[02/27, 17:46, Turtle Back Mountain, Nanyi City]
After Zhao Chenghu left Turtle Back Mountain, Lin Heyu and Yuan Maoqiu immediately followed. Zhao drove around in circles and finally entered a bathing center. Yuan Maoqiu tapped his index finger on the steering wheel: “What do you think he’s doing?”
“Taking a bath.”
“Hey, Lao Lin, you’re a man too. Can you talk about something more grown-up?”
Lin Heyu couldn’t be bothered to respond, sending Yuan Maoqiu inside the bathing center to keep watch. From his tone, he seemed very familiar with the place. He went to a fast-food restaurant across the street, ordered a meal, and ate slowly while keeping an eye on the incoming and outgoing customers.
Yuan Maoqiu’s annoying voice came through the earpiece: “So many people here. I haven’t been to a place like this before, not used to it.”
“There are quite a few services, like scrubbing, back massage, head massage, foot therapy… Are the therapists inside male or female? Are they professional? Has the Vice Captain ever checked this place?”
“Where did he go? Did he go directly to the second floor? I just changed my clothes…”
“Shut up.” Lin Heyu coldly interrupted, clearly not wanting to hear his nonsense.
Yuan Maoqiu felt very aggrieved. After years of working with Lin Heyu, he couldn’t beat him and didn’t dare to retort. It was really no fun being brothers.
Finally, the surroundings went quiet. After a minute, Yuan Maoqiu exclaimed: “I saw him! What’s that? Pomelo leaves? What’s he going to wash with that?”
Five minutes later, Yuan Maoqiu said: “He’s going for a back massage now. I’m going in too.”
“You’re going for a massage?” Lin Heyu asked.
“…” Yuan Maoqiu gritted his teeth, “I’m just going to supervise! All customers come here!”
Lin Heyu was indifferent whether Yuan Maoqiu was the one getting a massage or giving one. He only wanted to know about Zhao Chenghu. Before long, it was dark. He asked Yuan Maoqiu: “Still not out?”
“Do you think I want to? This guy’s just enjoying himself, doing all the services available! I’m exhausted from following him up and down the floors, my back is nearly scrubbed raw.”
“Does he have any contact with others?”
“No, I was in the same pool with him, didn’t see him make any calls.”
After another half hour, Zhao Chenghu finally came out and hailed a cab. Lin Heyu immediately followed: “He’s in the car now. I’ll follow him first. You change clothes and come over.”
Zhao Chenghu seemed to plan to have a full day of fun. He took a cab to a bar street and entered a nightclub. Yuan Maoqiu, still with wet hair, looked up at the flashing neon lights: “You have to come in with me this time, right?”
Lin Heyu’s expression was extremely reluctant.
Yuan Maoqiu didn’t care about that. He dragged him in and put sunglasses on Lin Heyu’s face: “You need to cover up the sharpness in your eyes. Looking all upright, huh, as if the police were here for a routine check.”
Lin Heyu: “…”
—
In his thirty-plus years of life, Lin Heyu had been to nightclubs more than once. Not just nightclubs, but also discos, brothels, and other places of vice. Unfortunately, he had never spent a penny. Every time he went in, it was either for routine checks or to arrest people. For him, not extracting anything from these filthy places was equivalent to a wasted trip.
Pushing open the glass door, the deafening rock music hit him like a tsunami. Lin Heyu’s head buzzed, and his hearing was almost gone; the hall was extremely dim, visibility was low. He took off his sunglasses, and the disco ball above was flashing with colorful lights, turning his vision into a red alert; there was also a mix of perfume, tobacco, alcohol, and a hint of sweat from dancing, creating an indescribable smell, making his sense of smell nearly useless.
Lin Heyu covered his mouth and nose, suppressing the urge to pull out his credentials, make them turn down the music, and line up against the wall. Instead, he retreated to a corner and found a spot to stand. The surrounding area was filled with writhing crowds; the T-stage and dance floor were overflowing with dazed souls, enjoying themselves to the fullest, experiencing the ultimate pleasure of drunken revelry.
