Qin Yi ignored his question, got into the driver’s seat, and instructed, “You watch down here. I’ll drive the car back onto the road first.”
He reached out to turn the ignition key, only to realize it was still already in the start position. It seemed the vehicle had been cut off while rushing down from above.
But—the handbrake was pulled up.
If the car had been stopped by someone, Zhang Kui should have stepped on the brake, not pulled the handbrake…
No. If someone had blocked the car, Zhang Kui would have rammed straight through. He would never have stopped!
If no one had blocked it, why did the car leave the road?
Driver injury causing loss of control?
And then that “colleague” just happened to appear?
Ma Liu had a gun and explosives—if there were people outside the vehicle, how could he not have fired back?
But Qin Yi hadn’t heard any gunshots. In such a quiet winter night, any shot would have carried far…
Moreover, he had been chasing the jeep all along. Jiangping County was hilly, with many bends and slopes. Road conditions were poor and visibility at night was bad.
The jeep could at most reach 40 to 50 km/h. From Ma Liu’s escape until now, only fifty minutes had passed. On a bicycle at nearly 20 km/h, he would have arrived at most twenty minutes later.
Within those twenty minutes, that “colleague” would have had to intercept the vehicle, engage in combat, restrain both men, and then leave perfectly before he arrived.
That was impossible.
Based on the traces at the scene and the timing, the most reasonable explanation was… that it had been done by the person inside the car.
He could even reconstruct the entire sequence: pulling the handbrake while the vehicle accelerated downhill, causing it to lose control and crash into farmland; taking advantage of the rollover to quickly subdue both people; then restraining them…
But this required not only exceptional combat skills and reaction speed, but also the ability to drive—and dismantle bombs.
If he had been in the back seat, he could also have done it.
But only he.
After all, within the entire southwest military region, very few could match him, and even Lin Li might not be able to pull it off.
His gaze shifted from the raised handbrake to the unconscious girl in the back seat. But the only person sitting in the back seat was her.
He had seen her being beaten nearly to death by two thugs. The injury on her head was proof. If she truly had such ability, how could she have ended up like this…
That assumption did not seem to hold.
“Boss! Boss! Can’t you start the car?” Lin Li called from outside after seeing Qin Yi motionless for a long time.
“It’s fine.” Qin Yi started the engine, then suddenly added, “Lin Li, check the back seat for Ma Liu’s gun.”
Lin Li opened the back door and scanned with a flashlight. “Boss, nothing found.”
Qin Yi suddenly thought of something and opened the glove compartment. Inside, he found not only Ma Liu’s pistol, but also Zhang Kui’s dagger.
“Hey, impressive!” Lin Li praised. “This brother even collected the evidence for us.”
Qin Yi remained silent.
Under Lin Li’s guidance, the jeep easily got back onto the main road.
Lin Li stuffed the two bicycles into the trunk and climbed into the back seat with a relaxed expression.
Then, he leaned forward mysteriously.
“Boss, tell me the truth—you actually know who did it, don’t you?”
“You arrived before he left, or they were still fighting. He didn’t want anyone to see his face, so you agreed to keep it secret…”
Qin Yi looked at him like he was an idiot. “Read less fiction. If you really want to know, just ask these two when they wake up.”
Just as he finished speaking, the girl in the passenger seat moved slightly, as if she was about to wake.
Seeing this, Lin Li quickly said, “Hey—Boss, slow down! She’s injured!”
He handed over a water flask. “Here! Let her have some water!”
But Qin Yi didn’t take it. “The water in the car is drugged. She can’t drink it. Just wait.”
The girl’s eyelids fluttered and then seemed to fall back into unconsciousness.
Qin Yi looked at her deeply and lightly eased off the brake, slowing the car.
Su Tong had been in a semi-conscious state the entire time. She was only aware that after someone touched her forehead, she realized she had been running a fever—her head was foggy, her body cold and weak, her stomach burning like fire… yet she didn’t dare fully fall asleep.
Only when Qin Yi said those words earlier did she nearly jump up in shock. She was truly feverish and delirious, and only now realized she had left behind two huge… no—two “loopholes.”
Those two guys of course knew who had tied them up. She had only been thinking about not being exposed and had forgotten there were two “living witnesses.” She should have—back then—found some way to deal with them first…
Sigh. What could she have done anyway?
It wasn’t like she could silence them forever or make them unable to speak.
What a mess.
She tried to take the chance to “wake up” and drink some water, but the water in the car couldn’t be drunk either.
Her head grew heavier and heavier.
Forget it. She couldn’t think anymore.
Su Tong closed her eyes and fell completely asleep.
Jiangping County Hospital had never been so busy.
Both hostages and both criminals involved in the major case had been admitted.
Doctors and patients were unaware of the details, and even the few who knew were ordered to keep silent.
However, visitors to the wards increased significantly—most were unfamiliar faces, carrying briefcases and wearing Zhongshan suits, clearly people of status.
At the back, a specially isolated ward was guarded 24 hours a day by fully armed plainclothes officers, giving the hospital an atmosphere of seriousness and mystery.
Although higher authorities tried to reduce public attention, many participants in the operation were villagers’ militia members who could not be strictly controlled.
Soon, information began to spread. Among uninformed civilians, rumors started circulating that the arrested were two traffickers involved in kidnapping women and children…
In an era of extreme information scarcity, the story quickly became top news and spread widely.
Qin Yi also strengthened security for the two suspects. Although Ma Liu was not high-ranking in the criminal group, he knew a great deal. Capturing him had opened a crucial gap in the long-standing case.
Sometimes suppression is worse than release; letting the public talk might bring greater gains.
Before long, everyone in the county knew of the “earth-shaking” case, and countless versions of the story spread everywhere.
Su Tong slept for a full day and night and only woke up on the morning of the third day.
A small nurse beside her was taking her temperature. Seeing her wake, she became extremely excited.
“Oh my! You’re finally awake! You’ve made a huge contribution! Everyone in our hospital was deeply moved after hearing your story!”
Su Tong’s heart sank.
Her first thought was: it’s over.
Had those two escapees already confessed her out?