The traffic light at the intersection ahead suddenly turned red, and an orange-red glow shimmered across the windshield.
The vehicles on the road tapped their brakes one after another, their tires scraping against the pavement with fine screeching sounds. Lin Li slowly pressed the brake as well, and the silver-white van came to a steady stop behind the line.
He lifted his eyes to the red light ahead, his fingers unconsciously tapping the steering wheel as he muttered, "What rotten luck. If we'd gotten here half a minute earlier, we could've made it through."
While he waited for the light to turn green, a breeze slipped in through the half-open window, carrying the caramel fragrance of the coffee shop on the corner.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Li suddenly caught sight of the alley on the right... Two investigators in navy uniforms were walking out of it, their dark-blue shoulder patches gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
They walked side by side, heads lowered as they chatted, their lips moving nonstop.
They were too far away, and the sound was swallowed by passing traffic. Lin Li could only vaguely see one of them raise a hand and make a gesture.
Before long, the two entered the restaurant by the roadside with a lightbox that read "Hot Soup Noodles." When the glass door opened, a burst of steam drifted out.
Only a dozen or so seconds later, the glass door opened again, and the two investigators came out with grim faces.
Compared with before, their expressions had changed completely. Their brows were knotted, their formerly relaxed shoulders had sagged, and one of them even raised a hand to rub his temple.
The two remained silent the entire time. Even their footsteps were several shades heavier than before as they