Though a small restaurant in the suburbs, the food was not refined. However, the portions were generous. A large plate of fried pork was served, making the three hungry individuals simultaneously slap the table and urge for rice.
Su Xia had always been poor.
After leaving the police force without permission, he hadn't returned home. This time, he was going to see his daughter, but his true purpose was to get a bowl of noodles. After tagging along with Gao Min's group for a few days, he had spent all his money and hadn't eaten, smoked, or drunk water since yesterday. His daughter, being the wealthiest person in their family, always had at least 100 yuan on her. As her father, he naturally wouldn't shamelessly ask for money, but a bowl of noodles was within his reach.
Ping An's stomach was empty. Having been constipated since last night, he had little left to expel. Therefore, he was hungry.
As for Gao Da? He was from the village. It was rare to eat a proper meal without spending his own money, so why not indulge?
Thus, after three bowls of rice and three braised soft-shelled turtles served in large bowls were placed on the table, none of the three spoke again. They poured the braised turtle sauce over the rice and ate with gusto.
Full and content, their spirits lifted! As darkness descended, Ping An planned to equip his newly formed three-person team.
"Old Gao, you're the only one with a clean slate among us. Take this card. The password is 098765. Find an ATM and withdraw 50,000 yuan for our operational expenses." At the dining table, the plates and dishes had already been cleared, and three bowls of aged tea were served. Ping An handed a card to Gao Da and continued, "The past few days at your place were a temporary arrangement. Now, we need a place to stay, so we won't be going back there. After you withdraw the money, ride your bike back, tell your family you're going on a trip, and then call me. I'll tell you where to go."
After instructing Gao Da, Ping An turned to Su Xia, "Since it's less crowded at night, do you want to go home and see your sister-in-law again? After we officially start, you won't have the chance to go back."
Su Xia took a sip of tea and said, "Don't worry. Your sister-in-law thinks I've gone undercover again. It's fine if I'm gone for a month or two. I just don't know if the bureau has stopped my salary."
At this point, Su Xia no longer cared about saving face. He knew that Ping An was wealthy, and his monthly salary of over ten thousand yuan was nothing in his eyes.
"You don't need to worry about that. Give me your salary card number later, and I'll transfer money to you when the time comes. Double the amount," Ping An said. "If there's nothing else, let's go. I've asked someone to prepare some equipment, and I'll need you to inspect it."
After discussing their plans, the three quietly left the restaurant.
Opposite the Heshan City Public Security Bureau, in addition to a lamb soup stall, stood an office building. Most of the people in this building were agents for coal, machinery, and electrical products from all over the country.
After parting ways with Su Xia and Gao Da, Ping An hailed a taxi and headed there.
"Ping An, your secret base isn't by any chance across from the Public Security Bureau, is it?" Su Xia asked, glancing at the city bureau opposite, with a hint of unease.
"Do you understand the principle of 'the brightest light shines on the darkest corner'?" Ping An seemed unfazed and pulled Su Xia into the building.
"Hey! What floor did you book the room on?" Ping An's voice, asking for the room number on the phone, reached Su Xia's ears. Su Xia's unease grew.
"You didn't book this room?" Su Xia asked.
"Nonsense. As a fugitive, would I dare?" Ping An pulled Su Xia into the elevator and ascended to the 15th floor.
Outside an independent room in a corner on this floor, a long-haired beauty wearing a mask and sunglasses was on guard. Upon seeing Ping An and Su Xia, she quickly waved them in.
"A three-bedroom, two-living room, one-bathroom apartment, 140 square meters. I've rented it for you for three months. Is that enough?" Inside the apartment, the beauty didn't immediately remove her mask but began her introduction. "This is a standard apartment with 24-hour hot water, internet, and cable TV. I've also prepared the triple-screen computer and laptop you requested. I've modified the living room a bit, so it should be sufficient for you."
"Take off your mask. This is Su Xia, one of us! I won't thank you, but tell me how much it cost, and I'll pay you." Ping An looked around the room and said to the beauty.
Hearing Ping An's words, the beauty finally removed her mask and sunglasses. To Su Xia's surprise, she was Fei Keqing.
