Chapter 27 This Bastard, Finally Caught

Chapter 27: We Finally Got the Bastard

When Guan Xia's call came through, Xu Nian was studying a set of footprints by the wasteland.

After crouching for just a few seconds, Xu Nian spoke with certainty, "The footprints are clear, Size 38. Only Luo Shun's wife, Jiang Chuntao, matches this description in the yard."

As soon as he finished speaking, an officer shouted from nearby, "Captain Xu, we found something over here."

Xu Nian walked over, and the officer said, "There's blood, likely dripped during flight. It hasn't dried yet."

Xu Nian glanced down, then looked ahead. Qi Bai said, "Seems like they headed into the mountains. Only one set of footprints—could it be just one person? Then where did Luo Shun go?"

No one had an answer. Everyone continued searching, scattered and focused. Despite the number of people, they seemed sparse compared to the vast wasteland and expansive wilderness.

Just then, Xu Nian's phone rang.

He took it out, saw the caller ID, and immediately sensed something. He automatically answered, "Guan Xia? What have you found?"

Hearing Guan Xia's name, Qi Bai's pained expression instantly changed, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Xu Nian hung up and spoke urgently, "Call Wang Yu. Luo Shun is in the Shuimu Spring City complex."

Qi Bai quickly pulled out his phone. Xu Nian then called out to Jiang Yingyao, "Brother Jiang, which assistant officer did Wang Yu take with her?"

Jiang Yingyao thought for a moment and replied, "She took a rookie who’s only been here six months, named Xu something."

As he spoke, Jiang Yingyao ran over, "What’s going on? Did that scumbag Luo Shun go to Liang Xinhua’s place?"

Getting the answer he needed, Xu Nian started moving quickly, "Brother Jiang, keep everyone searching. Based on the footprints and blood, Jiang Chuntao must have taken a weapon into the mountains. We don’t have enough people—call Director Ren and request backup."

Then he shouted again, "Qi Bai, grab a few officers and come with me. We’re heading to Shuimu Spring City."

As soon as they got in the car, before even fastening their seatbelts, Qi Bai started the engine and peeled out like in a drift.

Xu Nian grabbed the oh-shit handle to brace himself and quickly called Director Ren, "Director Ren, Xu Nian here. I just received word that suspect Luo Shun, male, 45, from Pingshun Village, was spotted in the Shuimu Spring City complex on Xinmin Avenue. We believe he may be armed and intends to kill Ye Lan, resident of Unit 1102, Building 7, Entry 1. I repeat: Unit 1102, Building 7, Entry 1. Requesting backup."

As soon as Xu Nian finished, a reply came quickly from the other end, "Received. I’ll contact nearby patrol cars and local police for backup."

Knowing backup would beat them there, Xu Nian’s tense expression relaxed slightly.

Once on the main road and the car stabilized, Xu Nian let go of the handle, fastened his seatbelt, and asked, "Did you get through to Wang Yu?"

Qi Bai, pushing the accelerator nearly to the floor, replied quickly, "Yes, but she only said a few words before hanging up. No clue what’s going on now."

Xu Nian checked the time. Qi Bai couldn’t help but ask, "Captain Xu, why would Luo Shun go to Liang Xinhua’s place after already abducting him? All five victims, including Liang Xinhua, were men with a history of domestic violence. Now, only his wife Ye Lan and daughter Liang Panpan are left at home. Surely Luo Shun isn’t crazy enough to target them?"

Xu Nian said, "We’re police; he’s a murderer. We can never understand what goes through a murderer’s mind. But my guess is Luo Shun might have thought he gave Ye Lan a fresh start, only for her to marry another abusive man. So after abducting Liang Xinhua, he flew into a rage and decided to kill Ye Lan too."

Qi Bai recalled some clues found during the search of Luo Shun’s home, "So it seems Luo Shun and his wife Jiang Chuntao were indeed in this together. At least Jiang Chuntao killed Liang Xinhua."

