“Bro, is this really going to work?”
In the dark drainage tunnel, sometimes spacious, sometimes narrow, Mí Qiū followed closely behind È Yú, shining his flashlight nervously as he asked.
“Whether it works or not, this is the only way left for us to try now.”
A few days earlier, È Yú and Mí Qiū had disguised themselves and went out to buy supplies. On their way back, they stopped at a bridge to smoke.
“Bro, what do we do now? The police are tightening their search, and all the transportation hubs are locked down. Yesterday, I tried to buy a train ticket, but our photos were plastered all over the station entrance, and there were cops patrolling there. Bro, is this the end for us?”
È Yú took a deep drag on his cigarette and slowly blew out a ring of smoke. “It’s not over yet. Stop talking like it’s the end.”
“But Bro, I’m scared. We…”
Before Mí Qiū could finish, a gust of wind blew È Yú’s hat off and down below the bridge.
Mí Qiū jogged over to the pedestrian side, climbed over the railing, and carefully slid down the slope to retrieve the hat from the dried riverbed. He climbed back up and handed it to È Yú. “Bro, I got your hat back. Good thing the tide hasn’t risen yet. If the water had filled the bridge, you wouldn’t have gotten it back.”
È Yú took the hat but didn’t put it on. He glanced at it, then looked at the dry riverbed. “The tide comes in twice a day, right? Once in the morning and once at night?”
“Yeah, Bro. Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
È Yú extinguished his cigarette and put his hat on. “Let’s go. We need to check who’s responsible for Ancheng’s drainage system.”
Back home, È Yú found out that the entire drainage system of Ancheng was contracted by a company called Zhongsheng Drainage Engineering Co., Ltd. He opened the company’s website, and right at the top of their “Classic Projects” page was the “Ancheng Drainage System Design Plan.” This project was proudly displayed as their highlight.
“Talk about a stroke of luck.” È Yú downloaded the design plan and then headed into the bridge tunnels with Mí Qiū to explore an escape route.
“Bro, can we really get to Huqi Pier by going underground? Yesterday we took a wrong turn and ended up on the north bank, accidentally running into that fisherman, and then… If something goes wrong again this time…”
“Aren’t we testing it now? The roads are all monitored and blocked. There’s no way to reach Huqi Pier above ground. This is our only option. As for that fisherman, if his radio hadn’t been playing our wanted notice, I wouldn’t have caused any trouble at this critical moment. Instead of worrying, focus on figuring out the design plan.”
“Yes, Bro.”
“Make sure to leave enough time to surface before the tide comes in.”
“Got it, Bro.”
Meanwhile, at the Ancheng Public Security Bureau, Da Liu rushed into the meeting room with Sun Yuliang’s portable radio. “Captain Luo, Sun Yuliang’s radio has been repaired.”
Luo Tian took the radio, which had been found by the river on the north bank. When it was discovered, the radio was smashed beyond recognition, and the killer had thrown it into the river. But it had floated to shore, and the police found it.
Luo Tian pressed the play button, and immediately, the police’s wanted notice for Mí Qiū and È Yú began to play. After one round, just as Fang Chong was about to say something, the radio looped and started playing the notice again. It played ten times before Luo Tian finally turned it off.
“This might be a clue left by the victim on purpose,” Fang Chong suggested.
“It’s possible, but it could also be that the victim accidentally hit the button while struggling. We don’t have enough information yet,” Luo Tian replied.
Suddenly, the meeting room phone rang. It was from the hotline. The operator said that a civilian claimed to have a lead on the Sun Yuliang case and was transferring the call.
Luo Tian put the phone on speaker: “Hello, this is Ancheng Public Security Bureau. I’m Captain Luo Tian of the Anti-Narcotics Unit. What information can you provide regarding the Sun Yuliang case?”
“I… I’m a villager from Yunxi Village, and I was Sun Yuliang’s neighbor. I was there when those two men beat him to death. I… I saw the whole thing.”
Upon hearing that the killers were two men, Luo Tian and Fang Chong exchanged glances. Luo Tian continued, “Where are you now? Can you come to the station?”
“I… I’m at a public phone booth. I’m too scared to go to the station. I’m afraid they’ll see me, and I’ll be killed.”
“Okay, don’t worry. You don’t need to come to the station. Tell us a place where we can meet you.”
“How about the China Bank at 118 Yuxiang Road? I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”
“Alright, we’ll head there now. What’s your name?”
“My last name is Yu. I’m wearing a black jacket, black cotton pants, and a black knitted hat. I’ll be in the lobby.”
