Chapter 221 15 hours behind Wu Yang and his team

After treating the wound and briefly sharing the news with Xu Nian and the others, Guan Xia could no longer sit still. He stood up and slowly walked out of the small warehouse which was filled with a lot of things while waiting for news.

Guan Xia saw the sky outside and realized that it was already late at night. Sparse stars were hiding behind the clouds, flickering faint light. Fortunately, the factory was not completely abandoned and still had electricity and lights, otherwise there would be no view at all.

Captain Zhang was still busy in the weed-covered and somewhat messy yard. Pang Le, having finished tending to his wounds, followed him. He glanced up at the sky and said, "The clouds are thick. I predict it'll be cloudy tomorrow, if not rainy. That's good. It won't be too hot and won't affect the surveillance cameras. I hope we can find Wu Yang soon. He's such a runner! I won't be able to sleep well until I can find him."

Guan Xia listened without saying anything, but sighed in his heart. Although the case seemed to be going smoothly so far, Guan Xia always felt a little uneasy as long as Wu Yang was not arrested. After all, the scale of this criminal organization was extraordinary. Even if the core members were caught, as long as they were not uprooted and the culprit was at large, no one knew when it would revive.

Guan Xia and the others have been completely exposed to the organization. It can be seen from the previous attacks that if Wu Yang and Lin Jinnan are not caught, they will have to sleep with one eye open.

After a moment of melancholy and random thoughts, Guan Xia quickly pulled herself together and returned all her attention to the case at hand. She glanced at Captain Zhang, who was still busy in the yard. After a moment's thought, she slowly walked over and waited for Captain Zhang to finish a phone call before asking, "Captain Zhang, I'd like to ask when the surveillance footage from all the nearby intersections can be transferred here."

Guan Xia didn't want to rush either, but at this critical moment, she had to rush even if she didn't want to.

Captain Zhang, the man in charge, appeared calm and composed, his command measured and composed. But as Guan Xia drew closer, she realized that even on a cool night, Captain Zhang was sweating profusely. He kept searching for the number of the next person he needed to call, glancing at Guan Xia from time to time and saying, "Some of them are already on their way. By the way, Expert Guan, Director Gao just called me and said that the higher-ups and some experts held an analysis meeting. They all agreed that the suspects are going to so much trouble because they're obviously planning to flee east and catch a boat. So, we've decided to head east after the first batch of surveillance footage arrives, searching for any trace of them along the way while pursuing them. What are Expert Guan's suggestions?"

Guan Xia naturally had no objection and nodded, saying, "Captain Xu and I just discussed this and we also came up with the same conclusion."

Captain Zhang finally let out a somewhat relaxed smile and said, "That's settled. We'll leave together later. But there's no need to rush the experts. We'll go first, and you guys can follow behind. If the situation changes and deviates from our assumptions, we can adjust in time."

Another long car chase was about to begin. After the experience in Shangshuang City, Guan Xia already had a pretty good idea of ​​what to do. He nodded again and said, "Okay."

After arranging the next tasks, Captain Zhang still cared about her. "Then, while we have some time, Expert Guan, why don't you have a meal first? Director Gao sent us a supply truck when he sent reinforcements. Although it's just instant noodles and boxed lunches, the combination of meat and vegetables will replenish your energy very well. Oh, and Director Gao specifically asked for some fruit as well. Expert Guan, please eat more. You've worked so hard this time, running around with us and getting so seriously injured."

Captain Zhang glanced at Guan Xia's wound and said a little embarrassedly, "It's all my fault. I got so anxious as soon as I got a clue that I forgot everything else. I should have left Expert Guan in Longbei Mountain. Director Gao repeatedly told me to take good care of you. Now I've taken such a serious injury from taking care of you. I don't know how Director Gao will criticize me later."

Captain Zhang looked genuinely regretful. As he spoke, he bent down and carefully examined Guan Xia's wound. Seeing that it was indeed only a flesh wound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Guan Xia tried hard to mobilize the little social experience she had, and after finally dealing with Captain Zhang, she walked back to Pang Le and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Pang Le found her expression somewhat amusing and couldn't help but say, "After this case is over, shouldn't you take some time off to rest and recharge yourself? I see you're having a lot of fun investigating cases, but once you start socializing with people, you become exhausted. It's a good thing you'll be financially independent upon graduation, otherwise I feel like you'll be wasting your life just working."

