Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Chapter 654: A Different Kind of Fugitive

"The other party consists of a total of three men, one of whom is Chen Kai, the target we are pursuing, and the other two are his protectors.""The encounter took place in a children’s store."

"At that time, they were likely shopping in the store, and when we entered, both sides recognized each other."

"Because there were many people and quite a few children in the store, neither I nor Group Leader Zhang fired."

"When the confrontation occurred, the target was still selecting items, and it was his two protectors who came to stop us."

"Because the master was unfamiliar with their combat style, he was stabbed in the first round."

"Wait!"

Qin Yong interrupted Lan Bingyu: "You mentioned... combat style?"

"Yes!"

Lan Bingyu nodded seriously.

"These two people felt very much like the Myanmar gang mercenaries I had encountered on previous missions."

"They strike ruthlessly without any pattern, purely acting on battle instincts, each move deadly."

"Their killing ability wasn’t acquired through combat training, but rather from being locked in beast cages from a young age, fighting their own kind and wild beasts, ultimately forming a killing instinct."

Everyone understood why Lan Bingyu described it so thoroughly.

Those present had a certain level of understanding of Zhang Hui’s combat abilities.

So everyone knew what it meant when Zhang Hui was stabbed twice during the confrontation with the opponent.

It’s not that Zhang Hui’s ability was lacking, but that the opponent was extremely formidable.

Now that Lan Bingyu explained it, everyone had a more direct understanding of the target.

"Okay, continue."

Qin Yong nodded, indicating for Lan Bingyu to continue describing the situation at that time.

"After the master was stabbed, fearing for his safety, I got rid of the person I was dealing with to rescue him."

Lan Bingyu could have avoided injury, but had taken a stab to save Zhang Hui urgently and dodged afterward.

"By the time everyone else arrived, the opponents had already fled."

"I’ll take over from here."

The speaker was Sun Jun.

"Upon receiving Lan Bingyu’s call for help, Action Group Two immediately set off and, along with the High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team and several police stations, sealed off the entire Azalea Mall."

"But after checking all night, unfortunately, we found nothing."

"As for the mall’s surveillance, from 3:10 PM to 5:09 PM today, it was completely out of control."

"What do you mean by ’out of control’?"

Someone didn’t understand.

"It means losing control, unable to record video. Suspecting a software issue, we intended to have the manufacturer repair it, but it naturally recovered after 5."

"Later, I had the tech team check it out, and it turns out the mall’s surveillance was hacked. During that period, the surveillance was controlled by someone else and was paralyzed."

"A hacker?"

Sun Jun nodded affirmatively, then smiled wryly.

"We received the assistance call at 3:30 PM, reporting that the wanted criminal, Chen Kai, was spotted at Azalea Mall. We rushed out immediately and arrived at nearly 4:00 PM to make the arrest."

"However, the confrontation between Zhang Hui, Lan Bingyu, and the other party occurred around 4:50 PM."

"So, judging by the timeline, they likely entered Azalea Mall just after 3, leaving just past 5."

"Therefore, the time the hacker controlled the mall surveillance coincides with Chen Kai entering the mall."

After Sun Jun introduced the general situation, including Qin Yong, everyone furrowed their brows, silently pondering.

Eighteen years ago, Chen Kai was wanted in Tianzhou City, disappeared abroad for 18 years, and suddenly returned to the country.

With two mercenary bodyguards by his side.

To avoid leaving video evidence, he even had a hacker infiltrate the mall surveillance system.

Such an opponent had never been encountered by Haizhou City’s Criminal Investigation Team since its establishment.

After a while, Qin Yong broke the silence.

"The situation was just described in detail by Ren Qiang, Xiaolan, and Sun Jun. What do you all think?"

Even though the case was tricky, and the opponent somewhat mysterious, the case still needed to be handled.

Moreover, Song Jiangguo had already given Qin Yong a deadly order.

Everyone heard Qin Yong’s words, looked up, but still didn’t speak.

What was there to say now?

Zhang Hui, with such skills, was stabbed twice in a face-to-face confrontation. For this group, it wouldn’t just be two stabs.

Three stabs or immediate death by a throat slit were entirely possible.

The key is they had no idea where the target went after leaving the mall.

To capture someone, you must first find them.

Moreover, opponents aren’t stationary wooden figures.

Since encountering police in Haizhou, Chen Kai must have realized his identity was exposed.

If he were any of the ones present, the first thing to do after encountering the police today was to leave Haizhou City.

If they aren’t in Haizhou City, what else can those present do?

Qin Yong saw everyone remained silent, understanding what they were all thinking.

But orders were orders, Zhang Hui was severely injured, and if the case wasn’t solved, the whole Haizhou City’s Criminal Investigation Team and the City Public Security Bureau would lose face.

So, Qin Yong’s gaze fell on Lu Chuan.

Among those present, Lan Bingyu was included because of the encounter.

And the youngest of the mid-levels was Lu Chuan.

Young people should be at the forefront, and at times like this, it should be the young who break the deadlock.

Qin Yong had been through the same in his younger days.

"Lu Chuan, what’s your opinion?"

Lu Chuan had no resistance when Qin Yong called on him.

Although Lu Chuan worked in crime scene investigation and was a technical detective, it didn’t mean he had no thoughts on the case.

Especially after seeing Zhang Hui so severely injured.

He had almost been lost.

Just this afternoon, when Zhang Hui had set off, they had greeted and planned to have a drink over the weekend.

In less than two or three hours, Zhang Hui ended up in the hospital—just 0.5 cm off, and he’d be gone.

"Captain Qin, my thought is to first determine the target’s whereabouts, such as whether they’re still in Haizhou City."

This point...

Who knows if Chen Kai is still in Haizhou City?

"However, I believe... the target must still be in Haizhou City."

Oh?

The crowd looked at Lu Chuan in surprise, not understanding why he made such an assumption.

"Why do you think so?"

Qin Yong asked.

"Because... I feel this Chen Kai is different from the usual fugitives!"

Different?

In what way different?