Xia Hang followed the markers. The further he went, the more something felt off about the route.
He had assumed the markers were leading deeper into the mountains. But as he continued, he realized they were actually guiding him toward the outer edge of the forest.
What was the other party trying to do?
Cui Cheng noticed it too and asked in a low voice, “Officer Xia, we’ve already left the original search area. Should we inform Captain Han?”
Xia Hang thought for a moment, answering, “Not for now.”
They moved forward a bit more. Xia Hang suddenly sensed someone ahead, but just as he was about to warn Cui Cheng and Xie Mingqiang to take cover, two bullets struck the trees beside them in quick succession.
The sniper!
Both shots hit at the exact same height on two separate trees, so there was no way they were stray shots. If the shooter had intended to kill them, Cui Cheng and Xie Mingqiang would already be dead.
Cui Cheng, who had just brushed past death, froze for a moment before snapping back. “Officer Xia… what does that mean?! A warning?!”
The shots had been fired near Cui Cheng and Xie Mingqiang, but not near Xia Hang.
Xia Hang immediately understood.
This was a warning meant for him.
The message was clear: the markers were left for him, so he was to go alone. If Cui Cheng and Xie Mingqiang followed, the next bullets wouldn’t hit trees.
“Xia Hang, why have you moved into Zone C?” Han Huaixiao’s voice came through the comms, having noticed their deviation.
“Didn’t notice the map,” Xia Hang replied calmly. “We’re heading back now.”
“Xia Hang, did I or did I not tell you, when you’re in the field, you follow my orders?” Han Huaixiao clearly didn’t believe him, continuing, “No unauthorized action.”
“Understood. Returning to the original area now.”
But after cutting the communication, Xia Hang handed his equipment to Cui Cheng, instructing, “Officer Cui, take my gear and head back with Officer Xie.”
“Officer Xia,” Cui Cheng frowned, “let’s report this to Captain Han and have him send backup! It’s too dangerous for you to go alone!”
“That shot just now was a warning for you to stop,” Xia Hang said. “I’m the one they want, so go back the way you came. Report the truth to Captain Han in fifteen minutes.”
The fact that the warning came only now meant he was close to the destination, so fifteen minutes was enough time for the other party to reveal themselves… and for Han Huaixiao to respond in time.
Cui Cheng and Xie Mingqiang tried to stop him again, but Xia Hang said nothing further. Instead, he turned and ran toward the next marker.
Since Sheng Jun fled to North America, there had been no trace of him. Now his people had finally reached out.
At last, there was a lead, and he couldn’t just let it slip.
Sheng Jun had to be captured as soon as possible. If given time to recover and reorganize, he would retaliate violently, and many of the officers involved in his case would be in danger.
Following the markers, Xia Hang arrived at a mountain hollow, where the trail ended.
He scanned the surroundings and quickly realized that ten minutes further out would lead to the midsection of the road connecting Lingshan Village to the pig farm.
Why bring him here?
Just as he focused, he caught a flash of reflected light at his two o’clock. Years of living in danger meant his body reacted faster than his mind. The moment he saw it, Xia Hang moved, slipping behind a tree.
A bullet struck the ground where he had been standing.
There had been countless chances to kill him along the way, yet he hadn’t sensed any killing intent.
Why now?
He glanced at the bullet impact and calculated quickly. If he hadn’t moved, the shot would have hit his right calf, so…
Not a kill shot.
The intent was to disable him, to capture him alive, but there was only one person. That didn’t match Sheng Jun’s methods at all. After all, Sheng Jun knew his capabilities, and he wouldn’t send just one man to capture him.
Not Sheng Jun… but someone who knew the internal signaling methods of Sheng Jun’s organization… operating in these mountains… equipped with a sniper rifle…
Only one possibility remained.
Qu Mingzhe.
A Burmese operative currently being hunted, someone who had come to China with Chen Zhengde to expand operations. And if it were Qu Mingzhe, then knowing Sheng Jun’s internal methods made sense.
Human greed had no limits.
