Chapter 257: Hideou (1/2)

After placing the corpse in a body bag and sending it back to the morgue, the three of us got into a police car and raced to reach Xiaotao and the others. Halfway through our journey, Xiaotao phoned, ”Song Yang, we’ve found it. There’s a huge street of hawker stalls at the door!”

”Did you catch our guy?” I asked.

”Considering he may have a bomb or some other lethal weapon, we decided to lie in ambush outside,” explained Xiaotao.

”I'll be right there,” I said.

Bingxin tugged at my shirt and asked, ”Song Yang-gege, how did you know there would be stalls outside?”

”When Pork Rong was murdered, the sound from the bomb must have made a substantial noise, even if it wasn’t earth-shattering,” I started. “We both agreed that the time of death was 48 hours ago, that is, around 6 pm, two days ago. Why did the murderer choose that time instead of late at night or in the day? I speculated that there must be a cause for loud noise around that time near his hideout. Nine times out of ten it’s an open-air restaurant or a bunch of food stalls.”

”Your thought process is so meticulous!” Bingxin clapped her hands in glee. “I hadn’t thought about it at all. If only I could have a bit of your brain!”

”Well, you might as well give me some of your brain too!” added Dali. “That way, I won’t have to worry about exams in the future.”

”Your brain is big enough! What do you take me for? A monkey?” I rolled my eyes. “Would you like to open up my scalp and have a bit of hot sauce with that?”

When we arrived, we made sure to park the car on the far side of the road and immediately went looking for Xiaotao and the others on foot.

The officers were hiding in the grass, waiting in ambush. Somewhere in the distance was a residential area by the road, somewhat in the middle of nowhere since this was a fork in the expressway. Drivers usually got off here to rest and have a meal and gradually, a bunch of food stalls and houses sprung up. It was indeed a good hideout for a murderer.

”We might just bump into some other criminals in this sort of remote place...” I said.

”Now that you mention it, I think it's possible!” laughed Xiaotao.

”Don’t you think the man urinating on the side of the road looks like Ma Jiajue?” exclaimed Dali.

“Shut the hell up!” we shouted in unison.

Xiaotao then proceeded to say that on the way here, they found a car stained with blood parked in the grass. Storm Punisher was most likely out of other options to have discarded his car.

I stared at the buildings and imagined which one I would choose if I were Wang Yizhou, an insecure mechanical genius. After a thorough scan of the area, I pointed to the innermost building with a loft. ”That unlit window may be where he’s hiding.”

”The murderer already knows we are looking for him,” said Xiaotao. “We can’t go with the old water meter trick. When the stalls close for the night and the lights are all off, we’ll sneak past and break into the house!”

”That’s too much trouble! If we make a mistake, we might alert the suspect!” I argued.

I looked around, noting everyone’s faces. These officers had worked in this line for a long time and their faces all screamed “morally upright.” But Dali on the other hand, had a common, harmless face.

”Comrade Dali,” I said. “You have been entrusted with the glorious and arduous task of spying on the enemy.”

”How am I supposed to do that?” Dali’s jaw fell agape. “I look like a student.”

”Go to the motel and tell the boss you want to rent a room,” I suggested. “Don’t forget to try and ask for as much information as possible. And make sure to keep your cell phone on call the entire time. If you see the murderer eating downstairs, order a bowl of beef noodles.”

Dali didn't know what Wang Yizhou looked like but quickly got acquainted with the man’s features from a photo Xiaotao showed him. ”If I go alone, it’ll only seem suspicious!” remarked Dali. “Why don't we get Bingxin to come with me and pretend we’re an eloped couple.”

”Miss Sun, please cooperate with our investigation then!” laughed Xiaotao.

Bingxin flat out refused, ”No way! Why can’t Song Yang-gege go with me?”

”When we were in a standoff with Pork Rong the other day, Wang Yizhou saw my face through his cell phone,” I explained.

Hence, Dali was our best bet. I remember he had been standing in the corner the entire time so Wang Yizhou had no way of recognizing him, and Dali’s kind, honest face did little to raise anyone’s hackles or put them on guard.