TTS Chapter 59

Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang arrived in the suburbs and stopped five kilometers away from their destination.

“Why are we stopping here?” Xia Hang asked.

“Someone like Shen Yongchang, who has spent his life living on the edge, is extremely vigilant. If so many people approach at once, we’ll alert him.” After all, the team Xi Linzhou had assigned them consisted of five criminal investigators and fifteen special police officers. “He’s on the police’s wanted list, so he probably won’t have many people with him for fear of attracting attention. But whoever he does have with him will undoubtedly be highly skilled.”

“Having capable people around him is only one factor. Another is that he’s managed to evade capture for so many years. If he really is hiding here, he’s probably stationed lookouts and laid ambushes around his residence. He’ll also have planned escape routes and obstacles to disrupt any police pursuit. If we force our way in, we might fall straight into a trap he’s prepared before we even get close to him.”

“So you’re saying we shouldn’t charge in head-on. We should lure the snake out of its hole?”

If it weren’t for the other people in the surrounding vehicles, Han Huaixiao would have wanted to kiss him a couple of times right then. Xia Hang always understood his thinking immediately. Unable to kiss him, he couldn’t resist grabbing his hand and giving it a couple of squeezes.

“Mm. That’s the plan I had in mind.”

Xia Hang let him hold his hand without resisting. Instead, he lightly scratched Han Huaixiao’s palm with his fingertips. Han Huaixiao’s grip paused, saying, “Don’t flirt with me in public.”

Xia Hang: “…I’m not flirting with you. Weren’t you the one who grabbed my hand first?”

Han Huaixiao coughed lightly and let go. He then called the special police team leader and the criminal investigation team leader assigned to their group into the vehicle, then repeated the conversation he and Xia Hang had just had. Finally, he said, “My plan is to lure them out. What do you think?”

The special police team leader, Ji Yuanqing, said, “You’ve considered this very thoroughly. I agree with the plan to lure them out.”

The criminal investigation team leader, Shi Yongnian, also agreed. “I’m on board, too. But how do we lure them out?”

Han Huaixiao unfolded the map and looked at them, continuing, “You’re both locals. Which escape route do you think would be more suitable for them?”

“The most advantageous places for escaping around here are the port and the mountains,” Ji Yuanqing said. “I think he’ll choose the port. There are plenty of people and containers there, making it easy to hide. If they’ve prepared water and food in advance, they could hide inside a container for several days. By the time they boarded a ship and left, we might not even realize they were gone.”

“I think he’s more likely to head into the mountains,” Shi Yongnian countered. “The port may be crowded and full of containers, but it also has plenty of surveillance cameras. The mountains are different. Once they enter the forest, there’s a vast area to search, and the vegetation is dense. We have limited manpower, so conducting a search there would be difficult.”

At that, Han Huaixiao turned to Xia Hang. “What do you think?”

“I’m inclined to think he’ll head into the mountains, too. He grew up in a mountainous area and is familiar with the terrain. If he crosses those two mountains, he won’t be far from the national border. It would also make it easier for his people to meet up with him.”

Han Huaixiao took out a pen and marked two locations on the map. “This point is an unavoidable passage on the route to the port. Team Leader Ji, Officer Shi, take one-third of the men and set up an ambush there. Approach the area separately and spread out. This other point is an unavoidable passage into the mountains. Xia Hang, take the remaining men and set up an ambush there.

“When both teams reach their destinations, watch out for snipers nearby. Since these two points are unavoidable routes, they may have positioned snipers there to ensure they can pass through safely. In short, they’re in the shadows while we’re out in the open. Be extremely careful.”

Xia Hang frowned. He had already guessed what Han Huaixiao intended to do, but he still asked: “What about you?”

“I’ll take two officers and pretend to be local police officers conducting patrols and inspections.”

“Captain Han,” Ji Yuanqing said, “with your bearing, you don’t look like a local police officer. The moment you approach, you’ll make them suspicious. Shouldn’t you use a different identity?”

“I’m more worried they won’t become suspicious.”