“Okay, stay there. We’re on our way.”
Luo Tian hung up and rushed to 118 Yuxiang Road with Fang Chong and the team.
When they entered the bank, they spotted a man dressed in black, nervously fidgeting in the corner, his hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes darting around. Luo Tian approached, flashed his police badge, and said, “You’re the one who called the police, right?”
The man relaxed a bit after seeing the badge. “Yes, I’m Yu Zhijia. I made the call.”
Luo Tian noticed the commotion their uniforms had caused in the lobby, drawing attention from the bank’s staff. The manager approached, but Luo Tian flashed his badge. “Sorry for the disturbance. We’re handling a case. Could we borrow a room for a conversation with this witness?”
“Follow me.”
They were led to a room inside the bank. Luo Tian shut the door and said to Yu Zhijia, “Tell us everything you know.”
“I’m Yu Zhijia, a farmer from Yunxi Village, and Sun Yuliang was my neighbor. We both liked fishing, so we often fished together. That day, he went fishing, but I didn’t go with him because I had to go to the market. When I returned, someone came looking for him for some carpentry work. I told them to come back later and went to find Sun Yuliang at his usual fishing spot. But when I got near Yunxi Bridge, I heard someone screaming. I hid behind a haystack and saw two men beating him to death. After that, they found an abandoned fishing net, stuffed it with rocks, and threw him into the river. I know I’m a coward for watching him die, but you didn’t see those two. They were ruthless. If I had come out, I couldn’t have saved him. I’d have lost my life too.” Yu Zhijia wiped away tears.
“Why did you call to report this now?”
“My conscience couldn’t take it. Every night for the past few days, I’ve been dreaming of old Sun, covered in blood, crying and asking me why I didn’t save him. I can’t sleep. That’s why I decided to call. Officer, you have to catch those killers and get justice for Sun Yuliang.” Yu Zhijia grabbed Luo Tian’s hand.
Luo Tian instinctively wanted to pull away, but hesitated and let Yu Zhijia hold his hand.
“Can you describe the two men?”
“I couldn’t see clearly from a distance, but one was tall and the other short. Both were skinny and wearing thick jackets. The tall one had work pants, the short one had jeans. They were both wearing masks. The tall one wore a baseball cap, the short one didn’t have a hat…”
Luo Tian took out his phone, showing pictures of Mí Qiū and È Yú. “Swipe through these and see if these are the men.”
“Yes! It’s them! No mistake, it’s them!” Yu Zhijia exclaimed.
“These two are wanted fugitives. Thank you for your help. Sun Yuliang will remember your kindness.”
“I… I’m sorry to old Sun. I… I’m a terrible person.”
“Don’t cry. What’s done is done. Go live your life.”
After leaving the bank, Da Liu said, “Now we can confirm the killers are Mí Qiū and È Yú. But why would they go all the way to the north bank to kill an innocent carpenter?”
Luo Tian sat in the back seat, his elbow propped on the window, gazing at the retreating street view. “Maybe Sun Yuliang accidentally saw something, so they had to kill him. But what’s on the north bank? And how did they get there without being seen by the city’s surveillance?”
“Don’t go back to the station. Head straight to the north bank,” Luo Tian instructed.
“Got it,” Da Liu said, turning the car around.
The police car stopped on Yunxi Bridge. Luo Tian and his team jumped down from the riverbank. The recent sunny days had left the riverbed exposed, and the sandy gravel stretch was where Sun Yuliang had been fishing when he was attacked.
Luo Tian squatted on the gravel, scanning the surroundings. Nearby was the desolate Yunxi Village, and beyond it, a forested mountain.
“Do you think they planned to escape over the mountains like last time?” Fang Chong asked behind him.
“Da Liu, Da Li, go ask the villagers if it’s possible to cross this mountain. Fang Chong and I will check it out,” Luo Tian said.
“Yes, Captain.”
Luo Tian and Fang Chong climbed the mountain. It was unmaintained, with twisted, overgrown trees and bushes that reached nearly human height.
Without tools, the two had to use their jackets to shield themselves from the branches. After struggling through the dense foliage, they reached a wide-open area, only to find that a landslide had occurred due to the recent heavy rain, blocking the path. Repair work was underway.
Luo Tian approached the workers. “How long have you been working here?”
“Three days. The landslide happened during that rainstorm three days ago.”
“Have you seen anyone climbing the mountain recently?”
“No one. It’s a rough, unmaintained mountain. Nobody comes here, especially after the landslide.”
“Is there any other way across the mountain?”
