Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

Xu Xing also raised his teacup and clinked it with hers, saying, "Manager Lin, you're too kind. You've thanked me more than once already."

Lin Wan put down her teacup and smiled, saying, "Mr. Xu saved my career; no amount of gratitude is too much."

Xu Xing didn't say anything more and just nodded.

The dishes were served one after another, and the two ate and chatted.

Lin Wan was very enthusiastic during the event, which slightly exceeded the scope of gratitude, but not too obviously.

Xu Xing has been busy working and making money over the years and is not very sensitive to matters between men and women, so he has never noticed anything unusual.

It's no wonder she became the manager of the Chang'an flagship store at such a young age; her skillful and approachable manner is truly impressive.

The meal took almost two hours.

It was almost eight o'clock when we finished.

Lin Wan called the waiter to pay the bill. Xu Xing was about to get up when she pressed his hand down with a smile: "I promised to treat you, Mr. Xu, don't make me go back on my word."

Her hands were soft and delicate, and she held them on the back of Xu Xing's hand for two seconds before letting go.

Xu Xing then stopped insisting.

Stepping out of the restaurant, it was already completely dark, the streetlights were on, and the evening breeze carried the warmth of early summer.

"Where does Mr. Xu live? Let me take you home."

Lin Wan stood by the roadside, gathering her wind-blown hair.

"No need to trouble yourself, I'm staying at the hotel across the street, it's just a few minutes' walk back."

Xu Xing pointed to the opposite side.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Wan's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure: "Mr. Xu is staying at a hotel?"

Xu Xing said casually, "Well, I was planning to sell that old house. I'll be staying in a hotel for the next couple of days, since I'll be going to Chang'an in a few days."

Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "That's great. Chang'an has developed quite rapidly in recent years. If Mr. Xu wants to look at houses, I can accompany you to take a look."

Xu Xing smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll have to trouble Miss Lin then."

Lin Wan shook her head and said, "It's no trouble at all. Mr. Xu, please don't forget to contact me then. I also have an appointment with my best friend for a spa. So, Mr. Xu, I won't bother you any longer today. Let's make an appointment next time."

Xu Xing nodded and said, "Okay, Manager Lin, take care."

"You too, get some rest."

Lin Wan waved to him, turned around and walked to the roadside to hail a taxi.

Before getting into the car, she turned back and smiled at Xu Xing, then opened the car door and sat down.

The taxi merged into the traffic, its taillights fading into the distance.

Xu Xing didn't go back to the hotel immediately but walked slowly along the sidewalk. The streets were quiet at night with occasional cars passing by. He put his hands in his pockets and felt more relaxed than ever before.

When he reached the entrance of an old residential area, he suddenly stopped.

"Help……"

The extremely faint sound seemed to come from overhead, and it was not very clear because it was carried by the wind.

But Xu Xing was certain he had heard it. He immediately looked up at the building facing the street in the community, about the third or fourth floor, and activated his X-ray vision.

In the living room of this apartment on the third floor facing the street, a man in his forties wearing a gray polo shirt was pinning a disheveled woman down on the sofa.

The woman's mouth was taped shut, and she could only make muffled sounds. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was struggling desperately.

The man seemed impatient and raised his hand to chop hard on the back of the woman's neck.

The woman's body went limp and she stopped moving.

Inside the kitchen, the range hood was on its highest setting, and a metal basin on the stove was burning some documents.

The document faintly shows a red seal and words such as "confidential" and "do not disclose," as well as text about a certain type of porcelain.

After knocking the woman unconscious, the man quickly went into the bedroom, dragged a suitcase out from under the bed, and began stuffing things into it.

Xu Xing saw that besides a few pieces of clothing, he had also stuffed in several USB drives, a small camera, and a stack of foreign currency.

This is a damn thing, a walking 500,000!

The internet meme popped into Xu Xing's head instantly. He then immediately retreated to the corner of the road, took out his phone, and dialed 110.

"Hello, is this 110? I want to report a crime."

