Chapter Sixty: Missing Person Notice—My Cousin

Inside the maze.

One ran, the other pursued.

What should have been a perilous situation was, thanks to Bai Qingming, turned into a farce that had the surveillance team, including Captain Liu, laughing uncontrollably in the monitoring room.

They didn’t want to laugh—it was hardly appropriate—but they simply couldn’t hold it in. On the screen, the fugitive was clearly desperate, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up. Bai Qingming led him in circles, making him look like a hapless fool, panting and frustrated.

At this moment, the simple-minded young woman approached.

She was the only one who sensed something was off.

“Was what you said earlier true or not?” she asked, stepping up to Captain Liu and glancing at the monitor.

Liu didn’t hide anything and explained the matter to her honestly.

After hearing it, her anxiety grew, and she hurriedly dialed Bai Qingming’s number.

…

Meanwhile.

Bai Qingming was toying with the fugitive behind him, completely unaware that this was, in fact, a real murderer.

As he sprinted, his phone rang in his pocket. He kept running, answered the call, and on the other end was the old woman, who quickly explained the situation.

For a moment, Bai Qingming was stunned.

Then, as reality dawned, he broke into an even faster run.

Back in the monitoring room, Captain Liu was equally perplexed. Wasn’t Bai Qingming supposed to be highly skilled? What was he doing? Wouldn’t it be better to just confront the guy?

But soon Bai Qingming caught himself. That’s right—why was he running? In his panic, he’d forgotten his own mastery in combat.

A bit embarrassed, though fortunately unwitnessed, Bai Qingming stopped, turned around, and carefully studied the fugitive.

In his eyes, this man was no ruthless criminal—just a helpless lamb.

With the phone still connected, Bai Qingming spoke up. “Captain Liu’s there, right? Could you ask if there’s a reward for this? Oh, and are there any reporters outside?”

…

Two minutes later, when they saw Bai Qingming pinning the fugitive unharmed on the monitor, Captain Liu couldn’t help but cheer.

“Team One, go in and bring him out.”

At his command, a four-man team entered the maze.

While he waited, Bai Qingming grew bored and began slapping the fugitive for entertainment. As he did, he considered what witty remark he might make to the reporters once outside.

By the time the team “rescued” the fugitive from Bai Qingming, the man’s face was so swollen his own mother might not recognize him, and he was on the verge of tears.

In fact, Captain Liu’s assessment was correct: the fugitive had been carrying a makeshift bomb as a last resort. But Bai Qingming subdued him instantly, dislocating both arms, rendering the bomb useless.

Now, the fugitive was filled with regret. He couldn’t fathom why, after the ordeal of escaping prison, he had sought out Bai Qingming. Had a couple of days behind bars given him delusions of grandeur?

Exiting the maze, Captain Liu came to greet them personally.

But Bai Qingming ignored him, immediately searching for cameras.

“Where are the reporters? Isn’t there supposed to be an interview?”

Captain Liu could only sigh, explaining that the incident was too sensitive for publicity.

Understanding, Bai Qingming asked, “Is there a reward, then?”

Captain Liu’s face turned nearly purple as he shook his head. “Would you like a banner? I can have one made at my own expense.”

“I’ll pass,” Bai Qingming replied, instantly losing interest.

Ten minutes later.

Bai Qingming, the simple-minded young woman, and Aunt Zhou left the escape room venue through a side door. There were too many onlookers outside, and with Bai Qingming’s rising fame, being recognized could only cause unnecessary trouble.

Frankly, after the day’s events, Bai Qingming was in no mood for celebration. No interview, no reward—not even the satisfaction of venting his frustration on the fugitive.

He even declined Aunt Zhou’s invitation to dinner. When the two women suggested shopping instead, Bai Qingming, still in low spirits, simply hailed a cab home, again foiling Aunt Zhou’s hopes of making friends.

…

In the cab, Bai Qingming absentmindedly scrolled through Douyin.

Coincidentally, the first video he saw was posted by the local Jiangcheng police. It was a wanted notice for a fugitive—someone with a serious criminal record. Anyone who could provide information leading to his capture would be rewarded with a full one million yuan.

The video included the fugitive’s photo, name, and ID number.

After watching, Bai Qingming was astounded. A million yuan reward—more than he’d received for helping catch three murderers with Wang before.

“If only I could run into him,” Bai Qingming mused. It wasn’t about the money—he simply enjoyed doing good deeds.

At that moment, he received a WeChat message.

It was from Wang, a long one, apparently sent to many people—a missing person notice:

“Missing person alert: My cousin, from Jiangcheng, 45 years old, suffers from intermittent mental illness and is extremely irritable. He left home after an argument with his family six months ago and hasn’t returned. If you see him, please do not approach alone—he can be dangerous. If you find him, contact me immediately at 174××××6372. A reward of 100,000 yuan will be given for information. Thank you!”

Soon after, Wang sent a photo.

The moment Bai Qingming saw it, the face looked familiar. Then it hit him—he opened Douyin, found the wanted video, and compared the images.

His expression turned strange.

Wasn’t it the same person?

“Damn! Is this even possible?”

Bai Qingming was genuinely stunned.

So Wang was acting as the middleman, pocketing the difference? When did he become so shrewd? Not just shrewd—bold enough to profit off an official bounty, and by so much. One million for the tip, yet he only offered one hundred thousand.

Did anyone care about the fugitive’s feelings?

How had Bai Qingming never noticed this side of Wang before?

Just then, Wang called.

“Hey, got a minute, brother?”

No idea where Wang was, but it sounded noisy in the background.

“What’s up, Wang?” Bai Qingming asked.

“Need your help with something,” Wang replied.

“Again? Where are you? I’ll come to you.”

“I’m at the hospital, getting my leg checked out.”

“You hurt your leg?” Bai Qingming assumed Wang had crashed his new motorcycle.

Meanwhile, Wang grumbled, “Damn, too late again. The nurses are off duty. No one to look at my leg. What did you just say, brother?”

Bai Qingming was speechless.