Yin Feng suddenly snorted.

All three looked at him, and after a moment, he finally raised his head from behind the computer screen, smiling faintly: “Your bureau’s network is really slow.”

The three: “…”

You Mingxu: “Use it or don’t.”

Then they watched as his long, pale fingers reached out to lift his personal Dragon Well tea, responding quietly: “I’ll use it.”

Watching from the side, Xu Mengshan wondered how Teacher Yin’s interactions with Sister You had somehow changed inexplicably lately.

You Mingxu, however, felt that the current Yin Feng was being incredibly meddlesome. Unlike You Yingjun, who would sit perfectly straight in meetings, eating and drinking whatever was provided. And hadn’t this one been gloomy and sinister when he first woke up? Now he seemed… just an unstable neurotic.

They continued discussing the case.

“There’s something you need to know,” Jing Ping said. “According to Guo Xing’s previous reports, he had begun collecting criminal evidence against key figures in the Yunnan drug trafficking organization and had already gathered some of it. But he hadn’t submitted it to his superiors yet. I searched his residence but couldn’t find the evidence. It wasn’t on his body either.”

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan suddenly understood why Jing Ping had searched Guo Xing’s home so thoroughly earlier, only to find a bunch of drugs.

Jing Ping continued: “If that evidence falls into the criminals’ hands, Guo Xing’s sacrifice will have been in vain. The evidence might implicate many people, and could even potentially impact our anti-drug operations in Yunnan.”

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan exchanged glances, both sensing trouble. The man was dead, and the evidence was missing. If it wasn’t in the criminals’ hands, where was it?

But… who could be Guo Xing’s real killer?

“There might still be hope.”

“There’s still hope.”

Two voices spoke simultaneously—You Mingxu and Yin Feng.

Through his plain glass lenses, Yin Feng glanced at You Mingxu, his lips curving.

You Mingxu remained expressionless.

Jing Ping looked at one, then the other, and smiled: “Who wants to go first?”

You Mingxu looked only at Jing Ping and said: “I think the killer’s method was strange.”

Xu Mengshan also smiled: “Indeed.”

Jing Ping nodded: “It doesn’t seem like the drug organization’s style. If they wanted to do it, they’d be much more direct—one shot, done. Why go to such lengths with planning, strangulation, body disposal, and lake dumping?”

Xu Mengshan said: “But what if the drug organization wanted to avoid attention?”

Jing Ping replied: “If they wanted to avoid attention, we wouldn’t have found the body at all.”

Everyone fell silent.

“Someone with a grudge against Guo Xing?” You Mingxu asked.

Jing Ping: “Possible.”

“May I speak now?” A cool voice cut in.

Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan looked at Yin Feng, while You Mingxu kept her gaze straight ahead.

Yin Feng smiled slightly: “Let’s play a game.”

You Mingxu finally glanced at him.

Yin Feng said: “I’ll ask, you answer. Begin—was the person who fell into the water male or female?”

Jing Ping and You Mingxu remained silent, but Xu Mengshan was more accommodating, smiling: “Male.”

Yin Feng: “Was he elderly?”

Xu Mengshan: “No. According to footprint experts, A was about 175-180cm tall, weighing 65-70kg. A relatively thin adult male.”

Yin Feng: “Did A have any obvious physical disabilities? Were his features intact?”

Xu Mengshan answered: “Yes. Based on the footprints, he was able-bodied. Besides, someone with disabilities couldn’t have run down the slope and handled the body disposal.”

Yin Feng: “Did A and Guo Xing know each other?”

Xu Mengshan: “Yes.”

You Mingxu also said softly: “They knew each other.”

Yin Feng immediately looked at You Mingxu, who responded calmly: “Running down the slope and falling into the water was already unusual behavior. If they were strangers, Guo Xing would have been more cautious. He could have called for help instead of jumping in. There must be something we don’t know.”

Yin Feng’s lips curved slightly, then asked: “Could A be a middle-aged man like Old Jing?”

You Mingxu glanced at him, thinking, he’s only a year younger than Jing Ping, over 30 himself, yet calling him ‘Old Jing’ and ‘middle-aged.’ Nobody would think of the fair-skinned, handsome Jing Ping as middle-aged.

All three answered in unison: “No.” Then they all paused, startled.

Yes, why couldn’t it be someone mature like Jing Ping?

Jing Ping’s expression shifted slightly: “I knew Guo Xing—though kind-hearted, he was very cautious and intelligent. Even if he knew A, if A was a mature man like himself, I don’t think he would have rushed so rashly to help and fallen for the trap.”

Yin Feng smiled and said: “Exactly. A careful undercover agent would never rashly try to save someone. Even if they knew each other. Unless that person was someone he knew had absolutely no connection to criminal organizations, someone he needed to protect as a police officer—in other words, an ordinary citizen. And someone he saw as ‘vulnerable.’ For example, if I…” he glanced at Jing Ping: “saw mature men like Old Jing or Mengshan in suspicious danger, or even deliberately in danger, I wouldn’t rush to help. I’d observe or call for help. But if the person in danger was a woman…” he gave You Mingxu a meaningful look: “…elderly, child, or disabled person, my guard would drop considerably. Even if something seemed strange, being in the stronger position, I’d rescue them first and ask questions later.”

Before the three could respond, Yin Feng continued: “Next question, was A a woman, elderly, or disabled?”

Xu Mengshan: “No.”

Yin Feng said: “So, in Guo Xing’s eyes, A was still a child. But according to footprint experts, he was already an adult. What kind of adult male would still be seen as a child by Guo Xing? Probably 18 or 19 years old.”

Jing Ping, who had never deeply explored criminal psychology before, pondered this and nodded: “Interesting.”

You Mingxu observed Yin Feng again. Now he truly looked like a scholar, or rather, a clever detective. Wearing glasses, holding his pen, and sketching notes while questioning them. Logical, detailed, taking an unconventional approach.

Xu Mengshan thought: Being awake means being awake. This version was even more formidable than the previous one. Much clearer logic.

Yin Feng continued: “Has A lived in a big city before?”

The three hesitated briefly, then You Mingxu spoke first: “Yes.”

To complete Guo Xing’s murder—the secret tracking, planning, and escape—all required experience. If A and his group had no big city experience, they would have been completely lost, unable even to find their way around. How could they have executed the entire murder plan so soon after Guo Xing arrived in Xiangcheng?