Chapter 43 She Was Caught in the Crossfire

Chapter 43 She Was an Unintentional Victim

After receiving Xu Nian's message, Pang Le stayed at Guan Xia's place that very night, didn't even have time to go back to get her luggage.

Originally, Guan Xia thought it would be like the case at the end of April, where the two would have to stick together until the case was successfully solved. Unexpectedly, the next morning, while Guan Xia was putting on skincare and discussing with Pang Le when to go to her place to pick up her things, Xu Nian called.

"It's fine now," Xu Nian said right off the bat. "Xia Wenguang followed you to the parking spot last night. After watching you leave, he didn’t take any further action. We kept watch overnight just to be safe and confirmed that he didn’t target you."

Guan Xia was surprised but then breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That’s good, that’s good. It scared me to death."

Guan Xia pressed him further, "Isn’t he from Jianyang City? And based on the information you gave me last time, doesn’t he usually strike in September, October, and November? Why did he come to Yongquan City in May?"

Xu Nian said, "We recently looked into a case in Quchun City. In October 2021, a woman reported that she suspected she was being followed. The local police station checked the surveillance footage near her residence and indeed found a man behaving suspiciously, seemingly following her. However, the man was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, deliberately avoiding surveillance cameras the entire time, so no clear shot of his face was captured. Subsequent investigations by the police yielded no results, and the case was eventually dropped. The task force experts have confirmed that, based on his walking style and posture, the man was most likely Xia Wenguang."

Guan Xia thought for a moment before understanding. "So, after 2019, he was indeed following his usual pattern and preparing to operate again in 2021, but that woman was sharp enough to report it and scare him off. But this is 2024—did he not come out in 2023?"

Xu Nian replied, "He’d been in a car accident at the end of August 2023 and fractured his right leg. He didn’t get the cast removed until early November."

Guan Xia fully understood now. "No wonder he couldn’t wait to come out as early as May. In that case, we really have to thank the driver who hit him in 2023—indirectly saving a life."

As she spoke, Guan Xia couldn’t help but sigh. "Alright, such an unlikely series of events happened to me. I’ll lay low for a bit until he’s caught."

Xu Nian paused before speaking up. "Actually, it wasn’t you. After analysis and discussion, we believe Xia Wenguang was likely targeting Pang Le. Based on the few cases we’ve discovered so far, Xia Wenguang tends to choose young women who prefer wearing light-colored dresses, don’t dye or perm their hair, and appear gentle and well-behaved."

Guan Xia was very surprised. She instinctively glanced at Pang Le while recalling what she and Pang Le had worn the previous night.

Pang Le had unusually worn a very ethereal white dress and straightened her hair. She never dyed her hair, and on top of that, she had spent two hours on natural makeup. Without facing her directly, she indeed fit the description of the type of target the killer would choose. As for Guan Xia? Since it was a spontaneous outing, she went completely bare-faced, casually throwing on a T-shirt and pants before heading out.

From last night until now, Guan Xia had been wondering why, just over ten days after recharging her "aura," it seemed to have already worn off and attracted the killer’s attention. Turns out, it wasn’t her—she was just an unintentional victim.

Once she figured this out, Guan Xia felt completely relieved. Thank goodness. Although she hadn’t fully deciphered the rules of the "aura," at least its duration wasn’t that short.

After thanking Xu Nian and hanging up, Pang Le, who had been waiting impatiently for a while, immediately asked, "What’s wrong? Was that Xu Nian?"

Guan Xia nodded, looking at Pang Le with some amusement. "Xu Nian told me that the killer followed us to the parking spot but didn’t go further. And he wasn’t targeting me—it was you."

Pang Le looked as if she had misheard, her expression blank for a moment before she said in disbelief, "What did you say? He was targeting me? Well, he’s got good taste."

Pang Le added regretfully, "Why didn’t he keep following? A legal chance to beat someone up, just gone like that."