"The recording equipment is borrowed from the TV station. Just don't break it. The rent is waived. Your work is important. I've also prepared a van downstairs for you, also borrowed from the TV station. Modify the equipment inside yourself, install surveillance cameras, and it can be used as a surveillance vehicle," Fei Keqing said. "There are also four mobile phones here. They are all secondhand, not expensive. The SIM cards are unregistered, use them as you please. The camera, camcorder, voice recorder, and watch recorder are from the newspaper office. Remember to return them when you're done. That's all."
"That's great. You managed to get all this for me in one day," Ping An said. "By the way, did you handle what I asked you to do this morning? Did that fool Gao Xiaofei suspect anything?"
"No, he left happily and even told me not to tell you. He doesn't realize that you would naturally check your work email," Fei Keqing replied.
"That's good. One last thing, are you sure you want to get involved in this mess?" Ping An asked.
"Just thinking about it makes me feel excited! I've been so suppressed, I'm almost depressed. You must let me join. I won't be a burden. Don't you know my capabilities?" Fei Keqing said.
Hearing Fei Keqing's words, Ping An said no more and began setting up the equipment with Su Xia. Afterwards, they went to the underground garage to inspect the vehicle. In Su Xia's words, except for police radios and firearms, their equipment was now sufficient for their investigation.
Unknowingly, it was already 10 PM. Gao Da, who had gone to get the money, successfully rejoined them. This special team was finally established.
"I won't say much. Thank you for your trust from beginning to end. To be honest, I'm out of options this time and have to rely on all of you." Ping An looked at the three people sitting around him and began his opening speech. "Oh, the three of you might not know each other yet. Let me introduce you. This lady is Fei Keqing, my colleague and close friend. She will be responsible for our daily procurement and external communication channels. Of course, she will also help us gather some information through official channels. This is Gao Da, who is actually not yet 60 years old. He is the discoverer of the cattle carcass. He is a former special reconnaissance soldier, an expert in tracking people and gathering intelligence. Su Xia, you should know how capable he is. Old Gao, starting tomorrow, you will continue your old profession, but don't worry, you'll be equipped with an electric tricycle this time, along with listening devices that can pick up conversations from ten meters away, and synchronized positioning and surveillance equipment. You won't have to take photos anymore; we'll be able to see wherever you go. And this is Officer Su Xia. He will be responsible for executing actions, monitoring, and analysis with me. If anything happens to me, he will be in charge temporarily."
With these deployments, Ping An's small organization was up and running in a proper manner. During their first operational meeting that evening, they had their first target – Hao Gang.
Hao Gang had been rather unlucky lately. Su Xia's "betrayal" and his own dreams of getting rich through "fighting poison with poison" had become difficult to achieve. Without Su Xia, his new boss, Gao Min, was very displeased and threatened him to find a way to get rid of Su Xia once and for all.
Hao Gang was an arrogant man. Just like his name, good steel should be used on the sharpest edge! So, when he was a good cop, he risked his life to solve cases and arrest criminals. As a result, he didn't get promoted, nor did he make any money. So, when he turned bad, he decided to do evil deeds to the fullest.
Su Xia's "betrayal" had annoyed him greatly, but he had only temporarily halted his actions. This was because he suspected Su Xia didn't have the courage to report him. At the district bureau's meeting that morning, Su Xia had been suspended from all his duties by the party committee in his absence. There were even rumors that if Su Xia didn't voluntarily appear and confess, he might be declared a wanted criminal. If he were truly "wanted," Hao Gang wouldn't mind "shooting him dead" during his arrest.
At 2 PM, Hao Gang lazily emerged from his home. After making a phone call to his superior to report on the "night inspection," he headed straight to the "Fish Restaurant" to fill his stomach first.
The Fish Restaurant was not a factory but a high-end restaurant specializing in fish dishes. Hao Gang had developed a bad habit in recent years: he had to eat a bowl of carp head every day. Without it, he would feel listless for the entire day.
"Captain Hao, would you like it sour or spicy today?" The lobby manager personally served Hao Gang at a table by the window.
"I've been feeling a bit agitated lately, so I'll have clear soup today!" Hao Gang said, not even looking at the manager, and downed a cup of osmanthus tea.
As usual, there were few customers at this hour. Outside the window, hardly any cars were parked. Only an old man collecting junk was lingering outside the restaurant, seriously affecting his appetite.
"That guy went in to eat. He didn't go into a private room and is sitting by the window on the second floor. He's been staring at me for a while, and I don't know what he wants." The junk collector was none other than Gao Da. He was wearing old work clothes, a hat, and a pair of cracked leather boots.