“…You deliberately want to attract their attention, making them think the police have surrounded them?” Ji Yuanqing immediately understood. “Then they’ll flee, straight into our ambushes. Is that what you meant by luring the snake out of its hole?”

“Exactly. Everyone, check your communication equipment. If everything’s working properly, we move out.”

“I have an objection,” Xia Hang said. “Shen Yongchang knows me. If I go and alert them, it’ll be more effective.”

“Xia Hang.” Han Huaixiao looked at him sternly.

“Here!” Xia Hang instinctively straightened.

“Follow orders!”

“…Yes, sir!”

So Han Huaixiao took two officers, Shen Jia and Liao Yu, and drove to a point not far from their destination. The area was filled with courtyard-style guesthouses that charged premium prices, each separated from the next by several hundred meters.

After getting out of the car, Han Huaixiao and the two officers went from one guesthouse to another. They claimed that a crime had occurred and a suspect was on the run, so they needed to search the premises.

As soon as Han Huaixiao and his team approached the area, someone reported their arrival to Shen Yongchang.

Shen Yongchang was sitting in his room when Ah Qiang informed him, “Brother Chang, three cops have arrived. They claim there’s been a crime and they’re searching for a suspect, but to me, it looks more like they’re here to investigate the area. Especially one of them… he clearly doesn’t look like an ordinary local police officer. Should we lie low for a while?”

Shen Yongchang rolled the walnuts in his hand. Unlike Ah Qiang, who was visibly nervous, he remained remarkably calm.

“Three?”

Ah Qiang nodded, and Shen Yongchang sneered. “Idiot. Harbour City is so big. For them to pinpoint my location here, either someone has tipped them off, or the cops have been watching us for a long time. If we leave now, we’ll walk straight into their net.”

“If anyone has betrayed you, Brother Chang, I’ll shoot him myself!”

“If someone betrays me, they’d have to be planning to give up doing business for good. Otherwise, who would ever trust them again? More likely, we made a careless mistake and attracted the cops’ attention.”

“But, Brother Chang, if the cops have their eyes on us, shouldn’t they be sending a large force to surround us? Why have they only sent three officers?”

At first, Shen Yongchang hadn’t understood either. Now, however, the pieces had fallen into place.

“They know I have people with me, and that we’re armed. They probably don’t want a direct confrontation. Instead, they’re deliberately letting us know they’ve discovered our location, hoping we’ll leave. They’ve most likely set up an ambush along the way, waiting for us to walk right into it.”

“Then what do we do now?”

Shen Yongchang beckoned Ah Qiang closer and whispered a few instructions into his ear. Ah Qiang nodded, then immediately left the room.

On the other side, Han Huaixiao had inspected several courtyards along the way and concluded that Shen Yongchang was indeed hiding in this area. He had even figured out which courtyard Shen was staying in, so he immediately requested backup.

When they reached the third courtyard away from Shen Yongchang’s residence, he signaled Shen Jia and Liao Yu to stall for time while he went up to the second floor. Through a narrow gap in the window, he observed the courtyard where Shen Yongchang was hiding. He had only just found a good angle when he saw two black cars drive out of the courtyard one after the other.

Han Huaixiao quietly opened the communication channel. “Two black cars have left the courtyard. One has license plate Gang A22XXX, the other Gang A79XXX. One is heading east, the other west. We can’t confirm which one Shen Yongchang is in. They’re armed, so everyone stay alert. I’ve already requested backup. They’ll be here shortly.”

Xia Hang sent him a private message. “I’ve checked the area on my side. I haven’t found any snipers, but there must be snipers near Shen Yongchang’s residence. You need to be careful.”

“Got it. You be careful, too.”

After leaving the ordinary residential property where they had been conducting their inspection, Shen Jia asked Han Huaixiao, “Captain Han, are we still going over there?”

“Yes. We’ve inspected all the other courtyards in this area. If we skip theirs, they’ll realize we already know they’ve left. We don’t want them to know that we’ve figured out where they’re going. Otherwise, they’ll be on high alert the entire way, making it harder for Team Leader Ji and Xia Hang’s teams to catch them off guard.”

