Chapter 62: A Need for Reassessment

Could it be that this young man who shared a room with her had truly mastered ancient martial arts?

With complicated feelings, Zhou Mei pulled down the detective agency’s shutter and walked back to the criminal investigation team.

She spent twenty minutes to arrive, heading straight to Captain Zhang’s office on the top floor.

Captain Zhang had clearly pulled another all-nighter in his office.

His eyes were bloodshot, and a ring of stubble had sprung up.

He was tilting his neck back, wrestling with his stubborn, unruly beard using a razor—locked in a battle for supremacy.

The moment Zhou Mei entered, Captain Zhang tossed aside the razor, rubbed his chin, and burst into hearty laughter. “Zhou Mei, you’ve done it again! Excellent work!”

“What?”

“Li Kaiyuan has been caught!”

Zhou Mei’s eyes lit up instantly.

Li Kaiyuan was the very man she’d submitted information on to the task force just yesterday—so the information was true!

Captain Zhang was overjoyed. “Li Kaiyuan actually laid such a careful trap in advance—who could have guessed? You managed to find this clue. It seems your police star was destined to shine!”

“He really set up a farm in Jiangcheng under the identity of a repatriated overseas Chinese, Zhang Jiyue, seven years ago? Even found a wife and had a son?”

“Yes, not only is the identity complete, but he’s changed his appearance entirely—wears glasses, slicked-back hair, scholarly and refined. Even when the task force surrounded him, they almost failed to recognize him. It’s clear: without this precise tip, he really might have escaped justice.”

The repatriated overseas Chinese identity was a trap he’d set seven years ago—a thoroughly rigorous and secret identity. No one knew, not even Brother Hu.

In most people’s minds, fugitives like him would be hiding deep in the mountains or forests, but he had done the opposite: becoming a legitimate farm owner on the outskirts of the provincial capital.

And he’d already established the persona of a repatriated overseas Chinese, well known to everyone around him.

“How did you discover this clue?” Captain Zhang asked the key question.

Zhou Mei exhaled gently. “There’s no need to hide it from you. This clue was given to me.”

“Lin Xiaosu?”

“Yes!” Zhou Mei replied. “Captain Zhang, let’s set that aside for now—I want to report something major that happened yesterday afternoon…”

She gave a complete account of the incident with the Dell Corporation.

Captain Zhang’s expression grew grave halfway through her deduction.

Li Yufeng’s case had always been riddled with doubts. The bureau had held several meetings over these very points.

They’d analyzed countless scenarios, constructed many hypotheses.

But no one had truly solved the riddle.

Now, a nearly perfect answer lay before them.

With his years of experience in criminal investigation, he could almost be certain—this was the final answer to the mystery.

The more he considered it, the more excited he became.

His heart raced, a flush creeping across his cheeks. “Where is he? Call him—we need to have a proper talk!”

“He went after Dongzi!”

“What? He… went alone? Is he out of his mind, that reckless kid…”

“Captain Zhang, I rushed to report to you today precisely because of this!” Zhou Mei said. “My car is equipped with a tracker. Let’s locate him immediately. Be ready to contact the local police at any moment. If anything happens, his safety is the top priority!”

“All right! Activate the tracker!”

At a computer ahead, Zhou Mei started working.

Suddenly, she froze. The screen was filled with static.

“No signal! He’s removed the tracker!” Captain Zhang’s face darkened.

“How is that possible? He didn’t even know where I’d installed it, and besides, it’s an integrated device. Even if removed and tossed out, it should still show up. This was clearly dismantled internally, with expert precision.” Zhou Mei’s cheeks flushed. “That bastard, what is he playing at?”

Captain Zhang studied her reddened face. “It seems this little detective is beyond our expectations. He’s highly skilled in mechanical and electronic fields—even at a professional level.”

“Captain, is now really the time to discuss this? What do we do?” Zhou Mei said. “He did this for our case—it’s not even his job. If something happens to him while helping us…”

“Don’t panic! Listen to me.” Captain Zhang said, “First, we need to reassess his abilities. With such skills, he can walk the world with few dangers!”

That alone calmed Zhou Mei considerably.

“Second, by removing the tracker, he’s shown he’s cautious enough. Facing danger with such prudence, I can’t imagine any situation that could truly threaten him.”

Zhou Mei exhaled softly.

Indeed, Captain Zhang had stressed two points: ability and attitude.

A person who is both capable and cautious truly may not need to be worried over.

With a more settled heart, she let it go for the time being.

“You’re looking good today—slept well last night?” Captain Zhang’s words slipped into her ears.

