At Wu Ping's home, time passed by unnoticed until dawn was approaching.
"Eldest sister," Ping'an said, feeling a bit sheepish as he confided in Wu Ping, "To be honest, I'm also a wanted man, but I'm a good person."
"I know," Wu Ping replied. "Yesterday morning, the neighborhood committee had the supermarket collect wanted posters. My company sent me."
"Thank you for trusting me," Ping'an said, somewhat flustered.
"It's Wu An who trusts you, so I trust you," Wu Ping said.
"Eldest sister, the police will likely show up soon. The fact that you are Wu An's sister can probably no longer be hidden. It's my fault; I left a trace for the police. If I had known about your situation beforehand, I would never have let go of such crucial information," Ping'an said. "Once your identity is exposed, the mole within the police force and the drug dealers will try to eliminate you. Moreover, you were aware of Wu An's drug trafficking. Legally..."
"I know what you mean," Wu Ping said calmly. "Xiao Anzi is dead, and I have no more attachments. In fact, I've been waiting for this day. Whether I go to jail or get killed, I'm prepared."
"Eldest sister, please go into hiding. I'll accompany you to surrender afterward," Ping'an said, unable to bear it.
"No, it's my fate, and I accept it," Wu Ping stated firmly.
Seeing that Wu Ping was resolute, Ping'an exchanged a glance with Gao Da, and they left Wu Ping's house. If they stayed any longer, they would indeed be surrounded by the police.
Exiting Wu Ping's home, Ping'an squeezed into the back of Gao Da's tricycle, covered himself with a few pieces of cardboard, and signaled Gao Da to head to the Daily Newspaper office.
"Such a good woman. Alas!" Gao Da muttered, watching the tricycle.
"Alright, Uncle, you and she are not from the same world. Hurry up and pedal. I'm going to sleep for a bit," Ping'an said, tightening his clothes. Under the autumn breeze of the early morning, he quickly fell asleep, undisturbed even when they passed by a row of police cars with blaring sirens.
Outside Wu Ping's house, heavily armed special police officers stood by with their weapons. Mei Qian, Gao Xiaofei, and Gu Dashan, wearing bulletproof vests, were crouched against the wall, awaiting orders from Xiang Wanfeng.
"You three, do you think Ping'an might be in this house?" Xiang Wanfeng asked through the walkie-talkie.
"Whether he's in there or not, we have to arrest him," Gu Dashan said first.
"Don't worry, he's already run off. Thank you for stalling, Squad Leader Xiang, watching that damn video over and over," Gao Xiaofei said sarcastically.
"Enough with the nonsense. Are we doing this or not?" Mei Qian asked, clearly agitated.
"Action!" Xiang Wanfeng said with a wry smile, issuing the command.
At that very moment, the door suddenly opened. Wu Ping walked calmly towards the special police and said, "Let's go, I'll go with you."
There was no fierce firefight as expected, no sign of Ping'an, and not even the thrill of capturing a drug dealer's accomplice. As the aroma of breakfast wafted through the streets and alleys, the special task force returned, preparing to interrogate Wu Ping.
Outside the gate of the Riverbend Daily Newspaper office, Security Guard Master Qiao was practicing Tai Chi in the yard. Editors finishing their night shifts were leaving, and reporters rushing to morning meetings were entering. Everyone who came and went would greet him with "Good morning, Master Qiao." Without turning around, having worked there for over a decade, he could tell who it was just by their voice. Just now, the person who entered sounded like Ping'an. Well, it seemed like Ping'an. Or was it? It didn't matter; familiarity was enough.
The person who entered was indeed Ping'an. Returning to his post required stealth, but he wasn't being entirely cautious. For instance, at this moment, he felt like taking the elevator up, but if he encountered someone he knew, it would be troublesome. However, on the off chance, he put on a mask and stepped into the elevator.
Perhaps he had arrived early, as there was no one he knew in the elevator going up. Seizing the opportunity of fewer people in the morning, Ping'an hurried to his office and began searching through piles of Old Gao's mail.
"Ping'an? You dare to show up?" Fei Keqing's voice suddenly came from the only bed in the office.
"Why are you here? And why are you sleeping in my bed!" Ping'an was instantly enraged.
"Damn it! You're in trouble, and Lin Dang isn't here. If I don't handle your workload, who will?" Fei Keqing picked up a shoe and threw it at Ping'an. "Checking the calendar, isn't tomorrow your deadline for the publication?"
"Fine, I'll do the publication. Why are you yelling!" Ping'an threw the shoe back at him and ignored Fei Keqing, continuing his search.
"Hey! You didn't actually kill someone, did you?" Fei Keqing grumbled while putting on her shoes.
"If it's to solve the case, then hurry up, or you might lose your job," Fei Keqing continued to chatter.