He Qi had already made enormous profits through gambling and entertainment, but still wanted a share of the drug trade. Compared to drugs, those industries were nothing. He had once planted insiders within Sheng Jun’s organization, but they had been exposed.
So now, if Qu Mingzhe was trying to capture him alive, it was likely on He Qi’s orders. With Sheng Jun gone, He Qi wanted control of the Golden Triangle market.
And Xia Hang, once a trusted subordinate, knew too much.
He was the perfect leverage.
Understanding their objective, Xia Hang made a feint to one side, then suddenly dove in the opposite direction, just as a shot rang out. Xia Hang calculated again, but it was still not a kill shot. Therefore, his conclusion was correct.
A standard sniper rifle carried ten rounds. Qu Mingzhe had already fired several, two as a warning earlier, two more just now.
Xia Hang needed to force him to use the rest.
But Qu Mingzhe was the one under pressure.
The police believed he had fled deeper into the mountains, concentrating their forces there. No one expected him to stay this close to the perimeter, but that wouldn’t last for long.
Soon, they would notice Xia Hang’s abnormal movement and trace it back here, and Qu Mingzhe knew that too. Realizing this, Xia Hang stopped moving. Instead, he sat down calmly behind the rock.
As expected, two more shots came, so he simply didn’t react. After a while, he sensed movement, the sound of someone approaching.
Xia Hang tightened his grip on the gun, listening carefully. Without exposing himself, he raised his arm and fired once in that direction.
No sound of a hit.
Instead, another bullet slammed into the rock beside him.
Qu Mingzhe had lost patience, and time really wasn’t on his side. He discarded the sniper rifle, drew a dagger, and leapt onto the rock Xia Hang was hiding behind, stabbing downward, but Xia Hang was ready.
He raised his gun and fired at Qu Mingzhe’s knife hand, who pulled back slightly, but just enough. The bullet struck the dagger with a sharp metallic clang. The impact numbed his arm, and the knife fell from his grasp.
Qu Mingzhe had risen from brutal underground fight rings, stepping over corpses to get here, so he was the furthest away from being weak. Even with his right arm temporarily disabled, he braced himself with his left hand and lashed out with a kick toward Xia Hang’s gun.
Xia Hang’s movement was restricted by the rock behind him, and the gun was knocked from his grip.
Now, neither of them had a weapon.
“Xiao Zhun…” Qu Mingzhe smiled darkly, “He Qi is as good as dead. Stop resisting.”
Hearing that, Xia Hang didn’t respond but moved instantly, striking straight for Qu Mingzhe’s face. Qu Mingzhe’s expression hardened as he counterattacked. Their movements were vicious, every strike aimed at a vital point.
In moments, they were locked in close combat, when Xia Hang seized an opening, delivering a sweeping kick. Qu Mingzhe was sent flying, crashing to the ground. He spat blood and seemingly lost consciousness.
Xia Hang retrieved his gun and approached slowly, but just as he bent down to check his breathing, Qu Mingzhe suddenly grabbed his waist and dragged him down.
They tumbled down a steep slope. Halfway down, Xia Hang’s back slammed violently into a tree, and the impact knocked the breath out of him.
As for Qu Mingzhe, he broke free and continued fleeing downhill.
After the worst of the pain passed, Xia Hang tested his spine.
No fracture.
He got up, only to realize he had lost his gun during the fall. Seeing Qu Mingzhe nearing the road, he leapt forward, closing the distance. At the same time, sirens began to sound from the command post.
Xia Hang chased him onto the road and immediately understood: there was an abandoned mud house nearby, and Qu Mingzhe had hidden a vehicle there.
Knowing capture was no longer possible, Qu Mingzhe jumped into the car and sped off.
Xia Hang watched as the vehicle tore down the mountain road. He couldn’t catch up, but just as urgency set in, a police car from the command post screeched to a stop in front of him.
He yanked the door open and jumped in, shouting, “Quick! Catch that car!”
Only then did he realize…
Han Huaixiao was driving.
Han Huaixiao glanced at him.
In that look, there was overwhelming anger.
And something else.
Concern.
But he said nothing, focusing entirely on the road ahead.
