The bus arrived.

You Mingxu focused intently.

From a distance, they could see only a few scattered passengers on board. The bus stopped at the station several meters away, and a slender girl stepped off—who else but Jiang Mei?

The dozen or so police officers in hiding all tensed up.

The bus doors closed behind Jiang Mei, with no one following her off. Unaware, she walked toward where the police were positioned.

You Mingxu froze.

“Stop the bus!” she suddenly shouted, springing forward like a lioness.

Yin Feng’s eyes showed immediate approval. Such quick thinking—if he were Ming Tao, he wouldn’t have followed so closely either. He would have gotten off at the previous or next stop to avoid detection by the victim—after all, the female masseuses were all on edge lately. Simply noting the location, he could calculate the timing for next time and trail directly from this stop.

The bus driver and passengers were startled to see police officers suddenly emerging and surrounding the vehicle. Jiang Mei, who had just alighted, was equally shocked, and officers quickly ran to her side.

Xu Mengshan led one team directly onto the bus.

You Mingxu led another team to secure the perimeter, vigilantly observing the surroundings.

Xu Mengshan quickly descended, his expression grave: “He’s not here!”

You Mingxu’s gaze intensified as she instinctively looked in the direction the bus had come from. By chance, she caught a glimpse of a dark figure flashing past at an intersection several hundred meters away.

You Mingxu suddenly understood—she had studied the bus route map earlier; this area was residential with frequent stops every 500 meters. Had Ming Tao gotten off at the previous stop and taken a shortcut to follow?

“Over there! After him!” You Mingxu shouted.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan immediately led several officers in pursuit. Others, seeing this, ran back to the police cars hidden in the side streets, creating a two-pronged approach.

Only two officers remained behind to handle the aftermath and escort Jiang Mei home. Everyone else had scattered. Yin Feng stood still, narrowing his eyes. Seeing You Mingxu disappear from view, knowing he couldn’t catch up even with an extra leg, he calmly pulled out his phone: “Tuya, where are you?”

“On a parallel street, 200 meters from you.”

Tuya and Champion had been following them from a distance.

“Come pick me up. Let’s follow your boss lady.”

When You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan reached the intersection, they saw a black sedan speed past the street corner several hundred meters away, leaving only its tail end visible.

Both were startled.

Did he have an accomplice? Or had Ming Tao driven here himself?

Pushing aside their concerns, You Mingxu was about to call for vehicle backup when an SUV burst out from a side road. Tuya and Champion sat in the front, both grinning at her.

You Mingxu realized this was better than a police car—they could catch their target off guard. She and Xu Mengshan got in, telling the other officers to wait for police vehicles.

Yin Feng sat in the back. As soon as she entered, You Mingxu called Ding Xiongwei: their team would pursue the suspicious vehicle while police forces in the area would search for Ming Tao, ensuring no escape.

Ding Xiongwei immediately agreed and began arrangements.

Tuya smiled, saying: “Hold tight!” Then floored it, the car accelerating rapidly. Everyone was thrown back in their seats. You Mingxu cursed, reaching for her seatbelt. Suddenly, an arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

She exchanged glances with Yin Feng, saying: “I’m fine.”

Yin Feng: “Mm.”

His arm remained around her waist.

You Mingxu’s heart, which had been churning with ice and fire, suddenly found calm clarity.

She thought this wasn’t good—she’d grown accustomed to having him backing her up during investigations, inseparable.

Tuya proved his worth quickly. Within minutes, they spotted the suspect vehicle ahead. Being on a main road, there was still sporadic traffic even at this hour, making their pursuit less conspicuous.

Yin Feng considered, then said: “Tuya, normal speed, stay two cars behind.”

Though puzzled, Tuya complied immediately.

You Mingxu immediately understood Yin Feng’s intention—did he want to see Ming Tao’s next move, or was he waiting to see if the punisher would appear? Either way, with their net spread wide, Ming Tao couldn’t escape. She turned to Xu Mengshan: “Have the police cars follow at a distance, preferably surrounding from the periphery.”

Xu Mengshan understood and made the calls immediately.

The police cars soon dispersed, making it appear like any ordinary road with sparse traffic, nothing unusual.

“Will Ming Tao notice?” You Mingxu asked.

Yin Feng answered: “He’s not that clever. However, we can’t be certain if he’s in the car, or if he’s alone.”

The two vehicles maintained their distance, driving steadily.

After about half an hour, they reached the northern part of the city, traffic growing even sparser. Champion suddenly exclaimed: “Professor Yin, this leads to the lake.”

Yin Feng’s eyes narrowed.

You Mingxu recognized it too—wasn’t this the road to the lake opposite Yin Feng’s house? She instinctively looked out the window. The area was low-lying with dense forest, while Yin Feng’s house sat higher up. From there, one could see the scattered lights of the villa district several kilometers away.

You Mingxu was startled.

By now, she was certain the people in the car ahead were suspicious—why else drive to the deserted lakeside at 3 AM?

But why head in this direction?

Yin Feng said: “Let’s wait and see.”

They soon entered the lake district, catching only glimpses of the car ahead, its lights off.

You Mingxu told Xu Mengshan: “Have the other cars catch up and block both ends of the lake.”

Xu Mengshan: “Got it.”

However, in the dead of night, the lake area was completely open and unlit. With dense forests and numerous side roads around the lake, they reached the shore to find only darkness, hearing distant engine sounds but unable to locate the vehicle.

Champion suddenly said: “Could there be an ambush waiting? I don’t want to watch anyone else die.”

Yin Feng looked at You Mingxu, his gaze serene, leaving the decision to her. If she decided to move in now, he would follow.

You Mingxu’s heart softened, remembering that night when he told her he was their biggest obstacle. He had asked her, very seriously and calmly, what she would do if he died. He must have been hurting deeply then.

Yet now, he showed no fear, still letting her decide.

You Mingxu gathered herself—if anyone was going to charge in, it would be her and Xu Mengshan. She would have Tuya and Champion hold Yin Feng back.