Chapter 96

It's easy to get on a pirate ship, but hard to get off. Once you step into the narcotics squad, it's difficult to leave. Even if we take a step back, Liu Hantong isn't a coward. The more he's surrounded by brave men, the more his courage and audacity are ignited. Being a narcotics police officer suits him!

The middle-aged man who spoke was the deputy squad leader, a straightforward and loyal right-hand man known as "Second Hand." He insisted on not resting, and the squad leader didn't force him. However, a few others had to be compelled to take a day off. They didn't put up a fuss, just handed over their work and left.

"Everyone stand by, don't wander around, and keep your phones on." After Geng Zhi said this, he personally went down to interrogate the suspect. A little while later, someone brought in dozens of boxed meals. Everyone wolfed them down. The squad had a rest room with a large bunk bed. The well-fed police officers lay down to rest, and many of them started snoring as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Liu Hantong was very energetic, responsible for keeping watch by the phone. Fang Zheng didn't sleep either, handing him a slightly used Nokia 1110. "Use this for now, and I'll help you apply for a new phone later."

"Really?" Liu Hantong was delighted.

"Of course, it's a group number for the police, with free internal calls. It's not a perk, but for work convenience." Fang Zheng sat down beside him, picked up a cigarette pack, and offered one to Liu Hantong, lighting one for himself as well. He began to teach him.

"Let me give you a quick rundown. Currently, there are three main types of drugs on the market. The first is the morphine class, mainly heroin and opium from the Golden Triangle, commonly known as 'vegetables.' The second is the ketamine class, commonly known as K powder, or 'KA' in the trade. The third is the methamphetamine class, commonly known as ice, with its finished product called 'Mahu' or 'meat' and 'fruits' or 'seeds.' These three are hard drugs. In addition, there are soft drugs like marijuana and ecstasy, which are less addictive."

Liu Hantong listened humbly. Fang Zheng's willingness to share this knowledge showed that he considered him a brother. This was not the time to act tough; he needed to be open and honest.

"Few people use 'vegetables' these days, mostly old users. Morphine users inject, leaving needle marks all over their bodies, starting with their hands, then their inner thighs, and even their femoral veins. They also become thin, develop abscesses, brittle nails, and grind their teeth while sleeping. These are all signs of drug use. Because they often share needles, various diseases are rampant in this circle, such as hepatitis, viral endocarditis, sepsis, and especially AIDS. Drug users often go bankrupt, become emaciated, and destroy their families. When they have nothing left to sell for drugs, they turn to prostitution, both men and women, leading to extreme moral decay. When the craving hits, they would kill their own parents or children without hesitation."

Fang Zheng spoke with deep sorrow, and Liu Hantong understood why these narcotics police officers risked their lives without hesitation—they had seen too many tragic consequences of drug use.

"Our main target now is ice. Unlike morphine, ice is not a natural drug but a new type of drug derived from the chemical structure of ephedrine. It can be used as a stimulant and even as a performance enhancer, suitable for both men and women. The market in Jiangnan is dominated by ice. Groups of men and women gather to use homemade ice pipes, and then they all get high together. We've seen such scenes—a KTV room with a dozen men and women, all naked, more intense than Japanese **."

Liu Hantong was immediately interested. "How did you handle it?"

"What else? We took them all to rehab."

"I mean, didn't you take any photos with your phone?"

"Sure, they're on the computer. I'll show you."

The two leaned over the computer, analyzing the "cases," marveling at the addicts. The men aside, the women were all stunning, with figures and faces that could rival school beauties, causing much sighing.

Just as they were engrossed, there were hurried footsteps below. Geng Zhi came up with a few others, his face as serious as ever. "He confessed. The drug lab is in Pingchuan. Gather the team, we're leaving!"

"Got it!" Xiao Fang jumped up to call the others.

"You come with me." Geng Zhi called Liu Hantong, and they went to the basement armory. The on-duty officer opened the iron door, revealing a concrete wall hung with various weapons, including all types of domestic light weapons.

"Pick a heavy weapon, preferably one you're used to." Geng Zhi said.

Liu Hantong was dazzled. There were 56 assault rifles, 56C, 81 assault rifles, 03 assault rifles, 97 assault rifles, 85 sniper rifles, 88 sniper rifles, and various handguns, including the 54, 64, 77, 84, and famous Glock series, P228, and M1911A1.

"I'll take this." Liu Hantong picked up an M1911A1 military pistol and a German-made MP5 with a folding stock.

"I don't recommend this. The submachine gun can't suppress the firepower of the drug dealers, who use M4s. You should at least use this." Geng Zhi took a 97 assault rifle from the rack.

"This is fine, but I used it too much in the army. I wanted to try something German." Liu Hantong said.

Geng Zhi smiled. "This isn't German, it's made in Chongqing, a copy of the MP5."

Liu Hantong had to take the 97 assault rifle and tucked the M1911 into his belt.

"Let's go. You're the lead assault man for this mission." Geng Zhi signed the weapon log and hurried up with Liu Hantong. The team had already woken up, looking weary after only an hour of sleep.