The two vehicles sped down the uneven mountain road like a rally race as Xia Hang gripped the handle above the door tightly. Han Huaixiao’s car was a standard police vehicle, but Qu Mingzhe’s was a high-end off-road SUV. Even with superior driving skills, the distance between them slowly widened.
Han Huaixiao ordered the officers ahead to block the road, vehicles only, with no personnel inside, but Qu Mingzhe didn’t slow down. Instead, he slammed straight into them, and the police cars were shoved aside, flipping down the slope.
Though they failed to stop him, the impact bought Han Huaixiao some time to close the gap, just as a road sign flashed ahead.
Accident-prone zone.
Han Huaixiao steadied the car, drew his gun, and tossed it to Xia Hang, ordering, “Shoot his tires.”
Xia Hang lowered the window and aimed, but the speed was too high. He fired twice, and both times, missed.
After the curve ahead was a crossroads, but just as Xia Hang took aim again, three off-road vehicles burst out from the side road. Guns extended from the windows.
All aimed at them.
Xia Hang loosened his finger from the trigger and looked at Han Huaixiao. Captain Han had clearly seen the three vehicles as well and had no choice but to slow down.
The three vehicles escorted Qu Mingzhe past them. As they passed, they fired two shots, disabling the police car’s front tires, then sped up to rejoin Qu Mingzhe, disappearing quickly from sight.
Han Huaixiao’s face darkened. He slammed the steering wheel, pushed the door open, and got out to contact his team and reorganize the interception plan.
As for Xia Hang, he stayed in the car.
Only now, after the tension of the chase had passed, did he begin to feel a dull pain in his back. The slope he had rolled down was full of rocks and branches. Aside from his back, his hands, legs, and even his face were covered in scrapes of varying severity.
He quietly sucked in a breath.
After finishing the call, Han Huaixiao pulled the car door open, tossed his phone into the armrest compartment, and gripped the door. His voice was low, heavy enough to drip, saying word for word, “Again and again, disobeying orders, acting on your own. Xia Hang, do you have any sense of organization? Any discipline? Or do you think you’re invincible, that you can take on every vicious criminal by yourself?”
Xia Hang knew he was in the wrong, so he lowered his head, saying, “I’m willing to accept any punishment.”
Han Huaixiao looked at the cuts and scrapes all over him, then thought of the fear he had felt when he realized Xia Hang had gone after a suspect alone. The veins at his temple throbbed.
He wanted to curse him out properly.
But Xia Hang stood there obediently, as if saying I know I was wrong, I won’t do it again, and he was injured on top of that. There was nowhere for his anger to land.
In the end, he could only kick the flattened tire hard.
The interception team later found Qu Mingzhe’s vehicle, along with three others, at an abandoned school in Sanshan County. But Qu Mingzhe and the people from the other vehicles had vanished.
…………………
With Jiang Tao in custody, both the Sanshan County case and Chen Zhengde’s murder case were closed. Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang left Sanshan County and returned to Lang City.
Han Huaixiao drove on the way back.
Once they entered the city, the car didn’t head toward the municipal bureau. Instead, after circling through the city for a while, Xia Hang recognized the route.
They were going to the same private hospital Han Huaixiao had taken him to before, and the process was exactly the same. They parked in the underground lot, took the elevator straight to the fifth floor, and walked down the corridor after stepping out.
Xiang Kaicheng hadn’t gotten off work yet this time. When he saw Han Huaixiao push the door open, he teased, “Oh? Captain Han graces us twice in a single week. Looks like public security in Lang City is really going downhill.”
Xia Hang, who entered a step behind, gave him a small smile.
Seeing him, Xiang Kaicheng pushed off with his foot, sliding his chair away from the desk, stood up, and instantly switched expressions.
“Xia Hang, you’re the one injured?” He walked over with exaggerated concern. “What happened? Why are you covered in scrapes?”
Xia Hang glanced at Han Huaixiao and said quietly, “Slipped and rolled down a mountain.”
“Be more careful,” Xiang Kaicheng clicked his tongue. “A face as perfect as yours, what a waste if it gets ruined.”
