Chapter 12: A Frightened Bird
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy aroma, wafted towards me. In the distance, fishing boats were already decked with wormwood and calamus. A few seagulls circled between the masts, emitting sharp, clear cries. During the Dragon Boat Festival, Lan Valley seemed even quieter than usual. The small shops lining the streets were hung with colorful strings, and the air was filled with the delicate fragrance of steamed rice dumplings.
Time slipped by like the tide. Jifeng had been in Lan Valley for over two months. Standing on the stone steps by the sea, he gazed at the glimmer of dawn rising from the horizon. Lan Valley's coastline was long and winding, with jagged reefs. At low tide, large expanses of exposed red reefs could be seen. Fishermen trudged back and forth through the mud, carrying their catch. He turned away from the beach and walked along the winding mountain road toward the detachment.
As soon as he stepped into the office, his cell phone began to ring like crazy. Ji Feng picked up the phone and Gu Xiaozheng's sarcastic voice came out: "Captain Ji, I held my position outside the Lan family all night last night. Now I feel like my body is hollow and my limbs are about to fall apart. Are you kidding me, my brothers?"
"Are you free tonight? I'll treat you. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Let's invite the brothers in the team to celebrate the festival together." Ji Feng said cheerfully.
"Did I hear correctly?" Gu Xiaozheng paused, a hint of suspicion in his voice, "You're treating us to dinner?"
"If you believe me, I'll go. If you don't, forget it."
"Then I'm serious."
"Stop talking nonsense. Tell those brothers. I'll go get Captain Jiang right away."
"Okay, then you have to keep your word and don't stand us up."
Ji Feng was looking for an opportunity to bond with his teammates, so he said, "You look like a real man, but why do you act like a woman? By the way, have you discovered anything new?"
"Last night was really not in vain. The Lan family was a little abnormal last night."
"Oh, what's the situation? Tell me in detail."
"Several people came to dinner, as if for a dinner party, which is normal, since it's a holiday. But the strange thing is that the lights in the house were on all night, and people only left one after another until early this morning. When they left, they were still whispering in groups of three or four, looking nervous. It didn't seem like they were playing mahjong, but more like a family meeting that had been held all night." Gu Xiaozheng's tone became more serious, and his attitude towards Ji Feng was no longer as dismissive as before.
"Family meeting?" Ji Feng couldn't help but mutter, "Lan Ruojin just finished the questioning in the evening and immediately went home to hold a family meeting all night. Is it a coincidence?" Ji Feng thought.
"Okay, brother, the situation you mentioned is very important. Apart from these, is there anything else unusual?"
"They were coming and going several times, obviously busier than before, as if they were preparing for something big."
"Anything else?"
"There's nothing else. I'm handing over my shift, and Daji will take over."
"Tell Daji to keep a close eye on it. See you tonight."
"Okay." Gu Xiaozheng hung up the phone happily.
Ji Feng put down the phone and immediately ran to Jiang Bo's office to report the situation. After listening to the report, Jiang Bo also felt something was wrong and analyzed, "Could it be that the interrogation has stimulated the Lan family? Did the Lan family realize something from the interrogation?"
"If the Lan family was irritated by the questioning, then what exactly made them so sensitive?"
"To be on the safe side, you'd better go to the scene to see the situation."
"Okay, I'll be right there." Ji Feng was about to get up and leave when his phone rang again. It was Daji. "Hey, Professor Ji, come check it out! The Lan family is planning a spontaneous trip."
"Travel?" Ji Feng's eyes glared. "What's going on?"
"Several large trucks and forklifts were busy loading boxes onto the vehicles."
"Xin Xiao!" Ji Feng reacted immediately, turned around and shouted, "Hurry up and check if the Lan family has made any moves like booking tickets or transferring money."
"Got it!" Xin Xiao responded.
Ji Feng held the phone, his brow furrowed, and said to Jiang Bo, "Da Ji said that the Lan family is busy moving goods on a large scale and seems to be running away."
"Let's wait until Xin Xiao finishes his investigation." Jiang Bo couldn't help but get nervous. Then, he and Ji Feng walked out the door together, "Let's go check out the Lan family."
The two drove to the Lan family's hot spring villa and quietly parked by the roadside. Looking toward the Lan family's entrance, they saw several large trucks parked outside. Several workers were busy loading wooden boxes onto the trucks, and several Lan family employees were directing the loading. The scene was bustling with activity.
Ji Feng and Jiang Bo exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with confusion. What was the Lan family planning? Were they really going to run away?
At that moment, the phone rang, and Xin Xiao's anxious voice came, "Captain Ji, I just found out that the Lan family has booked three tickets to London for tomorrow morning at 11:00. The passengers are Lan Ruojin, Lan Xiting, and Lan Renxuan, all family members of the Lan family. In addition, there are five cargo consignment notes, all issued by a local logistics company, and the destination is also the UK."
"What?" Ji Feng raised an eyebrow and asked, "What cargo is being shipped?"
"The list contains words like 'antiques', 'artworks', and 'collections'. It doesn't look like moving, but more like escaping," said Xin Xiao.
Ji Feng's heart skipped a beat. Damn, is he really going to run away?
He immediately said to Jiang Bo, "Captain Jiang, the Lan family may be trying to flee abroad. We must take action immediately."
Jiang Bo pondered for a moment and said, "But we don't have solid evidence. The bureau might not support us."
"If you wait until the person runs away before looking for evidence, it will be too late." Ji Feng's voice suddenly became louder, and his eyes were burning with anxiety.
"Precisely because they're so sensitive, we have to proceed with caution," Jiang Bo said cautiously. "If we act rashly and can't produce evidence, the Lan family will likely report this directly to the city leaders. By then, not only will you and I be overwhelmed, but even the director will be embarrassed."
"Are we just going to watch them get away?" Ji Feng became more and more anxious as he spoke, and his tone was inevitably impatient.
"Captain Ji, I completely understand how you feel, but I just explained it to you very clearly. Without evidence, I can't agree to apply for compulsory procedures with the Municipal Bureau."
Ji Feng's heart suddenly felt like it was blocked by a huge rock, his breathing became rapid, and anxiety and helplessness intertwined into a ball.
"Is there really no other way?" Ji Feng's voice was filled with reluctance, and his mind was quickly searching for other solutions.
"Calm down for a moment," Jiang Bo interrupted his thoughts. "Until you have solid evidence, you absolutely cannot resort to any means. This is discipline."
Ji Feng closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Although he still felt unwilling, he also knew that he couldn't convince Jiang Bo. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and began to think about his next plan.
For two months, he'd been investigating, reasoning, and arguing tirelessly, finally catching a glimmer of light amidst the thick fog, only to watch it slip through his fingers. He frowned, cracking his knuckles, a near-obsessive urge welling up in his heart: No, I can't let them leave like this. I'd rather make a mistake than give it a try.
At this moment, he was so agitated that he had completely forgotten Dean Lu's instructions before leaving.
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