“Lao Lin, what’s up? Public expense dancing, and you look all troubled,” Yuan Maoqiu said, looking lively, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“…You seem quite comfortable,” Lin Heyu glanced at him, “Like a fish in water.”
Yuan Maoqiu laughed heartily: “Blame the old boss. He’s biased, unwilling to let you go undercover. Look at you, no chance to train, right?”
Yuan Maoqiu had been on the sting operation for eight out of ten times. Besides being a florist, he also worked as an actor, having played thugs, drug dealers, and customers, personally catching numerous “brothers,” “bosses,” and “paramours.” Zhang Rui once commented that Yuan Maoqiu had many tricks up his sleeve and could impersonate anything convincingly. Lin Heyu, on the other hand, was less skilled in this regard, always maintaining a serious expression, standing tall and righteous. Whenever he went undercover, he looked like a proud underground worker.
Lin Heyu rolled his eyes and nudged him: “Go find him. It’s time to test your results.”
Yuan Maoqiu gave an “OK” hand gesture and went to look for him. After adapting to the noisy environment, Lin Heyu had the mind to observe the dirty dealings hidden beneath the glamour.
Aside from those selling illegal drugs, the man who was drugging drinks was enough to make Lin Heyu’s fists clench. He couldn’t ignore it when it happened right before his eyes. Unfortunately, before he could step in, the drugged target retaliated directly.
The woman’s kick was quick, precise, and fierce, hitting the man’s knee and forcing him to kneel. His knee got stuck between the two layers of railings on a round stool, making movement difficult. She then pinched his chin, forced him to open his mouth, and poured the cocktail straight down his throat from above.
The man staggered, his head swaying, his cries drowned out by the blaring metal rock music. The bartender, used to such scenes, watched with a mix of mockery and disdain, but had no intention of intervening. The woman poured half a glass into him and splashed the remaining half on him, then put the glass back on the bar and wiped away the water stains with her long, beautiful finger.
Lin Heyu silently witnessed everything. The increasing awareness and ability of contemporary women to protect themselves is a good thing. However, a better approach would have been to keep some of the drink and then call the police to request a drug test, allowing the law to deal with such bad behavior.
As if sensing something, the heroine turned and hurriedly ran toward the dance floor. In the dim light, Lin Heyu barely had time to see her face, only catching a fleeting look of surprise in the moment she turned.
What’s going on? Did she avoid him because she saw him? Lin Heyu frowned, squeezed through the crowd, and suddenly, the lights in the entire venue went out, the music abruptly stopped, and cold flames shot up from the dance floor, a meter high. The disco ball switched to spotlight mode, and the deafening metal rock music blared again, accompanied by the DJ’s roar, announcing the start of the dance party prepared by the manager. Everyone was urged to get wild and dance!
The entire room felt like an earthquake, erupting with cheers. People, as if on drugs, yelled and jumped, joining in the new round of chaotic dancing.
“……” Lin Heyu’s temples throbbed, wanting to shut the screaming mouths. He avoided the crowd, and Yuan Maoqiu’s voice came through the earpiece: “Zhao Chenghu is missing. He was drinking with the girl at the booth before, but now he’s nowhere to be found!”
“Didn’t you keep an eye on him? Did you check the restroom?”
“I’m in the restroom. I asked the cleaners, and no one has seen Zhao Chenghu.” Yuan Maoqiu sounded aggrieved, “By heaven and earth, I’ve been watching him all along, didn’t even dare to go to the bathroom. Did you see him leave outside?”
“No.” Lin Heyu had specifically paid attention to the door. Even during those few seconds of “power outage,” amid the chaos, there was no sound of the glass doors sliding.
His phone vibrated. Lin Heyu looked down and saw it was a call from Lin Zhizhi. He hung up directly and sent a quick reply, informing her of the task.
He followed the direction of the booth and, just as he reached the restroom door, he bumped straight into Zhao Chenghu.
