Chapter 257: Hideout

Netherworld Investigator

After placing the corpse in a body bag and sending it back to the morgue, the three of us got into a police car and raced to reach Xiaotao and the others. Halfway through our journey, Xiaotao phoned, "Song Yang, we’ve found it. There’s a huge street of hawker stalls at the door!"

"Did you catch our guy?" I asked.

"Considering he may have a bomb or some other lethal weapon, we decided to lie in ambush outside," explained Xiaotao.

"I'll be right there," I said.

Bingxin tugged at my shirt and asked, "Song Yang-gege, how did you know there would be stalls outside?"

"When Pork Rong was murdered, the sound from the bomb must have made a substantial noise, even if it wasn’t earth-shattering,” I started. “We both agreed that the time of death was 48 hours ago, that is, around 6 pm, two days ago. Why did the murderer choose that time instead of late at night or in the day? I speculated that there must be a cause for loud noise around that time near his hideout. Nine times out of ten it’s an open-air restaurant or a bunch of food stalls."

"Your thought process is so meticulous!” Bingxin clapped her hands in glee. “I hadn’t thought about it at all. If only I could have a bit of your brain!"

"Well, you might as well give me some of your brain too!” added Dali. “That way, I won’t have to worry about exams in the future."

"Your brain is big enough! What do you take me for? A monkey?” I rolled my eyes. “Would you like to open up my scalp and have a bit of hot sauce with that?"

When we arrived, we made sure to park the car on the far side of the road and immediately went looking for Xiaotao and the others on foot.

The officers were hiding in the grass, waiting in ambush. Somewhere in the distance was a residential area by the road, somewhat in the middle of nowhere since this was a fork in the expressway. Drivers usually got off here to rest and have a meal and gradually, a bunch of food stalls and houses sprung up. It was indeed a good hideout for a murderer.

"We might just bump into some other criminals in this sort of remote place..." I said.

"Now that you mention it, I think it's possible!" laughed Xiaotao.

"Don’t you think the man urinating on the side of the road looks like Ma Jiajue?" exclaimed Dali.

“Shut the hell up!” we shouted in unison.

Xiaotao then proceeded to say that on the way here, they found a car stained with blood parked in the grass. Storm Punisher was most likely out of other options to have discarded his car.

I stared at the buildings and imagined which one I would choose if I were Wang Yizhou, an insecure mechanical genius. After a thorough scan of the area, I pointed to the innermost building with a loft. "That unlit window may be where he’s hiding."

"The murderer already knows we are looking for him,” said Xiaotao. “We can’t go with the old water meter trick. When the stalls close for the night and the lights are all off, we’ll sneak past and break into the house!"

"That’s too much trouble! If we make a mistake, we might alert the suspect!" I argued.

I looked around, noting everyone’s faces. These officers had worked in this line for a long time and their faces all screamed “morally upright.” But Dali on the other hand, had a common, harmless face.

"Comrade Dali,” I said. “You have been entrusted with the glorious and arduous task of spying on the enemy."

"How am I supposed to do that?” Dali’s jaw fell agape. “I look like a student."

"Go to the motel and tell the boss you want to rent a room,” I suggested. “Don’t forget to try and ask for as much information as possible. And make sure to keep your cell phone on call the entire time. If you see the murderer eating downstairs, order a bowl of beef noodles."

Dali didn't know what Wang Yizhou looked like but quickly got acquainted with the man’s features from a photo Xiaotao showed him. "If I go alone, it’ll only seem suspicious!” remarked Dali. “Why don't we get Bingxin to come with me and pretend we’re an eloped couple."

"Miss Sun, please cooperate with our investigation then!" laughed Xiaotao.

Bingxin flat out refused, "No way! Why can’t Song Yang-gege go with me?"

"When we were in a standoff with Pork Rong the other day, Wang Yizhou saw my face through his cell phone," I explained.

Hence, Dali was our best bet. I remember he had been standing in the corner the entire time so Wang Yizhou had no way of recognizing him, and Dali’s kind, honest face did little to raise anyone’s hackles or put them on guard.

With that said, Bingxin reluctantly put on a play with Dali. Through Dali's cell phone, we heard their conversation with the boss who explained that a young man had indeed rented a room here two months ago. And his description matched Wang Yizhou.

It turned out that this guy had already settled the rent, making sure he covered all the bases. What a wily fox!

"He may have another hideout,” I prompted.

As soon as the words left my lips, Dali suddenly said, "A bowl of beef noodles, no scallions or coriander. Bingxin-meimei, what would you like?"

His words left us like a cat on hot bricks, unsure if that was an affirmation of the secret signal we had agreed upon. While the others held their breath in nervousness, I lowered my voice and asked, "Do you see him?"

"No, I’m just hungry,” muttered Dali. “Would you like me to bring you a couple of steamed buns?"

Xiaotao pressed her palm on her forehead and raged, "This idiot has no sense of discipline at all! If he were to go undercover, he would’ve died seven or eight times already."

After that, we were forced to listen to Dali loud slurps and chewing. I urged him to hurry up with his meal and get a move on it.

A bowl of beef noodles later, the two left the motel and took a leisurely stroll around the area. Dali spoke into the phone, "I think you can all come over. There’s hardly anyone around here."

Xiaotao’s gaze flickered up to meet mine in a meaningful glance before she ordered several plainclothes officers to head down to where Dali was while the others remained on standby in our original location. We arrived at a small two-storey house rented by Wang Yizhou. At the door, I fiddled the lock with a wire but an old lady came out and started poking around.

"What the fuck are you looking at?” I yelled. “This guy owes us a lot of money. Do you know where the hell he is?"

"I don't know anything!" the old lady hastily replied, then turned to leave without a moment’s delay.

When I asked Xiaotao what she thought about my acting skills, she laughed, "Your expression is still a little stiff and slightly exaggerated!"

Right then, the lock opened with a muted click and we fumbled our way in. I held back Dali’s impulsive hand and cried, "Don't turn on the light yet!"

Using our cell phones for lighting, we observed some mechanical parts and wires piled up in the room. There was no doubt that this was Wang Yizhou's hideout. I found a trapdoor under the bed and asked a few officers to push the bed aside so I could open it. Underneath the trapdoor was a basement where the distinct odor of lime emanated.

"This is probably where Pork Rong died,” I said. “I'll go down and have a look."

At the bottom of the steps, the basement looked exactly the same as the room we saw in the video. Lime had been sprinkled all over the floor to prevent it from stinking. I made extra care not to leave any footprints.

I went back upstairs and said, "Let's go!"

Xiaotao grumbled despondently, "Does this guy have the ability to predict the future? Why do we always seem a step too late?"

"He has fewer resources to deal with us now,” I snickered. “I believe we’ll catch him soon."

Xiaotao left two plainclothes officers to monitor the situation here while the rest of us drove back to the station. On the way there, I mentioned I would visit the old man in prison again when I had the time.

"Why do you want to see him?" asked Xiaotao.

During this busy period of time, it had completely slipped my mind to share what I discovered after my last conversation with the old man. I gave a brief narration of how Qi Sheng had actually answered for Wang Yizhou’s crime.

"Are you sure?" Xiaotao exclaimed.

"Whether I’m sure or not isn’t going to do anything,” I sighed. “Only by catching Wang Yizhou can the truth be revealed and the old man be cleared of the conviction."

At one of the intersections, Xiaotao turned away from the station. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"You’ve all been working day and night but we’re finally making progress with the case!” giggled Xiaotao. “I think this is the perfect time for a meal! My treat!" she winked.

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