“Xiang Kaicheng,” Han Huaixiao cut in, unable to tolerate him, “do you always talk this much nonsense before treating a patient?”
“Out, out,” Xiang Kaicheng waved him off. “Family members wait outside. Don’t interfere with my work.”
“Check his back first,” Han Huaixiao said.
Xiang Kaicheng saw Xia Hang standing normally, then suddenly pressed on his back. Caught off guard, Xia Hang frowned.
“Hurts, huh? Come, lie down here. Let me take a look.”
Xia Hang walked over and lay face down on the examination bed, as Xiang Kaicheng put on gloves and lifted his shirt. A large patch of his back was already red. It looked bad now, so… once it bruised in a few days, it would look even worse.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the person standing nearby. As expected, Han Huaixiao was staring at the injury, brows tightly furrowed.
“I’ll press a few spots. Tell me if it hurts. Here?”
“It’s okay.”
“And here?”
“That one hurts more than the last.”
Xiang Kaicheng pressed a few more places before concluding, “No fracture, but you should get an X-ray to check for any cracks.”
“Okay.”
With that, Xiang Kaicheng wrote up a form and personally took him to the imaging room. Before leaving, he looked at Han Huaixiao, saying, “It’ll take a while. You can rest in my lounge.”
However, Han Huaixiao asked, “When were the sheets last changed?”
“Last year,” Xiang Kaicheng rolled his eyes. “You can just stand there, then.”
With the hospital’s already meticulous service, and Xiang Kaicheng personally accompanying him, Xia Hang completed the X-ray quickly. While waiting for the results, Xiang Kaicheng asked, “You went out on a case with your colleague?”
“No. With Captain Han.”
“The last time you were injured… was that with him, too?”
“Yes.”
“Ha!” Xiang Kaicheng clapped his hands with a grin. “Working cases with him and still getting injured again and again, he must be furious!”
“He…” Xia Hang hesitated. “Has he mentioned me to you?”
“Yeah. When you two were still together, he said he’d bring you to meet me for a meal. I kept waiting, but never got the call. When I asked, he said you’d broken up. So, why did you break up back then?”
At that, Xia Hang paused, asking, “After we broke up… did he ever mention me again?”
“No. But I’ve known him for over ten years. That was the first time I’d seen him that down.” Xiang Kaicheng answered. “I happened to be back in the country on leave. Several times, at two or three in the morning, he woke me up to go drinking with him.”
“At the bar, he wouldn’t say a word, just drink.”
“One time, at the end, he was slumped over the counter. When he got up, his eyes were wet. I think he cried.”
Xia Hang’s hands clenched tightly, nails digging into his palms.
He didn’t speak.
Xiang Kaicheng looked at him, quietly asking, “So… what’s your situation now?”
Xia Hang shook his head, saying, “There is no situation.”
“I don’t think you’re completely over him. Are you planning to get back together?”
“If I try to pursue him again…” Xia Hang looked at him. “Do you think he’d accept me?”
Xiang Kaicheng thought, He’d absolutely accept. You were never let go in the first place. But out loud, he said, “How do you plan to pursue him?”
Xia Hang was at a loss. He had never pursued anyone before, so he truthfully answered, “I don’t know.”
“Want me to teach you? I’ve had at least eight exes.”
“Is having a rich relationship history something to be proud of, Associate Chief Xiang?”
A man in a white coat stood behind them, and Xia Hang turned to look. The man appeared refined, around thirty-six or thirty-seven. Seeing him, the previously carefree Xiang Kaicheng instantly straightened, turning serious. He stood up respectfully, greeting, “Director.”
“Is Huaixiao injured?” The Director, Cai Hui, asked. “I saw his car downstairs.”
“He’s not. His colleague is.”
“Hello,” Cai Hui said as he looked at Xia Hang and extended his hand. “Are you Huaixiao’s friend?”
Xia Hang shook his hand. “Hello. I’m his colleague, Xia Hang.”
Cai Hui’s gaze dropped to his slightly bent back.
“Injured your lower back?”
“Director, you’re amazing,” Xiang Kaicheng said. “You can tell where the injury is with just a glance!”