"Su Xia said that guy meets with 'Boss Gao' every Friday. Today is Friday. We'll track him remotely from the car later, and you get close for surveillance. Try to find a way to attach a listening device and a GPS tracker to him." Inside Gao Da's ear, Ping An's instructions were continuously transmitted through the earpiece. Gao Da was not yet accustomed to such high-tech equipment. According to his original plan: "Find an isolated place, when that guy is not paying attention, hit him on the head, then take him back, find an uninhabited basement, and interrogate him slowly. You can find out anything."
Alas, although Ping An had completely bypassed the police and decided to act alone this time, he was still prepared to avoid illegal activities. After some discussion, they decided on the safest method first: locating Gao Min's whereabouts.
After eating and drinking his fill, Hao Gang felt completely energized. After settling the bill, he hummed a tune and walked out of the restaurant.
"The guy is out. I'm going up!" Gao Da watched Hao Gang leave the restaurant, pretending to pick up bottles on the ground. He "accidentally" bumped into Hao Gang.
"Are you blind! What are you bumping into? I'll kill you!" Hao Gang patted the clothes on his body and scolded Gao Da.
"Sorry, I'll help you pat it off." In a flash, Gao Da, while patting Hao Gang's clothes, attached a device pre-adhered with special glue to the inside lining of Hao Gang's jacket.
"The guy's leaving. I'll follow. You guys be careful." After scolding Gao Da, Hao Gang drove away. Gao Da reported briefly, then took out his phone, opened the GPS tracking software, and silently followed behind.
"Maintain a safe distance. Don't let them discover you!" Ping An's voice came through Gao Da's earpiece.
"I'm riding an electric bike, and he's driving a car. Are you afraid I'll be discovered? Did your brain get squeezed?" Gao Da asked, torn between laughter and tears.
Even though he was in a car, he still had to chase. With the GPS tracking him, there was no fear of getting lost. Moreover, Ping An and Su Xia were already following behind in their "surveillance vehicle."
Without further ado, let's see where this "guy" Hao Gang went.
Outside the Dehe Vegetable Market, located at the junction of Hexian District and Heshui District, Hao Gang parked his car in a household's yard. It was evident that he was being cautious. Before leaving the house, he changed into a hooded sweatshirt, pulled the hood tightly over his head, and then quietly slipped out.
"Damn it, that guy changed his jacket. It's hard to track him now!" Ping An, who was following in the car, said as he stared at the surveillance video. "Gao Da hasn't arrived yet. What do we do now?"
"Alright, I'll go," Fei Keqing's voice came from the passenger seat. It turned out that on the first day of the operation, Fei Keqing was extremely excited and, under the guise of protecting "property," insisted on coming along to "supervise."
"Can you do it?" Ping An was noncommittal.
"Did you forget? I also came from the social news scene. When I was doing that exposé on watered-down pork, you were still an intern reporter!" Fei Keqing said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Alright, put on your earpiece, attach the camera, be careful, and wait for Old Gao to arrive to switch with you!" Ping An instructed.
Taking the earpiece, Fei Keqing, carrying her handbag, quickly got out of the car.
It had to be said, Fei Keqing's entry into the vegetable market at this moment truly looked like she was shopping. She meticulously picked through items, and others truly took her for a customer. For example! For example, Yan Qing, who was on a business trip and had returned home for the weekend!
"Holy cow! Ping An, it's Director Yan!" Fei Keqing saw Yan Qing, who was holding a basket of corn, happily waving at Fei Keqing.
"Old Yan no longer handles cases. Don't complicate things! Just greet him and leave quickly!" Ping An instructed.
"Little Fei, are you browsing the market?" Yan Qing and Fei Keqing were old acquaintances.
"Yes, Director Yan, are you also buying groceries yourself?" Fei Keqing said awkwardly.
"What are you saying? I'll be cooking and steaming buns myself later!" Yan Qing, whether he saw Fei Keqing's awkwardness or not, chuckled and said, "Okay, come over to my place when you have time. I'm going to check out the hairtail over there!"
"Goodbye!" Fei Keqing, shaking off Yan Qing, quickened her pace and caught up with Hao Gang.
Hao Gang ahead, however, remained oblivious. Sticking to the edge of the market, he quietly walked into the warehouse area deep within the market.
