Chapter 32: Closing the Case (Three Chapters in One)

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, casting an intense, suffocating heat across the landscape. Standing exposed under such a sun, one would feel a stinging, burning pain on their bare skin within moments. After a full day of labor, even those accustomed to construction work would find their skin peeling away in layers. It was no surprise that by the end of the summer, many of the workers had been baked to a dark, glistening bronze.

In the construction site, fearing that his workers might suffer from heatstroke, the foreman directed everyone to sit down and take a break. These men were temporary laborers; to ensure their loyalty and keep them coming back, the foreman had even gone to a nearby small shop to buy water, handing it out one by one.

Moving from left to right, he distributed the bottles, his red hard hat bobbing as he went. When workers are exhausted to a certain point, they lose the desire to speak; they accepted the water with numb, mechanical movements. The foreman, accustomed to this, continued down the line. After finishing, he realized there were two bottles left. One was his own, but who was missing? He thought for a moment and remembered Lin He, a man who rarely spoke but worked diligently. He decided to find him and deliver the water.

He scanned the surroundings and found the man in the stairwell on the ground floor of one of the buildings. Walking over, the foreman said, "Here, it’s too hot at noon. Drink some ice water to cool off."

Lin He glanced at him, reached out to take the bottle, and cracked it open for a sip. He wore his hair in a close-cropped buzz cut, his face set in a cold, expressionless mask that radiated a "keep your distance" aura. The foreman shook his head, dismissing him as a weirdo, and turned to leave. Just then, his phone rang. He stepped away, answering with a sycophantic tone: "What is it, boss?" As he walked further off, his voice faded into the distance.

Lin He maintained his previous expression. Coldly, he tilted his head back and drained the remaining half of the ice water, crushed the plastic bottle, and tossed it into a corner. Despite the sweltering heat that left everyone drenched in sweat, he never once removed his white labor gloves. He sat quietly in the darkest reaches of the stairwell, needing not a sliver of light.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the site, the foreman walked up to a group of men in plain clothes. The leader produced a badge and a photograph. "Is there a man named Lin He here, or someone who looks like this?"

The foreman, having already been instructed by his superiors to cooperate, nodded immediately after glancing at the portrait. "Yes, there is such a person. I just brought him water. He’s over there; I’ll take you to him." He knew these people were not to be trifled with. Looking at the sheer number of men who had arrived, the foreman gulped nervously, wondering what kind of trouble Lin He had gotten himself into.

He led them forward. As the other workers saw the approaching group, they stood up, some with shifty, evasive eyes. The foreman noticed, but he knew the chaos of a construction site—no ID required, anyone could come and go—so he paid it no mind and pressed on. As they neared the building, the leader gestured. The others drew their weapons and silently surrounded every exit of the structure.

Seeing this, the foreman swallowed hard again, realizing that the man was definitely in deep trouble. Faced with this display, he stopped at the entrance to the stairwell alley and whispered to the officer who had questioned him, "I just went to give him water. He’s sitting on the first step of the stairwell. I’m not going any further."

"Understood," Zheng He replied. He signaled to his two colleagues to begin the pincer movement. The officers nodded, pressing their backs against the wall as they crept silently toward the doorway where a fire door was slated to be installed.

There was no sound from within. Realizing the man might have fled, Zheng He shouted, "Charge in!"

The two officers rushed inside, but the space was empty. "Team Leader Zheng, he’s gone!" one shouted.

Zheng He looked upward immediately, realizing the man had sensed their arrival and escaped. The cunning bastard. "Everyone," Zheng He commanded, "pursue!"

He raised his own handgun, the safety still on, and began to climb the stairs in pursuit. This construction site was intended to be a commercial and residential complex, located almost in the heart of the city—a relatively rare type of project. The first three floors were commercial space, with the residential units above. To prevent the suspect from fleeing in a different direction, they had to disperse their team to search.

Zheng He was experienced in such operations; he quickly organized his men to ensure the suspect would be cornered. Ye Sangsang followed close behind Zheng He. Her current level of stamina proved its worth; she climbed floor after floor, panting only slightly, without any sign of distress. Instead of just mindlessly searching, she was calculating the suspect’s potential escape route. Before the operation, they had reviewed the site's layout, which was why Zheng He could coordinate the search without panic.

She visualized the model of the construction site in her mind. Putting herself in Lin He’s shoes, she asked: how would she escape?

Suddenly, Ye Sangsang looked up and spotted the tower crane. She leaned toward a window to get a better view, her gaze sharpening. "Zheng He! He’s trying to cross over to the opposite building using the connected tower crane!"

Zheng He looked up, spotting the crane spanning the gap between their building and the one opposite. He grabbed his radio, ordering Yang Wen and Gu Ling to head to the other building, and dispatched three more officers to assist in the encirclement. "Block the exits! Do not let him get away!" Zheng He shouted.

"Understood! We won't let him escape!" Yang Wen’s voice crackled back.