Guan Xia swatted her angrily. "You’re actually regretting it? He’s a murderer, a serial killer! No matter how skilled you are, you’re still vulnerable. Aren’t you afraid of getting into trouble? Someone who’s committed multiple crimes and hasn’t been caught is very cunning, exceptionally cruel, and skilled in counter-investigation."

Pang Le said, "I know, I know. I’m not stupid—I value my life. It’s only because the police are watching that I feel so confident."

Guan Xia didn’t want to argue. Changing her clothes, she said, "Now that the alert is lifted, there’s no need to go to your place to get your things. Are you heading back now, or after breakfast?"

Pang Le didn’t hesitate for a second. "After breakfast."

Guan Xia took a bag of dumplings from the freezer, boiled them all, and it was just enough for the two of them to eat their fill.

As they were about to leave, Guan Xia remembered something and asked Pang Le, "By the way, do you know any retired or former police officers?"

Pang Le, slipping on her white sneakers and bending over to adjust the heels, glanced at her and thought for a moment before answering, "No, why?"

Guan Xia said vaguely, "It’s nothing. I just want to ask someone’s advice."

Pang Le looked at Guan Xia suspiciously. "Is it because of Lu Tingfeng?"

Guan Xia wasn’t sure how to answer. She had a guess she wanted to verify. Although it was somewhat related, it wasn’t directly connected.

After thinking it over, Guan Xia said, "No, it’s just that the collaboration method proposed earlier didn’t seem reliable. I thought about looking up reports on related cases online, but I didn’t find any leads, so I wanted to consult a professional."

Pang Le was about to say something, but Guan Xia cut her off, adding, "I know Xu Nian is also a professional, but his team is busy with cases lately, right? I don’t want to bother him with silly questions."

Pang Le laughed. "You don’t need to explain so much to me. I just don’t want you interacting with Lu Tingfeng. Other than that, it’s fine."

After putting on both shoes, Pang Le frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "I remember now. A few years ago, my dad suddenly got into Tai Chi sword and seemed to know an old man who retired from the local police station. He even shared some strange cases he’d heard about. Let me call my dad today to confirm, and I’ll let you know."

Guan Xia felt both happy and a bit embarrassed. "Thanks a ton, Pang Le. I—"

Before she could finish, Pang Le pressed a hand to her head. "Have you been watching too many dramas lately? What kind of talk is this? It’s getting sappy. Stop it. With our relationship, saying thank you is almost insulting."

Guan Xia immediately fell silent, and Pang Le looked satisfied.

The two went downstairs together. Pang Le drove off, while Guan Xia took a stroll around the neighborhood. Seeing that it was about time, she began her morning exercise for the day.

But today, perhaps because she was still on edge, Guan Xia felt as though someone was watching her while she jogged. However, when she turned to look, she didn’t see anyone suspicious.

It was Sunday, so there were more people in the neighborhood than usual, but they were mostly elderly people with children, those out grocery shopping, others taking slow walks and chatting, and some playing with kids—all behaving normally.

To confirm whether it was just her imagination, Guan Xia spent the next lap running almost mindlessly, focusing all her attention on her surroundings and carefully observing everyone in her peripheral vision. After finding nothing suspicious, she finally relaxed.

Still, just to be safe, Guan Xia hesitated for a few seconds after returning home before calling Xu Nian.

Xu Nian answered with his familiar line, "Guan Xia, what’s up?"

Guan Xia waited a few seconds. When she didn’t see the familiar system interface, she felt relieved and said, "It’s nothing. My phone accidentally dialed you while it was in my pocket. Sorry, Xu Nian."

Xu Nian, ever good-natured, replied, "No problem. As long as you’re okay. I’ll hang up now. Call me if you need anything."

Putting down her phone, Guan Xia cozied up into the sofa.

Although she had often complained inwardly about how late this lousy system had activated since she was bound to it, she had to admit that ever since learning the world she had transmigrated into was a blended world of Detective Novels, the system’s passive function had given her a sense of security, allowing her to determine whether there was danger around.

Pang Le’s efficiency was always high. She had mentioned calling her dad in the morning, and by evening, she had sent Guan Xia a phone number.