"Ask Gao Da where he is. A woman buying groceries wouldn't go to the warehouse. Gao Da, who collects junk, is more suitable," Su Xia said, staring at the surveillance video.
"It'll take at least another 20 minutes for him to get here. Should we get him a used van? But who collects junk in a van?" Ping An said self-deprecatingly.
The two in the car were anxious, but Fei Keqing was not to be trifled with. Through her earpiece, she heard Fei Keqing negotiating with a vegetable vendor: "I want to buy a lot, starting from 2,000 catties. Don't beat around the bush, just take me to see the warehouse."
Hearing that a big deal was coming, the vegetable vendor immediately led Fei Keqing towards the warehouse without a word. The timing was perfect, just as she was tailing Hao Gang.
"Hey! This girl is quite sharp. With this move, she's qualified to be a criminal detective!" Su Xia couldn't help but praise.
"Rest, she earns at least a million yuan a year, and her administrative level is section chief. She wouldn't even be a district bureau chief. What do you expect her to be a criminal detective for?" Ping An grumbled.
"I'm not as good as her. Maybe after I get out of prison, I'll be her subordinate? I don't need a million a year; 400,000 would make me loyal!" Su Xia joked.
"Why don't you run after this case is over? I'll prepare money for you. Take your wife, kids, and mother, and buy some land in Mongolia to be a landlord. How good would that be!" Ping An suddenly said seriously.
"Hey, look, there's something wrong with that warehouse!" Su Xia said, pointing to the video transmitted by the camera on Fei Keqing's body, as if he hadn't heard Ping An.
In the video, Hao Gang entered a warehouse on the north side of the warehouse area, while Fei Keqing was led to the warehouse in the center. As she entered the warehouse, mountains of vegetables appeared on the screen.
"Ask the vegetable vendor what that warehouse Hao Gang entered is used for," Ping An said to Fei Keqing through the intercom.
"Brother, this warehouse looks well-built. So, if I order today and can't take it immediately, I can leave it here. Oh, but I'm afraid of delaying your business – hey, that warehouse on the north side doesn't seem to have much in it, does it?" Fei Keqing said.
"That's for storing flour. They don't allow vegetables to be stored there. Don't worry, I have plenty of space here. Look how good these cabbages are. How about 600 yuan for 2,000 catties?" the vegetable vendor said.
"Private? Why isn't anyone going in to buy flour? Hey, how is the quality of that flour? I still need 200 bags of 25-kilogram flour. Can you help me ask?" Fei Keqing asked.
"Oh, my dear customer, be a bit more patient. First, finish your business, and I'll ask for you, and even help you negotiate the price, how about that?" the vegetable vendor said.
"It's too expensive! It's only 10 cents cheaper per catty than at the supermarket, and you're selling it at wholesale price?" Fei Keqing became agitated upon hearing the price.
"Miss, this is the price. How about you let me store it for you for another 20 days?" the vendor said.
"No need. 550, and I'll pick it up this afternoon!" Fei Keqing said resolutely.
"Sister, hurry up! Hao Gang is about to leave..." Ping An and Su Xia, listening to the negotiation in the car, were starting to turn green in the face.
"Alright! You pick whatever you want, and I'll go ask about the price." The vegetable vendor took off his apron and was about to leave.
"Hey, no rush, let's go together!" Fei Keqing quickly stopped him.
"No, the owner of the flour company doesn't like strangers, and he has a bad temper. How about this, wait for me!" the vendor said and hurried towards the adjacent warehouse.
"Did you see the company name written on the door of that warehouse?" Fei Keqing said to Ping An as the vendor walked away.
"Yan Fei Flour Mill! Hmm, I'm checking it now," Ping An said, searching on his computer.
"The owner of this flour mill is named Yan Fei. Old Su, do you have any impression?" Ping An asked.
"No, maybe I should go in and scout it out later?" Su Xia said.
"Hold on, let's wait and see. What if Hao Gang really goes to buy flour?" Ping An said.
Just then, the vegetable vendor returned to the warehouse with a dejected expression.
"Oh, beautiful lady, all the flour in the warehouse has been booked. Why don't you look elsewhere?" the vendor said cautiously.
"Oh, okay. Here's the money. Someone will come to pick up the vegetables later!" Fei Keqing suddenly saw Hao Gang entering the warehouse and quickly pretended that the business was concluded.
