Chapter 13

"Quite a character, this kid," Wang Xing said, holding the steering wheel.

"What character? He's just a big fool," Ma Ling said with a sneer.

Wang Xing chuckled, started the car, and shouted, "Get in."

"Walk by yourself," Ma Ling said, walking in the direction where Liu Handong had disappeared.

"You said he's a big fool, why are you still looking for him?" Wang Xing shouted to the retreating Ma Ling.

"I feel like it," Ma Ling replied and disappeared into the darkness.

"These young people... there's a generation gap," Wang Xing muttered, stepped on the gas, and drove away.

Ma Ling caught up with Liu Handong: "Hey, we meet again."

Liu Handong walked quickly, "This doesn't count."

"Why doesn't it count? You're cheating," Ma Ling grabbed Liu Handong's arm.

Liu Handong stopped and said, "Alright, I'm Liu Handong, male, twenty-seven years old, unmarried, no house, no car, no money, no job."

Ma Ling said, "I just asked for your name, why are you telling me all this? What do you mean?"

Liu Handong said, "I don't mean anything."

Ma Ling said, "Where are you going now?"

"Home, I haven't seen my mom in a long time," Liu Handong said as he walked.

"Where's your home?" Ma Ling followed quickly.

"Jiangbei City."

"Where in Jiangbei? I've been to Jiangbei."

"Jiangbei turn."

"Stop kidding, I'm not a census taker. Do you plan to walk back to Jiangbei? It's over three hundred kilometers."

Liu Handong stood under a bus stop sign: "I didn't say I'd walk back."

Ma Ling stood next to him under the sign.

It was 9:30 PM, and the last bus across the river arrived. There weren't many people on the bus. Liu Handong got on, fished out a wet ten-yuan note from his pocket, and put it in the fare box. He sat in the last row because it was an air-conditioned bus, and the last row's window could be opened for easy escape.

Ma Ling sat next to him.

The bus continued, crossed the Huaijiang Bridge, and there were red and blue police lights flashing ahead. The police had set up a checkpoint to check all vehicles, and the trunks had to be opened for inspection.

By the roadblocks, special police officers held Type 79 submachine guns, ready for battle. Police dogs were eager to go, and traffic police in reflective vests waved signs, occasionally stopping a car for inspection.

The bus stopped, and three special police officers got on, shining flashlights on the passengers' faces and checking IDs.

Liu Handong tensed up, his muscles ready to spring into action.

Ma Ling leaned closely to him and whispered, "Kiss me."

Liu Handong hesitated, then hugged Ma Ling and started kissing her fiercely. The two of them were passionately entangled in the back seat, completely ignoring the police.

The police shone their flashlights over, glanced, and got off the bus. The intelligence showed that the suspect was accompanied by a fourteen-year-old girl, and the two passionate people in the back seat were clearly not.

The bus started again, and they were safe.

After crossing the Huaijiang Bridge, they got off at the first stop. The North Shore New City was just beginning construction, and under the streetlights, it was desolate and empty.

The bus drove away, and Ma Ling slapped Liu Handong.

"Why did you hit me?" Liu Handong was surprised.

"For being a pervert," Ma Ling said.

"Didn't you tell me to kiss you?" Liu Handong held his face, but it wasn't a hard hit.

"You told me to kiss you, who told you to stick your tongue in?" Ma Ling asked sternly.

"Let me do it again," Liu Handong pulled Ma Ling into his arms and kissed her passionately, blocking her mouth.

Ma Ling resisted symbolically, her body taut like a bow, then relaxed, wrapping her arms around Liu Handong's neck and cooperating with him.

After an unknown amount of time, maybe a minute, maybe an hour, Liu Handong finally let go and helped Ma Ling tidy her clothes: "I should go."

"Be careful," Ma Ling said.

"Okay."

"When the heat is off, come back to me. I drive the 520 bus, you know."

"Got it." Liu Handong walked away.

Ma Ling stood under the streetlight, feeling a sense of loss.

...

At the Iron Slag Street gun case command center, Deputy Director Hao Guanghui was in charge. They had seized a batch of firearms, an unlicensed car, which turned out to be a stolen vehicle from the day before, and one unconscious criminal who was taken to the hospital. The surveillance cameras on Iron Slag Street were all broken.

At the scene, eight firearms were left, including standard military pistols, homemade pistols, smuggled military rifles, civilian shotguns, and an expired American grenade. Most of the bullets were spent, and the walls of the house were riddled with bullet holes. The stairwell was stained with blood, and there were pieces of flesh and brain on the ceiling. The gruesome scene shocked even the battle-hardened detectives.

This wasn't a murder; it was a war.

Six killers were dead, mostly in the yard, with four lying in the stairwell. One had half his head blown off by a rifle bullet, two were killed by pistol shots to the head, one was hit by six bullets and turned into a sieve, and another was hit by a 12-gauge shotgun blast in the chest, turning his upper body into a blood-soaked mess. Their facial features and fingerprints revealed that they were mostly released convicts and fugitives, all with serious criminal records.

These casualties were reportedly caused by two people, one of whom was Officer Ma Guoqing from Huahuo Police Station, and the other was Liu Handong, an unemployed person.