Zhou Mei’s heart fluttered. “Yes, I slept soundly.”

“Haha, if you ever feel tired, I’ll give you a holiday and let you nap at the detective agency. Next day, you’ll be bursting with energy!”

“Captain, enough with the jokes!” Zhou Mei shot him a glare.

“Just trying to lighten the mood!” Captain Zhang chuckled softly.

Zhou Mei smiled too, shaking her head. “You’re trying to help me relax, but I still can’t. I’m a bit worried that after his trip, I’ll get a pile of speeding tickets.”

“Will you?”

“Will I? Do you know how fast he went on that terrible road in Jinshan? One hundred and twenty kilometers an hour! I wouldn’t be surprised if he hit two-twenty on a straight stretch!” Zhou Mei said. “Captain, just a small question… can those fines be reimbursed?”

…

Setting off from the southern city towards Yingshan County meant taking a national highway.

After the expressway system blossomed everywhere, the national highways had grown quiet. Though still broad and smooth, they couldn’t compare to the expressways. As a result, the wealthy, the urgent, and the privileged rarely took this route.

Driving Zhou Mei’s car, Lin Xiaosu chose this road.

His judgment had been correct: Du Lifeng’s driver, Dongzi, had fled by car overnight, taking this very route.

He drove a vehicle that had sat in an underground garage, covered in dust, unused for a long time. When he got in, he wore a flamboyant denim outfit, a thick gold chain, and a blue dragon tattoo winding down his arm. This look was worlds apart from the bodyguard of a major company executive.

With such a disguise, if Lin Xiaosu hadn’t locked onto him from the start, he might have easily slipped by unnoticed.

This is the art of disguise in the modern world—it doesn’t require altering one’s face. Changing your style is enough to throw off attention.

One simple disguise, one escape attempt.

The message to Lin Xiaosu was clear.

That message: Du Lifeng was in serious trouble!

In modern society, gene-modified individuals are highly sensitive subjects, as the costs are astronomical.

Thus, genetic modification is a privilege of the rich.

Yet not all wealthy people take this path, for it comes with immense, unpredictable risks.

There is the risk of genetic rejection, the risk of mutation.

If the rich can live comfortably, why implant a ticking time bomb within themselves?

So, those who undergo genetic modification are typically suffering from severe, incurable illnesses—people whom modern medicine has deemed beyond hope.

If you can’t live well anyway, why not take a gamble?

And so, they choose genetic modification.

That’s the usual genetic case.

There is another category: genetically modified individuals created for special purposes.

Most often, by criminal organizations.

Even within Qianlong, there are genetically enhanced individuals, but for them, it is also a matter of necessity. Criminal methods evolve, enemies grow inhumanly powerful, and ordinary law enforcement cannot cope. Thus, the only way to keep control is to create a new generation of law enforcers through genetic modification.

This is the classic arms race: as evil grows stronger, so must justice. If justice does not keep up, it cannot contain evil. Thus, genetic modification advances ever higher, each side forced to new heights.

No matter how you see it, genetically modified people are extraordinary. Each of them is worth their weight in stacks of cash. Such a person should not be the mere driver and bodyguard of an ordinary businessman.

The inverse is also true.

If Du Lifeng uses such a bodyguard, he cannot be ordinary.

And Du Lifeng possesses a keen sense for counter-surveillance. When Lin Xiaosu plucked a strand of Dongzi’s hair, he instantly realized Lin Xiaosu would have it tested, exposing Dongzi’s genetic identity.

The moment Dongzi was exposed, everything would escalate—he would immediately fall under Qianlong’s gaze. Once Qianlong noticed him, Du Lifeng would be in serious trouble.

That’s why he ordered Dongzi to alter his appearance and leave overnight.

As long as Dongzi ran, even if Qianlong found him, Du Lifeng could wash his hands of everything. Qianlong is the highest level of law enforcement, the guardian of the nation, and they abide by the law. Without evidence, they could not simply eliminate a private entrepreneur generating vast profits.

But then, what kind of secret could make a billionaire, a man with power in both the underworld and the legitimate world, so anxious?

At this moment, Lin Xiaosu had no time to ponder Du Lifeng’s affairs.

He had only one task:

To bring his plan to its conclusion.

To track Dongzi!

This road had no cameras, and there were a thousand possible destinations.

Ordinarily, it would be impossible to track a nondescript car slipping away in the night, but with Lin Xiaosu on the case, what car could escape?

Unless you vanished into thin air!

Otherwise, under his unique methods of tracing through time, you would always have a destination.

Lin Xiaosu was far from relaxed—on the contrary, it was a troublesome task.