Chapter 59

"Xu Zhangying?"

Amid the beeping of medical instruments, a hoarse voice murmured faintly, muffled further by the oxygen mask, sounding almost like a hazy mumble.

A hand grasped the pale fingers clipped to the heart monitor. Wearing a hazmat suit, Xu Zhangying sat by the hospital bed and responded softly, "I'm here, Zhao Yang."

Similarly suited up, Qi Feng stood behind Xu Zhangying alongside the attending physician. The moment they learned Zhao Yang had regained consciousness in the early hours of the third day, both she and Xu Zhangying had rushed anxiously to the ICU, waiting for medical staff to let them in.

Xu Zhangying couldn’t deny being moved—especially when he stood by the bed and heard Zhao Yang calling his name in a dazed state. Though it inexplicably felt like a cheesy rom-com moment, the moment he clearly heard it, his eyes welled up with tears.

Then, Zhao Yang’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if struggling to open his eyes again. Behind the oxygen mask, another faint, fragmented sentence emerged.

Everyone in the room fell silent. Xu Zhangying leaned in close, gripping the bed frame, and quickly deciphered Zhao Yang’s strained words:

"Damn it, you stole my lighter again."

"What the hell?" Xu Zhangying’s tears instantly dried up. He straightened up defensively. "Out of all things, you say something like that now?"

Only then did he notice the young man lying amidst tubes and machines, half-opening his eyes to look at him, a shit-eating grin visible behind the oxygen mask.

"Oh, so you were faking sleep while I was about to cry?" Xu Zhangying’s embarrassment quickly turned to indignation, but then he grinned and leaned over the bed, boasting, "I just bought you a new one—same brand, even more expensive than the last. It’ll outlive you!"

With that, he sneakily glanced at the top-tier alpha standing outside the glass window before whispering into Zhao Yang’s ear, "And guess what? Xia Qing picked it again, haha! Am I not the most thoughtful—"

Zhao Yang rolled his eyes and rasped through the mask, "Fuck off. You’re insufferable. Let Feng’er talk to me instead."

The moment Qi Feng stepped to the bedside, Xu Zhangying was practically shoved aside. He moved to the other side of the bed as Zhao Yang began asking about the case in detail, and Qi Feng answered straightforwardly.

Currently, the port and nearby waters had been thoroughly searched. Three suspects were arrested: two responsible for the maritime transfer of Exhibits 256 and 327, and one who had been drawing attention in Zone 3 before being intercepted and subdued by Xu Zhangying. All three were male alphas with a history of Glory abuse, hailing from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Kuwait. Weirdly, they had zero paper trail.

In other words, this was a mercenary team exclusively serving the cult Life, operating for dark web organizations like David City. These foreign criminals were exceptionally dangerous—brainwashed foot soldiers whose minds and actions were deeply controlled.

After their arrest, as the effects of Glory wore thin, they quickly descended into severe withdrawal symptoms. The precinct’s interrogation level was insufficient, so they were transferred to the feds for processing and questioning. Customs and special security departments would further investigate their smuggling and weapons possession.

Meanwhile, Yan Jianbai and others were busy identifying the remains of Exhibits 256 and 327, which Xu Zhangying had reduced to confetti. With AGB’s cooperation, Exhibit 327 had been confirmed as a female omega from Indonesia. Exhibit 256 was expected to be identified today.

"Since A Ying destroyed a cool 70 mil worth of Life’s auction items, AGB has announced they’ll soon send reinforcements. Until then, the provincial department will assign personnel to temporarily protect him and Jiali’s group." Qi Feng concisely summarized the key updates.

Lying on the other side, Xu Zhangying suddenly registered the staggering number Qi Feng mentioned and gasped, "I almost forgot how much those things were worth."

Then, instinctively, he turned to look at Xia Qing, who stood silently outside the glass, watching him. Indignant, he grumbled, "If the goods got blown up, shouldn’t Life refund the money if they have any basic decency? Xia Qing’s money didn’t just fall from the sky."

"Who the hell are you to call others unethical?" Even with over a hundred stitches on his face, Zhao Yang’s sharp tongue didn’t falter. "You’re the one who blew them up!"

Xu Zhangying shamelessly retorted, "That’s on their shitty shipping."

Qi Feng, who had been gloomy for days, finally snapped out of it and chimed in, "You also killed two of their couriers."

Originally, out of professional courtesy for the patient’s police status, the two attending doctors had stepped aside to give the trio privacy. But the increasingly unhinged banter finally prompted the head doc to intervene, "Visiting family members, today’s visit time is almost up. The patient needs rest and shouldn’t get too agitated."

Xu Zhangying reluctantly shook Zhao Yang’s hand. "Bye, buddy. Behave in here for now. I’ll come see you every day."

