The surveillance footage showed me entering the building around 10:31 PM. At that time, everything seemed normal. No sign of Wang Zifang could be detected among the comings and goings. At 10:50 PM, a food delivery courier appeared carrying a lunch box. Fang Zhiguo immediately said, "Zoom in. This is suspicious. Look, it's almost May, yet this courier is still wearing heavy winter gear."
Qin Xiao quickly zoomed in, but the footage was not high definition, the night was dark, the distance far, and the courier wore a windproof helmet. Even with the zoom, his face was unclear. Five minutes later, the courier appeared again without the lunch box, looking like a normal delivery person.
"Could my guess be wrong?" Fang Zhiguo muttered. "In such a short time, it seems impossible…"
"Check earlier footage—from 9:30 to 10:30," Er-Ge suddenly said.
"Don't mess around, I was having coffee with Wang Zifang at that time," I replied.
Qin Xiao looked at Fang Zhiguo, who nodded slightly. Then Qin Xiao asked Er-Ge, "What do you want to see?"
Er-Ge wore a mysterious expression. "Someone with a figure similar to Wang Zifang. Keep your eyes sharp and help spot her."
Qin Xiao made an OK sign and started fast-forwarding at 16x speed from 9:30. The video flickered rapidly, and Er-Ge and I exchanged astonished glances. We couldn't help but admire Qin Xiao—fast-forwarding like this and still being able to spot details was almost superhuman. Truly, geniuses were serving the nation.
"Found her," Qin Xiao pressed pause. "This woman."
We crowded around as he played the footage. At 10 PM, a woman in black, her silhouette strikingly similar to Wang Zifang's, entered my building.
Fang Zhiguo immediately called over the property guard, an elderly man, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pointing to the screen. "Sir, can you tell if this person lives in the complex?"
The guard scrutinized the image. "No, not a resident. There's no woman in this complex with such a figure."
"Are you sure? Take a closer look," Fang Zhiguo pressed.
"No need, my memory for faces is excellent. I've got a natural gift for remembering people," the guard replied.
"Impressive," Er-Ge said. "Even uses influencer slang."
The old man chuckled and pointed at me. "He's a resident here, working hard every day from dawn till dusk."
"Unbelievable. Alright, sir, you can get back to your work," Er-Ge said. "See, some people really are extraordinary."
I forced a laugh. "Er-Ge, what are you up to?"
"Patience. Qin, continue checking whether this woman came out later."
Qin Xiao resumed the 16x fast-forward. Time passed, and Fang Zhiguo paced silently. The only sound was Qin Xiao's occasional keystroke as he paused and resumed.
"Found her!" Qin Xiao exclaimed excitedly. We crowded around again. The time froze at 3 AM. In the darkness, a vague human silhouette appeared—just a human shape, barely discernible. I frowned. "Are we sure it's the same person?"
"Not the same," Er-Ge said, almost giving Wang Zifang a new code name. "This must be Kawashima Yuko."
Fang Zhiguo patted Qin Xiao on the shoulder. "Can it be reconstructed?"
"Yes, give me a moment," Qin Xiao replied, copying the footage to his laptop and processing it rapidly.
Minutes later, it was confirmed: Wang Zifang.
"Er-Ge, you're incredible. How did you know it was her?"
Fang Zhiguo admired him. "Tell me, how did you figure it out?"
Caught in the spotlight, Er-Ge hesitated, then explained: "It's a classic misdirection trick. First, a woman enters the building and waits. Then Wang Zifang, disguised as a courier, swaps outfits with her. The waiting woman exits as the courier, and Wang Zifang stays behind. She entered right under our noses and left at 3 AM."
Fang Zhiguo's expression grew serious. "They used her as leverage, then exploited the situation for their purposes."
Cold sweat ran down my back. "Could they really be so ruthless?"
Fang Zhiguo continued, quoting an old maxim:
"A man aware of small proprieties yet lacking great righteousness, meticulous yet lacking virtue, values trivialities over honor, fears authority yet holds no morality; the strong become thieves, the weak submit."
"It seems we underestimated our opponents. We've lost the initiative. The previous plan is no longer relevant. Right now, the priority is damage control. Let's move—this is urgent. We must return to headquarters and mobilize the team."