Chapter 16: Hot Noodles—Are You Risking Your Life?!
“Officer Wang, Captain Song, with all this commotion, do you think Qi Yu might run?”
Fang Xiaocao lowered her voice as she approached Wang Qiang and Song Lin.
Both men were momentarily stunned by her question.
“Who is Qi Yu?” Wang Qiang asked, puzzled.
Song Lin’s expression changed instantly.
“Qi Yu is the murderer who locked me up here!”
“Brat, hurry up and catch him!” Song Lin barked.
“Yes, sir!”
Wang Qiang instinctively responded and bolted out of the basement, shouting, “Criminal Investigation Team, follow me!”
Fang Xiaocao glanced at her phone—19:48!
“Officer Wang, you should check my old rental apartment first. Qi Yu’s girlfriend is having a gathering there, and he might show up.”
Fang Xiaocao called out to Wang Qiang.
“Got it!” Wang Qiang replied, leading his team out in a hurry.
Soon, the sound of police sirens filled the air outside.
After Wang Qiang left, Fang Xiaocao remembered the blank look on his face when she first mentioned Qi Yu. She couldn’t help but ask anxiously, “Captain Song, does Officer Wang even know what Qi Yu looks like?”
Song Lin froze for a second.
“Damn! That kid doesn’t know Qi Yu!”
He slapped his thigh in frustration.
“Captain Song, please stay still!”
A firefighter, preparing to cut the chains, reminded him helplessly.
“Captain Song, don’t worry. I’ll go after them and check.”
Fang Xiaocao quickly reassured him.
“Alright, I’m counting on you.”
Song Lin nodded.
“Don’t worry, Captain Song!”
Fang Xiaocao turned and ran out of the basement.
“Qi Yu must not escape! There’s more to him than we know!”
Song Lin shouted after her.
“Got it!”
Fang Xiaocao responded as she sprinted out of Room 102 and jumped into her car.
Where is Qi Yu?
She sent a voice message while driving.
【Contact does not exist!】
“Damn it!”
Seeing the WeChat notification, Fang Xiaocao cursed, tossed her phone aside, and sped towards her old rental apartment.
She could no longer count on Hot Noodles for intel—she had to rely on herself.
Qi Yu was fleeing in a hurry, so he would likely use his Maserati.
As she approached a street near her old rental apartment, a pink Maserati zoomed past her like a gust of wind, nearly knocking over pedestrians without slowing down.
Without thinking, Fang Xiaocao slammed on the accelerator and gave chase.
She only had one thought:
That Maserati belongs to Qi Yu!
He must not escape!
However, her BMW Mini couldn’t match the speed of a Maserati, no matter how skilled she was at driving.
Luckily, it was rush hour.
The roads were packed with traffic and pedestrians.
Qi Yu wasn’t driving a tank—he couldn’t just plow through the congestion.
Instead, he had to rely on cutting into gaps, hoping others wouldn’t dare hit his luxury car.
Fang Xiaocao’s BMW Mini, being small and nimble, maneuvered through the tight spaces with ease.
Against all odds, she managed to keep up with Qi Yu.
Taking advantage of a traffic slowdown, Fang Xiaocao grabbed her phone and called Wang Qiang.
“Officer Wang, I found Qi Yu! I’m tailing him right now!”
She quickly reported her location, his car model, and license plate number before hanging up.
Checking her GPS, she realized this road led to the university and the back mountain.
A sudden thought struck her—Song Lin had mentioned that Qi Yu once abducted her neighbor, Chen Hong, and took her to the back mountain to commit his crime.
Could Qi Yu have a secret hideout there?
The missing victims from the white-collar disappearance case had never been found.
They were likely hidden somewhere.
And this back mountain could be the key!
If Qi Yu was desperately fleeing, he would want to hide his tracks before the police caught up.
His secret hideout would be the perfect place.
Determined, Fang Xiaocao gritted her teeth and swerved into a small side road.
This shortcut led directly to the university—it was the path she had used every day as a student.
More importantly, it also led to the back mountain!
The road was narrow, unsuitable for larger cars.
She knew that once traffic cleared, she would lose any chance of catching Qi Yu.
Her only option was to cut him off ahead.
【Ding-dong!】
Her phone chimed.
She glanced at the screen—it was a WeChat message.
Opening it while driving, she read:
[Hot Noodles: This is too dangerous!]
“I don’t care! I can’t let Qi Yu escape!”
She sent a voice reply.
[Hot Noodles: Catching him won’t get you a reward. Why are you risking your life?!]
“You’re still able to message me, aren’t you?”
Fang Xiaocao muttered as she re-entered the main road, scanning for Qi Yu’s Maserati.
There it was!
The pink Maserati was speeding straight towards her!
This road was a narrow one-way street—two cars couldn’t pass side by side.
Fang Xiaocao’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
She was going to block him.
If she couldn’t force him to stop, she’d crash into him!
Another WeChat message popped up.
[Hot Noodles: What the hell are you doing?! I almost died!]
“You’re not dead, are you?”
She sent back casually.
Then—
VROOOOOM!
The roar of an engine echoed through the street.
Fang Xiaocao looked up—
Qi Yu was coming straight for her.
Through the windshield, she could see his bloodshot eyes—mad, violent, desperate.
His body trembled in fear, his foot hesitating over the brake pedal.
Fang Xiaocao took a deep breath.
This was it.
She floored the gas pedal, eyes locked on Qi Yu’s car.
“Let’s make this storm even wilder!”
She screamed—
BANG!
A deafening crash.
The airbags deployed!
Pain and dizziness overwhelmed her.
Her chest felt like it was being crushed.
Good thing I wore my seatbelt…
That was the last thought she had before blacking out.
In the haze, she heard the sound of police sirens.
And Wang Qiang’s frantic voice—
“Get her to the hospital—NOW!”
(End of Chapter 16)