The police were already investigating Liu Handong because he was a suspect in a kidnapping case. They had located him through technical means and were about to go to Iron Slag Street to arrest him when the killers got there first.

Ma Guoqing was shot and lying in the hospital, still under anesthesia. His service pistol, an old Type 54, was missing, and the police confirmed that Liu Handong had taken it. They were now searching the city for Liu Handong, setting up checkpoints at stations, docks, airports, and major roads, and clearing hotels, internet cafes, and rental houses to find Liu Handong and the missing Type 54.

Mayor Jin Muchen personally called to give instructions, demanding that the police officers involved overcome all difficulties, fear no sacrifice, and protect the people's lives and property. They were to bring the criminals to justice, and Deputy Director Hao promised to solve the case within three days.

In fact, it didn't take three days. The unconscious criminal had woken up and, under the psychological pressure from the police, confessed everything. They were a team of eight professional killers, hired by a man called "Brother Jun." He drove a black Highlander, had a scar on his face, and promised each of them 100,000 yuan upon completion of the job. Their task was to kill a man and a woman living in a small building.

Hao Guanghui was familiar with this "Brother Jun." Gu Changjun graduated from the Jiangdong Public Security College in 1991 and had worked in police stations, public security teams, and the criminal investigation team. He was known for his loyalty and pride and had close ties with people in society. Later, due to his involvement in prostitution and gambling, he was expelled from the police force by the provincial chief, Song Jianfeng. At the time, many leaders had pleaded for him, but Song Jianfeng had to make a sacrifice to expel Gu Changjun, also removing his trusted subordinate, Detective Wang Xing, from the force.

Gu Changjun was associated with Wang Shifeng, the chairman of Shifeng Group, whose rise was largely due to Mayor Jin Muchen's support. To put it bluntly, Shifeng Group was a tool for Jin Muchen to make money.

Touching Gu Changjun would inevitably lead to Wang Shifeng, and arresting Wang Shifeng would be a slap in the face to Mayor Jin. This was a simple truth, so Deputy Director Hao hesitated to issue an arrest warrant for Gu Changjun. He was waiting, waiting for the higher-ups to make a move, and for Gu Changjun to flee.

As for why Gu Changjun wanted to kill the girl named Shu Fan, it wasn't the focus of the case. Shifeng Group had been trying to acquire a piece of land, which belonged to Qing Shi High-Tech, a company unwilling to sell. Shifeng Group had someone eliminate Xia Qingshi's beloved daughter to send a message, which made sense.

The Ministry of Public Security had a rule that gun cases and murder cases must be solved. Hao Guanghui was under immense pressure. He estimated that Gu Changjun had already fled and reported to the provincial department, awaiting further instructions.

The provincial chief, Song Jianfeng, immediately arrived at the scene and gave several instructions: clean up the scene, seal the news, avoid causing public panic, and not alert the criminals behind the scenes.

Song Jianfeng then ordered the arrest of Gu Changjun.

A white Jetta drove through the police blockade, and everyone in the temporary command center came out. Wang Xing poked his head out: "Chief Song, Deputy Director Hao, I've brought you something."

In front of everyone, Wang Xing stopped the car, opened the back door, and dragged out the still unconscious Gu Changjun.

The car was filled with a pungent smell of urine; Gu Changjun had lost control of his bladder and bowels. The Jetta was unbearable.

After getting the bonus, I should get a new car, Wang Xing thought.

The leaders looked seriously at the limp Gu Changjun and then at Wang Xing.

"Contract killing, evidence is clear, it's him," Wang Xing said. "There's another one in the hospital, also an accomplice."

Song Jianfeng waved his hand, and two plainclothes detectives dragged Gu Changjun away.

Hao Guanghui said, "Wang Xing, how did you get involved? By the way, where is Ma Guoqing's service pistol?"

Wang Xing said, "Old Ma's service pistol is in the hospital, kept by his daughter. As for why I got involved, let me explain from the beginning..."

"Where is Liu Handong?" Hao Guanghui asked.

"Gone," Wang Xing answered.

"Why didn't you catch him?" Hao Guanghui stomped his foot.

"Why should I catch him? I'm not a cop. Why would I catch him if I'm bored?" Wang Xing shrugged, feigning innocence.

Hao Guanghui was angry but said nothing. Wang Xing used to be his subordinate, and he was one of the leaders who insisted on his expulsion.

Song Jianfeng watched coldly, saying nothing.

In the command center, Wang Xing recounted the situation he knew. The old detectives exchanged glances. The case wasn't complicated. Gu Changjun had failed to kidnap Xia Qingshi's daughter, Shu Fan, and lost the lives of his own men. He then hired more people to kidnap Shu Fan again, and to kill Liu Handong. However, they encountered Ma Guoqing and Wang Xing, and the plan failed.

Qing Shi High-Tech was a high-tech company founded by college students, starkly different from Shifeng Group, which had risen through entertainment and real estate. If Shifeng Group was a shark, Qing Shi High-Tech was a blue whale, but the blue whale couldn't fight the shark.

"Where is Shu Fan now?" Song Jianfeng asked.

Wang Xing leaned in and whispered something. Song Jianfeng nodded and smiled: "You're a clever one."

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