Chapter 220 But now they are running east, what can there be in the east...
Unlike the spacious hall with bright lights, latex paint and tiles, this hidden and inconspicuous passage was very rough and narrow, less than one meter wide and less than one meter high. People could hardly walk upright, let alone bend over. Guan Xia followed Captain Zhang and only walked a few meters in a squatting position before she could not help but crawl forward.
The walls of this passage are all pure natural stone walls. They have not undergone any detailed repairs and are full of uneven surfaces and traces of artificial mining. After crawling not far, Guan Xia felt a pain in his knees from the long contact with the stone walls.
Guan Xia was not someone who had never suffered, so even if it hurt, he endured it and tried his best to keep up with Captain Zhang without falling behind at all.
I don't know how long I crawled before the young male police officer who was carrying the message in front of Guan Xia suddenly stopped. Then, Captain Zhang's voice came from a little further ahead. "There's fibrous tissue and scattered bloodstains. The fibrous tissue looks like it's been hanging from clothing. As for the bloodstains, it looks like it's been solidified for a long time. It's probably not from the criminals who escaped earlier. I guess it was left by someone who passed through the passage even longer ago."
As Captain Zhang finished speaking, the young male police officer who delivered the message said, "Captain Zhang, that's our assumption as well. Plus, given the secrecy of this passage, we suspect it's Wu Yang and Lin Jinnan who are fleeing."
"Well done." Captain Zhang praised, and then the crawling team started moving again. Everyone kept their mouths shut and started crawling forward.
If Guan Xia had climbed alone, she would have been on the verge of mental collapse in such a narrow, deep and underground passage after a while. However, she was accompanied by several people, and there were flashlights in front and behind to illuminate the dim environment. Even though no one spoke and there was only the increasingly rapid breathing, Guan Xia remained stable. She was thinking about how long the passage was, where it would lead to, and when they would reach the end. She did not feel any fear or panic at all.
Even crawling to the back, Guan Xia simply let his mind wander in order to try to ignore the increasingly sharp pain in his knees and elbows.
After a moment, he remembered that he seemed to be so busy looking for the entrance to the lair of a criminal organization that he didn't know where it was hidden that he completely forgot about other people. He didn't even call Xu Nian and Ji An. He didn't know where they were now or whether they had made any discoveries. He also didn't know if Captain Zhang had left any message for them so that they wouldn't worry if they couldn't find him in a short time.
Then she imagined how she would enjoy life after the case was over and Wu Yang was arrested.
First of all, she had to make up for her sleep. Although she hadn't counted it, Guan Xia felt that she hadn't slept in for a long time. She felt that this period was harder than her college days when she had to keep up with her studies and finish her drawings. Fortunately, victory was in sight, and she felt that it wasn't that hard.
After she finishes her sleep, she will consider where to go. She must go to Pang Le's house. She went to Shuangshi before to investigate a case. She can make another trip later when she has time. She still remembers that she promised to accompany Pang Le to climb mountains and camp, but she was in such a hurry last time that she completely forgot about it.
Guan Xia was thinking about this and that, and then suddenly she had an idea and remembered something that she had completely forgotten.
She remembered that in addition to Li Feng, she had seen three blood-colored soul light balls in Lijia Village. At first, she thought they were sent by Wu Yang, or they were helpers developed by Li Feng himself, but Li Feng did not mention it during the subsequent interrogation, and Lijia Village did not catch any other related criminal suspects. It seems that she will have to go to Lijia Village again when she has time in the future. If she didn't know, it would be fine. Now that she knows, she still has to find a way to arrest them and bring them to justice, just to recharge the halo.
Guan Xia thought further and further ahead, almost imagining retirement life. This crawling journey finally saw the light of the end.
It was Captain Zhang's voice, coming from the front. "I saw the light and heard the voice. We must be at the exit. Judging from the tone and content of the voice, it's one of our own. Come on, everyone, keep going. We'll be out soon."
I have to say that these words really boosted my morale. Guan Xia was completely numb from climbing, but after being stimulated by these words, she became excited again. She tried her best to squeeze out every bit of strength in her body and ran forward with all her might.
After climbing for an unknown amount of time, the crawling team finally stopped for the last time. Captain Zhang's voice came again, "Comrades, we've reached the exit. There's a ladder, and it's a bit steep. Be careful when you climb it. Don't fall. I'll catch you from above."