Guan Xia sighed with lingering fear and said, "I've been running around for too long. After I catch Wu Yang, I need to take a good rest for a while. I also have to prepare a new comic. You don't know how many times my editor has urged me. If I continue to fool around, I'm really afraid that she will come to Yongquan City to find me. That would be too scary."

Pang Le didn't know about this yet. Looking at Guan Xia's face full of headache, he laughed with glee.

After standing outside for a while to enjoy the breeze, Guan Xia walked back to the warehouse. As soon as she sat down on the chair, Qi Bai came running back, holding several lunch boxes in his hands. He distributed them to everyone while saying, "The food is here, the food is here, come and eat quickly. There's also tomato and egg soup over there, you guys eat first, I'll get it later. Oh, this one is for Guan Xia, you like soy products, this one is for Pang Le, you like eggplant, and this one is for Zhong Xiaoyu, braised pork ribs, how about it? Am I remembering correctly?"

Qi Bai was as cheerful as if he was having a picnic. If you didn't look at his face, you wouldn't be able to tell that he had been up all night long. He was really full of energy.

Zhong Xiaoyu was no slouch either. She took her lunch box, glanced at it, and said cheerfully, "That's right. My care for you was worth it. I promised you what you said last time. When this case is over, I'll teach you a few moves so you can throw your brother Lu to the ground in one blow."

Qi Bai was indeed happy. He said thank you several times in a row, then ran out of the warehouse to get the soup.

Pang Le became interested and asked while wolfing down his food, "When did he fight you? How come I didn't know?"

Zhong Xiaoyu was also starving. After finishing a piece of pork ribs in a few bites, he mumbled, "We didn't fight. It was just yesterday in Quming City. Wasn't he a little slow to react and got hurt? Then he got scolded by Xu Nian and Guan Xiadu. He felt bad and asked me privately if I could teach him a few moves. He didn't want to be held back at the critical moment. I thought it was too much trouble and refused. But he's been trying to please me all day. I saw that he was really sincere, so I reluctantly agreed."

When Zhong Xiaoyu mentioned this, Guan Xia suddenly remembered that Qi Bai was still injured, but he was still so busy taking care of them. Aren’t they a little inhumane?

Just as Guan Xia was thinking this, Pang Le said, "No wonder he was so diligent today. He was running around even though his hand was injured. But why did he only ask you and not me? I'm a good fighter too, okay? Does he look down on me?"

Pang Le was still very competitive and looked unconvinced even while eating.

Zhong Xiaoyu chuckled and said, "You can't blame me for this. It's because you and Guan Xia never have a second to spend together. Even if Qi Bai wanted to find you privately, he wouldn't have the chance. But if you really want to teach me, come along when you get back. After all, you have a free sparring partner, so why not fight?"

Pang Le chuckled when he heard this, but didn't say anything. However, he exchanged a tacit look with Zhong Xiaoyu.

Guan Xia felt even more sorry for Qi Bai, as if he had already foreseen the miserable scene of him being pinned down and beaten by the two men in turn.

After eating and drinking their fill and resting for a while while chatting in the warehouse, Captain Zhang finally hurried in and went straight to Guan Xia. "Expert Guan, the first batch of surveillance footage has arrived. If you're ready, then shall we set off?"

As Captain Zhang finished speaking, several people stood up, and Guan Xia agreed, "Okay."

She walked out alongside Captain Zhang, who, despite his injuries, walked with a brisk pace. "The expert team has studied the map and determined that the suspect intends to flee east and take a boat out to sea. No matter which route he chooses, he won't be able to avoid Quanle City. So, we'll take the highway directly to Quanle City first. If we find any trace of the suspect along the way, we'll adjust our pursuit plan."

Captain Zhang explained a few words and led Guan Xia and the others to two cars. "There are eight of you in total. I bet you don't want to be separated. So, you can take these two cars. You haven't slept all night. For your safety, I've assigned two colleagues to be your drivers. You can bear with it for a while and squeeze in. Once you've caught up on some sleep and feel refreshed, you can take turns driving."

I have to say that Captain Zhang's arrangements were really thorough. Even though he was so busy, he didn't neglect such details at such a critical moment.

Guan Xia sighed and said thank you sincerely, then got into the car with the others.

As soon as my butt landed on the seat, a familiar young female police officer who had already taken the driver's seat said, "Expert Guan, the surveillance footage and all the necessary equipment are ready. They're in the back seat. By the way, Expert Guan, my name is Qin Yue, you can just call me Xiao Qin. Captain Zhang told me to listen to you all the way here, so if you need anything, just call me directly."