"Who wants flour?" Hao Gang asked, approaching Fei Keqing.
"I do. Why, are you?" Fei Keqing hadn't expected Hao Gang to speak to her.
"Oh, it's nothing. The flour in that warehouse is substandard. It's being sent to Africa as relief supplies by the country. You should look elsewhere. Don't come back," Hao Gang said, staring at Fei Keqing lecherously.
"Hey, what do I know? Didn't this brother here say you had bulk flour? Right?" Fei Keqing shifted the blame to the vegetable vendor, appearing innocent herself.
"Heh, I'm just taking care of customers!" The vegetable vendor seemed to be very afraid of Hao Gang. Seeing Hao Gang glaring at him fiercely, he said cautiously.
"Beauty, why do you want to buy so much flour?" Hao Gang seemed to be still suspicious, questioning her incessantly.
"I opened a food factory in the county and make vegetable biscuits!" Fei Keqing, with her extensive knowledge, seamlessly replied.
"Oh! Then you must be busy!" Hao Gang, seeing that everything seemed normal, did not return to that warehouse but left the warehouse area and entered the vegetable market, appearing as if he was about to leave.
"Don't rush off. Gao Da has entered the market and has spotted Hao Gang. He's entering the yard and preparing to drive away," Ping An said to Fei Keqing. "Su Xia and I will follow in the car, and you and Gao Da follow slowly behind."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of a car starting could be heard. Then, Fei Keqing saw Gao Da, with an innocent expression, pushing a tricycle in front of her.
"Master Gao, don't say anything. Load the vegetables. I'll look around." Fei Keqing called out to Gao Da and pointed to a pile of cabbage at her feet.
"I rushed all the way here just to haul this pile of cabbage? Do you really take me for a beggar?" Gao Da said angrily. But Fei Keqing seemed not to hear him and quietly left the warehouse, pretending to have a stomachache and looking for a restroom.
Fei Keqing was still unwilling to give up and wanted to secretly investigate that warehouse. However, ever since Hao Gang left, the warehouse door had been locked, and the windows were high, making it impossible to enter.
"Little Fei, what are you doing here?" Just as Fei Keqing was looking around, a voice suddenly called out to her.
"Hey, why is it you, Chun Ming? What are you doing here? I'm looking for the restroom!" Fei Keqing turned around and saw a familiar face – her junior high school classmate Wang Chunming.
"The restroom is in the back! Hurry up and go, I'll wait for you to come back and catch up!" Wang Chunming said with a smile, pointing to the area behind the warehouse.
"Okay!" Fei Keqing pretended to run towards the restroom.
"Hello! Hello! Where are you following Hao Gang? Where will I find you later!" In the restroom, Fei Keqing loudly called out to Ping An, but there was no response on the intercom channel. It seemed Ping An and Su Xia were too busy to pay attention to her.
Leaving the restroom, Fei Keqing pondered where to go. But when she looked up, she saw that her old classmate was still waiting for her.
Wang Chunming had secretly written her a love letter when they were in school. They had also discreetly held hands a few times, but they hadn't been in contact since graduating from junior high. Although they had met a few times later, they had gone their separate ways and hadn't reconnected.
"I remember you worked at a newspaper. Why are you selling vegetables wholesale now?" Wang Chunming handed Fei Keqing a bottle of water.
"Sigh, my brother opened a food factory, so I'm helping him source goods. What about you?" Fei Keqing said absentmindedly, taking the water.
"Oh, well, this warehouse is leased by our boss. I work at the flour mill," Wang Chunming said with a smile.
"Really! I was just thinking of buying some flour from here! What a coincidence that you're here!" Fei Keqing's eyes immediately lit up. "Just now, a fierce-looking guy came and asked me a lot of questions. I was thinking, what kind of warehouse is this that's so mysterious?"
Just as she was about to investigate the situation at the flour warehouse, her old classmate appeared. Fei Keqing thought at this moment, if she could get some information from her old classmate. She wasn't in a hurry to leave anymore. She twisted open the cap and took a big gulp of water!
"Fei Keqing! You bastard! The son of a bitch standing in front of you is Gao Min!" At this moment, Ping An's voice suddenly came from her ear. Fei Keqing choked, and a mouthful of water sprayed onto Wang Chunming in front of her – no, onto Gao Min's face.