“No, just cliffs. It’s passable but dangerous. Nobody would risk it.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Luo Tian scanned the mountain and then said to Fang Chong, “Let’s head back down. See what Da Liu and Da Li found.”
At the foot of the mountain, Da Liu and Da Li were waiting. Just as Da Liu was about to speak, he saw Luo Tian stumbling toward Yunxi Bridge, breathing heavily.
“Captain, are you okay?” Da Liu asked.
“I’m fine, just tired from the climb.”
Before Da Liu could say more, Fang Chong stopped him. He knew that Luo Tian’s reaction—shaking and gasping for air—wasn’t from exhaustion. This was the first time in over three years that Luo Tian had climbed a mountain since Jiang Shuo’s tragic death. Climbing this mountain must have brought back memories of the horrific event that took place three years ago.
“Give him a moment. Tell us what you found,” Fang Chong said.
“Alright. The villagers told us that beyond the mountain is a highway. The mountain is so overgrown that people get lost easily, so no one goes up there. And with the recent landslide, even fewer people would venture into the mountains.”
Luo Tian, still leaning against the bridge, caught his breath and said, “That matches what we saw. The vegetation and undergrowth haven’t been disturbed, and the workers repairing the landslide haven’t seen any suspicious people. Mí Qiū and È Yú didn’t escape over the mountain.”
“So why did they come all the way to the north bank to kill a carpenter?” Da Liu wondered.
Luo Tian didn’t answer. He leaned against the bridge, staring out at the Hujiangli River, watching the boats sail by.
“Ancheng’s only port is Huqi Pier. Maybe they planned to escape by water,” Luo Tian speculated.
“But Huqi Pier is on the west bank, and we’re on the north bank. Swimming across to the west bank in the winter would be nearly impossible. The cold waters of Hujiangli could kill a person,” Fang Chong countered.
Luo Tian fell silent again. He jumped down to the riverbank, squatting by the water, deep in thought. Da Liu, Da Li, and Fang Chong stood on the bridge, scratching their heads in frustration.
Finally, Da Liu couldn’t take it anymore and called out, “Captain, should we head back to the station? Maybe warming up will clear our heads.”
Luo Tian, still squatting, glanced back at the three of them, but his gaze first landed on the three dark bridge tunnels. He stood up and walked straight into one of them.
“Captain, what are you doing?” Da Liu shouted, but before he could finish, Fang Chong was already jumping down the riverbank to follow.
Da Liu swallowed his words and ran into the tunnel with the others.
They found Luo Tian deeper inside the bridge tunnel. He turned to them and said, “I’ve figured out their plan. They do intend to escape by water, but not by swimming to Huqi Pier. They’re using the underground drainage system to reach the pier. Ancheng’s drainage system is divided, which means as long as they avoid rainstorms and high tides, they can make it underground to Huqi Pier.”
“But there are so many drainage tunnels. How do we know which one they’ll take?” Da Liu asked.
“We don’t need to know exactly which route they’ll take. We just need to station officers near the drainage exits around Huqi Pier and wait. Based on Sun Yuliang’s death, Mí Qiū and È Yú must have been trying to figure out the right escape route. They must’ve taken a wrong turn, ended up on the north bank, and when they were spotted by Sun Yuliang, whose radio happened to be playing their wanted notice, they killed him.”
“I’ll head back to the station now and pull up the drainage system design plans.”
“It’s not just about the plans. We also need Chu Heng to track all recent IP addresses that accessed and downloaded the drainage system design. That could lead us to Mí Qiū and È Yú. Let’s move quickly.”
Back at the police station, Chu Heng hacked into Zhongsheng Drainage Engineering Co.’s website and filtered through the IP addresses that had downloaded the design plans in the past week. They eventually tracked one to a location—a vacant house in the city’s old village. When Luo Tian and his team stormed the house, it was empty.
Da Liu and Da Li searched the house and reported back, “We found clothes belonging to Mí Qiū and È Yú, along with cigarette butts they’ve been smoking. We’ll take fingerprints and saliva samples back to the lab. We also found this.”
Luo Tian took the opened package Da Li handed him. The shipping label showed it was for a manual inflatable raft.
“Looks like we were right. This was their hideout. The saliva on the cigarette butts is still fresh. They left not long ago, probably heading underground.”
Luo Tian grabbed his radio and said, “Attention all units, the fugitives have entered the drainage system. Stay close and continue the pursuit.”
He slipped the radio back into his belt, quickly sent a text to Bai Cheng, “Judas is about to die,” and then pocketed his phone as he led the team into the dark tunnels.
