A male waiter from the café interrupted, "It seems like someone deliberately set the fire. I just went out to dump garbage in the back alley and saw two people wearing masks, carrying a bucket, rushing past me. They had a strong smell of gasoline on them. The two of them got into a van at the mouth of the alley and drove off, and then the Emperor’s Pavilion caught fire."

Xu Xiangbei hurried out of Heji Cafe. The air was thick with the scent of burning, and flames were fiercely rising from the Emperor’s Pavilion just a few shops away.

There were still some people watching the fire. The blaze was too big to be extinguished, and Xu Xiangbei stood there dazed among the crowd, watching. By the time the fire trucks arrived and put out the fire, the Emperor’s Pavilion was reduced to an empty shell. Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread to the neighboring shops.

Lingering in the ruins was a strong smell of gasoline. Xu Xiangbei clenched his fist, "Someone deliberately set the fire; it was probably aimed at me."

Jenny patted Xu Xiangbei on the shoulder, "Fire and water are merciless. Don’t be too upset. As long as no one got hurt, that’s what’s important. Don’t dwell on the loss of some property."

"This property isn’t much, but I’ve put a lot of effort and sweat here. I can’t let this go unavenged."

Xu Xiangbei went to the alley mouth behind the shop, where the café waiter said the van had parked, and found a small pool of gasoline that looked like it had been spilled not long ago; the scent was strong.

Beside that small pool of gasoline, there was a clear tire track.

Xu Xiangbei looked around and noticed there was a surveillance camera right at the alley mouth, likely installed by the first shop on this street to monitor their back door.

It was a small hotel. Jenny and Xu Xiangbei went to the hotel, and Jenny showed her police badge to the hotel’s owner.

The hotel owner was a middle-aged man who, upon seeing the police badge, was so frightened he scrambled out from under the covers and declared confidently, "Officer, we are a legit business, absolutely no illegal activities here..."

Jenny gave the owner a stern look, "We’re not here to check if you’re running an illegal operation. Was it you who installed the camera at the alley mouth?"

"Yes."

"I want to view the surveillance footage."

Hearing Jenny’s request to check the surveillance footage, the hotel owner finally breathed a sigh of relief, "No problem, the footage is in the control room next door."

Jenny and Xu Xiangbei examined the surveillance footage. Just as the café waiter said, a white van had indeed parked at the alley mouth, and the surveillance camera captured its license plate clearly.

Two brawny men got out of the van, wearing large masks that concealed their faces completely. Due to the low resolution of the infrared camera, only their clothing and hairstyles were visible, nothing more.

When the two men got out of the van, they were struggling to carry a gasoline can.

About ten minutes later, they rushed back to the van, and their gasoline cans were visibly empty. They got in the car and drove away.

Xu Xiangbei checked the time. From when the van left, it had been less than twenty minutes, making it very possible to track down the vehicle.

Jenny quickly called to check nearby surveillance and finally found traces of that white van. The vehicle belonged to a trading company, usually used to transport goods, and it had been reported stolen last night.

The last sighting of the white van was at the West City Inspection Station. Surveillance cameras captured the two masked individuals driving the car along the exit highway, heading to the outskirts of Earth Sea.

Once in the Earth Sea outskirts, finding the van would be difficult. There aren’t as many cameras outside the city, plus there are numerous crossroads and wide areas.

Xu Xiangbei thought of something and made a call to Shan Mingzhi, "Are you at home or on duty at the office?"

Because maintenance of the game servers takes place late at night when there are few players, Shan Mingzhi, who is single, often stays at the office for convenience.

The office has a dedicated rest room with high-speed broadband, a shower, and a kitchen, more comfortable than a standard room.

Shan Mingzhi’s lazy voice came through the phone, "I’m on duty at the office. Just had a shower and was about to nap. What can I do for you, President Xu?"

Xu Xiangbei’s voice carried a fierce tone, "Activate the company’s satellite, search fifty kilometers along the exit highway for a white van, and report its whereabouts to me. Keep an eye on it; don’t let it slip away."

Sensing the seriousness in Xu Xiangbei’s voice, Shan Mingzhi, realizing the urgency, got up from bed, opened his computer, and connected to the company’s spy satellite.

Beside him, Jenny was stunned, "You guys have a private satellite? That’s incredible."

With everything set, Xu Xiangbei showed a faint smile, "It’s an old toy Lei Ziming bought for monitoring and photography—an essential ’divine artifact’ for home and travel. Get in the car; we’re finding those guys who torched my Emperor’s Pavilion."

With a roar, the engine of the silver Porsche revved, transforming into a bolt of lightning, speeding towards the Earth Sea outskirts.

Moments ago, Xu Xiangbei looked tired and bleary-eyed, but now he was full of energy, without a trace of fatigue, though his eyes were bloodshot.

In less than ten minutes, Shan Mingzhi sent over a message with a relatively clear image, showing the exact location coordinates of the white van Xu Xiangbei was seeking.

Fueled with determination, Xu Xiangbei let out a cold, ruthless smile; the target was within reach.

As dawn approached, the sky was turning light, and the exit highway was nearly empty. If it weren’t for Jenny constantly reminding him about speeding, Xu Xiangbei would have floored the accelerator all the way, reaching nearly 200 mph.

Xu Xiangbei’s Porsche was going twice as fast as the van. By calculating the distance, in about ten minutes, they should spot the white van.

The sun was up, and it was a bright sunny day. The golden rays of the sun colored the clouds and draped the earth in a gold cloak.

After nearly a hundred kilometers of pursuit, determination paid off, and Xu Xiangbei finally spotted the white van ahead, cruising at a steady pace.

"Haha, found you. You did something bad and think you can escape? Not so easy."

Xu Xiangbei hit the gas pedal, pulling alongside the white van. He slowly rolled down his window and cast a contemptuous glance at the van.

The two burly guys had removed their masks, their faces beaming with conceited smiles, clearly pleased with their windfall and ambitious about the future. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Even though the surveillance footage didn’t capture their faces, based on their hairstyles and clothes, Xu Xiangbei recognized them as the ones carrying the gasoline cans and torching the Emperor’s Pavilion. Despite their unattractive appearances, they were particularly strong.

Seeing Xu Xiangbei driving a Porsche, with a stunning beauty beside him, winking at them with a look of disdain, the two big guys were instantly enraged.