“But they’ve already left, haven’t they? The courtyard should be empty now.”

“We don’t want them to know that we’ve realized they’ve left, and they don’t want us to know they’ve withdrawn, either. They’ll leave someone behind to deal with us and keep an eye on the situation.”

“…Working a case with you, Captain Han, is an education in itself.” Shen Jia and Liao Yu were thoroughly impressed.

“Stay behind me when we get there. Be careful.”

Han Huaixiao led them toward Shen Yongchang’s courtyard at a leisurely pace. After they knocked, a young man who looked half-asleep came to open the door.

“What do you want?”

“We’re investigating a case. A suspect has escaped and disappeared somewhere in this area. We need to search the premises.”

As soon as the young man heard this, he tried to shut the door, mumbling, “There’s no one here. You can go check the next place.”

Han Huaixiao pressed a hand against the door, briefly feeling the calluses from handling a gun at the base of the man’s thumb. Without revealing that he had noticed, he released his grip.

“That’s not for you to decide. We’ll know once we’ve searched the place.”
With that, he pushed the door open and walked inside.

“Fine, then hurry up and look around.” The young man yawned. “I want to get back to sleep, so make it quick.”

Han Huaixiao inspected every part of the courtyard, with the young man following behind them the entire time. When they finished and headed out, the young man smirked mockingly.

“I told you there was no one here, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

For some reason, Han Huaixiao found the man’s smile unsettling. Even after they had left the courtyard and driven some distance away, he couldn’t shake the strange feeling. They continued down the road for a while before Han Huaixiao suddenly slammed on the brakes.

“Something’s wrong. Shen Yongchang is still in that courtyard. He never left!”

“But we searched everywhere just now,” Shen Jia said. “We didn’t see him. There was only that young man.”

“There’s one place we didn’t search: the car parked in the courtyard.”

“No way…” Liao Yu was incredulous. “Shen Yongchang would really be that bold?! Isn’t he afraid we’ll open the car door, search it, and catch him red-handed?”

Han Huaixiao drove back toward the courtyard as he explained, “He’s gambling that we won’t search the car. And the moment we entered the courtyard, the sniper hiding nearby had already trained his sights on us. If we’d actually opened the car door, we’d probably be dead by now.”

“What do we do now?” Liao Yu asked.

In the distance, Han Huaixiao spotted the car that had been parked in the courtyard pulling out onto the road. After it had driven a short distance, a man wearing a baseball cap approached with a case in his hand and got into the vehicle.

Han Huaixiao knew the case contained a sniper rifle. His mind raced as he cautiously followed the car while asking the two officers, “Apart from the port and the mountains, what other way is there to leave Harbour City quickly?”

“There’s a high-speed railway station not far from here,” Shen Jia replied.

Han Huaixiao contacted the leadership of the Harbour City Public Security Bureau, reported the situation, and told them he suspected Shen Yongchang might try to leave by high-speed train. He asked them to arrange an interception.

“But there are police officers on duty at the railway station,” Liao Yu said. “And wouldn’t he risk having his ID exposed?”

“If he really is heading for the railway station, he must have made meticulous arrangements. He must also have an identity card that won’t be detected as fake,” Shen Jia replied.

To avoid alerting Shen Yongchang and his men, Han Huaixiao waited until they were behind another vehicle before taking a different route toward the railway station.

If Shen Yongchang really intended to escape by high-speed train, they couldn’t let him get anywhere near the station. There were too many people there, and an arrest could put innocent bystanders at risk.
The bureau’s leadership had considered this possibility as well. A call soon came through, and they decided to intercept Shen Yongchang at a tunnel he would have to pass through on his way to the station.
Han Huaixiao immediately headed for the tunnel.

Three kilometers before reaching the entrance, Shen Yongchang noticed that the traffic was unusual. This road was the main route to the high-speed railway station, so there should have been plenty of vehicles. Why were there so few?

Just then, the navigation system announced that a tunnel lay ahead.