As they coordinated, both continued to climb frantically. Near the twentieth floor, the ascent was truly exhausting to the point of collapse. But if they waited for the old, rusted cage elevator to start, they would be far too late. They had no choice but to push themselves to the limit.

Six minutes later, they reached the rooftop. They rushed toward the yellow tower crane and saw the man crawling along it, using his hands and feet to navigate toward the other building. Zheng He immediately prepared to go out onto the crane, but Ye Sangsang held him back, shaking her head. "My marksmanship isn't good enough. You stay here and keep eyes on him; I’m going."

With her current stamina, it was hard to say who would come out on top in a fight, and besides, she still had a "Resurrection Card"—she could return to the previous checkpoint if things went wrong. Furthermore, she found the thrill truly exhilarating.

[I can see the eagerness on Sang-jie’s face.]
[Honestly, I’ve never seen a hint of fear on her.]
[Lin He is bold, but he doesn't seem to match Sang-jie.]

Zheng He disagreed, but he couldn't out-argue Ye Sangsang, nor was he as fast as her. She stepped onto the crane and began to move. At twenty stories high, the camera swayed along with her, looking down at the void.

[Ahhhhh, I’m afraid of heights!]
[The super-AI is definitely doing this on purpose, woooo, it’s so high!]
[God, I’m scared to death! The sense of weightlessness is hitting me, I feel like I'm drifting.]

The livestream chat was a flurry of screams and terror. Ye Sangsang moved without hesitation, her hands and feet gripping the crane’s structure. Lin He, about ten meters ahead, noticed the formidable woman and significantly increased his pace. Ye Sangsang watched him, a wicked smile appearing on her face, and she continued to crawl forward, utterly indifferent to the danger. Even from this distance, the audience could clearly see the panic on Lin He’s face.

The two parties raced as if in a competition. A standard tower crane’s main jib—the side used for lifting—is usually 50 to 60 meters long, while the counter-jib is about 40 meters. Ye Sangsang’s speed closed the ten-meter gap. Realizing he might be caught, Lin He’s cold expression shifted into a look of vicious desperation. He had to reach the end.

Zheng He watched, his mouth slightly agape. Although Ye Sangsang was climbing fast, she had no intention of fighting at such a height; she only wanted to close the distance so she could apprehend him the moment they reached the other side.

Minute by minute, the time ticked away. In less than four minutes, the jib was traversed. Lin He climbed down, fixed a steady gaze on Ye Sangsang, and turned to flee. He had initially considered stopping to kick the arrogant policewoman off the crane, but even the ruthless fear the truly reckless. Ye Sangsang’s "do-or-die" momentum made him hesitate to try. He had to let this chance pass, but next time, he vowed he would have no such reservations!

He bolted toward the stairwell, scrambling to escape downward. Ye Sangsang descended quickly; she had been hoping to feed him some lead, but the shooting angle from up there was poor. She reached the end of the crane, which hung about 2.5 meters above the rooftop. She spotted a pile of sand, aimed, and jumped, landing with a smooth roll. She immediately drew her holstered pistol and chased after him.

"Yang Wen, watch your side! Lin He is heading down, make sure it’s foolproof!" Zheng He, lacking the courage to crawl across the crane, had to run down the stairs to provide support on the other side.

Ye Sangsang continued her pursuit, listening for any sounds echoing through the structure. On the other side, Yang Wen, a sharpshooter, lay in ambush at the stairwell exit. Other exits were similarly guarded; as long as the suspect was still in the building, they would ensure he couldn't get out.

As the time neared the moment Lin He would reach the lower levels, the entire team grew tense. This was an opportunity Ye Sangsang had fought hard to create; if it was botched, given the suspect’s cunning and ruthlessness, there was no telling when they would find him again—especially since he was an unregistered black-market resident.

With this in mind, everyone listened intently. As they descended, Ye Sangsang didn't rush blindly; she moved slowly, listening to the silence to ensure she wasn't walking into an ambush. The mission was important, but she didn't want to die at Lin He’s hands—that would be too humiliating and reflect poorly on her intelligence.

By the time she reached the eighth floor, she noticed the sound of his footsteps had ceased. Clearly, the suspect realized there were police waiting below and Ye Sangsang pursuing from above. Ye Sangsang began to clear the hallways connected to the stairs, and only after confirming they were empty did she continue downward.

Through her earpiece, she heard Zheng He order Yang Wen’s team to move upward in a pincer. Ye Sangsang felt a sense of relief. When she arrived at the fifth floor, Yang Wen reported that they had reached the third floor. With only one floor between them, it was clear Lin He was hiding on the fourth floor.

Upon meeting, the two teams confirmed their positions. They began using hand signals, moving silently to search every room on the sixth floor, pairing up to ensure safety. With pistols gripped firmly in their hands, bodies slightly hunched, they counted down—three, two, one—and moved back-to-back into the room.