Qi Bai thought of something else, "Captain Xu, do you think their daughter Luo Xiaoyun knew about all this? The couple killed so many people, even tortured and dismembered them."

Xu Nian shook his head, "Luo Xiaoyun was found unconscious. The tech team discovered sleeping pills in her room. Based on current evidence, Luo Shun and Jiang Chuntao made sure she was kept in the dark. But whether she truly knew nothing will have to wait until she wakes up."

Qi Bai scoffed, "That child is eleven, right? The earliest victim found so far dates back seven years. Over seven years, they killed five people, disposed of some body parts far away and buried the rest nearby. With all that commotion, the kid isn’t stupid. Living under the same roof for so long, how could she not have noticed anything? If she claims to know nothing when she wakes up, she’s definitely hiding something."

Xu Nian didn’t respond, just checked his watch again.

As time passed, Qi Bai grew increasingly nervous.

After a few minutes of silence, Qi Bai couldn’t take the tension and joked, "Captain Xu, if Wang Yu manages to catch Luo Shun, she’ll definitely get a personal commendation by the end of the year, right?"

Xu Nian glanced at him, "What? Worried?"

Qi Bai retorted, "Aren’t you worried, Captain Xu?"

Instead of answering directly, Xu Nian said, "You have to trust Wang Yu. She may be a woman, but she’s also a fully trained police officer who graduated with top honors from the Public Security University."

Perhaps Xu Nian’s calm tone eased Qi Bai’s nerves. Though his foot remained heavy on the accelerator, his expression relaxed, "You’re right, Captain Xu. Last time, Wang Yu even pinned Xiao Tian from the neighboring 3rd Squad. Plus, she has an assistant officer with her. They’ll definitely nab Luo Shun."

...

The moment Wang Yu answered the phone, the lock turned—someone was unlocking the door from outside.

Hearing the words from the phone, Wang Yu’s expression shifted slightly, but she remained silent, only mouthed a warning to the officer beside her: "Luo Shun."

The officer’s expression changed dramatically. Glancing at his uniform, he quickly and carefully moved to the corner by the shoe closet to avoid being seen and causing the suspect to flee.

Wang Yu had no time to talk. She hung up and hurried to the master bedroom, stopping Ye Lan, who had heard the noise and was about to investigate.

Perhaps unfamiliar with the lock, the person outside struggled with the lock, turning left and right several times before finally opening the door.

A middle-aged man of medium height, slightly overweight, wearing a bucket hat and a black windbreaker, stepped into the entryway, head down. He carried a fishing rod in his left hand, but his right hand was hidden behind his back.

Ye Lan, held in place by Wang Yu, was confused. After hesitating for a few seconds, she called out at Wang Yu’s signal, "Lao Liang, is that you?"

The man who entered didn’t respond, but slow footsteps echoed.

As Wang Yu held her breath, the footsteps advanced a few steps before suddenly stopping. Then, the sound of rapid footsteps retreating outward followed.

Wang Yu immediately realized Luo Shun had noticed something and was fleeing.

Hearing the officer in the living room giving chase, Wang Yu quickly said, "Stay hidden, don’t come out," and rushed out.

Wang Yu dashed out but saw no one. Noticing the stairwell door swinging, she realized Luo Shun had abandoned the elevator and fled via the stairs.

Without thinking, her instincts took over. She chased him down two flights but only heard footsteps without seeing anyone. She knew this wouldn’t work.

Liang Xinhua lived on the 11th floor. At this rate, he’d be out of the building in minutes. Since he’d come to the victim’s home, he was clearly armed with at least one weapon. Worst of all, given Luo Shun’s deranged state, if he escaped Building 7, he would likely take a hostage to ensure his escape.

Thinking quickly, Wang Yu stopped running, gritted her teeth, and vaulted over the railing to the next flight down.

