Vanishing Without a Trace and a Nationwide Manhunt

The lights used for the on-site investigation illuminated the Lakeside Villa District and Splendid Homestead Residential Community as bright as day. The officers from the technical team, wearing shoe covers and white gloves, worked like the most meticulous craftsmen, leaving no space unchecked inside or outside Wei Guangyuan and Qian Zhiming's residences, searching for any clues that might lead them to their whereabouts.

Captain Li stood in the center of Wei Guangyuan's luxurious yet empty living room, his brow furrowed, listening to the preliminary reports from each group.

"Captain Li, multiple fresh fingerprints were found in Wei Guangyuan's home, and after comparison, they were confirmed to belong to him and his known servants. The bedroom wardrobe showed signs of being ransacked, and some valuables and clothing were missing, consistent with a hasty escape. The red wine and cigarette butts on the living room coffee table have been sent for testing."

"Qian Zhiming's home was in a similar situation; a hidden safe was found to have been opened and was empty. There were also signs that luggage had been packed."

"At both scenes, the doors and windows were intact, and no signs of forced entry or struggle were found. Preliminary assessment suggests that both individuals left on their own."

Another team of officers responsible for video tracking brought even more disappointing news:

"Captain Li, we retrieved public surveillance footage from both residential areas and all the main roads and side roads in the surrounding area. The surveillance system in the Lakeside Villa District where Wei Guangyuan lives is relatively complete, but after his vehicle left the residential area, it drove into an old urban area in the north of the city. The surveillance camera coverage in that area is severely insufficient, and he quickly lost track of it."

"Qian Zhiming's situation is even more complicated. The internal surveillance cameras in his Splendid Homestead Residential Community have multiple blind spots. We only captured footage of him entering the building, and after that, he seemed to vanish into thin air, never being captured again through any regular exits. It's highly likely he used the fire escape, the basement, or other unknown routes to leave, perfectly avoiding all the road surveillance cameras outside the complex."

As he listened to the reports, Captain Li's heart sank. There was no kidnapping, no coercion; it was a premeditated and meticulously planned escape! Moreover, the other party had an extremely strong counter-surveillance awareness, knew the surveillance layout like the back of their hand, and chose a route and timing that perfectly exploited the loopholes in the city's surveillance network.

"We can't wait any longer!" Captain Li suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes. "They definitely haven't gone far; we must seal off all exits immediately!"

He immediately picked up the phone and reported directly to the city bureau's command center, his tone urgent and firm:

"Command Center, this is Li Xiangyang! Two main suspects in the Ankang Hospital case Wei Guangyuan and Qian Zhiming, have been confirmed to be on the run. The situation is urgent! I request:"

First, immediately coordinate with traffic police and special police detachments to set up temporary checkpoints at all highway, national, and provincial highway interchanges leading out of the city to strictly inspect suspicious vehicles and personnel!

Second, we request coordination with railway police and airport police to conduct a thorough screening of passenger information for all trains and flights departing today!

Third, immediately notify the maritime and border control departments to closely monitor all ports and wharves, especially small fishing boats and suspicious vessels, and take strict precautions to prevent them from smuggling themselves out of the country by sea!

Fourth, all branch bureaus and police stations are ordered to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of all hotels, hostels, serviced apartments, internet cafes, bathhouses, and other places of accommodation within their jurisdictions! The focus should be on unlicensed hotels that do not require ID registration or have lax management!

In short, use every available resource to create a tight net and prevent them from escaping the city!

The order was issued swiftly. In an instant, the entire security apparatus of Jiangcheng was efficiently mobilized.

Sirens wailed along major roads, and red and blue police lights formed a continuous line in the night. At every intersection leading out of the city, checkpoints were set up, and police officers with stern expressions carefully checked the documents and trunks of every vehicle.

In the waiting halls of train stations and airports, plainclothes police officers scan the bustling crowds with sharp eyes, while the back-end system rapidly compares ticket purchase information with photos of suspects.

Along the river and coast, patrol boats' searchlights pierced the dark water as border police intensified their inspections of passing vessels.

Meanwhile, thousands of community police officers and auxiliary police officers, carrying photos of Wei Guangyuan and Qian Zhiming, began visiting, inquiring about, registering and verifying information at tens of thousands of accommodations throughout the city. Their figures moved through the streets and alleys in the night.

Captain Li was in charge of the command center, where feedback from various fronts was constantly being updated on the large screen. Voices came in bursts from the walkie-talkies, but the content was largely the same:

"Report: Inspection completed at the XX highway exit; no target found!"

"Report: Screening of departing passengers at the train station today has been completed; no target ticket purchase records were found!"

"Report: No suspicious vessels were found at XX dock!"

"Report: The investigation of hotels in the XX area has been completed, and no check-in records of the suspect were found!"

Time passed by, minute by minute, one day, two days, three days...

More and more police officers were deployed, the scope of the investigation became more and more detailed, and even community grid workers and the public were mobilized to provide clues. However, Wei Guangyuan and Qian Zhiming, along with the vehicles they might have used, disappeared without a trace, like drops of water entering the ocean.

The atmosphere in the command center gradually shifted from initial tension and excitement to a heavy, oppressive one, eventually filling with an indescribable sense of exhaustion and frustration. Ashtrays were overflowing with cigarette butts, and everyone's eyes were bloodshot.

Captain Li stood in front of the large screen, staring at the still blank key information section, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He knew that the best opportunity to make the arrest had passed.

The fact that such a tight blockade and investigation yielded no results suggests that the most likely explanation is that the perpetrators had already used that brief time difference, in a way that they had not yet discovered, to successfully escape Jiangcheng before they even set up their trap, or even before they received the report.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the frustration and helplessness in his chest, then slowly turned around and said to the communications officer beside him:

"Record and compile reports."

His voice was hoarse from days of staying up late and tinged with resentment.

"After several days of intensive investigation, employing a large number of police officers to conduct a comprehensive, thorough search of the city's sea, land, and air routes, as well as all possible hiding places, no effective trace of the suspects Wei Guangyuan and Qian Zhiming was found. Based on comprehensive analysis, it is highly likely that the two have fled to other provinces or cities."

He paused, then finally uttered the decision he had to make:

"It is recommended that... this be immediately reported to the provincial department, and even the Ministry of Public Security, to list Wei Guangyuan and Qian Zhiming as Class B wanted criminals, issue a nationwide arrest warrant, and offer a reward for information leading to their arrest!"

This means that the manhunt, which was originally confined to Jiangcheng, will officially escalate into a nationwide search for a needle in a haystack. And on their own turf, they let the two biggest fish slip through their fingers.