“Turn around,” Shen Yongchang ordered. “Don’t enter the tunnel. We’ve fallen into the police’s trap.”

Ye Kang, the young man who had opened the courtyard door for Han Huaixiao and the others, immediately turned the car around.

“Brother Chang, where should we go?” But as soon as he finished speaking, the ordinary-looking cars on the same road, deliberately placed there to mislead them, began turning around and heading toward them as well.

“Step on it! Drive toward the seafood market up ahead. Li Xing, clear the road with gunfire!”

Li Xing opened fire on the two cars ahead, disabling them, then fired at the three vehicles behind. Just as he was about to stop and reload, two bullets struck their tires with pinpoint accuracy.

Their car skidded sideways.

Ye Kang looked over and recognized the police officer who had led the inspection of their courtyard earlier.

Li Xing reacted quickly, raising his gun and firing at Han Huaixiao, but Han Huaixiao swerved the steering wheel and dodged the shot. Just as Li Xing prepared to fire again, another bullet came flying toward him and struck his hand. The gun fell out of the car.

Shen Yongchang, sitting beside him, narrowed his eyes and looked toward the person who had shot Li Xing. When he recognized Xia Hang, he was startled. At the same time, he finally understood how the police had managed to pinpoint his hiding place.

A short while earlier, Xia Hang had been waiting at his assigned ambush point when a suspicious car arrived. Someone whose build resembled Shen Yongchang’s was sitting in the back of the vehicle. At first, Xia Hang had assumed it was Shen Yongchang himself, especially since his men were there, too. But after watching them for a while, he noticed something was wrong. The men were focused entirely on breaking through the blockade and showed no concern whatsoever for the safety of the one who was supposed to be Shen Yongchang.

Therefore, Xia Hang realized that the man in the car was an impostor. Cold sweat broke out across his back. If that was a fake Shen Yongchang, then the real one hadn’t left at all. Han Huaixiao and the others were in danger!

Xia Hang was just about to call Han Huaixiao when he heard him report the situation over the communication channel. So after helping subdue everyone and taking them into custody, Xia Hang hurried toward the tunnel.

But before he even reached the entrance, he saw someone aiming a gun at Han Huaixiao. He immediately raised his own weapon and fired.

“Xia Hang!” Han Huaixiao suddenly shouted.

Trusting his instincts, Xia Hang ducked, and a bullet whizzed past his head. Gunfire erupted all around them. The nearby police officers rushed to the scene in time and opened fire on Shen Yongchang’s vehicle.

In the end, Shen Yongchang and his two companions were seriously wounded and captured.

The shot Shen Yongchang had fired at Xia Hang had nearly stopped Han Huaixiao’s heart. The moment all three men were in custody, he rushed to Xia Hang’s side.

“Are you hurt?!”

Xia Hang looked him up and down, making sure he was uninjured before answering, “I’m fine.”

Meanwhile, Ah Tai was traveling along the Baogang Expressway with Wang Cang when he received a phone call.

“Brother Cang, we have a problem!” He turned to Wang Cang. “Our lookout says the captain of the Major Crimes Unit and Snow Owl are both in Harbour City.”

“Contact Shen Yongchang.” Wang Cang frowned, but Ah Tai replied, “Ah Qiang isn’t answering.”

Wang Cang realized something was wrong and made a decisive choice.
“Switch to the backup vehicle at the service area up ahead, then get off the expressway.”

“What about the cargo up ahead?” Ah Tai asked.

“As long as we stay alive, we can always make another move. Tell them to check whether tracking devices have been installed on the trucks.”

The reply came back quickly, and Ah Tai looked at Wang Cang in surprise. “Brother Cang, you were right. They installed tracking devices on the containers.”

Wang Cang thought for a moment before saying, “Change course. We’re going to Thailand.”

………………………………..

So when Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang returned to the Harbour City Public Security Bureau, they learned that Yan Zhu and her team had failed to capture Wang Cang.

Yan Zhu and the others were still on the expressway, so they held a conference call with the team.

