Chapter 78 Garbage Dump, Cement Pipes
On Sanlin Street, inside a waste collection station by the sea, a nearly seventy-year-old man, flashlight in hand, emerged and saw Old Yang and others waiting at the entrance.
"Are you the one who reported this?" Old Yang asked.
"Yes, I called Officer Liu at the patrol point. You are looking for a fugitive, right?" The old man nodded in response.
"Yes, we are searching for a fugitive." Old Yang went straight to the point: "Do you have any leads?"
"It's not exactly a significant lead," the old man replied clearly, "I work here as a night watchman and have two dogs. Lately, though, they've been acting as if they're never full, constantly hungry and howling. They've also been running to the seashore to dig through the garbage..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Baiqing was puzzled: "How is this a lead? What can two dogs prove?"
"Be quiet!" Old Yang waved his hand to interrupt him.
"I've raised these dogs since they were pups; I know their habits well," the old man said with confidence. "I live here alone, and they usually eat what I eat. They never go scavenging by the shore unless they're desperate for food. Someone must have taken their food."
"Anything else?"
"I felt something was off. I went to the shore yesterday and noticed two old car mats that had been thrown away near the factory entrance were missing." The old man turned and pointed to the seashore, "Over there."
"Did you go there?" Old Yang asked.
"Am I crazy?!" The old man frowned, "I don't even know who's stealing the dog food. If I went there and encountered them, could I, an old man, handle them?"
Old Yang pondered for a moment, then looked back at the third-floor building where Tang Baiqing had killed someone and suddenly asked, "You think it's near the shore?"
"Yes, it's deserted over there. Everywhere else are waste collection stations with night watchmen," the old man nodded.
"Will you lead us there?" Tang Baiqing asked.
"I won't go. You can go by yourselves," the old man waved his hand, "What if there's someone there and they decide to take revenge on me?"
"Over there?" Old Yang pointed to the shore and asked.
"Yes!" The old man nodded.
"Let's go and have a look," Old Yang immediately ordered.
—---
Late at night, Old Yang, Tang Baiqing, and the others followed the old man's directions and walked about two kilometers to the garbage dump by the sea.
The dump was filled with harmless domestic waste, used for coastal reclamation projects. It was also connected to the Su family, as sanitation workers would transport the waste here after sorting it.
The area covered by the dump was extensive and emitted a strong, unpleasant odor. Old Yang and the others purposefully hid beside a pile of garbage upon arrival.
"You don't need to follow; we'll just go and take a quick look." Old Yang pulled out his sidearm and whispered an instruction to Tang Baiqing.
"Alright." Tang Baiqing nodded.
"Call the station and have Er Yang on duty bring some people over." Old Yang ordered his colleagues: "Check your guns and be careful."
"Should we notify Er Yang when we don't even have a solid lead?" A nearby officer questioned with a frown.
"No, the old man seemed quite sure. I have a feeling we're really onto something," Old Yang replied, relying on his intuition and experience. "Be cautious. If you find anything unusual, hold off and wait for backup. It's safer that way."
"Okay."
The officers accompanying Old Yang were seasoned professionals. After a brief discussion, they dispersed and entered the garbage area. Tang Baiqing, who couldn't offer much help, stayed behind and waited.
Searching such a vast garbage area would take hours for an ordinary person, but Old Yang and his colleagues were different. They had many years of experience as criminal police officers. While their character might be questionable, their professionalism was strong.
Upon entering the garbage area, they quickly scanned the surroundings, able to judge which places were suitable for hiding, which locations were favorable for criminal activity, and where the complex terrain would facilitate escape.
The four veteran officers maintained visual distance from each other. After searching for about twenty minutes, one of them suddenly approached Old Yang, speaking in a low voice, "Brother Yang, over here."
Old Yang and the others gathered around as the officer pointed to a row of huge hollow cement pipes not far away, saying, "There are many footprints on the wet soil there."
Footprints on the damp, unstable sand and soil of the beach were especially visible. Old Yang bent down for a quick look, then hurried over with his gun.
The cement pipes were stacked about four meters high, with hollow widths similar to sewer entrances. Piled together, they resembled a row of horizontally placed honeycomb briquettes.
After searching for about another minute, an officer on the left suddenly shouted, "Found it!"
Old Yang rushed over and looked up at the second layer of cement pipes, where he saw a plastic bag and two old car mats placed side by side.
"This is the place. The car mats are for sleeping; lying on the cement pipes would be too cold." The officer on the left immediately climbed up, lifted the plastic bag, and crouched down to move it outside. In the moonlight, he glanced inside: "It's leftover food. Damn it, he didn't take it, which means he'll definitely come back."
Hearing this, Old Yang immediately whispered, "Quick, let's get out of here, hurry!"
