You Mingxu bit her lower lip hard as a chill began to rise from the depths of her heart.

She had always trusted Yin Feng, and he understood Yin Chen better than others. For a moment, she hesitated and doubted.

However, after a brief moment of confusion, courage welled up in You Mingxu’s heart, and she quickly regained clarity.

No, it wasn’t like that.

As a detective, she should follow a detective’s logic. Whether Yin Chen intended it or not, the current result was the most probable answer they had deduced based on various clues and evidence. She should trust her judgment without hesitation.

She looked around—it was also impossible to call off the collective action, disregarding the efforts of so many detectives, just because of one statement from Yin Feng.

She had to trust the instincts of a group of detectives.

With her mind made up, she said, “Yin Feng, we must go now. I trust everyone’s judgment, and I trust my intuition.”

On the other end, Yin Feng was also taken aback.

There was a moment of silence between them.

This wasn’t the first time their thinking had diverged.

But it was the first time that at such a critical moment, without seeing each other, they were heading in completely opposite directions.

He had flatly denied her reasoning, yet she resolutely persisted without wavering.

And behind this complete divergence were five lives.

“You…”

“You…”

They both spoke at the same time, and both stopped at the same time.

You Mingxu suddenly smiled, with a hint of certainty and a touch of nonchalance: “Why don’t you come with us, and we’ll find out together.”

Yin Feng answered, “Ah Xu, I also trust my intuition and judgment.” Cold and proud as he was, he showed no sign of anger, only conveying an unyielding, steady persistence.

You Mingxu didn’t try to persuade him any further; only results would prove everything. While talking to Yin Feng, she ran downstairs, preparing to get into the car.

She asked, “Then where do you plan to go?” The police couldn’t spare any manpower for him now.

Yin Feng replied, “Of the four possible ‘homes,’ having eliminated one, I plan to go to the next one. Very likely, that’s the correct answer.”

You Mingxu’s expression became serious: “Be careful. If you find anything, call for backup.”

He made a sound of acknowledgment and said, “You be careful too. Make sure Tu Ya stays with you at all times.” After a pause, he added, “Ah Xu, let’s make a bet?”

On the other end, You Mingxu was already sitting in a speeding car, the corner of her lips curving upward: “What kind of bet?”

Yin Feng said, “Whoever catches Yin Chen first, the other must agree to one condition.”

You Mingxu was silent for a few seconds, thinking to herself, I was already planning to agree to your condition, so why are you doing this? Do you want to force me to agree? Do you prefer forced results? Besides, this time I have a very good chance of winning.

“Mm, alright.”

He laughed softly and said, “I don’t mind losing. You can ask me for any condition, and I’ll agree.”

You Mingxu smiled silently and said, “See you later.”

“See you later.”

On this path, I have my persistence as a detective, and you have your persistence in criminal psychology. For the first time, we’re going our separate ways. Who’s right, who’s wrong, what’s the truth? It makes the blood in my entire body feel like it’s about to ignite.

—

Regarding Yin Chen’s former home with his family of three, Yin Feng had already found out the residential area and building number.

But when they arrived at the location of the residential area, they found it completely transformed. The old residential area had been demolished years ago, and new buildings had been constructed. It looked sparsely occupied with less than half of the units filled, and the sales office was still selling the remaining apartments. So the information they had previously obtained was no longer useful.

Chen Feng said with difficulty, “Teacher Yin, how do we search now?”

Time was pressing; those five elderly people might already have water up to their necks. If they had to search house by house, who knew how long it would take?

Yin Feng thought for a moment and had an idea.

When You Mingxu had called earlier, she mentioned that they had screened all properties owned by people connected to Yin Chen.

Learning from others can help one succeed.

So he called You Mingxu again: “Ah Xu.”

On the other end, seeing him call again so quickly, You Mingxu’s heart skipped a beat: “Did something happen? Or have you discovered something?”

Yin Feng smiled and said, “I’m not as good as Ah Xu; for now, I’m empty-handed. Please help me check in the property directory you just screened, is there any…” He looked up at the new residential area’s name: “…Fangzhu Yayuan property?”

You Mingxu decisively said, “Alright, I’ll get back to you in a bit.”

“Good.”

“Be careful,” she added, cautioning him once more.

He said, “I know, you too. Love you.”

With a light, casual tone, such an effortless confession, yet You Mingxu’s heart felt as if it had been soaked in something. Just moments ago, he had coldly and mercilessly negated their hard-earned important clue, and she felt a bit blocked up. She smiled silently.

