Class A fugitive

The Qinghe Township Police Station had eight officers on its roster.

They included Chief Zhang Liping, Political Instructor Hu Rong, Deputy Chief Gu Li, administrative officers Zhao Hongmei and Shao Chunhua, and public security officers Zhou Yi, Qian Wenjie, and Song Qiang.

At that moment, everyone had gathered in the office.

Looking at the once-familiar faces before him, Zhou Yi felt as though he were in a dream.

His three years in Qinghe Township had marked both the beginning of his official career and a turning point in his life.

Now that he had been reborn, he would take his first step toward rewriting his destiny here.

"At this meeting at the county bureau, the bureau leadership emphasized just one thing from beginning to end-the city has just received a request for assistance from the Provincial Public Security Department. Lü Wenhui, Feng Wei, and Yang Keming, the perpetrators of the September 25 Family Massacre and Class A fugitives whose capture is being supervised by the Ministry of Public Security, have entered Anping City. The municipal Party committee and government are taking this extremely seriously and have ordered every level of the city's public security agencies to give their full support to the manhunt..."

"Under the county bureau's orders, everyone, including the auxiliary patrol members, is to immediately conduct thorough checks throughout the township's villages and streets, in coordination with the citywide operation. Now, for the assignments..."

Zhang Liping swept his gaze across everyone present, his tone unusually grave.

Qian Wenjie, Song Qiang, and the others were rather unimpressed. To them, the chances of encountering and arresting these three fugitives wanted by the Ministry of Public Security were certainly no better than winning the welfare lottery jackpot.

Based on past experience, it would almost certainly be a pointless exercise and a complete waste of time.

Zhou Yi, however, thought otherwise.

He clearly remembered that Lü Wenhui, one of the three Class A fugitives wanted by the Ministry of Public Security, had indeed slipped into Chaoyang Village in Qinghe Township.

But in his previous life, Qian Wenjie, the officer responsible for the checks there, had neglected his duties and gone through the motions, allowing Lü Wenhui to escape and commit another bloody crime.

Lü Wenhui had not been arrested until seven days later, when police in neighboring Changning City caught him there.

The incident had embarrassed Anping City from top to bottom. The Dongji County Public Security Bureau had subsequently received an official reprimand from the city. Officer Qian Wenjie had been given a major demerit, Chief Zhang Liping a demerit, and the other officers, including Zhou Yi, formal warnings.

"I'll take Donghe Village and Xihe Village. Hu will take Sanhe Village and Erdao Village. Deputy Chief Gu will take Xinxing Village. Zhao and Chunhua will take Niutoushan Village and Zhaojiazhuang Village. Song will take Xinsheng Village, Wenjie will take Chaoyang Village, and Zhou will take Wanfu Village..."

As he listened to the chief methodically handing out assignments, Zhou Yi watched Qian Wenjie across from him without betraying anything, silently counting down in his mind. Three, two, one...

Sure enough, just as he reached "one," the scene buried in his memory played out again.

Qian Wenjie raised his hand and said, looking somewhat embarrassed, "Chief, I twisted my left ankle a while back, and it still hasn't fully healed. Um, could I swap assignments with Zhou?"

Qinghe Township administered ten villages. Donghe and Xihe were the farthest away, followed by Chaoyang Village, which was remote, distant, and difficult to reach. The station's old jeep had broken down, leaving only one motorcycle, and no matter how the assignments were considered, Qian Wenjie would never get to use it.

Getting there by bicycle would take at least an hour.

By contrast, Wanfu Village, which had been assigned to Zhou Yi, was not only closer to the township center but also smaller and less populated. Naturally, the checks there would be much easier.

Zhao Hongmei pursed her lips. She despised Qian Wenjie's lazy, slippery behavior from the bottom of her heart, but they were colleagues, so it was hardly her place to say anything just then.

Song Qiang and Shao Chunhua both shot Zhou Yi meaningful looks, urging him to refuse at once.

Zhou Yi answered them with a friendly smile.

In his previous life, he had been in a foul mood after a breakup and had flatly refused to swap.

Now that the opportunity had come again, would he let it slip away?

"Chief, since Wenjie isn't physically up to it, let me take Chaoyang Village instead," Zhou Yi said readily, without the slightest hesitation.

Zhang Liping glanced at Zhou Yi and found sincerity written all over his face. He nodded. "Then that's settled. Everyone, stay in communication at all times and report anything you find immediately. Meeting adjourned."

Outside the police station, Qian Wenjie had walked a few steps when he suddenly remembered something. He turned back toward Zhou Yi with a chuckle. "Thanks!"

