Chapter 563 - Insight

Chapter 563: Chapter 574 InsightLi Xinyue sat in Li Yifei’s car, initially focusing intently on the two vehicles of the criminals, but as Li Yifei drove at breakneck speed, nearly colliding with other cars several times, her heart leaped to her throat. Yet after a while, she noticed they were gradually falling behind the criminals’ vehicles and couldn’t help urging anxiously, "Brother Li, hurry up, we’re being left behind."

In a calm tone, Li Yifei said, "Now we need to let them think they’ve shaken off the police, only then will they make their next move. They can’t possibly keep driving these two police vans forever. If they don’t believe they’ve lost the police, they’ll just stay in these two vehicles. Even if they run out of gas and we manage to stop them, we still can’t do anything since they have hostages."

Li Xinyue, worried, asked, "But if we can’t catch up to them, what if they manage to get away later on?"

"They won’t, I know where they are heading," Li Yifei said with a faint smile on his face.

"You know?" Li Xinyue’s eyes widened in surprise.

Li Yifei nodded and explained, "Although it seems like they are just driving around aimlessly and taking different routes, no matter how much they twist and turn, they’ve never strayed far from Huafeng Street. There’s an automotive repair shop near Huafeng Street where two vans are parked--that’s where they are headed."

Li Xinyue stared at Li Yifei, astonished, and asked, "Brother Li, when did you figure that out?"

"Heh, I just guessed. Following them closely now is not very helpful. Let’s see if I’m right," Li Yifei chuckled, then abruptly swerved to stop an Audi A4 that had just pulled out from a gas station.

Li Yifei leapt out of the car, flashed an ID in front of the driver, and said, "Police business. I need to requisition your car."

The driver, a young man in his twenties, was taken aback. He didn’t get out of the car but instead tried nervously to roll up the window. An ordinary person would find it quite troubling to have their car commandeered by the police, and with so many scammers around these days, some even impersonating police, his instinct was to think that Li Yifei was trying to deceive him, intending to steal his car.

Li Yifei frowned, about to pull the guy out and simply hijack the car, when Li Xinyue smiled at the driver and said, "I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I’m Li Xinyue from the TV station. We’re currently filming a program. Please cooperate with us."

The driver actually recognized Li Xinyue in an instant, and exclaimed with surprise and delight, "You really are Li Xinyue!"

Li Yifei smiled again, winked at the driver, and said, "That’s right, it’s me. This is part of a police operation that I am assisting with for a shoot. Please help us out. You drive our police car to the City Public Security Bureau, and we’ll return your vehicle there later. You’ll even get to be on TV."

"Alright!" The driver eagerly got out of the car, unable to hide his excited smile.

Without another word, Li Yifei got into the car, and Li Xinyue followed suit. Before leaving, she shook hands with the driver, leaving the young man absolutely thrilled.

The car started once more, and Li Xinyue, with a beaming smile, said to Li Yifei, "Brother Li, you see, I can be useful too."

Li Yifei couldn’t help but smile warmly, replying, "Indeed, the effect of a beautiful woman is quite significant. Otherwise, why would there be something called the ’Beauty Trick’?"

"As long as I’m not useless in your eyes, that’s all that matters," Li Xinyue said, happily shaking her head.

Li Yifei drove the car to the opposite side of the automotive repair shop he had mentioned earlier. Less than two minutes passed before the two police vans drove in. Li Xinyue exclaimed excitedly, "Here they come, they really are coming!"

The two vans entered the repair bay and came to a stop. The criminals swiftly brought out the hostages and then dove into two other vans. The repair shop staff rapidly drove the original police vans away while the others left in the new vehicle.

This time they drove without haste, and without speeding. Li Yifei followed casually from behind, keeping several cars between them, unafraid of being detected.

Li Xinyue, still thrilled, turned to Li Yifei and said, "Brother Li, you’re amazing. You only followed them for a short while and figured out where they were going to switch cars."

Previously, Li Xinyue liked Li Yifei for his low-profile demeanor and his assertiveness, but she had no idea about the true extent of Li Yifei’s capabilities. Now she realized that Li Yifei’s abilities were not just confined to his identity and status; his personal skill was formidable, and she was incredibly attracted to that.

After a moment of excitement, Li Xinyue expressed her concern again, "Brother Li, shouldn’t we inform the police?"

Li Yifei shook his head and said, "No, don’t tell them. I don’t want you to mention this to anyone else either; I’ll handle it myself."

