Do not move.

Han Bin speculated that the suspect had not gone to Shimen, but had instead shipped his phone there via courier. The purpose was to divert police resources and seize the opportunity to escape.

To confirm this possibility, Han Bin called the courier again, instructing him to locate the package and hold it in his hand. Tian Li dialed the suspect’s phone number, and the package in the courier’s hand gave off a slight vibration. When the call ended, the vibration stopped. Han Bin’s suspicion was thus confirmed.

...

An hour later, Zeng Ping and his team returned to the precinct, their faces full of frustration. Zheng Kaixuan also arrived in the office of the second team. A case analysis meeting was quickly convened.

Zheng Kaixuan’s expression was grim. After the suspect’s phone location was confirmed, Qindao had lifted its surveillance. Seeing Zheng Kaixuan silent, Zeng Ping cleared his throat, “Captain Zheng, this is my fault. I was too eager to apprehend the suspect without verifying the authenticity of the phone tracking.”

“It’s no use blaming anyone now. We need to catch the suspect as soon as possible. If he gets away, all our previous efforts will have been wasted,” Zheng Kaixuan said.

The investigation had reached the point where it was almost certain that Wu Zekai was the suspect in the kidnapping and murder case, but until he was apprehended, the case could not be considered closed.

“This Wu Zekai is damn cunning,” Li Hui cursed.

“The phone tracking was a ruse, and now we have no new leads,” Tian Li said helplessly.

“Han Bin, where is the suspect’s phone now?”

“I had the courier deliver it to the Shimen Public Security Bureau. I trust they will handle it properly.”

“That phone is an important piece of evidence. Zhao Ming, go tomorrow and bring it back,” Zeng Ping instructed.

“Yes, sir.”

Zheng Kaixuan scanned the faces of everyone present and tapped the table. “Let’s pool our ideas. How can we catch the suspect?”

“This suspect seems to be obsessed with phones. His methods have relied heavily on mobile devices and apps. I think we should start from there,” Han Bin suggested.

“He sent all his phones away by courier. How do we proceed?” Li Hui shook his head.

“Wu Zekai is twenty-one years old. People his age grew up glued to their phones. Frankly, most are phone addicts. The way he committed the crime proves this. I believe he absolutely cannot do without a phone,” Han Bin analyzed.

“Han Bin is right. I also think the suspect probably has another phone,” Zheng Kaixuan agreed.

“In this day and age, having just a phone isn’t enough. You need a phone number—otherwise, you can’t send messages or register apps. Without these functions, a phone is no different from a brick,” Han Bin continued.

“So, Wu Zekai likely has other phone numbers,” Li Hui said.

“I’ve added the contact information of the telecom company manager and asked him to check whether Wu Zekai has any other numbers registered under his name,” Han Bin replied.

“Any results?” Everyone looked hopeful.

Han Bin shook his head. “None.”

“Great, another lead gone,” Zhao Ming sighed.

The others were equally disappointed.

“I haven’t finished yet,” Han Bin smiled.

“The courier in Shimen delivered the phone to the local police. I contacted them and had them check the payment records in the wallet app. They found that Wu Zekai often topped up two phone numbers. One of them is the one we tracked in this case.”

“What about the other number?”

“I asked the telecom company to check. The owner is Sun Lina, also from Nanzhou. Their relationship is still unclear.”

“What’s the number? I’ll request tracking now,” Zeng Ping stood up.

Han Bin shook his head. “I’ve already contacted the telecom company. That number is currently switched off and can’t be tracked in real time.”

“So, this lead is also gone,” Li Hui remarked.

“Not entirely.”

“How so?”

“I had the telecom company print out Sun Lina’s call and message records and send me photos. I found that on the morning of the nineteenth, she received several messages, all app registration codes—chat apps, games, food delivery, live streaming, and so on,” Han Bin explained.

“Registering apps at this time—it’s very likely Wu Zekai is using it,” Tian Li guessed.

“Exactly.”

“I have an idea. Didn’t he register for that chat app? Let’s register one ourselves, pose as a young woman, and lure him out,” Li Hui proposed.

“Hui, your idea is pretty sneaky,” Zhao Ming chuckled.

Zheng Kaixuan pondered for a moment, a smile appearing on his face. “Han Bin’s analysis is spot on. This gives us a new direction for the investigation. But I don’t recommend using the chat app as bait.”

“Captain Zheng, I think it’s a good idea. Why not?” Li Hui asked.

“In my experience, in online social platforms, men are usually more proactive. Women seldom take the initiative. If we appear too eager, it might arouse the suspect’s suspicion.”

“Captain Zheng makes sense. We can try to bait him, but Wu Zekai can bait us too. He may have registered the chat app specifically as an early warning. If anyone approaches him too proactively, like Li Hui suggests, he may sense danger, flee again, and stop using any apps linked to that number. Then we’ll lose his trail entirely,” Han Bin said.

...

Nanzhou, outskirts of Tao County.

It was close to noon, inside a single-story house.

A young man in his early twenties sat up in bed, yawned, and glanced at his phone.

“Damn, slept straight till eleven. Finally got a good rest.”

This young man was Wu Zekai, recently escaped from Qindao to Nanzhou.

He didn’t dare return to his previous address, so he’d fled to a remote county. Here, he knew no one and wasn’t afraid of being recognized. He’d spent a hundred yuan for a fake ID and rented a house with a small courtyard.

Wu Zekai planned to stay here for a while, wait until things cooled down, and then move elsewhere.

His stomach growled with hunger. He opened the food delivery app and ordered braised pork noodles and shredded pork in garlic sauce.

After days of running and anxiety, he figured he deserved a good meal.

Having placed his order, Wu Zekai was bored and opened the chat app to look around, then started gaming.

He was absorbed in his game, successfully dodging an opponent with a clever move and feeling a bit smug.

Just then, his phone rang.

“Who is it?”

“Food delivery.”

“Wait a second.” Wu Zekai didn’t exit the game, not wanting to disconnect. He played as he walked toward the door.

At the entrance, he peered through the peephole—sure enough, it was the delivery guy.

Wu Zekai opened the gate. “Hand it over.”

“Bro, this place is really hard to find. Please leave me a five-star review,” the delivery man said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Wu Zekai replied impatiently.

At that moment, several figures rushed in from outside and subdued him.

“Police! Don’t move!”