Ping'an paid no mind to Fei Keqing's words. He was still diligently searching for the emails Wu Ping had sent him. Finally, an inconspicuous plain envelope caught his attention.
Carefully opening the envelope, he found four A4 pages of printed images inside.
"Found it," Ping'an said excitedly, taking the images out of the envelope and spreading them on the desk.
The images on these four pages seemed to have been taken with a mobile phone. The first one showed Chen Nairong and Gao Min sitting in the back seat, heads bowed in conversation, with a large bag of white powder placed on the handle between them. The second was in a small alley, showing Chen Nairong and Gao Min standing next to a car. A hand extended from the rear window, holding a note, seemingly to be handed to them. The picture didn't show the front or back of the car, so there was no license plate, but from Chen Nairong and Gao Min's respectful demeanor, the person inside the car must have been someone important. The third photo was a bit blurry, taken from the driver's seat of a car, through the windshield, showing the rear of an Audi A8 sedan. It was estimated that both cars were moving, making the shot unclear. The license plate of the Audi in front was also blurred, but the last two digits, 01, were vaguely visible. The fourth photo was also taken from inside a car, through the driver's side window, showing a car, likely the same one from the previous two photos. This time, the front passenger window of that car was half-open, and a woman sat inside, revealing half of her profile. At first glance, it was hard to tell, but upon further thought, she looked familiar.
The content of these four images was simple and clear. If his guess was correct, Chen Nairong and Gao Min were just underlings, and there was a truly big fish hidden somewhere.
"Such important evidence should be in the hands of the police," Ping'an thought for a moment. He used his own phone to photograph the four images one by one, then carefully put them back into the envelope and beckoned Fei Keqing.
"What is it? What, you want to use me as a hostage?" Fei Keqing instinctively hugged herself.
"Dream on. The police might come looking for me at the office later. Could you discreetly hand this envelope to someone you know? Oh, Gao Xiaofei!" Ping'an thrust the envelope into Fei Keqing's hand.
"Then what about you? When will you wrap up this case?" Fei Keqing asked anxiously, looking at the envelope in her hand.
"Soon, the big fish behind the scenes is about to surface!" Ping'an put on his hat, ready to leave.
"Hey, I'm leaving. One more thing, can you lend me some money!" Ping'an said, a bit shamelessly.
"Are you going to return it? How much do you need?" Fei Keqing, assuming Ping'an would be in financial difficulty, took out her bag and pulled out about three to four thousand yuan.
"Yes! I'm really leaving. Take care of yourself," Ping'an waved at Fei Keqing and quietly disappeared into the building.
By the time police cars entered the Daily Newspaper office, it was already 3 PM. After a long nap, Fei Keqing, having dressed up in her office, walked to Ping'an's office door and frowned, watching about a dozen police officers conducting various checks.
"Hey, Gao Fatty, come out for a moment." Fei Keqing scanned the area and finally spotted Gao Xiaofei, who was crouched down checking under the bed in the corner of Ping'an's office.
"Hey, little Fei, long time no see!" Gao Xiaofei said, his face full of fawning as soon as he saw Fei Keqing.
"Stop wasting your time. What you're looking for is with me. Come with me to get it," Fei Keqing said.
"You, you know what we're looking for?" Gao Xiaofei asked, surprised.
"Ping'an told me," Fei Keqing said expressionlessly and turned to leave. Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaofei immediately followed her, tail between his legs.
"Gao Fatty, I didn't realize you could be so ruthless towards your own brother," Fei Keqing said in the elevator, clearly displeased with Gao Xiaofei's overt search of Ping'an's office.
"Ruthless? Look at this, this is what Ping'an left me. Ruthless, isn't it?" Gao Xiaofei said indignantly, pointing to a clearly thinning patch on his head. "He hit me, and he tried to kill me. He's cut off contact with me."
"Alright, stop talking. Aren't you here thanks to Ping'an?" Fei Keqing said as she walked out of the elevator and into her office. She took an envelope from her desk and handed it to Gao Xiaofei.
"That shows he still has some conscience!" Gao Xiaofei took the envelope but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he carefully placed it in an evidence bag he carried.
"Hurry up and finish. Have you ever seen a murderer leave clues for the police everywhere?" Fei Keqing said. "Also, I have something else here. If you're interested, take a look. I originally wanted to give it to Ping'an, but he ran off too quickly."
"What good stuff? Let me see. If it's useful for solving the case, I'll treat you to a meal," Gao Xiaofei said obsequiously.
"On the computer desktop, there's a video file sent by an anonymous person to Ping'an's public office email. Ping'an has been absent lately, and Lin Dang is also gone for a few days. I was helping with the news and discovered this email when I checked the mailbox. I thought it was just a social news item, but I didn't expect... well, you see for yourself," Fei Keqing moved aside, allowing Gao Xiaofei's plump body to squeeze in.
