The climb up and down the mountain, through untamed woods at that, had been grueling. Worried Fan Lei might escape, everyone had been jogging uphill at some point, and now they were all exhausted, their faces pale.

They stuffed Fan Lei into the police car.

Liu Baoqing chugged a bottle of water before he finally caught his breath. Then, with a grave expression, he said, "Zhang Zhi, something’s come up."

He repeated what Fan Lei had said when they captured him.

"’Doesn’t have long to live?’" Zhang Hancheng was taken aback and turned his head to look at Fan Lei inside the car.

’So that gives him the right to just go on a wanton killing spree?’

’And kill two people at that?’

After a moment of thought, Zhang Hancheng said, "Arrange for someone to go to the hospitals and check for any of Fan Lei’s medical records."

Liu Baoqing nodded and waved, signaling for them to take Fan Lei back.

Only then did Zhang Hancheng turn his attention to Tian Kui and the other police dogs.

He tried to pet Tian Kui, but the dog shied away.

Only Tiger Stripes actively nudged forward.

Zhang Hancheng didn’t mind. He pointed at all the police dogs and said, "Xiaoshen, I mean it. All of them. Every single one gets a special treat. Buy them whatever they like to eat. Don’t use the bureau’s funds; I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket."

Shen Xin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He also gave Tian Kui’s head a rub.

The pack had performed exceptionally well today, and they’d worked hard.

Just as Zhang Hancheng had said, they deserved a special meal when they got back.

While another team was sent to investigate Fan Lei’s hiding spot on the mountain, Shen Xin returned to the New District Branch with Zhang Hancheng.

In the car, Zhang Hancheng said, "Xiaoshen, don’t celebrate just yet. Even though we identified and located Fan Lei thanks to Odin..."

"...the chain of evidence is still very weak. Our work isn’t over yet."

For instance, they were still searching the reservoir for the murder weapon.

And even if they found it, it probably wouldn’t be of any use.

The only useful evidence might be some witness testimony and the surveillance photos of him fleeing the scene.

He said as much, but his tone was clearly much more relaxed.

Now that they had the suspect in custody, along with a bag full of gold, they could trace where it came from. Following that lead would allow them to identify the person who hired the hitman. From there, they could complete the chain of evidence and definitively link Fan Lei to the crime.

So, while the job wasn’t done, it had become much easier.

Most importantly, they had successfully completed their mission.

The task force had assembled at noon on the 26th. It was now almost noon on the 28th.

In a full 48 hours, they had identified the suspect and brought him into custody. Zhang Hancheng couldn’t have been more satisfied with the result.

Shen Xin nodded. Finding more evidence through the suspect would be much easier, relatively speaking.

But after a moment of silence, something else occurred to Shen Xin.

He had been thinking about it since yesterday. "Zhang Zhi," he asked, "have we still not found any connection between Huang Weili and Xu Rulin?"

Ren Haiguang was currently in charge of that line of inquiry.

Zhang Hancheng shook his head. He already understood what Shen Xin was getting at. "You’re asking why Fan Lei would kill Huang Weili and then Xu Rulin, two seemingly unrelated people, right?"

"I’ve actually been wondering about that myself. Hai Guang’s team looked into it, and aside from fishing, Huang Weili and Xu Rulin had absolutely no other connection in their lives."

One was in the building materials business, the other was a software developer, and they lived far apart.

Zhang Hancheng’s gaze grew pensive. "So," he said, "I have a theory: Fan Lei might have killed the wrong person."

The statement startled Shen Xin.

Even Geng Ke, who was driving, flinched and turned his head to blurt out, "Zhang Zhi, how is that possible?"

’How can you kill the wrong person?’

Beyond his shock, Shen Xin suddenly felt a sense of dawning realization. "Zhang Zhi," he said hurriedly, "are you suggesting Fan Lei mistook them for each other because Huang Weili and Xu Rulin had similar builds?"

Shen Xin then recalled that Huang Weili and Xu Rulin were both of average height, around five-foot-nine, and both had short hair.

And Fan Lei had attacked from behind.

Late at night, it was certainly possible to mistake one for the other.

"Exactly."

Zhang Hancheng nodded, then praised him. "Xiaoshen, you’re quick on the uptake. Geng Ke, you should learn a thing or two from Shen Xin."

Shen Xin quickly waved his hand in dismissal and added, "So, that means Fan Lei’s real target was Xu Rulin. I remember Xu Rulin saying that on the night of the 19th, something came up and he had to leave early."

"Then Fan Lei arrived, and since it was late at night, he didn’t think twice. He just went up and struck the man with a rock, only to realize afterward that he’d killed the wrong person."

"And to complete his mission and get paid, he had no choice but to wait a week—until he thought the heat had died down—and then kill the real target, Xu Rulin."

"Wait, that’s not right."

Shen Xin frowned slightly. "Their hairstyles and heights were similar, but as for their build, I feel like Huang Weili was a bit heavier."

"Besides, even though it was night and there were no lights on the mountain, there was a rechargeable night light on the folding table next to Huang Weili. It was on. Fan Lei couldn’t possibly have failed to recognize who he was, right?"

’The guy couldn’t be *that* blind.’

Zhang Hancheng thought for a moment. "Xiaoshen, your analysis makes sense. We’ll have to ask Fan Lei to know for sure what happened."

Shen Xin nodded, wanting to request permission to interrogate Fan Lei.

But he swallowed the words before they could escape his lips.

’After all, this is the New District Branch’s case. I’d better just watch from the observation room.’

When they arrived at the New District Branch, Zhao Hongjie had already heard the news and was waiting for them.

He immediately launched into another round of praise.

He was especially effusive toward Shen Xin.

"Kid, you didn’t disappoint me. Well done."

Zhao Hongjie was beaming. The K-9 program he had championed had yielded results so quickly, something he hadn’t expected.

In front of the high-ranking official, Shen Xin did his best to remain humble, attributing the success to the command and leadership of Zhang Hancheng and the others.

’A job this well done is, of course, thanks to the brilliant command of our leaders.’

Zhao Hongjie let out a hearty laugh, finding himself liking Shen Xin more and more the longer he looked at him.