The officer put the plastic bag back in its original place and withdrew.
"Let's go and crouch nearby. We'll wait for our people to arrive and for the fugitive to return." Old Yang gestured, holding his gun as he retreated.
The four of them immediately retreated, hiding beside a pile of garbage while maintaining a position that allowed them to observe the cement pipe area.
"Ask the station again, see where their people are," Old Yang instructed, sweating from his forehead.
"Tsk, tsk!"
Tang Baiqing approached from behind and whispered, "How's it going?"
"We're pretty certain," Old Yang whispered back, "Someone's definitely living here, and it's very likely that guy."
"That's good, that's good." Tang Baiqing nodded repeatedly.
As the officer beside Old Yang was about to make a call to the station, they suddenly heard faint footsteps coming from the south side of the cement pipe pile.
"Don't move, don't move!" Old Yang grabbed the officer's wrist.
Under the moonlight, the burly figure of Daxiong quickly approached the cement pipes, carrying a white plastic bag with what appeared to be two pieces of clothing inside.
"It's him, he's back!" Old Yang recognized Daxiong at once, excitedly instructing, "Spread out, secure the area, and wait for our people to arrive."
The three officers nodded, while Tang Baiqing, eager to act, whispered, "Why not catch him now? The five of us should be able to handle him. Do we really need to wait for the station's officers?"
"Keep quiet, he's a bit big and probably knows the terrain around here…"
As Old Yang whispered his response, Daxiong, who was already near the cement pipe pile, suddenly stopped.
In the moonlight, Daxiong looked down at the chaotic footprints on the sandy ground and took a step back.
"Why isn't he going?" Tang Baiqing was confused.
Daxiong stared at the ground for a moment, hesitated, then took two steps forward and looked into the cement pipe where he had been staying.
The faint light illuminated the inside of the pipe, revealing many footprints and yellow sand at the entrance.
"Whoosh!"
Daxiong didn't hesitate this time and turned to leave.
"Damn it!"
Old Yang suddenly sprang into action, "The kid's sharp, he noticed something. Catch him!"
The three officers charged out at once, and Tang Baiqing glanced around, picked up a rusty shovel, and followed Old Yang in pursuit.
Daxiong glanced back and began to sprint.
"Get him, get him!" Tang Baiqing gritted his teeth and roared furiously.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out.
Chapter 78 Garbage Dump, Cement Pipes
On Sanlin Street, inside a waste collection station by the sea, a nearly seventy-year-old man, flashlight in hand, emerged and saw Old Yang and others waiting at the entrance.
"Are you the one who reported this?" Old Yang asked.
"Yes, I called Officer Liu at the patrol point. You are looking for a fugitive, right?" The old man nodded in response.
"Yes, we are searching for a fugitive." Old Yang went straight to the point: "Do you have any leads?"
"It's not exactly a significant lead," the old man replied clearly, "I work here as a night watchman and have two dogs. Lately, though, they've been acting as if they're never full, constantly hungry and howling. They've also been running to the seashore to dig through the garbage..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Baiqing was puzzled: "How is this a lead? What can two dogs prove?"
"Be quiet!" Old Yang waved his hand to interrupt him.
"I've raised these dogs since they were pups; I know their habits well," the old man said with confidence. "I live here alone, and they usually eat what I eat. They never go scavenging by the shore unless they're desperate for food. Someone must have taken their food."
"Anything else?"
"I felt something was off. I went to the shore yesterday and noticed two old car mats that had been thrown away near the factory entrance were missing." The old man turned and pointed to the seashore, "Over there."
"Did you go there?" Old Yang asked.
"Am I crazy?!" The old man frowned, "I don't even know who's stealing the dog food. If I went there and encountered them, could I, an old man, handle them?"
Old Yang pondered for a moment, then looked back at the third-floor building where Tang Baiqing had killed someone and suddenly asked, "You think it's near the shore?"
"Yes, it's deserted over there. Everywhere else are waste collection stations with night watchmen," the old man nodded.
"Will you lead us there?" Tang Baiqing asked.
"I won't go. You can go by yourselves," the old man waved his hand, "What if there's someone there and they decide to take revenge on me?"
"Over there?" Old Yang pointed to the shore and asked.
"Yes!" The old man nodded.
"Let's go and have a look," Old Yang immediately ordered.
—---
Late at night, Old Yang, Tang Baiqing, and the others followed the old man's directions and walked about two kilometers to the garbage dump by the sea.
The dump was filled with harmless domestic waste, used for coastal reclamation projects. It was also connected to the Su family, as sanitation workers would transport the waste here after sorting it.