"Excuse me, excuse me!" Gao Xiaofei muttered as he stealthily sniffed Fei Keqing's perfume, cautiously clicking on a file on the computer desktop.
"Hey! This kid is not!" Gao Xiaofei exclaimed, uttering a name—"Ren Liu!"
The video showed Ren Liu's fat face pressed close to the camera, as if afraid the viewer would see anything other than his face.
"Reporter Ping'an, I am Ren Liu. When you see this video, I will likely have been murdered. If I am indeed dead by then, please expose a piece of news like this: In the past three years, after the previous 'anti-gang crackdown' in Riverbend City, society has become much more peaceful. Several big bosses were either imprisoned or killed. Riverbend City no longer has so-called underworld figures. People like me, who live on the fringes of society, just want to do business and support our families. However, fate is not kind. Three years ago, a 'black hand' appeared in Riverbend City. He controlled Chen Nairong, forcing him to traffic drugs. Chen Nairong was then forced to bring me into the fold, and I was forced to bring Wu An in. Wu An, Wu An brought Niu Jian into the fold. Do you know, this is like a pyramid scheme in a drug trafficking case? No one wants to traffic drugs, no one wants to monopolize the drug market in Riverbend, and no one wants to go against the government. But, but we are helpless. He, the one hiding in the shadows, has never shown his true face, but he possesses intelligence and various listening and surveillance data that only the police have. He has a handle on each of us. If we resist, he threatens those around us, forcing us to comply. This time, he forced me to give false testimony and frame someone else. I also know that I have no value anymore because the police will soon realize what I'm saying is false. He likes to play mind games, he likes to watch the police run around in circles. So, from the moment he made me falsely accuse someone and then tried to get me to go to the hospital, I knew I was going to die. I don't want to die, but I have no choice because he will kill my lover, kill my family. I have no choice. I hate him. Reporter Ping'an, please investigate and bring this person to justice."
In a short speech, less than a few minutes, it was evident that Ren Liu was in a hurry. The video was recorded hastily.
"I need to take this with me. Please cooperate with the police investigation, do not make a backup copy, and do not spread it around," Gao Xiaofei said seriously and earnestly after watching the video, no longer joking.
"Of course. I know what to do," Fei Keqing said through gritted teeth.
"Also, why didn't you show this video to Ping'an? Don't say you forgot," Gao Xiaofei asked while copying the video.
"He's already in enough trouble. He only has one life," Fei Keqing said after thinking for a long time.
"Very good. I hope you can keep this secret. We all hope Ping'an is safe, right?" Gao Xiaofei said, looking into Fei Keqing's eyes after finishing the copy.
"Yes," Fei Keqing replied, shaking her head, but with firm resolve.
The police got the evidence they wanted. Several police cars, sirens blaring, roared out of the newspaper office compound. A tricycle "loaded" with cardboard happened to be parked nearby. Large pieces of cardboard were inserted around the inner walls of the tricycle's cargo bed, "reinforcing" the overflowing cardboard. Of course, if someone looked closely, they would notice that these pieces of cardboard inserted into the inner walls of the cargo bed were not for reinforcing any garbage, but to conceal the person inside.
"The person behind the scenes has appeared!" Ping'an, lying in the cargo bed of the tricycle and chewing on a ripe apple, peered out through the gaps in the cardboard. He said to Gao Da, who was riding the tricycle, "This night's worth of evidence will keep Gao Fatty busy for several days. Let's take advantage of this free time to do something big. However, I need a helper now—Old Gao, let's go to Tenth Middle School!"
Riverbend City Tenth Middle School was also the central school in Riverbend District. Gao Da brought Ping'an here, not to pick up children, but to intercept someone—the helper in Ping'an's eyes.
"I haven't heard from that old fellow Su Xia for the past couple of days. His phone is unreachable. I wonder if he has any new information," Ping'an squatted by the roadside, watching the parents waiting outside the school to pick up their children. "However, he's exceptionally good to his daughter. I bet he'd come to see her every day even if he didn't go home."
Although they were there to intercept Su Xia, the crowd of parents kept growing. Would Su Xia appear easily? Ping'an craned his neck, searching through the crowd. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.
"Don't move, police!"
Hearing the word "police," Ping'an was about to curse when he noticed that Gao Da, not far away, wasn't in a hurry at all and was smiling at him.
"Old Su, stop messing around!" Ping'an spun around and saw that the person behind him was none other than Su Xia.
"You're a wanted man, and you're still running around? Go to the police station and explain yourself clearly, then stay home. It would be much better," Su Xia said, smiling as he saw his old friend.
"Forget it. Although you don't have a wanted order, the police are looking for you everywhere right now. This isn't a place to talk. You haven't seen your daughter yet, have you? Go see her first. I'll wait for you by the roadside ahead," Ping'an said excitedly.