Li Xinyue cried out in alarm, "Brother Li, there are ten people over there, and they’re armed with guns — it’s too dangerous. We should tell the police."

Li Yifei said, "The kidnappers have a hostage, so large-scale operations won’t work. To rescue the hostage, we’ll need a stealthy approach, thus more people won’t really help."

"But... but it’s just the two of us, how are we... how are we supposed to confront those armed bandits?" Li Xinyue stammered.

"It’s not the two of us, it’s just me. Once they’ve settled in, you wait, and I’ll come get you after I’ve handled things."

"Just you?" Li Xinyue looked at Li Yifei in even more astonishment.

Li Yifei reached over and patted his arm gently, saying, "Don’t worry, I won’t be in trouble. They’re just ten small-time crooks, they can’t hurt me."

"This..." Li Xinyue’s mouth twitched, and although Li Yifei was so certain, the fact that it was just Li Yifei alone made it hard for her to imagine him taking on so many bandits, "Brother Li, what if something happens to you?"

Li Yifei laughed, "You’re not hoping something happens to me, are you?"

"But it’s too dangerous."

"Danger is what makes it thrilling. Come on, don’t think too much about it. I’m not the type to joke with my own life, and I certainly won’t let you down."

Seeing how resolute Li Yifei was, Li Xinyue, despite her worry, finally held back and started to think that Li Yifei was truly handsome—a man facing ten armed bandits alone, like a great hero from the movies.

The bandits’ vehicle smoothly left the city and then headed toward the seaside. It was a straight road and they accelerated quite a bit, while Li Yifei floored the gas and the Audi A4 surged past the two vans.

"Brother Li, why did you overtake their cars?" Li Xinyue asked, puzzled.

Li Yifei smiled slightly, "What I’m driving now is, after all, an Audi A4. If we keep following right behind the two vans, do you think they’ll get suspicious?"

"That’s true, but... what if they change direction unexpectedly?"

Li Yifei shook his head, "That won’t happen. Their intentions I’m not quite sure of, but after such a big incident, they definitely won’t stay in Mile City. Escaping by land isn’t an option; the two police cars won’t distract the police for long. Whether it’s highways or regular roads, there will surely be police checkpoints, and the nearby counties and cities will assist in the investigation. They simply can’t get away by land, and taking a plane is even less feasible. Hence, their only choice is the waterway. Large docks are out of the question, so it has to be one of the smaller docks. Also, they don’t have much time; once the police realize they’ve been duped, they will check even the smaller docks. Therefore, they need to leave by the shortest water route possible. There’s a small dock up ahead on this road, and that’s where they’re likely headed."

Listening to Li Yifei’s analysis, Li Xinyue was stunned and after a long while, she gave Li Yifei a thumbs up, "Brother Li, you’re really incredible. Such analytical skills are truly admirable. I really don’t know how you came up with that."

Li Yifei smiled slightly, "As long as someone acts with a purpose, there’s always a trail to follow. Just look carefully, and you’ll find it."

Li Xinyue frowned slightly, as if contemplating, then after a moment, suddenly turned her head and winked at Li Yifei, "So have you figured out what my intentions toward you are?"

Li Yifei coughed dryly. As for Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao’s little schemings, of course, Li Yifei was very clear — they had indeed harbored a great deal of expediency in wanting to follow him at first, but as time spent together increased, this expediency had faded and they were growing fonder of him.

Li Yifei wasn’t conceited but had a keen sense of judgment. From the way the two women behaved around him, he could tell what their true intentions were. Except for Su Mengxin, who managed to pull the wool over his eyes just that one time, as her status was too noble, making Li Yifei inherently biased in a strong act of self-suggestion. Apart from Su Mengxin, Li Yifei wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.

Li Xinyue pouted, "Brother Li, you’re really heartless, you know? Lianyao and I have been waiting for you, but you just wouldn’t come. You promised us last time, but you went back on your word."

Li Yifei smiled, "I’m sorry, I’ve been caught up with some matters recently, so I didn’t visit you. But I definitely won’t go back on my word about what I promised you."

Li Yifei didn’t want to get involved with the two women any further, but he saw them as good friends and didn’t want to fall out with them either.

Li Xinyue immediately said, "Don’t fool us this time. If you fool us again, we will come to your house."

Li Yifei coughed dryly. It seems that women nowadays all have this trick up their sleeve.