Yin Feng simply sat down by the flower bed at the entrance of the residential area, his expression serene, appearing extremely patient. The others sat down as well. They didn’t mind; following Teacher Yin, they had been through all kinds of places and situations. Yin Feng had also grown accustomed to this—accustomed to such lonely, quiet waiting and observation.

After just a few minutes, You Mingxu called again, her tone hesitant: “How did you know? A sister of one of Guo Feirong’s former subordinates has an apartment in this residential area. The address is Building 5, Unit 1801.”

Yin Feng held the phone, listening while walking into the residential area, his eyes bright and clear.

“That’s why I said…” he said unhurriedly, “the chicken farm you found, even if hostages are being held there, wouldn’t be Yin Chen’s true destination, not his real purpose. Because that location has no meaning for him. Whereas Fangzhu Yayuan is the place where he lived with his parents in his childhood, the home he might very well want to return to. However, frankly, I know nothing about those years, so I can’t be certain either, but let’s see. Ah Xu, where are you now?”

“Almost at the chicken farm,” You Mingxu said. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have news.”

After hanging up, the people on both ends exhaled deeply, each continuing forward, toward the same goal but in completely different directions.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan, leading more than twenty police officers, arrived at the small chicken farm near the suburbs ten minutes later.

By this time, night had just fallen. The chicken farm was located at the foot of a mountain, not covering a large area, enclosed by walls, appearing to be just over a thousand square meters in total, with some farmhouses around it. Indeed, as You Mingxu had predicted, it was a small farmstead.

Looking from a distance, the chicken farm was pitch dark, seemingly without any activity.

The situation was urgent, and the police officers hesitated no longer. Without even knocking, they surged in with guns drawn from various directions, surrounding the buildings in the yard.

The ground was covered with yellow mud, with scattered bran visible along the way, chicken droppings everywhere—one would step in it if not careful. There were also several messy tire tracks on the ground, but no car was seen in the yard. As they approached the chicken coops, they heard the chirping of chickens, growing louder and louder, with those sounds continuously buzzing in one’s ears like demonic sounds.

But the detectives weren’t irritated by this; instead, their eyes lit up—this matched You Mingxu’s reasoning perfectly. If someone stayed in this environment for several days and nights, even after leaving, their ears would still be “buzzing” constantly, believing they could still hear the chickens.

Everything was being confirmed!

Before them were three neat cement chicken coops, with another building behind them.

The police first entered the front chicken coops.

As a result, just as a group of people flashed into the first one, they were greatly surprised, with several people exclaiming in shock. You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan, who were about to enter another chicken coop, hurried over upon hearing this.

The lights in the chicken coop were turned on, with a large group of chickens being raised in the middle, all disturbed and calling even louder. And in a corner of the wall, two people lay prominently—two elderly people, both with strangulation marks around their necks, their faces unusual. Xu Mengshan didn’t even need to check their pulse or breathing, simply shaking his head: “They’ve been dead for several days.”

Everyone fell silent.

Detailed information about the chicken farm was in the hands of the police, and everyone easily recognized that this elderly couple were Ah Hua’s parents.

You Mingxu looked at the elderly couple for a few moments, her expression becoming more solemn, and said to a police officer, “Report the situation to Old Ding, and send more people here immediately. We’ll continue searching!”

However, in her heart, she felt a twinge—Yin Chen using this chicken farm as a hideout was now a certainty. Had Yin Feng been completely wrong this time?

She was very confident about this location, but still felt something wasn’t right.

When had Yin Feng ever been so egregiously wrong? She could hardly believe it.

Suppressing the doubts in her heart, she continued to lead people in a rapid search.

Soon, the three chicken coops at the front had all been searched, with no sign of people or hostages.

They quickly arrived outside the small building at the back.

From the outside, this small building looked unremarkable—gray walls, gray roof, old-looking, with no lights inside. And from the outside, it appeared too small, much smaller than the warehouse shown in the video Yin Chen had sent.

Could it be that the hostages weren’t being held here after all? Though Yin Chen had been here, stayed here, and even killed people, had the hostages been moved? Cold sweat was about to break out on You Mingxu’s forehead. If they were wrong here, then Yin Feng’s lead was likely correct. And he had only taken three people with him…

The police officers raised their vigilance to two hundred percent. A group of police officers spread out in a double fan formation at the entrance of the small building, with a team of assault officers in the middle, all armed with loaded guns, wearing bulletproof vests, and holding blast shields. You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan were among them.

With a “bang,” the door of the small building was violently kicked open. The two officers at the front missed their step and nearly fell, but were quickly pulled back by You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan with their quick reflexes. A beam of searchlight shone directly into the small building, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

And everyone heard the “gurgling” sound of water beneath their feet. Seeing the scene before them, they were all dumbfounded.