"They're gone. Once I see them, I won't be able to leave," Su Xia said with a chuckle.
After not seeing him for several days, Su Xia looked quite well.
"Alright! Let's go, Old Gao, pedal!" Ping'an called out and pulled Su Xia onto the tricycle.
"Tomorrow, I need to figure out a way to install a battery on this tricycle. Pedaling all day is exhausting," Gao Da complained slightly.
On the road, the small tricycle moved slowly. The two men sitting in the cargo bed talked happily.
"I went to the estate that day, but unfortunately, I was half a step too late. By the time I got there, you had already left. However, I did follow Gao Min," Su Xia said. "I've been quietly following Gao Min for the past two days. Gao Min knows I'm following him but pretends not to. He thought he could trick me. Unexpectedly, after finally settling down and finding a few people to deal with me, I managed to escape beforehand."
"Old Su, you're playing a bit too big!" Ping'an felt a chill down his spine after hearing Su Xia's experience.
"Even though I was discovered early on, I still managed to find out some useful things. Do you know that Niu Jian was accidentally frozen to death by his own son, Niu Daixing?" Su Xia asked. "What about you?"
"Why didn't you call the police and have them apprehend Gao Min first?" Ping'an asked.
"It's useless. As soon as I disappeared, Gao Min went into hiding immediately. Besides, with the current case and evidence, it wouldn't pose any threat to him," Su Xia said, and since that was the case, he would "run away."
"Hey, what's that compared to? Listen to me. Do you know why they insisted on Niu Jian's head?" Ping'an shared his latest intelligence with Su Xia as their conversation grew animated.
The complex case, the shadowy mastermind—under Ping'an's analysis, the entire series of events finally connected. "That's right. If my analysis is correct, these cases were all deliberately designed. The purpose is unclear for now, but it definitely won't be for drug trafficking!" Ping'an said.
"Ping'an, you really trust me. I'm now a corrupt official who has surfaced. How long are you going to trust me?" Su Xia said with a sigh.
"Did you return the money?" Ping'an ignored Su Xia's remark and asked directly.
"Yes, I returned it, and I clarified things," Su Xia said with a relaxed expression.
"Then that's that. I'm not a police officer, so I can't tell if you're good or bad. I just need to know that you're a good person," Ping'an said. "I need a helper now. I can see a lot from the shadows, but I've lost many resources. This case is too big; I can't do it alone."
"Xiao Fei and the others are all good," Su Xia said.
"No, they are too by-the-book. They're fine for handling ordinary cases with me, but this current case might stir up Riverbend City. They would be implicated by me," Ping'an said. "Old Su, come and help me. I know you also want to deal with these people. Regardless of whether you're punished later, maybe you'll go to jail, maybe you'll be shot, but as long as I'm here, our child, our wife, our mother..."
"Get lost! How could I possibly be shot for my issues!" Su Xia said, his face turning red. "Besides, that's my child, my wife, my mother!"
"Alright, alright, I won't dwell on it. How about it, shall we team up?" Ping'an extended his right hand.
"Deal! Let's do it!" Su Xia also extended his right hand.
Their hands clasped tightly.
Gao Da, who had been listening to their lively conversation while cycling, smiled broadly. He knew that the time for retaliation had come!
"I have an excellent breakthrough opportunity right now. Should we give it a try?" Su Xia said.
"Not bad. You just joined and you're already paying your dues?" Ping'an said with a chuckle.
"Have you heard of Hao Gang, the captain of the anti-drug squad in Riverbend District?" Su Xia asked.
"Heard of him. I hear he's best at solving cases at a snail's pace, only acting when the higher-ups pressure him. What about it?" Ping'an asked.
"I was roped in by him," Su Xia said after a moment of silence. "By the way, you have to tell me first, how did you know I was bribed with 100,000 yuan? Are your connections really that extensive?"
"That's not my achievement. You should ask Old Gao!" Ping'an patted the cargo bed, signaling to stop.
"Old Gao?" Su Xia looked confused.
Beside a market in the urban-rural fringe, Ping'an, Su Xia, and Old Gao sat at an open-air small tavern to eat.
"Braised mushrooms, stir-fried pork with vegetables, stir-fried mixed vegetables, boiled cabbage, three braised soft-shell turtles. Hmm, and three bowls of rice, a dozen Taishan beers. Hurry up!" Ping'an said, tapping his chin as he studied the menu.
Gao Da, sitting opposite Ping'an, was skillfully scalding the plates and bowls in front of him with hot water. Su Xia, sitting to the side, looked at this incredibly ordinary old man with confusion and astonishment. He would never have dreamed that this old man had been quietly watching him for the past month without him realizing it.
This person, his name sounded familiar, but who exactly was he?