“Wang Cang was extremely cunning,” she complained. “He had prepared another vehicle of exactly the same model, even with an identical license plate. They switched vehicles along the way. By the time our officers realized what had happened, they had already disappeared.”

“What about the two trucks carrying the drugs?” Xi Linzhou asked.

“Once we realized Wang Cang had escaped, we immediately intercepted them,” Yan Zhu replied.

“Wang Cang managed to escape in advance,” Xi Linzhou frowned. “Could our arrest plan have been leaked?”

“If the plan had been leaked, Shen Yongchang should have known about it, too,” Xia Hang said.

“But if there wasn’t a leak, how did Wang Cang know we were tracking him?” Yan Zhu asked.

Xia Hang noticed Han Huaixiao’s silence. After the conference call ended, they left the Harbour City Public Security Bureau.

“Do you think the problem lies on our side?” Xia Hang turned to Han Huaixiao.

“Yes. Call Wen Yu.”

“Brother Hang,” Wen Yu answered quickly.

“It’s me,” Han Huaixiao said. “Have you found anything regarding the matter I asked you to investigate?”

“No. I followed your instructions and secretly installed phone-tracking and travel-recording software on everyone’s communication devices. But I haven’t found anything unusual with anyone on our team.”

“What about Chief Yan Zheng?”

At that, Xia Hang looked up at him.

Han Huaixiao had even taken precautions against Yan Zheng, but Wen Yu quickly said, “Chief Yan’s device is clean, too. Also, he seems to have figured out what I was doing. When he saw me just now, his expression was incredibly complicated. He even pointed at me and told me to tell you to get your ass upstairs to see him as soon as you get back.”

Han Huaixiao ignored Yan Zheng’s demand and thought back to the phone call Wen Yu had made before the operation began.

“When you called to ask me to buy a cake near Harbor City University, where were you?”

“In the conference room. There was no one else there at the time. I’m absolutely sure of that.”

“Check the conference room for listening devices. Also, check whether anyone passed by or lingered outside the door while you were on the phone.”

“I’ll check right away.”

“You even monitored Chief Yan’s communications,” Xia Hang looked at Han Huaixiao, “does that mean mine were monitored, too?”

“…Are you angry?” Han Huaixiao smiled at him guiltily.

“No.” Xia Hang shook his head.

“Really?”

“You treated me the same as every other member of the team. I’m actually happy about that.”

“I could do that before, but I probably won’t be able to anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re my boyfriend now. It’ll be difficult for me not to show you favoritism.”

“Then what do we do?”

“When we get back, I’ll talk to Chief Yan and ask him to transfer me back to the Criminal Investigation Brigade.”

“You’ve been with the Major Crimes Unit for so many years. Brother Hua and the others probably won’t want to see you leave,” Xia Hang disagreed. “I should be the one to transfer instead.” But before they could reach a decision, Wen Yu called again.

“Captain Han, I know who it is! It’s Uncle Wei, the security guard!”

“…Uncle Wei, the security guard?” Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang exchanged shocked looks.

“Yes. I checked the surveillance footage. When I called you, he came upstairs to deliver a package to Ling Yue, then stood outside the conference room for a while. I also checked his communications and discovered that he’s been in contact with Ah Tai, one of Wang Cang’s men.”

“Keep him under control. We’re coming back right now.”

“I’ve already informed Brother Hua and the others.”

……………………..

By the time Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang returned to the city bureau, Zhang Tianhua and the others had already interrogated Wei Shuide and gotten the full story.

As soon as he entered the conference room, Han Huaixiao asked, “How did he find out about the progress of our investigation?”

Zhang Tianhua glanced at Chief Yan Zheng. The director usually maintained a calm, even expression, as if not even the weight of a mountain could shake his composure. This was the first time Xia Hang had seen him looking so grave.

“This is my fault,” Yan Zheng said to Han Huaixiao. “Back when you went to Zhou City that time and called me to report your movements, he brought me chicken soup. He got oil on his hands and went to wash them in the bathroom in my office. While he was there, he eavesdropped on our phone conversation.”