Lying in bed, Zhao Yang hissed through the mask and cursed, "Get lost. Like you’re in better shape yourself."

Xu Zhangying grinned and rolled out in his chair. The moment they exited, Qi Feng handed the wheelchair over to Xia Qing, throwing up a salute energetically, "Professor Xia, thank you for your hard work."

Then she skipped off cheerfully back to the municipal bureau. Watching Qi Feng bounce off like a golden retriever, Xu Zhangying stroked his chin like a cartoon villain with a scheming glint.

Xia Qing, who was standing behind him, bent down and asked, "Need to head back and rest?"

It wasn’t even 9 a.m. yet. Xia Qing got the alert when Zhao Yang woke up, so he accompanied Xu Zhangying to visit Zhao Yang.

Xu Zhangying snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Xia Qing in his formal attire, as well as Zhang Ke waiting nearby, suddenly feeling bad.

Xu Zhangying immediately waved his hand. "I can go back by myself. Xia Qing, you must be busy lately. Sorry for dragging you out here."

Xu Zhangying, who had briefly stayed at Xia Qing’s place for a night, remembered how Xia Qing was pulling all-nighters to catch up on work. It made sense—though Xia Qing was nominally a criminal consultant invited by Director Lin, his primary focus was the critical gene-sequencing work.

Today, Xia Qing was dressed in a dark blue summer suit, which reminded Xu Zhangying of their reunion not long ago. It had only been a little over half a month, but so much had happened that it felt like several months had passed.

"It won’t interfere with my work," Xia Qing said softly. "You’ll probably need to stay in the hospital for another week. I have an hour’s break at 5 p.m. every day. If it’s convenient for you, would you like to have dinner together?"

Xu Zhangying, who had already rolled a yard away, immediately braked and turned back, perking up. "Of course! Are you sure it won’t interfere with your work?"

Xia Qing stood still, gazing at him steadily. "It won’t."

"Then it’s settled," Xu Zhangying said with a smile.

After Zhao Yang regained consciousness, he was transferred to the ICU that afternoon. No sooner had he settled in than Xu Zhangying showed up.

Zhao Yang’s eyelid twitched violently. "Jesus, Xu Zhangying, are you out of your mind? Don’t you need to recover?"

Xu Zhangying grinned. "I’ve been lying around for days—I’m turning into mush. If you’re tired, just sleep."

Zhao Yang was about to retort when he caught a glimpse of a figure passing by the door and immediately realized, "Is that a cop from Metro PD?"

Xu Zhangying nodded while opening his laptop. "I asked. They’re from the Third Criminal Investigation Division. The provincial department really takes good care of things. Those two guys scarfed lunch in under ten—I feel bad for them."

"How does it feel to be up 70 mil?" Zhao Yang raised an eyebrow.

Xu Zhangying chuckled. "Feels great, like I’m in some cop drama. Just not as free."

Zhao Yang tilted his head. "What else do you want to do? Not even Captain Yan, let alone your team members, would let you get involved in cases now."

Xu Zhangying sighed as he typed. "Exactly. I’m bored. Also, I’ve been checking for updates on the AGB reinforcements since last night, but there’s still no info. The bureau says the personnel haven’t been finalized yet."

Drowsy from the medication, Zhao Yang mumbled, "Isn’t that just how overseas pencil-pushers work?"

Xu Zhangying laughed. "Don’t underestimate our Asia Branch. We’re workaholic central. Besides, this isn’t a complicated task—it shouldn’t be hard to arrange. That’s why I find it odd."

Zhao Yang opened his eyes. "True. The 523 case is in the bag. What’s left? Just confirming John Doe 256, compiling the case details, and handing it over for international follow-through."

"There’s actually a lot," Xu Zhangying said, his expression turning serious. "We haven’t caught Killer #10, and there are still many unanswered questions."

"Zhangying, we’ve seen the scale and influence of Life. There’s no way Killer #10 is still in the country. And look—we haven’t even established the social connections between the four identified victims." Despite being wrapped in bandages, Zhao Yang’s mind was sharp.

Xu Zhangying finished typing the email at lightning speed, closed his laptop, and looked up with a smile. "You’re right. In that case, I don’t need to be curious about who’s coming as reinforcements."

At 4:30 p.m., Xu Zhangying received a reply from the AGB Asia Branch office. This time, it wasn’t about the personnel being undecided—instead, it read, "Cross-regional task officer information is temporarily under review by the director." This only made Xu Zhangying even more puzzled. Why would reinforcements for the 523 case suddenly involve officers from other branches? Who had the authority to request such cross-regional support?

Even if the case was blowing up on Ocean and rumored to offer big points, was it really worth crossing regions for?