Cai Hui ignored the insincere flattery. Just then, the imaging results came out. A staff member from radiology walked over with Xia Hang’s scans.
“Director, Associate Chief Xiang, the patient’s results are ready.”
Cai Hui nodded and took the films. After looking at them, he said, “It’s nothing serious. But this is a blunt force injury; there’s a possibility of internal organ damage. Have Associate Chief Xiang admit you for observation for two days.”
But on the way back to Xiang Kaicheng’s office, Xia Hang tried to persuade him otherwise.
“Doctor Xiang, I’m really fine. Do I have to be hospitalized?”
“The director already said you should be admitted. Just stay two days for observation.”
Xia Hang had just been hospitalized for a month not long ago. He really didn’t want to go through that again, so he quickly said, “I’ll observe at home. If anything feels wrong, I’ll contact you immediately. Is that okay?”
“No,” Xiang Kaicheng answered. “If anything happens to you, Han Huaixiao will skin me alive. How about this, you go tell him yourself?”
Xia Hang hesitated for a moment, then gave in. Just like that, he “won” himself a two-day hospital stay. When they returned to the office, Xia Hang saw Han Huaixiao asleep in Xiang Kaicheng’s chair.
Hearing the door, he opened his eyes and looked at Xiang Kaicheng.
“Ran into Director Cai just now,” Xiang Kaicheng said. “He suggested Xia Hang be hospitalized for observation for two days.”
At that, Han Huaixiao said nothing. He stood up and walked toward the door with a “Then handle the admission. I’m leaving.”
Xiang Kaicheng blinked. “Huh? Are you leaving? Aren’t you…”
Before he could finish, Han Huaixiao had already pushed the door open and left.
Xiang Kaicheng turned to Xia Hang.
“Doctor Xiang…” Xia Hang gave a small smile. “How are the charges at your hospital?”
“They’re quite expensive. But why ask? It’s not like you’re paying.”
“I’m not?”
“This is Han Huaixiao’s family’s hospital. Free benefits delivered to your door, why not take them? Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll put it on his account.”
Could hospital fees be put on someone else’s account?!
But given their current relationship, Xia Hang felt he couldn’t take that advantage.
“Don’t put it on his account. I’ll pay myself.”
“You sure? This is a capital-backed private hospital; clients are all wealthy. Two days here might cost you a year’s salary.”
Xia Hang roughly calculated his savings. He could afford it. But it was just for observation, so there was no need to spend that much.
“Doctor Xiang,” Xia Hang said, “can I go to another hospital instead?”
Though his tone was polite, his stance was firm, and Xiang Kaicheng could only agree. “Alright. Wait here, I’ll take you.”
“No need. I’ll just get a taxi.”
“We’re friends now, aren’t we? No need to be polite. I’ll take you to my seniors’ hospital.”
Xiang Kaicheng’s senior worked at the First Affiliated Hospital of Lang City Medical University. By the time the admission procedures were completed, it was already past nine in the evening.
After Xiang Kaicheng left, Xia Hang called his only friend, Su Cheng, and asked him to bring some daily necessities. He had intended to buy them himself on the way, but didn’t want to delay Xiang Kaicheng.
Su Cheng arrived quickly, around ten.
Xia Hang was in a standard ward with three beds, and his was the one by the window, furthest inside.
“Why are you hospitalized?” Su Cheng walked in carrying the bags.
“Nothing serious. Just observation for a couple of days.”
Su Cheng glanced at the IV drip, noticing it was an anti-inflammatory medication. Seeing that Xia Hang looked alright, he didn’t ask further.
“Check if these are enough. If not, I’ll go buy more.”
Xia Hang looked through the bag briefly. Inside were two sets of summer clothes from a light luxury brand, along with toiletries.
“It’s enough. Oh, by the way, how are my two turtles?”
“I followed your instructions,” Su Cheng answered, “bought a bigger basin and moved them there. Added some turtle food, too. Oh, and when I entered your place, there was a package at the door. I brought it in and left it on the dining table.”
“Alright. Nothing else, you should head back and rest.”