Zhou Yi smiled and waved him off, replying in a voice only he could hear, "I should be thanking you."

At eight in the morning on June 3, following the Provincial Public Security Department's directives, the Anping City Public Security Bureau launched a major coordinated sweep and manhunt across the city.

The Municipal Public Security Bureau deployed nearly a thousand personnel from public security, criminal investigation, narcotics, economic crime investigation, cybercrime, traffic, tactical patrol, administrative law enforcement, the armed police, and local police stations. Under the directive of "unified organization, full mobilization, clearly assigned responsibilities, and coordinated operations," they established checkpoints along key roads and conducted comprehensive searches of public entertainment venues, hotels, rental properties, areas with complicated public security conditions, and places where transient populations congregated.

Unfortunately, by the afternoon of June 5, with the Investigation and Arrest Operation nearing its end, there was still no sign of the three fugitives.

The Investigation and Arrest Operation's command center occupied the seventh-floor conference room of the Anping City Public Security Bureau.

Municipal Public Security Bureau Director Zhao Yue wore a thunderous expression, and faint blood vessels showed in his eyes.

He had hoped to impress the newly appointed municipal Party secretary. Now, instead of looking good, he was about to make a complete ass of himself.

The deputy directors looked little better.

They had spent enormous amounts of time, manpower, money, and resources, only to come away empty-handed.

What would the city leadership think?

What would their counterparts in neighboring cities such as Changning and Yonghe think?

What would the leaders of the provincial department and the Ministry of Public Security think?

Whatever they thought, the label of ineffectiveness-or even incompetence-was certain to be pinned on them, and they would never shake it off!

What were they supposed to do now?

Request an extension of the Investigation and Arrest Operation?

Or leave it to fate and wait for the final outcome?

Chaoyang Village.

Zhou Yi arrived at the courtyard gate of a house with two auxiliary patrol members.

"Is Qian Xiufang home? We're from the village committee."

Auxiliary Patrol Captain Meng Hongwei banged on the iron gate as he called out.

"Coming, coming!"

Through the bars, they saw a middle-aged woman with delicate features hurry across the courtyard.

"Meng, what's the matter?"

Opening the gate, Qian Xiufang looked at Meng Hongwei and the others with a puzzled expression.

"This is Officer Zhou from our township police station. He'd like to ask you a few questions," Meng Hongwei said, pointing to Zhou Yi.

"Oh, hello, officer," Qian Xiufang greeted him warmly.

Zhou Yi smiled slightly and asked, "Hello, Ms. Qian. Have you noticed any suspicious strangers over the past couple of days?"

Qian Xiufang hurriedly shook her head. "No, no, no. I've hardly been out these past two days."

Zhou Yi nodded, letting his gaze drift almost casually past her. Still smiling, he said, "We've been making the rounds for most of the day, and we're a little thirsty. Could we trouble you for some water?"

Qian Xiufang readily agreed. "No trouble at all. Just wait a moment. I'll get you some."

Instead of waiting where he was, Zhou Yi followed her into the house as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"We need to hurry on to the next house. Cold water will be fine," Zhou Yi said immediately when he saw Qian Xiufang reach for a thermos.

"Well... all right. Have a seat, Officer Zhou. I'll get some from the kitchen." Qian Xiufang hesitated, then turned toward the kitchen.

Noticing from the corner of her eye that the young officer had followed her again, Qian Xiufang began to panic. She held a dipper in her hand but kept putting off lifting the lid of the water jar.

"Look at me and my memory. I forgot the jar was empty..." Qian Xiufang explained with a strained smile.

Zhou Yi said nothing. He simply stood there, calmly watching the increasingly flustered middle-aged woman.

One second, two seconds...

Time ticked by, second after second.

Qian Xiufang remained frozen in place, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. The young officer's piercing gaze seemed to see straight through her, leaving her squirming with dread, as though she had thorns in her back and a bone stuck in her throat.

Had he found out?

How was that possible?

Well, perhaps this officer was simply eager for a drink. Perhaps she was only frightening herself. Perhaps...

Despair suddenly filled Qian Xiufang's heart.

She realized that the young officer's gaze was now fixed firmly on the waist-high water jar in her kitchen.

"Wenhui, run!"

In desperation, Qian Xiufang screamed and lunged at Zhou Yi.

She would use her own body to hold the officer back and give Lü Wenhui a chance to escape.

With a splash, a burly, dripping figure sprang out of the water jar.

But before his feet could touch the floor, a vicious flying kick slammed squarely into his lower abdomen, sending him tumbling across the ground.