Chapter 74: The Urination Escape

Ding Menghong said, "Should we just let him escape like this? Once this kind of person gets away, we'll never find him again!"

Ou Caiming replied, "There's no other way. If the hostage is killed, can you bear the responsibility?"

Ding Menghong said resentfully, "Fine, I'll follow orders and withdraw immediately!"

Ding Menghong put down the walkie-talkie and passed the order down. Everyone dejectedly emerged from their hiding spots and got into the police car, heading back. As they passed a winding mountain road, Du Long suddenly said, "Brother Ding, I need to get out of the car."

Ding Menghong said, "What are you going to do? Are you going to catch Xia Hongjun alone? Are you crazy? He has two guns and might be from the most secret special forces! Even we, with over ten people, might not be a match for him!"

Du Long took off his police uniform and smiled, "I don't plan to catch him. I just want to hide nearby and see what he does."

Seeing Du Long about to open the car door and jump out, Ding Menghong grabbed his hand and said, "Du Long, you're a police officer! You can't act so recklessly. Do you know how dangerous it is for the hostage? Who will take responsibility if something happens?"

Ding Menghong's words made Du Long deflate. He said helplessly, "Should we just let Xia Hongjun escape? Once this kind of person disappears, we'll never catch him again."

Ding Menghong sighed, "I know, but what can we do? Don't be foolish. Take care of yourself. As long as you're alive, you can always find a way."

Du Long nodded, put his police uniform back on, and fell silent. Ding Menghong sighed with relief but was still quite depressed, lighting another cigarette.

Everyone was silent. Suddenly, someone's stomach growled. Ding Menghong said, "Xiao Wu, no one has eaten yet. If we see a place to eat, let's stop."

Xiao Wu mumbled, "We should have eaten at Tieling Coal Mine. I know a restaurant there with good food..."

After driving a few more kilometers, they came to a densely lit area. Xiao Wu said, "Up ahead is a place called Lanhé Village. Let's eat there."

The police car entered Lanhé Village and stopped next to a higher-end restaurant. The owner was initially nervous but became very welcoming when he learned they were there to eat.

There were thirteen police officers, and they took two medium-sized tables. Ding Menghong and Xiao Wu, who were close to Du Long, tried to cheer him up with some jokes. The jokes were crude but hilarious, and despite his bad mood, Du Long couldn't help but laugh. This laughter improved his mood significantly.

As the owner was serving the dishes, a large truck drove by, kicking up dust. Everyone complained, "No way, it's too dusty outside. Boss, there are few customers now. Move the tables inside."

They moved the tables inside, closed the door, and things improved.

Du Long casually asked, "Brother Ding, that truck earlier didn't seem to be from Tieling Coal Mine. Are there other coal mines on this road?"

Ding Menghong said, "Yes, Heijin Company has a coal mine nearby. Because they're on the same road and close to each other, they often clash."

Du Long said, "In the dark, it's hard to tell which mine the trucks belong to."

The owner's young son, who was watching TV, casually replied, "It's simple. Heijin Company's coal trucks are blue, and Tieling Coal Mine's trucks are green. Tieling has more trucks, and Heijin has fewer. You can tell from a distance."

Du Long ignored him and called the owner over, asking, "Boss, what kind of alcohol do you have? I'm in a bad mood and want to drink. Brother Ding, do you want to drink?"

Ding Menghong hesitated. Drinking during duty was not allowed, but since the mission was half over and an inspection team had arrived in Wuxi County, there wouldn't be any new tasks for a while. Ding Menghong also wanted to build a relationship with Du Long, so he nodded and said, "Let's all have a drink, but the drivers can't drink too much. No more than one liang of baijiu or one bottle of beer!"

The owner brought out a few bottles of Wuliangye and a case of Tsingtao beer. Du Long raised a glass of beer to Ding Menghong and said, "Brother Ding, I learned a lot from you today. Here, I'll toast to you first!"

Ding Menghong praised Du Long for his keen eyes and accurate judgment, and they clinked glasses. Du Long refilled his glass and toasted everyone, and the beer flowed.

Du Long quickly drank two or three bottles. Ding Menghong advised him to slow down, but Du Long said it didn't matter; he could hold his liquor. Ding Menghong stopped urging him, thinking that if Du Long got drunk, he wouldn't run off to catch Xia Hongjun alone, which would be suicidal. If you want to die, don't drag everyone else down with you.

Du Long soon drank too much. He clutched his stomach, complaining of needing to urinate, and ran to the toilet. He didn't return for a long time. Xiao Wu laughed, "Where's Xiao Du? Did he fall into the toilet?"

Ding Menghong suddenly realized something. He slapped his thigh and shouted, "No good!"

Ding Menghong rushed to the toilet, found the door locked, and pounded on it. Getting no response, he kicked the door open. The toilet was empty, with no sign of Du Long.

Ding Menghong shouted and ran out of the restaurant. A truck's headlights were driving away in the direction of Tieling Coal Mine. Ding Menghong immediately started the police car and chased after the truck. The others followed, and the restaurant owner ran out, only to see the distant headlights. He threw a large ladle and shouted, "Nine out of ten police officers are useless! Next time, I'll poison them with parathion!"

Ding Menghong caught up with the truck, but it was blue, belonging to Heijin Company. Without hesitation, he stopped the truck. They climbed into the truck bed and checked under the vehicle but found no sign of Du Long.

"Keep chasing!" Ding Menghong said through gritted teeth. Three police cars sped towards Tieling Coal Mine. Just as the restaurant owner was cursing and threatening to poison all the police, someone tapped his shoulder. A deep voice said, "Do you want to go to jail? How dare you talk about poisoning police in front of us? We haven't shortchanged you!"

The owner turned around and saw Du Long standing there. He was stunned and quickly apologized, slapping his own face. Du Long ignored him, gave him 200 yuan, and said, "Shut up and get me some money. I was going to give you a tip... Also, get me a set of old clothes, including shoes and a hat. If you do it, I'll let you off. Otherwise, I can lock you up for fifteen days for your comments!"

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