Chapter 196: Investigating the Case
After all, this time it had caused a big commotion, and there were even city leaders visiting the Zhang Family on that very day.
After they returned, they exaggerated the situation a bit, believing that the public security in South Sea City was inadequate, and suggested that the mayor straighten things out to put some pressure on the police.
Zhao Bing had already called several times, and Zhang Yufei could only assure him as much as possible that they would definitely find Hao Jian and that gang of criminals as soon as possible.
But who would know where to find these suspects? Zhang Yufei, who had given firm assurances to the director, had no clue at all.
Zhang Yufei had thought about this matter carefully this morning. Ultimately, it was because such a thing had never happened before, and no one dared to flee with such obvious guilt. Moreover, his identity was clearly known.
If it weren’t for the police station’s negligence, this group of people wouldn’t have succeeded.
With things being what they were, Zhang Yufei had no other choice but to find them in the shortest time possible.
"Chen Tianlong, where do you think Hao Jian is most likely hiding?" Zhang Yufei had tried all possible means but really could not find a way.
"I haven’t thought of anything yet."
Chen Tianlong laughed bitterly; when it came to solving cases, he wasn’t as professional as Zhang Yufei.
After a moment of thought, Chen Tianlong said, "If I were the criminal, I definitely wouldn’t choose to escape from South Sea City at this moment, nor return to the Xu Family. Instead, I’d find a place that can be relocated at any time."
"Are you saying? Hao Jian could be in a place that is easy to move from?" Zhang Yufei seemed to have an idea and quickly asked.
"Heh, maybe."
Chen Tianlong looked at the sun; it was already noon, and time to eat.
Indeed, he was a bit hungry, considering he hadn’t even had breakfast: "It’s noon. Starving. Let’s grab something to eat. People are like iron, food is like steel; if you don’t eat a meal, you’ll feel starved."
Zhang Yufei turned and glared at Chen Tianlong: "Eat, all you think about is eating!"
If it were before, Chen Tianlong would have surely teased her a bit or had some repartee. However, seeing Zhang Yufei’s eyes glistening with tears, Chen Tianlong restrained his smile: "Alright, after eating, I’ll help you find him."
Chen Tianlong wasn’t a sentimental person, but the heart always has that kind of empathetic emotion, which appears in anyone, even in cold-blooded assassins.
At this moment, Chen Tianlong couldn’t help but see this woman a little differently, realizing her heart wasn’t that unreasonable after all.
"Really? After eating you’ll help me find him?" Zhang Yufei looked at Chen Tianlong’s relaxed demeanor, thinking he must have an idea.
"Hmm, it’s easier to work on a full stomach!"
Chen Tianlong replied ambiguously, making Zhang Yufei’s face slightly blush.
Aren’t these words usually used in a different context? Why did Chen Tianlong use it now?
With Chen Tianlong’s words, Zhang Yufei did feel hungry, as she hadn’t had breakfast either.
Today was originally a weekend, so breakfast was a bit late, unexpectedly, this thing happened, they had to mobilize the whole department, even forgetting to eat.
Zhang Yufei drove around nearby and only found a small restaurant. There wasn’t much in the store; they each ordered a bowl of wontons, and Chen Tianlong was not shy about finishing his in the shortest time.
Zhang Yufei ate a bit slower, only consuming half before losing her appetite.
As they left the store, it was already 1 p.m., and Zhang Yufei said to Chen Tianlong: "Should we go back to the police station first, or..."
"Why go back to the police station?"
Chen Tianlong laughed bitterly. If the police station could handle it, they wouldn’t have searched so long, so he looked at Zhang Yufei and said, "Come with me!"
Chen Tianlong did not avoid Zhang Yufei’s gaze, confidently saying: "After our morning investigation, I think Hao Jian might be hiding in a hotel."
"Ah? A hotel? Isn’t there identity registration? Isn’t he afraid of exposing his identity?" Zhang Yufei was stunned.
"Are you sure every hotel along the road where the police car was hijacked requires an ID?"
Chen Tianlong asked back.
"Hiss..."
Zhang Yufei wasn’t stupid; she knew what Chen Tianlong was getting at.
"Understood."
"Okay, then get in the car, this time I’ll drive."
Chen Tianlong knew Zhang Yufei had been through enough stress all morning, so he let her rest while he drove.
Zhang Yufei nodded, touched by his gesture, but still maintained her composure, decisively opened the door to the police car’s passenger seat, and got in.
Without wasting time, Chen Tianlong quickly got into the car, took the key from Zhang Yufei, and started the engine. They began searching the hotels within five kilometers of the incident scene.
With the earlier deduction, those requiring personal IDs were places Hao Jian would likely avoid, and surveillance was more extensive there too.
Chen Tianlong didn’t believe the people who helped Hao Jian would be so stupid as to make such an obvious move.
This easily narrowed their targets down to the remaining five inns.
Among the five inns, they could exclude three because they were all near the street. Do you think a group of robbers would be so blatant as to place someone there?
Of course not.
So, after ruling out those three, only the last two remained.
Since this inn wasn’t beside the main road but required heading twenty meters down an alley and taking a turn to reach it,
along the way, there were directional signs. So Chen Tianlong parked the police car by the roadside to avoid alarming the target.
"Do you have any other clothes? I’d suggest changing."
Chen Tianlong looked at Zhang Yufei still in her police uniform and smiled bitterly.
"Alright, then... then wait a moment."
Zhang Yufei thought for a moment, feeling Chen Tianlong was right, and took a bag from the police car’s trunk. This police car was Zhang Yufei’s personal one, so it had a lot of spare gear for operations.
Soon, she pulled out a dress, which allowed her to change both her pants and shirt completely.
However, suddenly remembering that Chen Tianlong was outside, her cheeks reddened instantly, as she said: "Help shield me from the wind, and no peeking!"
Although she was in the car, if someone got close, they could still see inside through the glass.
"Got it, guaranteed not to be seen," Chen Tianlong grinned.
"Hmph, I’m just afraid you’ll peek," Zhang Yufei pouted, opened the door again, got in, and swiftly changed her clothes.
Although Chen Tianlong could imagine the scene inside the car, at such a moment, he would certainly not peek.
About five minutes later, Zhang Yufei emerged from the car again, appearing in front of Chen Tianlong as a tall girl in red high heels and a light pink short dress.
"Wow, big beauty, come over, remember we’re going to check a room, not a party," Chen Tianlong teased deliberately.
"Who says you have to be going to a party to dress like this? I wear what I want whenever I want," Zhang Yufei gave him a side glance, then walked quickly ahead.