"Guys, the drug dealer confessed. The drug lab is in Pingchuan. We need to go there tonight to destroy it. Otherwise, the drug dealers will realize something is wrong by morning. The plan will be explained in the car. Let's go!"

On the order, everyone got into the cars, and three vehicles left the base.

Liu Hantong checked the time on his Nokia phone. It was 12:20 AM.

During the day, they had arrested three drug dealers, including Lin Xiaowu and two others who were high-level traffickers. Geng Zhi had offered a suspended death sentence in exchange for one of them to confess. Their processing plant was in Pingchuan, using raw materials from the south to manufacture ice on a large scale.

Drug dealers are highly alert, and time was of the essence. There was no time to mobilize the armed police, but Geng Zhi believed the narcotics squad's combat capability was sufficient to take down the drug lab. He unfolded a roughly drawn map and explained the location and layout of the drug lab.

"The drug lab is in a private industrial park in the suburbs of Pingchuan, disguised as a food processing plant. It's large, with five people and four guard dogs, armed with light weapons. This is the workshop, this is the bedroom, and this is the main gate. We will enter from four directions, directly apprehending them. If they resist, we can shoot them on the spot. Now, let's assign tasks. Fang Zheng, Liu Hantong, and Xiao Yong, you are the first group, entering from the front..."

The car sped along, and after the plan was explained, they dozed off for a while. At 3:00 AM, they arrived at the Pingchuan highway toll station, where the local narcotics squad was already waiting. They had a quick meeting and decided to proceed with the original plan.

It was a dark and windy night, and the private industrial park was silent. The economic environment was poor, and many factories had closed, leaving only a few night watchmen. The streetlights were off, and a grand entrance would alert the drug dealers. The officers got out of the cars and quickly gathered near the drug lab.

Geng Zhi looked through a night vision device. The "food processing plant" was well-disguised, with cameras on the gate and walls, and an electric fence that would trigger an alarm if touched.

An officer climbed a tree and used a thermal imaging device. There were five people inside the factory, two lying in the office building, and three half-lying in the workshop. Four guard dogs were patrolling the yard.

The situation matched the intelligence. Geng Zhi checked his watch and nodded. Everyone had already put on bulletproof vests and Kevlar helmets, equipped with throat microphones, and some had night vision goggles and steel shields. Snipers provided cover from the perimeter.

Cutting the electric fence was a simple task for the narcotics police. One minute later, four teams scaled the fence, throwing meat buns laced with special bait and poison. The patrolling Dobermans pounced and swallowed them, falling unconscious within seconds, and the alarm was neutralized.

The factory had a workshop and a two-story office building. Liu Hantong was assigned to the workshop. He carried an assault rifle, one hand holding a shield, the other a pistol. He flipped his wrist, and the M1911 was at a 90-degree angle, aiming through the bulletproof glass window on the shield, waiting for the breacher to blow the door.

Four blocks of yellow plastic explosives were placed under the roller shutter door. The wires were connected, and with a switch, they exploded in quick succession. Two officers lifted the roller shutter and threw a flashbang inside.

After the two non-lethal bombs exploded, the assault team entered. Liu Hantong put on his night vision goggles and charged in, shield first. The dark workshop was filled with gunfire. The drug dealers, disoriented by the flashbang, couldn't see clearly and fired their pistols wildly from their beds.

A bullet hit the bulletproof steel shield. Liu Hantong immediately returned fire, and his colleagues behind him lay down, firing a full magazine from a 79 submachine gun.

Bullets flew in the workshop. Through the night vision goggles, the world was green, with plastic drums of chemical raw materials everywhere. The drug dealers were hiding behind them, firing wildly. Liu Hantong quickly finished his pistol magazine, switched to his assault rifle, and fired a burst. The bullets penetrated the plastic drums, and a drug dealer fell.

Three drug dealers were hit and captured. The fight at the office building also ended, with two suspects, one of them a woman, captured without a fight.

The operation was a success. The mountain of drug-making materials in the workshop amazed everyone. If all of it had been turned into ice and hit the market, the social harm would have been immense.

Geng Zhi immediately began interrogating the suspects, while the others, with the help of the local narcotics squad, thoroughly searched the area. Liu Hantong, not skilled in these tasks, took a break and went outside to smoke.

It was only 5:00 AM, and the sky was just beginning to lighten. A car with a Jiang C license plate drove along the industrial park's asphalt road. There was one person inside, wearing glasses and looking refined.

Liu Hantong flicked his cigarette butt and approached. "Hey, who are you looking for?"

He was wearing a police uniform with a bulletproof vest. The man seemed startled. "Oh, sorry, I took a wrong turn."

"Get out of the car." Liu Hantong ordered.

The man panicked, reaching for his seatbelt, but his hand also gripped a loaded pistol and fired through the car door.

Geng Zhi was interrogating the drug dealers, and the woman was crying, saying she was a prostitute who had come for a job arranged on WeChat, unaware of what was happening here.

Oh no, one person is missing! Geng Zhi realized something was wrong just as a gunshot rang out outside.