I was in an old residential area near the intersection of Guangming Road and Youyi Road in Weiyang District. I heard a woman shouting for help and sounds that looked like a fight coming from about the third or fourth floor of the building facing the street.

Yes, the sound wasn't loud, but I heard it clearly... I don't know the exact apartment number, but it's definitely on the third or fourth floor of the building facing the street. Okay, I'll wait at the entrance of the complex."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xing did not approach the building. Instead, he retreated to a more distant shadow and focused his gaze on the building's only exit, inquiring about its location.

Soon.

Two police cars with flashing red and blue lights sped up and stopped at the entrance of the residential area. Four police officers quickly got out of the cars and walked slowly to meet them.

"I was the one who called the police!"

He lowered his voice, quickly pointed to the building, and said, "It's basically confirmed to be the third-floor unit facing the street."

One of the older police officers, clearly the squad leader, glanced at Xu Xing and then at the building, decisively waving his hand and saying, "Xiao Wang and Xiao Li, you go up the stairs. Xiao Zhang, come with me."

Two young police officers rushed into the building, while the captain and another officer stayed downstairs to observe.

The man in the room panicked upon hearing the sirens. He tried to drag the woman toward the balcony, but she had woken up and was struggling so hard that he could not move.

Meanwhile, two police officers had already rushed to the third floor.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A rapid knocking sounded on the door.

"Open the door! Police!"

The man in the room turned pale, abruptly released the woman, and ran towards the kitchen.

"Bang!"

The old, inward-opening security door was forced open.

Two police officers rushed in and, upon seeing the woman who was tied up, quickly pinned the man to the ground.

The man tried to struggle but was subdued by a standard grappling move, his face pressed firmly to the floor.

Hearing the commotion, the captain downstairs led his men upstairs.

Xu Xing breathed a long sigh of relief upon seeing this.

A few minutes later, the man was handcuffed and brought down. He had his head down and his face was ashen.

Then the kidnapped woman was helped down. The tape over her mouth had been removed, and she was telling the police about the man stealing state secrets.

A police officer walked up to Xu Xing and said, "Comrade, would you please come with us to the police station to make a statement?"

Xu Xing nodded: "Of course."

He got into the police car and went with them to the local police station.

Xu Xing truthfully recounted what he heard the cries for help, but did not mention what he saw with his X-ray vision. He only said that he heard a woman shouting for help and the sounds of fighting, and when he felt something was wrong, he called the police.

The police officer taking the statement carefully and repeatedly confirmed the details. After the statement was taken, Xu Xing waited in the rest room for about half an hour before a middle-aged police officer with two stars on his shoulder insignia walked in.

He extended his hand to Xu Xing and said politely, "Comrade Xu Xing, right? I am the police station chief, surnamed Chen."

Xu Xing stood up, shook hands with him, and said, "Hello, Director Chen."

Director Chen quickly said, "Please sit down. We owe this to Mr. Xu. We can now be fairly certain that the man is a spy controlled by foreign authorities."

That woman was his wife. She tried to report him for stealing state secrets, but he imprisoned her in the house. If you hadn't called the police in time, he probably would have escaped.

Xu Xing feigned surprise at just the right moment and said, "That guy is a spy, but that's what every citizen should do."

Director Chen nodded and continued, "We have already reported it to the National Security Department. Their people will be here soon. They will take over the case. According to regulations, there is a reward for reporting espionage activities. The specific amount depends on the final determination of the case. They will notify you when there are results."

Xu Xing smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Director Chen."

"We should be thanking you."

Director Chen stood up and said, "By the way, we may need your cooperation in some follow-up investigations, so please keep your phone accessible."

Xu Xing indicated that he understood.

After he left the police station, a young police officer drove him back to his hotel.

Back in his hotel room, Xu Xing took a shower, put on a bathrobe, and sat on the sofa, unable to fall asleep for a while.

There was just so much information today.

Before he could recall everything, his phone rang again.

Zhang Ming's voice came through: "Brother, Xu Yanle called me, saying he can't get through to you on phone or send messages via Fetion, he's really worried. He said the mortgage is due this month and he has no money, Gao Min isn't working and the child still needs formula..."