Ji An sat in the passenger seat. Zhong Xiaoyu, sympathetic to Guan Xia and Pang Le's injuries, sat between them. She quickly tidied up the things on the back seat. After Pang Le sat down, she handed it to Guan Xia and said, "I took a look. The computer is fully charged. In addition to the surveillance video, the cardboard box also contains two spare batteries. With the speed you watch the surveillance, it should be enough."

Guan Xia calculated and found that it was indeed enough, so he nodded and started working.

After driving out of the semi-abandoned factory, Guan Xia discovered that there were actually many factories like this around. Judging from the location of the factory, Guan Xia guessed that this land should have been an industrial zone when it was originally planned. However, he didn't know whether it was because the business was not good or for other reasons, there were not many factories in operation, but there were quite a few vehicles coming in and out. Most of them were probably used as warehouses.

Guan Xia now understood a little more why Wu Yang and his team wanted to set up the exit here. First, it was close to Quanle City, and second, most of the factory buildings were abandoned. There were people there, but not that many. In addition, there were vehicles coming in and out from time to time, so Wu Yang and his team blended in and were not noticeable at all.

Guan Xia glanced at the surroundings, then quickly lowered her head and tried to find Lin Jinnan through the surveillance video played at twice the speed.

Because it was speculated that Wu Yang would not bring many people with him, Guan Xia guessed that Wu Yang and Lin Jinnan would most likely not separate. She had never seen Wu Yang, so the intuitive reminder given by the system was useless, but because Lin Jinnan was there, it was almost the same as tracking him directly.

With a specific direction and the intuitive reminder given by the system, Guan Xia didn't spend much effort to find the vehicle that was suspected to be Lin Jinnan and the others' ride. It was a black car that looked old and dirty.

If it weren't for the system plug-in, Guan Xia would never have noticed this very ordinary car mixed in the traffic.

To confirm that his intuition was correct, Guan Xia first glanced at the time in the upper left corner of the surveillance video, which was 9:37 am on September 27th. After calculating the time again, Wu Yang and his team started to flee at around 4 am on the 27th. Guan Xia didn't know the specific location of Wu Yang's company, but it would take at most an hour to drive to Longbei Mountain late at night, enter the nest buried deep in the mountain, and then leave through the hidden passage. That would take more than five hours, which was indeed very fast, almost non-stop.

Guan Xia was excited and immediately called Captain Zhang to report the license plate number of the vehicle they found.

Captain Zhang was also very excited. He thanked Guan Xia several times and quickly hung up the phone to arrange the tracking.

Pang Le waited for Guan Xia to hang up the phone before calculating: "It's already early morning on the 28th, which means they're 15 hours behind Wu Yang and his team. If they don't rest, this time is enough for them to cross an entire province."

Zhong Xiaoyu also checked the map and said, "Next to Nanxing Province, where Quanle City is located, is Guangqing Province. Beyond Guangqing Province is Xinglin Province, which is right at the coast. If we want to catch him, we have to hurry. If he really gets on the boat, it won't be that easy to catch him."

"Why not contact customs in advance to intercept it?" Pang Le asked.

This touched upon Guan Xia and Zhong Xiaoyu's blind spots. They were a little unsure how to respond when Qin Yue, who was driving, said without turning around, "I overheard something while waiting for Captain Zhang to assign the task. Captain Zhang has already reported it to his superiors, but the procedures with customs are too complicated. Director Gao wants to try to capture the suspect on land. Otherwise, if we really catch him at sea, the funds will be depleted. We might have to work very hard on the case for the whole next year and won't even dare to take a plane."

Guan Xia had been following Xu Nian and the others and had never thought about the issue of funding. Now, after hearing this, he was stunned, but also felt that it made sense. After all, the coast guard had to be dispatched to arrest people at sea. The sea was so vast that it would be useless without enough ships. Maybe helicopters would have to be dispatched. It was an astronomical figure to think about the funds required.

Also, if it were on land, even if Wu Yang wanted to resist, it would be difficult for him to escape with so many people chasing him. But it would be different on the sea. If he really didn't want to be caught and jumped into the sea, it would be very troublesome.

Thinking of this, even Zhong Xiaoyu sighed, "It would be really troublesome if he escaped to the sea. We really need to hurry up and try to catch him before he gets on the boat."