This method was much faster. After just a few jumps, she spotted the figure in the black windbreaker fleeing rapidly.

The officer chasing behind heard the commotion and seized the opportunity, also hurdled the railing to tackle the suspect from the stairs above.

Caught off guard, the suspect was pinned but quickly reacted, swinging a knife wildly at the officer.

The officer had to lean back to avoid the blade. The suspect then kicked him in the chest, scrambled up, and continued running.

By then, Wang Yu had caught up. She kicked the suspect, sending him crashing into the wall. The officer, now back on his feet, rushed to subdue him, but the suspect’s wild knife swings forced him back, accidentally cutting his arm.

Seizing the moment, Wang Yu grabbed the suspect’s wrist and slammed it against the wall. The suspect cried out in pain and released the knife. The officer seized the chance to twist the suspect’s other arm, and together they handcuffed him.

The moment the cuffs were on, Wang Yu turned the suspect’s face to confirm it was Luo Shun they’d been pursuing. Only then did she finally relax.

"Finally caught the bastard," Wang Yu said, hauling the now-slumped suspect to his feet. She turned to the officer, "How are you?"

The officer showed his wound and flashed a grin, "It’s nothing—just a scratch. It’ll heal in a few days."

Wang Yu took a careful look, then relaxed into a smile. "Nice work, you really nailed the timing."

The officer smiled shyly, hesitated for a few seconds, glanced at the suspect, then back at Wang Yu, and couldn’t help asking, "Wang Yu, do you think we’ll get a commendation or a third-class merit award for catching the killer by the end of the year?"

Wang Yu had expected a different question and fell silent for a moment before patting the officer’s shoulder. "Be more confident. This is a serial killer with at least five lives on his hands. A third-class merit award is almost guaranteed, and if he’s connected to other cases, we might even get a second-class merit award."

The officer’s eyes lit up. "So, does that mean I might get an early promotion to a permanent position by the end of this year or next?"

Wang Yu paused again, patting the officer’s shoulder more firmly this time. "I believe you can do it."

...

Since calling Xu Nian, Guan Xia had been pacing restlessly back and forth in her study.

Logically, she knew she had done everything she could as an ordinary citizen—she’d reported to the police and shared all the information she had. But the thought of the killer breaking into a home where only an abused woman and a defenseless child were waiting made her too anxious to stop moving.

Every few steps, she couldn’t resist leaning by the window to peer toward the entrance of the residential complex, hoping the police would arrive soon.

At the same time, Guan Xia was terrified of seeing the killer emerge from the building—a sign that he had accomplished what he came for and would escape before the police arrived.

Fortunately, her fears didn’t materialize. After what felt like an eternity, she still hadn’t seen the killer come out, but she did hear the most welcome sound of police sirens.

Multiple police cars entered the complex. As soon as they stopped, before the officers even got out, three figures emerged from the building—a man and a woman escorting another figure who, judging by his build, was a man.

The figure had a police jacket draped over his head, so his face wasn’t visible, but Guan Xia recognized the black windbreaker he was wearing—it was the same killer she had seen earlier.

Relieved to confirm the killer had been caught, Guan Xia then noticed that the female officer escorting him looked familiar. After a closer look, she realized it was the same policewoman she had met at Pang Le’s house on the night the system was triggered, during the first case where a killer had tried to target her.

Guan Xia paused for a second, then felt a wave of admiration. *As expected of the Criminal Investigation Team handling homicides*, she thought.

She had assumed the clues she provided were crucial, but it turned out the police had already anticipated the killer’s next move and set a trap in advance.

As she reflected on this, Guan Xia also remembered the older woman she had met that morning, who mentioned her son was a criminal investigator living right across from her.

It hadn't meant much to her at the time, but now it felt incredibly reassuring. She even wondered if she could ask for his number if she ever ran into him.

Although both Xu Nian and Qi Bai were criminal investigators, in an emergency, having a neighbor like that would undoubtedly be more reliable.