Chapter 55: Buddy, Got a Light?

In the alley, Lu Chuan and the other two were squatting on a step, looking just like local tenants taking a break to enjoy the cool air.

The atmosphere of their conversation was lively.

"There are twelve rental warehouses around here, and nine of them are already leased out."

Chen Qing wasn't lying; he truly knew the situation around Huilong Mountain inside out.

Whose husband was cheating, whose wife was having an affair, who slept during the day and worked at night, and which house had high-quality goods and skilled technicians behind the little red lights—there wasn't a single thing this guy didn't know.

Even the specific details regarding the nearby warehouses that Zhang Hui was inquiring about, this guy knew them all.

"I've scouted all these places... I've gone to recon... I've gone to..."

Changing his wording a few times, Chen Qing felt the atmosphere getting a bit awkward. "Uh, the government, you know, hehe."

"Of these nine leased warehouses, are any of them particularly unusual?"

"Particularly unusual?"

Chen Qing instinctively wanted to scratch his head, but the handcuffs were still on, reminding him once again of his current predicament.

"Two are leased for supermarket stock, and two are courier sorting points..."

"The rest... it seems..."

Lu Chuan gained a new understanding of Chen Qing's abilities.

This guy was indeed a professional. Lu Chuan began to understand why Chen Qing could steal over fifty electric scooters on Youhao Road without getting caught.

His grasp of the details within his scope of work was exceptionally fine.

Lu Chuan had originally thought Zhang Hui had a bright future as a private investigator, but looking at it now, Chen Qing was the one suited for the job.

"Are any of these warehouses inhabited?"

"Yes!" Chen Qing answered decisively. "Two of the warehouses should have people living in them. I scouted... I've seen people coming and going at night, and they've even ordered takeout."

"Where?"

Ten minutes later.

After winding through the twists and turns of the alley with Chen Qing leading the way, Lu Chuan and Zhang Hui arrived at one of the destinations.

"People live in this warehouse. I've seen people coming and going, but I'm not quite sure exactly how many people live there or who they are."

According to Chen Qing, they only dealt in "unearned" business—stealing was fine, but they never robbed.

This was the first piece of experience taught to him by the big brother who had brought him into the trade.

"Robbery—even if you only steal one yuan—gets you at least three years if you're caught," Chen Qing said, his expression turning somewhat proud. "Stealing is different. When I grab an electric scooter, it's only worth a few hundred yuan."

"Anyway, it's always under a thousand yuan. If it's more than that, I don't even want it."

"My big brother said that if it's over a thousand, it might constitute a 'relatively large amount,' and then it's not just a matter of sitting in jail for a few days."

"My big brother also said that when you're out in the world, no matter what you do, you have to know the law..."

"Chen Qing, that big brother you mentioned... where is he?"

Eh?

Chen Qing's expression turned a bit dejected. "My big brother didn't study the law well enough. He stole forty thousand yuan that another colleague had stolen. He got caught, the amount was huge, and he was sentenced to four years."

Lu Chuan remembered this law.

Theft of public or private property valued between 30,000 and 100,000 yuan constitutes a "huge amount," with a starting sentence of three to ten years.

To put it simply, it was ten thousand per year.

Furthermore, stealing money that someone else had already stolen was still considered theft.

Lu Chuan and Zhang Hui exchanged a glance, both nodding inwardly.

This guy, Chen Qing, was wasting his talent.

He should change careers and become a lawyer; he would definitely be more successful than he was now.

The doors of the target warehouse were tightly closed. Zhang Hui noted the location: "On to the next place."

After another ten minutes of winding through alleys, Lu Chuan felt like even if he used GPS, he would still get lost.

It was only because Chen Qing had just bumped into Zhang Hui's chest.

Zhang Hui's reaction had been extremely decisive.

Otherwise, if they had tried to pursue him through this area of self-built houses, Chen Qing would certainly have escaped.

Actually, this guy was also suited to work for a mapping company; with his familiarity with these routes, he would surely be an outstanding employee.

Suddenly, a question popped into Lu Chuan's mind: "Chen Qing, have you scouted Chenguang Community?"

Chenguang Community?

"The government, are you talking about that villa area owned by the Qiangsheng Group?"

Seeing Lu Chuan nod, Chen Qing hurriedly shook his head. "No, no!"

"That place is full of rich people; I've never been there."

"Besides, I only steal electric scooters. Burglary is a serious crime; I don't do that."

Fine, Chen Qing really had studied the crime of theft quite thoroughly.

After scouting the two warehouses, the next step was verification.

However, having learned from the previous experience of the investigators from the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment, Zhang Hui was extremely cautious.

"Lu Chuan, since you're keeping watch, I'll take this guy to the Huilong Mountain Police Station first."

With the criminal investigation detachment's manpower all tied up in screening operations, Zhang Hui had to personally escort Chen Qing away.

"Do not act rashly. If anything happens, call me immediately."

Seeing Zhang Hui's serious expression, Lu Chuan nodded. "Brother Hui, don't worry, I know my limits."

"Good. Stay safe. Wait for me to get back."

The area Zhang Hui and Lu Chuan were investigating was very close to the Huilong Mountain Police Station, only about a ten-minute walk.

Zhang Hui would be back in less than half an hour.

In the shadows of the eaves, Lu Chuan bought a popsicle and lit a cigarette.

In early October, Haizhou was in the midst of a "late summer heatwave," making the weather dry and sweltering.

Based on the information provided by Chen Qing, he didn't know exactly how many people lived in the first target warehouse, but it certainly wasn't just one person, so the possibility of it being the suspect's hiding place was low.

As for the second target warehouse, Chen Qing only knew that people lived there and had seen delivery drivers, but he hadn't seen anyone entering or exiting.

Therefore, based on the current clues, the target at the second warehouse was a larger possibility.

Since the suspect was able to install remote cameras in his mistress's house, there was no reason he wouldn't install them near his hiding place.

Thus, Lu Chuan was being extremely cautious, staying in the shadows more than a hundred meters away from the target warehouse.

Moreover, he only used his peripheral vision to monitor, rather than staring fixedly at the door.

Of course, the idea that the suspect was hiding in the warehouse was merely a hypothesis; the chance that it was specifically *this* warehouse was even smaller.

After all, there were quite a few people renting warehouses in Huilong Mountain.

Although the living conditions were poor, the rent was cheap.

Furthermore, the suspicion that the suspect was hiding in Huilong Mountain was originally based on the soil mixed in the footprints Lu Chuan had discovered.

But was the suspect really living here?

It was also possible that the suspect had merely visited this place, and the soil had simply stuck to his shoes.

Right now, all the stakeouts and investigations were essentially a war of attrition.

There was an element of gambling on luck.

However, this was something that had to be done.

The impact of a criminal police officer being seriously stabbed was no less significant than an ordinary homicide.

If this person wasn't caught, not only would there be no answer for the missing Liang Qi, but they would also have no way to account for the injured officer from the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment.

"Hey man, can I borrow a light?"

A strange voice suddenly sounded beside Lu Chuan.

(End of Chapter)