During dinner with Xia Qing that evening, Xu Zhangying briefly mentioned it. Xia Qing, now in casual clothes, dished out soup and chewed on that for a moment. "If they’re all about the case, it might be because Life still has other criminal traces in the country."

Xu Zhangying took the bowl and tilted his head. "That shouldn’t be the case. We’re boots on the ground—no one has more information than us."

Xia Qing chewed on that again, then looked up at him with a steady gaze. "Then could it be a favor hire?"

Xu Zhangying didn't expect Xia Qing to mention favoritism either and couldn't help but laugh. "Hard to say, but if there are no other tasks, this 'favoritism' would have to act as my protector. What a drag."

As he spoke, Xu Zhangying showed a somewhat troubled expression. "Staying in the hospital is so boring. I only injured my leg—my mind's perfectly clear. I could still work. I really envy Qi Feng and A Li."

Xia Qing said gently, "You've already done a lot of work during this time, which is why the case has reached this stage."

Xu Zhangying bit the spoon, grinning somewhat unprofessionally. "Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if things got interesting again."

The moment he said it, a loud ringtone echoed through the private hospital room—as if his words had summoned it. Xia Qing stood up and handed the phone by the bedside to Xu Zhangying. The caller ID clearly displayed Li Jiali.

Xu Zhangying exchanged a glance with Xia Qing, then rubbed his nose awkwardly before answering. "A Li, what's going on?"

Li Jiali's breathing was slightly uneven, but the background on her end was relatively quiet. "Xu, how are you doing?"

Xu Zhangying's expression instantly grew much calmer, replying in an even tone, "Aside from not being able to run or jump, everything's fine. I happen to be with Xia Qing right now—A Li, has Victim 256 been confirmed?"

"Is Professor Xia with you? That’s perfect," Li Jiali let out a bitter laugh. "Nothing gets past you. We were trying not to disturb you while you're recovering—Captain Yan and I wouldn’t have bothered you otherwise."

"But Victim 256's identity is... unusual. We just had a quick briefing and felt we needed to fill you in."

Xu Zhangying understood—Li Jiali was likely sitting in the Major Crime Unit's office right now. But why were they taking this approach?

Xu Zhangying turned on the speakerphone. Xia Qing stood behind him as Li Jiali's voice suddenly filled the room: "The deceased identified as Victim 256 is Wang Tianxiao—Zhao Xiuzhen's biological daughter, Zhao Lanyue's cousin, and also the suspect we've been treating as a fugitive."

Xu Zhangying's eyes widened sharply.

Li Jiali sighed heavily. "Qi Feng and Yu Mei just returned from interrogating Zhao Xiuzhen. She genuinely had no idea. After learning that among the exhibits she viewed at the art gallery were not only Zhao Lanyue but also her own daughter's corpse, she had a complete psychological collapse. She's been moved to the medical ward for observation. Right now, we're completely stumped, so we wanted your input—and Professor Xia's."

"Start with social connections. Contact AGB's network officers, the Operation Officer in New Zealand, and domestic cyber police to thoroughly investigate Wang Tianxiao's social connections and activities across domestic and international platforms," Xu Zhangying reacted almost instantly, his voice steady and composed.

"Time of death was February this year. Focus on whether she had contact with any suspicious individuals in the latter half of last year."

"If nothing unexpected—" Xu Zhangying lowered his head in thought. Just then, Xia Qing, standing behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder and calmly completed his thought: "Wang Tianxiao is likely the key figure behind the 523 case."

Silence lingered on the other end for a second or two before Li Jiali replied solemnly, "Copy that. On it immediately."

Fang Puxin's voice also came through the phone, as if he had sighed. "We appreciate it, Officer Xu and Professor Xia. I understand your point. We’ll act immediately."

"Jiali," Xu Zhangying called out before the call ended, his tone serious. "Let me know as soon as the initial investigation results come in. Consider it physical therapy—I'll go to the scene."

Li Jiali hesitated but finally said, "Alright."

After the call ended, the hospital room fell silent. Xu Zhangying clapped a hand over his mouth, breaking the tension. "Damn, I should've knocked on wood. I’d better watch what I say next time."

Xia Qing caught his hand. "You can’t leave the hospital with your injuries."

Xu Zhangying looked down at the white scar on Xia Qing's hand, then tilted his head up with a grin. "It’s fine. Consider it physical therapy. I’ll come back on time for the IV."

Outside the window, the crimson sunset had unknowingly spread across most of the city’s sky. In the hospital room, Xia Qing squeezed Beta Commissioner's bandaged hand gently and said nothing more.

But Xu Zhangying knew—Xia Qing wouldn’t stop him. Because the moment to spring the trap had finally arrived.