Chapter 58 Fishing for a Big Catch

Five minutes later, the bald man and his lackeys lay on the ground, wailing incessantly.

Zhou Yi and Jiang Biao looked down at them from above.

"I knew you shouldn't have bothered making a move. These guys weren't even enough to warm me up," Jiang Biao said.

"I knew they were weak, but I didn't expect them to be this weak," Zhou Yi said with a helpless sigh.

The bald man tried to reach for the watermelon cleaver on the ground, but Zhou Yi kicked it away.

"Assault, extortion, blackmail, provoking trouble, gathering a crowd for a brawl, illegal possession of controlled weapons, and intentional destruction of property."

"My dear Brother Ba, you and your brothers have quite a criminal record. It's going to cost you dearly—especially you, as their leader, who is also suspected of organizing and leading a mafia-style syndicate."

Zhou Yi began counting on his fingers, saying, "Oh, congratulations! You’ve practically won yourself a complimentary all-inclusive fifteen-year package."

The bald man’s face twisted, and he gave a bitter smile. "Big brothers, it's all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding! I don't want this money anymore. Let me give you some cash for medical expenses, alright?"

"Ten thousand? Is ten thousand enough?"

"How about twenty thousand? What do you say to twenty thousand? That should be enough to cover a few years of your earnings."

Zhou Yi chuckled and said to Jiang Biao, "Brother Biao, I almost forgot. There's also the charge of assaulting a police officer, and now we can add bribery to the list. How many more years does that tack on?"

Jiang Biao burst into laughter. "At that rate, he'll probably walk in on his own two feet and crawl out on crutches."

The bald man grimaced, nearly on the verge of tears.

Zhou Yi patted Jiang Biao on the shoulder, signaling him to step aside for a private word.

Jiang Biao had no idea what Zhou Yi wanted to say, but he followed him anyway.

Before Zhou Yi could even open his mouth, the bald man suddenly scrambled to his feet and bolted for the door.

"Hey, the guy's running!"

Jiang Biao shouted and made to give chase, but Zhou Yi grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"Zhou Yi? What are you doing?"

"Brother Biao, I let him go on purpose," Zhou Yi whispered in his ear.

"On purpose? Why?"

Zhou Yi smiled faintly and uttered six words: "Cast a long line to catch a big fish."

...

Stumbling and scrambling in a panic, the bald man ran for his life.

His heart pounded with terror the entire way, but strangely enough, no one tried to stop him.

Could it be that only those two cops had shown up?

If that was really the case, he would have to avenge this humiliation today; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to show his face around here anymore.

Especially when it came to Boss Du—he would definitely never trust him with important tasks again.

Damn it, if he had known, he would have brought more brothers to hack that guy surnamed Zhou to pieces.

And that turtle's grandson Zhou Kai, who actually dared to hit him—he had completely lost his mind.

Once he caught him, he wouldn't let him off easily; he was going to torture him to death slowly.

What the bald man didn't know was that two dark figures were quietly trailing him under the cover of night.

Jiang Biao had handed the scene over to the second squad. The bald man's lackeys, along with Zhou Jianjun and his family of three, were all taken back to the municipal bureau.

Zhou Yi pulled Jiang Biao along as they tailed the bald man.

"Zhou Yi, what's the game here?"

"This Brother Ba is at best a small-time boss; there's a big boss behind him. All we know so far is that this boss's surname is Du. Even though the bald man was probably exaggerating when he boasted that even our bureau chief would have to offer Boss Du a cigarette, there's no smoke without fire."

Hearing this, Jiang Biao couldn't help laughing out loud, nearly alerting the bald man ahead.

Covering his mouth, Jiang Biao whispered, "Director Xie offering someone a cigarette? I'd sooner believe Captain Wu has quit smoking."

Zhou Yi couldn't help smiling either. Although he had never met this Director Xie, Jiang Biao's description suggested that the man was a remarkably upright and proud figure.

Zhou Yi immediately thought of the July 27th shooting case. Could a man like that really have something to hide?

"It's definitely bragging, but there's no smoke without fire. It shows that his boss must have complicated connections. Following him will surely lead us to some useful clues—that's much more effective than dragging him straight back for interrogation."

"Besides, even if we delay by a little while, we can still haul him back whenever we want."

Jiang Biao gave him a thumbs-up. "Kid, you've got a sharp mind. Your way of thinking is a lot like Captain Wu's."

"Oh, right."

As he spoke, Jiang Biao suddenly reached to his waist, pulled out a Type 64 pistol, and handed it to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi was startled. "Brother Biao, this?"

"You haven't been issued your service weapon yet. Take mine for self-defense first."

"What about you?"

"I was the city's Sanda champion," Jiang Biao said proudly. "As long as the other guy doesn't have a gun, nobody is a match for me."

A wave of warmth washed over Zhou Yi. He nodded and accepted the gun. "Then I'll cover our rear, Brother Biao."

"How's your marksmanship?"

"Not bad, I suppose. Not extraordinary, but decent." Zhou Yi was being honest. Marksmanship was largely a matter of talent, while experience mostly helped with combat composure.

"Then you'll have to see Chen Yan's shooting sometime."

"Is Brother Yan's marksmanship that impressive?"

Jiang Biao answered with three words: "A sharpshooter!"

Zhou Yi immediately grew interested. To be praised so genuinely by a straightforward man like Jiang Biao meant it had to be true. He definitely needed to witness it for himself sometime.

The two of them tracked the bald man for nearly three kilometers. During this time, the bald man kept stopping and going.

At first, they thought he possessed extraordinary vigilance, but they soon realized they had overestimated him.

He was simply too exhausted to keep going and had to stop to rest every so often.

Zhou Yi grew increasingly cautious, knowing they had traveled beyond the range of their radio communication.

Finally, they saw the bald man slip through the gates of a factory.

Zhou Yi and Jiang Biao stopped outside the entrance and exchanged a glance.

A lit security post illuminated the sign hanging by the gate: Baicheng Guangfa Chemical Plant.

"Brother Biao, have you ever heard of this factory?" Zhou Yi asked in a low voice.

Jiang Biao shook his head. "No, but there's definitely something wrong with this place."

"Why do you say that?" Zhou Yi asked curiously.

"The entrance is way too clean—there's nothing there. My wife's factory gate is plastered with slogans everywhere: 'Safety in production comes first,' 'Come to work cheerfully, return home safely.'"

Zhou Yi was slightly taken aback. It was a rather quirky line of reasoning, but to be fair, it was indeed a major hallmark of the 1980s and 90s. The steel mill where his parents worked was just like that; even when wages went unpaid for months, the slogans never stopped.

It was probably much like the corporate culture of later internet companies.

Since there was a guard on duty, the two of them simply climbed over the wall.

Despite his large and sturdy frame, Jiang Biao was remarkably agile, clearing the wall with a single running start.

Zhou Yi wasn't about to fall behind and followed closely over the top.

Just as they had surmised, there was something wrong with this chemical plant.

There were no signs of normal operation. Peeking through the windows of several workshops with their flashlights, they saw that much of the equipment was covered in plastic sheeting, and some had even become coated in spiderwebs.

An abandoned factory wasn't strange—plenty of businesses went under due to poor management.

However, for the bald man to deliberately seek out this abandoned facility was anything but normal.

When they reached the third workshop, Zhou Yi and Jiang Biao spotted a faint glow of light leaking from inside.

Creeping closer, they discovered that the windows of this particular workshop had been pasted over entirely with newspapers.

Crouching low beneath the windowsill, the two men listened to the voices coming from inside.

"Well, well, Brother Ba! What happened to you? Who beat you up like this?"