Su Cheng glanced at the empty bedside table, asking, “Have you eaten?”
“I have,” Xia Hang said as Xiang Kaicheng had bought him food earlier.
“Okay. Rest early. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
Xia Hang got out of bed and walked downstairs with him. “I’ll take a walk.”
After leaving the hospital, Han Huaixiao went straight to the municipal bureau. Seeing him return alone, Xia Ling asked, “Captain Han, Xia Hang didn’t come back with you?”
“He injured his back. He’s at the hospital under observation.”
“Is it serious?” Everyone immediately asked.
“Not serious. What’s the situation here?”
“Qu Mingzhe, Chen Zhengde, and the group at the pig farm are suspected of human trafficking,” Zhang Tianhua said, “operating as an organized ring. The case has now been transferred to our Major Crimes Unit. Sanshan County has handed over the files and statements.”
Han Huaixiao poured himself a glass of water and drank it in one go, asking, “What about those young people?”
Xia Ling said, “Their parents have arrived. Psychological counseling has been arranged, but two of the girls won’t let anyone near them except their mothers.”
Ling Yue muttered, “Those animals aren’t human.”
Han Huaixiao asked, “What did the people at the pig farm say?”
Zhang Tianhua replied, “They said they’ve guarded both Chinese and foreign captives. Mostly young men and women, even children. These scum…”
“I saw in the files,” Wen Yu frowned, “some of the victims were disabled. What were they doing?”
“All kinds of perverts exist,” Ling Yue said coldly, “exhibitionists, pedophiles, people with disability fetishes, sadists… demand creates supply.”
“You think those disabilities were inflicted on purpose?” Wen Yu shuddered.
“Very possible. These people are capable of anything. You can’t judge them with human standards. They’re beasts.”
Han Huaixiao thought of the young people imprisoned in the mountains, and his expression darkened.
“Did the pig farm guards say anything else?”
“They said they were only responsible for guarding. Where the victims came from or where they were sold, they don’t know.”
“They’re operating as an organized network with a mature chain,” Han Huaixiao said. “For now, our only breakthrough is Jiang Tao. Keep a close watch on him. The moment he’s discharged, interrogate him immediately. He had the closest contact with Qu Mingzhe and Chen Zhengde; he definitely knows key information.”
Jiang Tao knew that being caught meant only one outcome: the death penalty. On the way back to Lang City, he attempted self-harm once. Combined with his previous gunshot wound, he was now under treatment in the hospital.
“We’ve got three-person rotations guarding him at the hospital,” Kong Qinmao said. “I’ll head over later to take a shift.”
“Good work, everyone.”
“We’re fine, ” Kong Qinmao continued, “we at least got to go home and rest these past two nights. You and Xia Hang didn’t sleep last night, right? Captain Han, we’ve got this. Go get some rest.”
“Yeah, go rest,” Xia Ling added. “By the way, Xia Hang is at your hospital, right? If we have time tomorrow, we’ll send someone to visit him.”
“He’s at my hospital.”
After leaving the office, Han Huaixiao didn’t go home. He went to the training facility showers, took a quick wash, changed clothes, and then drove to the hospital.
But at the front desk, the nurse on duty said there was no admission record under Xia Hang’s name.
It was late. He hadn’t wanted to disturb Xiang Kaicheng, but now he called him directly.
“Captain Han, what’s up?”
There was loud background noise on the other end, like a nightclub.
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Xia. Hang.” Han Huaixiao forced his patience.
There was a pause, then the noise quieted slightly, as if Xiang Kaicheng had stepped outside.
“Oh, Xia Hang. He went to the First Affiliated Hospital.”
“What did he go there for?” Han Huaixiao frowned.
“You know your hospital’s prices. I told him to take advantage and charge it to you, but he refused. Insisted on going to a regular hospital.”
“You couldn’t stop him?”
“I couldn’t. He looks easygoing, but he’s actually very firm. What, feeling bad imagining him squeezed into a crowded ward?”
Han Huaixiao was already walking toward his car, so he didn’t bother responding. Instead, he hung up, turned the wheel, and drove straight toward the First Affiliated Hospital.
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