Wei Shuide was an old friend of Yan Zheng’s. He had previously worked as a primary school teacher, but when he was in his forties, he was involved in a car accident that left him unable to do physically demanding work. The cost of his treatment had wiped out his savings, and he still had elderly relatives and children to support.

Around that time, the city bureau’s previous security guard had resigned, so Yan Zheng recommended Wei Shuide for the position.

Wei Shuide had done a decent job as a security guard over the years and had become acquainted with people throughout the bureau. Yan Zheng had assumed he was satisfied with the work. Only now did he discover that Wei Shuide had always resented his status as a security guard.
That very day, Wei Shuide’s son was supposed to get married. However, because the family couldn’t afford to buy a home for the newlyweds, the bride’s parents refused to approve the marriage, and the wedding fell through. They had even humiliated Wei Shuide, openly and indirectly calling him a useless father who couldn’t even afford a home for his own son.

It was at that moment that Ah Tai approached him, and the generous sum he offered had persuaded him to cooperate.

“Does Ah Tai know that Wei Shuide has been exposed?” Han Huaixiao asked.

“After Wen Yu informed us, we immediately took Wei Shuide into custody and kept the news under wraps,” Xia Ling replied. “They probably don’t know yet.”

“Wang Cang and Ah Tai have disappeared from Harbour City. I suspect they’ve fled to Myanmar. Wen Yu, monitor communications between Wei Shuide and Ah Tai. The moment Ah Tai contacts him again, tell me immediately.”

“Understood.”

But Wang Cang and Ah Tai hadn’t fled to Myanmar. Instead, they had gone to Thailand.

He Qi had already learned that Wang Cang, his own son-in-law, had secretly joined forces with Sheng Jun, taken the shipment for himself, and arranged for Shen Yongchang to transfer the money into his personal account.

“You ungrateful bastard!” A porcelain vase worth a million yuan was swept off the table by He Qi and smashed against the floor.

Two of his trusted subordinates stood nearby with their heads bowed, not daring to look at him while he was in such a rage. Finally, Wu Rong, the old man who had been at He Qi’s side for years, stepped forward to offer advice.

“You’ve always suspected he had ulterior motives, but Miss wouldn’t believe you. Now that he’s exposed his own ambitions, if you deal with him, Miss won’t have any reason to blame you anymore. Just think of it as paying to get the leech clinging to Miss removed.”

“Easy for you to say!” He Qi snapped. “He’s already reached an agreement with Sheng Jun, and Sheng Jun is giving him all his new products! What am I supposed to use to fulfill the orders from the clients I’ve only just managed to win over?!”

“His partnership with Sheng Jun will never last. You know that Sheng Jun offered you his new product as a condition for working together because he needed to use you to buy himself some breathing room. Once he gets through this crisis, there’s no telling whether he’ll turn around and swallow us whole. We should develop our own new product instead. While Sheng Jun is still struggling to recover, we can take over his market completely.”

“Do you think I don’t know that developing our own formula is the only way to secure our future?! The problem is that we don’t have the means to do it in the short term!”

“There’s someone who does.”

“Who?”

“Snow Owl.”

“That police officer who went undercover beside Sheng Jun?” He Qi’s spirits lifted.

“That’s right. Sheng Jun used to trust him very deeply. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suffered such a crushing defeat. As far as I know, Snow Owl has two of Sheng Jun’s formulas. If we can get our hands on them and combine them, we might not end up with anything as good as Sheng Jun’s latest product, but we’d still have a pretty decent new product.”

“Where is Snow Owl now?”

“In Lang City, China.”

“Go. Get him back here at any cost.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll handle this personally and make sure it gets done.”

Deep in the jungles of Myanmar, a row of wooden houses stood concealed beneath the dense forest canopy.

Inside the best-appointed wooden house, Rui Wen reported to Sheng Jun, “Everything is unfolding exactly as you planned, Boss.”

Holding a glass of liquor, Sheng Jun smiled broadly. He raised his glass toward the direction of Lang City, saying,

“Snow Owl, let’s drink to our upcoming reunion!”

………………..