shift her weight, observing the final showdown with cool detachment.

Now, as Quan Ruifeng approached, she stared at him expressionlessly, not uttering a word.

"Sorry for putting you through this. I owe you one."

Under her piercing, accusing stare, Quan Ruifeng felt a rare twinge of guilt. He cleared his throat and knelt to undo her restraints.

Then he reached out, offering a hand to help her up.

Xia Xian refused. She shoved him away, stood up on her own, and brushed herself off with a cold expression.

Even though she wasn’t physically hurt, she felt psychologically scarred! Was it so hard for him to share his plan beforehand? She had been terrified, thinking he hadn’t even shown up!

Quan Ruifeng found her actions strangely cute. Despite her icy demeanor, he could see the petulant set to her mouth.

He had messed up. Worried that Xia Xian might give herself away if she knew too much, he hadn’t explained his strategy.

He had been confident in keeping her safe but forgot she’d still be scared—and angry.

Now, with Xia Xian furious, what was he supposed to do?

Quan Ruifeng rubbed his forehead wearily.

"Rui Feng, what do we do with him? Take him back to the station first? Or…?"

Liu Jun called out from the side.

If Quan Ruifeng hadn’t sought his and Qian Xiaogui’s help today, he wouldn’t have known their mission was to catch a serial killer!

They hadn’t even been clued in until the last minute! When Xia Xian and Quan Ruifeng had their very public scene at the department store—him "cheating," their explosive argument, the "breakup"—Liu Jun and Qian Xiaogui had been stunned!

They’d thought Quan Ruifeng was staging a scene to ditch Xia Xian. Never imagined they’d unwittingly played a part in this operation, even feeling guilty over their "betrayal"!

It wasn’t until after Xia Xian ran off that Liu Jun caught up with Quan Ruifeng and learned the truth.

Such a chance to earn commendations couldn’t be wasted. The three of them had tailed Xia Xian, set up the ambush, and sure enough, Sea Eagle took the bait!

The only question now was whether to interrogate him locally or send him straight to the capital.

"Take him back first."

Now that they had him, they couldn’t risk an escape. Quan Ruifeng decided to deal with Sea Eagle first before handling things with Xia Xian.

Quan Ruifeng and Qian Xiaogui would escort Sea Eagle back, while Liu Jun accompanied Xia Xian home to explain the situation to her family.

The scene at the department store had already spread like gossip. Nosy neighbors had even rushed to inform Lei Juan at the Xia household, and some had gone as far as tracking down Xia Xian’s father at the factory!

It wasn’t hard to imagine the uproar in the Xia household, or the taunts and whispers swirling around them. Quan Ruifeng didn’t have time to explain now—he could only rely on Liu Jun to help shield Xia Xian from the fallout.

But surprisingly, when Xia Xian returned home, her parents didn’t blow up at her. They just sat silently, watching her with tired eyes.

"Mom, Dad, actually—"

Seeing how much older they suddenly looked, Xia Xian’s heart ached. She stepped forward, ready to explain, but her father cut her off.

"No need. It’s not your fault. I misjudged him—we all did! Men are no good!"

"And don’t rush into marriage anymore. Just stay home and live peacefully."

Xia Datian mourned his daughter’s bad luck. He finally understood—she was cursed in love, her road to marriage full of potholes. Maybe staying single was for the best.

Xia Xian didn’t know if she should be amused or exasperated. She was glad her father had come to this realization, but she still needed to tell them what really happened.

"This wasn't without reason, this wasn't without reason! Quan Ruifeng is definitely a stand-up guy!"

Liu Jun explained the whole story in detail, ensuring Xia Datian and Lei Juan got it before leaving to return to the police station.

Quan Ruifeng had already notified the authorities in the capital, but he was still worried about Xia Xian. He decided to keep Haiying locked up for the time being—after all, only he had the key—and instructed Liu Jun and the others to guard him closely. Only then did he go out to buy things and bring them to Xia Xian's home.

The moment he arrived, Xia Datian kicked him out.

"You've ruined my daughter's reputation, and you still have the nerve to come here! I don’t care what your reasons are! Get the hell out of here! Don’t give people more gossip about her!"

Now that the murderer had been caught, there was no need for Quan Ruifeng and Xia Xian to have any further contact!

If it weren’t for Liu Jun’s explanation, they wouldn’t have known that Xia Xian had kept such a dangerous mission from everyone—she was asking for trouble!

"I’m sorry. Once everything is settled, I’ll make sure to set the record straight about Xia Xian. It’s just not the right time to publicize things yet."

Seeing the situation, Quan Ruifeng apologized, left the things behind, and went downstairs, not wanting to make things worse in the Xia household.

"Dad, it was my own decision. Why blame him?"

Xia Xian tried to talk her dad down and then ran after Quan Ruifeng downstairs.

She didn’t even know why she followed him, and once she caught up, she had no idea what to say. The two stood awkwardly facing each other, Xia Xian biting her lip nervously.

"You—"

"You—"

They spoke at the same time.

"What did you want to say?"