Xie Kui found out something had happened after receiving a call from Xiao Zhang.

At that time, Xiao Zhang was eating in a restaurant, unaware of what was happening outside and not hearing Zhuang Zi’s cries for help.

However, he was very vigilant. After finishing his meal, he immediately left the restaurant.

As soon as he stepped out, he encountered two girls who were discussing hearing someone yelling for help near an alley and debating whether to call the police.

One of the girls stopped the other, saying, “It’s better not to get involved. That place is a hangout for thugs. We can’t afford to mess with them.”

As a criminal police officer, Xiao Zhang instinctively paid more attention to situations involving danger and immediately stopped them, asking, “Where did you hear that?”

The girl pointed out the location, thinking he was just another bystander looking for excitement, and added, “It could also be a domestic fight. We’re not sure. You’d better not go. You might get dragged into it.”

However, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Moreover, that alley was notorious for gang fights despite numerous crackdowns. Xiao Zhang felt it necessary to check it out but had another task at hand.

He thought for a moment, walked to the roadside, and called Zhuang Zi to inform her and then go over to check the situation quickly. 

He called twice, but no one answered.

With his police intuition, Xiao Zhang immediately sensed something was wrong.

He put away his phone, rushed across the street, entered the hotel, and after confirming that Zhuang Zi was not in her room, he panicked and quickly notified Xie Kui to dispatch police forces.

When Xie Kui received the call, Si Hang had just left the police station not long ago.

Time was of the essence. Knowing that the alley was on Si Hang’s way home, he contacted him immediately.

With traffic jammed, Si Hang parked a block away after receiving the call and ran towards the alley.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhang, after leaving the hotel, also ran towards the alley. He observed the area along the way and found bloodstains on the ground halfway through.

His heart sank as he rushed out onto the main road, asked nearby shop owners, and followed the direction in which Zhuang Zi had fled.

At the same time, Si Hang, running down the street, received another call from Xie Kui, informing him that the fruit shop owner had just reported the incident.

He immediately changed direction and ran to find the fruit shop.

……

When Xiao Zhang found Zhuang Zi, Si Hang had already brought her back to his car.

Zhuang Zi was shivering from the cold. Si Hang opened the back seat and handed her a blanket he kept in the car, telling her to change out of her wet clothes.

She took the blanket and was about to get in the car when she noticed someone else inside: the little girl she had met in the office before.

She hesitated for a moment before getting into the car and closing the door.

Xiao Zhang came running over, out of breath, first checking to make sure she was okay.

Si Hang, looking serious and stern, didn’t have time to blame him for not keeping an eye on things, leading to the incident happening right under his nose.

Standing by the car door, he turned his back, considering that she was changing inside, even though he was separated by the car window, and asked, “Did you get a good look at the person who held you?”

Zhuang Zi had just taken off her coat. Hearing this, she glanced outside. In the dark car window, the man’s figure looked stable and tall.

“He’s half a head taller than me, slightly chubby.” She had been focused on escaping and didn’t have a chance to look back. All her judgments were based on the shadow on the ground: “I didn’t see his face clearly.”

“When did you first notice something was wrong?”

Zhuang Zi detailed the events starting from when she realized there was an issue with her phone: “My phone is still in the hotel. Maybe you can trace from there.”

“Was his accent local or non-local?”

“He spoke Mandarin, but his flat-tongued sounds were not standard.”

Zhuang Zi was left with only a thin knit shirt, her arms half-dry and half-wet. She wrapped the blanket around herself and suddenly smelled a faint scent of grass.

It was the scent of his blanket.

Si Hang asked a few more detailed questions, which Zhuang Zi answered one by one.

Soon, Xie Kui and the others arrived.

They jumped out of their car and ran over to ask about the situation. Si Hang relayed all the information Zhuang Zi had provided to them.

“Check the surveillance at the intersection and around the alley. Also, her phone might have been hacked, so inspect it immediately. From now on, assign someone to protect the victim 24/7. Any other issues will be discussed at a meeting tomorrow morning after the investigation.”