The area covered by the dump was extensive and emitted a strong, unpleasant odor. Old Yang and the others purposefully hid beside a pile of garbage upon arrival.
"You don't need to follow; we'll just go and take a quick look." Old Yang pulled out his sidearm and whispered an instruction to Tang Baiqing.
"Alright." Tang Baiqing nodded.
"Call the station and have Er Yang on duty bring some people over." Old Yang ordered his colleagues: "Check your guns and be careful."
"Should we notify Er Yang when we don't even have a solid lead?" A nearby officer questioned with a frown.
"No, the old man seemed quite sure. I have a feeling we're really onto something," Old Yang replied, relying on his intuition and experience. "Be cautious. If you find anything unusual, hold off and wait for backup. It's safer that way."
"Okay."
The officers accompanying Old Yang were seasoned professionals. After a brief discussion, they dispersed and entered the garbage area. Tang Baiqing, who couldn't offer much help, stayed behind and waited.
Searching such a vast garbage area would take hours for an ordinary person, but Old Yang and his colleagues were different. They had many years of experience as criminal police officers. While their character might be questionable, their professionalism was strong.
Upon entering the garbage area, they quickly scanned the surroundings, able to judge which places were suitable for hiding, which locations were favorable for criminal activity, and where the complex terrain would facilitate escape.
The four veteran officers maintained visual distance from each other. After searching for about twenty minutes, one of them suddenly approached Old Yang, speaking in a low voice, "Brother Yang, over here."
Old Yang and the others gathered around as the officer pointed to a row of huge hollow cement pipes not far away, saying, "There are many footprints on the wet soil there."
Footprints on the damp, unstable sand and soil of the beach were especially visible. Old Yang bent down for a quick look, then hurried over with his gun.
The cement pipes were stacked about four meters high, with hollow widths similar to sewer entrances. Piled together, they resembled a row of horizontally placed honeycomb briquettes.
After searching for about another minute, an officer on the left suddenly shouted, "Found it!"
Old Yang rushed over and looked up at the second layer of cement pipes, where he saw a plastic bag and two old car mats placed side by side.
"This is the place. The car mats are for sleeping; lying on the cement pipes would be too cold." The officer on the left immediately climbed up, lifted the plastic bag, and crouched down to move it outside. In the moonlight, he glanced inside: "It's leftover food. Damn it, he didn't take it, which means he'll definitely come back."
Hearing this, Old Yang immediately whispered, "Quick, let's get out of here, hurry!"
The officer put the plastic bag back in its original place and withdrew.
"Let's go and crouch nearby. We'll wait for our people to arrive and for the fugitive to return." Old Yang gestured, holding his gun as he retreated.
The four of them immediately retreated, hiding beside a pile of garbage while maintaining a position that allowed them to observe the cement pipe area.
"Ask the station again, see where their people are," Old Yang instructed, sweating from his forehead.
"Tsk, tsk!"
Tang Baiqing approached from behind and whispered, "How's it going?"
"We're pretty certain," Old Yang whispered back, "Someone's definitely living here, and it's very likely that guy."
"That's good, that's good." Tang Baiqing nodded repeatedly.
As the officer beside Old Yang was about to make a call to the station, they suddenly heard faint footsteps coming from the south side of the cement pipe pile.
"Don't move, don't move!" Old Yang grabbed the officer's wrist.
Under the moonlight, the burly figure of Daxiong quickly approached the cement pipes, carrying a white plastic bag with what appeared to be two pieces of clothing inside.
"It's him, he's back!" Old Yang recognized Daxiong at once, excitedly instructing, "Spread out, secure the area, and wait for our people to arrive."
The three officers nodded, while Tang Baiqing, eager to act, whispered, "Why not catch him now? The five of us should be able to handle him. Do we really need to wait for the station's officers?"
"Keep quiet, he's a bit big and probably knows the terrain around here…"
As Old Yang whispered his response, Daxiong, who was already near the cement pipe pile, suddenly stopped.
In the moonlight, Daxiong looked down at the chaotic footprints on the sandy ground and took a step back.
"Why isn't he going?" Tang Baiqing was confused.
Daxiong stared at the ground for a moment, hesitated, then took two steps forward and looked into the cement pipe where he had been staying.
The faint light illuminated the inside of the pipe, revealing many footprints and yellow sand at the entrance.
"Whoosh!"
Daxiong didn't hesitate this time and turned to leave.
"Damn it!"
Old Yang suddenly sprang into action, "The kid's sharp, he noticed something. Catch him!"
The three officers charged out at once, and Tang Baiqing glanced around, picked up a rusty shovel, and followed Old Yang in pursuit.
Daxiong glanced back and began to sprint.
"Get him, get him!" Tang Baiqing gritted his teeth and roared furiously.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out.
