Chapter 674: Foresight or a Stratagem of Deception?

“You must at least remember where you split up!”

Duan Wu glanced at the one pressing him. His brow twitched almost imperceptibly before he put on a serious look and replied, “I really don’t remember. It was pitch-black, and I’m terrible with directions. I was lucky just to find my way home.”

Everyone present felt a heavy wave of disappointment.

They had hoped for a clue. Instead, they got nothing useful at all.

Well, not quite nothing.

There was still the black Ferrari.

They didn’t know the plate number, but Ferraris were rare to begin with, and Mu City wasn’t exactly a first-tier city. If they searched carefully enough, they could track it down.

It would just mean a massive workload, everyone working overtime without pause.

As they weighed the thought, some were already half-ready to begin the exhausting search for a Ferrari—

Captain Wu Yaoming, silent until now, suddenly spoke.

His eyes locked onto Duan Wu, and he asked calmly, “Just now, you said Wang Yun went to rescue his fairy maiden?”

Duan Wu forced a sheepish smile. “I was just spouting nonsense. Don’t take it seriously.”

Wu Yaoming pressed on. “So… was Wang Yun going to find his teammates?”

Duan Wu blurted out in surprise, “How would I know?”

And indeed, he didn’t know. But the captain’s gaze was so sharp it rattled him, made his heart pound with unease.

Wu Yaoming studied the now-uneasy man for a long moment, then asked again,

“You said Wang Yun drove a sports car. What kind?”

“Something really flashy,” Duan Wu muttered, still spinning lies. “A convertible. Cool as hell.”

But then Wu Yaoming said evenly, “Not a sports car, was it? I heard it was a broken-down wreck.”

The instant the words left him, Duan Wu’s pupils shrank. The muscles in his face went rigid, frozen in place.

What—? He guessed that? Where had he heard it?

Scrambling, Duan Wu forced out, “What are you talking about? I told you it was a sports car. Don’t believe me?”

Wu Yaoming ignored the protest. He had been watching Duan Wu’s every move, and though the change in expression was slight, he caught it.

Which meant he had guessed right.

Outwardly calm, Wu Yaoming was already turning over in his mind how to drag out more. And so he kept speaking, as if to himself.

“I don’t just know it was a broken vehicle. I know it didn’t even have four wheels.”

Duan Wu froze, color draining from his face. Without thinking, he blurted, “How do you know that?”

The words weren’t out before regret hit like a hammer.

‘Shit. He tricked me!’

He realized too late that Wu Yaoming had baited him.

Sure enough.

Wu Yaoming saw the slip, the cascade of reactions, and knew without a doubt he had been right.

The corners of his lips curved in quiet triumph.

Then he gave his order, “Check immediately for all non-motor vehicles that appeared during that time frame. Focus on motorcycles, electric bikes, or tricycles. Eliminate bicycles and pedal-powered trikes. Only check electrics and fuel-driven vehicles.”

At that, Duan Wu slapped a hand over his own mouth, seething with regret. Why had he spoken so fast? Why couldn’t he keep it in?

Now the whole Inspection Team knew. What difference was there from a full confession?

If only he hadn’t tried to play smart.

But how had Wu Yaoming seen through his lie?

He had thought his performance airtight. Every word had been carefully considered. He’d expected them to waste manpower chasing a phantom Ferrari, buying Wang Yun time to get away.

Never expected to be exposed on the spot and counter-tricked besides.

Maybe all his doubts were written plain on his face. Maybe Wu Yaoming was simply in a good mood.

Because, unusually, the captain even explained, “When people lie, they unconsciously make small movements. Shifty eyes. Furrowed brows. Thumbs circling each other without realizing it. Unfortunate for you, you had all of them. In psychology, those are classic tells.”

Duan Wu frowned hard, unwilling. “Just from those little movements, you judged I was lying?”

Wu Yaoming lifted his chin slightly, confidence in his eyes.

“I’ve followed Wang Yun for two seasons. I know him better than you. He’d never show off like that. Never drive something so flashy. Absolutely not a sports car. So it wasn’t. Not even a four-wheeled vehicle.”

At that, Duan Wu finally understood. The depth of the man’s mind was far beyond what he could contend with.

Still, one question nagged him.

“Then how do you know it was electric or gas-powered? Why not a pedal bike?”

Wu Yaoming’s lips curved with a dark, playful edge. His voice rolled out low and magnetic, devilish almost.

“Because you told me.”

Me?

Duan Wu pointed to himself, utterly bewildered.

Wu Yaoming kindly reminded him, “You said it yourself. A convertible. Flashy. Cool as hell.”

Duan Wu sat stunned, lost in the fog.