Before Guan Xia could even open the message, Pang Le called.

Pang Le said, "I had my dad talk to his friend. Feel free to ask whatever you want. My dad said that old man retired from the military and transferred to the local police station. He’d been a police officer his whole life and encountered tons of weird cases. When I called my dad earlier, he even shared one: when the old man was young, he arrested a drug addict in his precinct who, when high, loved taking a ragged cloth and wiping people’s cars in the neighborhood. Over time, people in that community stopped parking in the underground garage. They often fought over above-ground parking spots, and the security and property management staff were tired of breaking up fights. Eventually, they tracked down this person to talk to him, only to find out he was a drug addict. After he was arrested, the residents complained about the security and property management for years."

Guan Xia couldn’t help but laugh. "There are such things? But if he was so hardworking, why did he take drugs?"

Pang Le said, "Not sure. But my dad said when the old man interrogated him, the drug addict retorted, saying he wasn’t wiping cars—he was giving beautiful women baths."

The two laughed for a while before Pang Le urged, "Enough joking around. If you have questions, call and ask quickly. Any later, and the old man will be heading to bed."

Guan Xia checked the time. It was almost 9 p.m., so she hurriedly dug out the photos of cases she had found online from places she had lived in or visited recently, carefully reviewed them twice, and then dialed the number.

She had already made up a cover story. Now, all that was left was to verify her guess.

It took over ten seconds before the call was answered. An elderly man’s loud voice boomed, "Hello, who is this?"

Guan Xia held the phone slightly away from her ear before answering, "Hello, my name is Guan Xia. I—"

She had only just begun her rehearsed explanation when the old man interrupted, "Oh, it’s you. You’re Xiao Le’s friend, right?"

Guan Xia quickly said, "Yes, that’s me."

The old man said, "Her dad called me earlier. I know what you’re after. So, what did you want to ask me?"

Before she could even start her introduction, her goal was already achieved. Guan Xia felt delighted and waited patiently for a few seconds. When the system interface still didn’t appear, she finally gave the excuse she had prepared long ago: "Well, sir, I work in painting. I heard from Pang Le that you served your whole career on the police force and have extensive experience fighting criminals. So, I wanted to seek some advice from you…"

The old man was indeed very enthusiastic and talked nonstop with Guan Xia for over an hour. Only when his wife kept urging him to go to bed did he reluctantly end the call.

Just before hanging up, Guan Xia even heard the old man mutter grumpily, "I finally found a young person willing to listen to all this, and you just had to ruin it. Really."

The old man spoke happily, and Guan Xia listened with equal joy. Unlike the various murder cases often encountered by Xu Nian and the others, the stories the old man shared were less dark and relatively more interesting.

Not only was the old man engrossed, but Guan Xia also felt a bit reluctant to end the call and nearly forgot the original purpose of her phone call.

It wasn’t until her peripheral vision caught the stack of photos on the coffee table that she paused and remembered what she’d actually called for.

Although several days had passed, Guan Xia was still hung up on the fact that Lu Tingfeng, who had already left the police force, could still trigger the system.

At first, she suspected it might be a system bug or that the system had a very broad definition of "police." But when she recalled the various details and clues about the suspects that the system interface had provided, she felt the system couldn’t be that sloppy. It wasn’t until a couple of days ago, while reading a detective novel, that she suddenly found inspiration.

In that novel, the protagonist left the police force due to a case but eventually ended up working on investigations alongside another protagonist from the police team for various reasons. Although not officially a police officer, his determination to solve cases was no different from that of any other officer.

That’s why Guan Xia made this phone call today. She believed that even though the old man had retired and was no longer an active police officer, he still held the same unwavering faith as he did in his youth.

If those photos could trigger the system but the old man couldn’t, what was the difference between him and Lu Tingfeng? After just a few seconds of thought, Guan Xia came up with an answer: actions.

Of course, assumptions were just assumptions. To confirm her theory, she would need to wait till Xu Nian was done working and then try triggering the system again with those photos. If it worked, it would prove her guess was correct.