Zhao Chenghu staggered, his cheeks flushed and drunken, holding onto the restroom door. A streak of blood ran down from his right hand, leaving bloody stains on the floor tiles beside him.
“Damn it, dirty bitch, daring to lay hands on me…”
Lin Heyu glanced up, noticing the women’s restroom. No wonder Yuan Maoqiu couldn’t find him; this guy had been messing around in the women’s restroom. It looked like he had failed in his pursuit and ended up injured.
Zhao Chenghu raised his right hand, a fierce bloodstreak across his palm. The wound looked frightening but hadn’t damaged any tendons or bones; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so calm and relaxed. He shook the blood off his hand and casually wiped it on his clothes.
“Damn unlucky… I’m going back.” Zhao Chenghu muttered, stumbling toward the door. Yuan Maoqiu ran over, visibly relieved: “Found him?! At least he’s not lost. Where is he going now?”
“Going back.” Lin Heyu signaled him, “Let’s go.”
The two continued to follow Zhao Chenghu, trailing him into a neighborhood called Jinghe Garden. As they saw him enter the building, Yuan Maoqiu panicked: “Hey, without a key card, how will we know which floor he’s going to?”
Lin Heyu thought for a moment and said: “Third floor, 304.”
“…How do you know?”
Lin Heyu coughed lightly: “I investigated. He lives here with one of Pang Daozi’s subordinates.”
Yuan Maoqiu’s expression instantly became profound and mysterious. He clasped his hands to Lin Heyu: “As expected of you, making me feel unworthy to work with you.”
Lin Heyu smiled and lightly fidgeted with his phone in his pocket.
—
[02/28, 11:57, Nanyi City Expressway]
Zhao Chenghu slept until noon the next day, leaving the neighborhood with a younger brother wearing a baseball cap, preparing to leave the city.
Lin Heyu drove in front, while Yuan Maoqiu caught up on sleep in the back seat. The florist had done his duty the night before and was now worn out. In spring, with all things coming back to life, the temperature in Nanyi soared to over twenty degrees after winter. The flower beds and grass were full of insects, disturbing him all night.
“Why is my neck so itchy?” Yuan Maoqiu sleepily scratched his neck, causing small blood spots. Lin Heyu glanced at him through the rearview mirror: “Maybe it’s an allergy. Don’t scratch.”
“I can’t help it. Oh, there’s a rash. Should I report it to the hospital or bureau?” Yuan Maoqiu continued scratching his neck, “Where are they going?”
“Not sure,” Lin Heyu glanced at the expressway sign, spotting a familiar place name, “It should be Muli.”
“Muli? Is that where you told Captain Sheng to go?”
“Yes, Sheng Guoning should be back now.”
As if on cue, the phone on the armrest lit up and vibrated. Yuan Maoqiu leaned over to check: “It’s Captain Sheng. Should we answer?”
“Mm.”
Yuan Maoqiu put it on speaker. When the call connected, Sheng Guoning briefly summarized Yang Weiyi’s situation. Yuan Maoqiu was surprised and communicated with Lin Heyu through expressions: This kid is impressive! He directly broke through the window paper with the other party.
Lin Heyu thought that this method varied by person. Sheng Guoning must have judged that Yang Weiyi’s personality was suited to a direct approach, which was much more efficient than going around in circles. Furthermore, if she had a good attitude and cooperated actively, it could mean a lighter sentence in court.
“Captain Lin, which child is Taotao among the hostages?”
Lin Heyu remained silent for a moment before answering: “I haven’t seen her and don’t know.”
“Does Xiao Shitou not know either?”
“Mm, not familiar.”
On the other end of the line, Sheng Guoning’s tone noticeably changed.
“…… Lin Heyu, we are working on the same case. Why are you hiding such important information? She’s not even on the hostage list. She’s an extra child!”
“……Ah?” Yuan Maoqiu’s question expressed surprise. Was there an issue with the hostage list? Weren’t there 15 children excluding Xiao Shitou?
“Heyu, what’s going on?”