After the person who was climbing in front of Guan Xia came out of the narrow passage, Guan Xia finally saw the full picture of the exit. It was also not wide and could only accommodate one person, but the passage was upward. It was more like a hole than a passage. There was a very long fixed wooden ladder on the wall on one side. It was indeed very steep. The horizontal bar on each step for the feet to land was higher than the normal height. Guan Xia was daunted at first sight. He calculated in his mind and felt that with the length of his legs, he should be able to climb out.
In fact, Guan Xia's prediction was not wrong. Although she felt the tendons in her thighs being pulled every time she climbed, it was not beyond her tolerance, so the climb was not too difficult. However, it was not kind to the injuries on her knees and elbows. It was only then that Guan Xia discovered that her knees and elbows were bloody and rubbed by the hard stone wall. The pants on her legs had stuck to her legs with blood scabs, and some blood on her elbows had dried on the skin, but there were still strands of blood flowing down along the force of climbing up.
Guan Xia estimated that he had been climbing for another ten minutes before finally seeing a round cave entrance, a light shining through it. A face appeared above the entrance. It was Xu Nian, whom he hadn't seen for several hours. He showed a rare expression of excitement and nervousness. It was not until Guan Xia grabbed his outstretched arm that he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "How are you? Are you okay?"
Guan Xia was so tired that she didn't want to say a word. She just shook her head reluctantly in response, then used the strength transferred from Xu Nian to climb out of the cave completely.
As soon as Guan Xia's foot touched the ground, the space around her was surrounded by people. Perhaps noticing the wound on her knee, Xu Nian actually picked her up and placed her on a chair in the corner. Ji An then squatted in front of Guan Xia with a small medicine box.
"I was wondering why you two disappeared. It turns out you were on a big mission," Qi Bai said naively, scratching his head. "But why would you two do something like this in person? Why didn't you wait for the armed police to pass on the news? Why didn't you just take a car straight to the exit?"
Guan Xia was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he understood how Xu Nian and the others were waiting at the exit in advance.
After taking a few labored breaths, Guan Xia said sincerely, "The situation was urgent at the time, and we didn't react in time. When we saw Captain Zhang catching up, we subconsciously followed."
To be honest, Guan Xia felt a little regretful. If she had known earlier that this hidden passage was such a harsh environment, she would definitely not have climbed along if she was rational. But now that they had climbed, there was no need to think about it anymore.
She looked down at Ji An and Wang Yu carefully tending to the wounds on her knees and elbows. Even though they were being very gentle, Guan Xia grimaced in pain and asked Xu Nian, "Where is this place? How far have we climbed? Are we still in Jianyang City?"
Xu Nian's gaze lingered on the wound on Guan Xia's knee for a long time. He only looked up after hearing what Guan Xia was saying. He replied very gently, "It's a machinery factory that's being used as a warehouse after a major equipment relocation. It's still in Jianyang City, but it's in the suburbs. A little further east is Quanle City, about twelve kilometers from Longbei Mountain."
Guan Xia was completely stunned when she heard the number twelve kilometers. She never expected that she and Pang Le would crawl so far following Captain Zhang. No wonder her knees and elbows were rubbed bloody. Fortunately, she and Pang Le were both wearing long pants. Although their tops were short-sleeved, they were not in contact with the ground all the time. Otherwise, at this distance, Guan Xia was afraid that the bones would be exposed due to friction.
Thinking of this, Guan Xia sighed, "In order to escape, Wu Yang and that Lin Jinnan really fought hard. We are injured, and they must not be much better off."
Jiang Yingyao said, "Not necessarily. You were completely unaware of this beforehand, but they knew they were going to escape through this passage long ago, so the important locations must have been protected."
After Jiang Yingyao said this, Guan Xia also reacted and immediately gritted her teeth in hatred. Since these two people had prepared such a long escape passage, why didn't they just make it wider? Would it be easier for them to pass through if it was dug so narrow?
Perhaps Guan Xia's expression was too obvious, so Xu Nian easily guessed what she was thinking. He said, "A twelve-kilometer-long escape passage would take a year or two just to measure, locate, and prepare. Digging it out is also going to take a long time, especially considering it's so narrow. If it takes too long, and we're still working on it when all the other recreational facilities on Longbei Mountain have already been built, it's bound to arouse suspicion."
So the excavation could only be so rough. Guan Xia understood what Xu Nian meant, sighed, and continued to grin as Ji An and Wang Yu disinfected and applied medicine to her wound.
Before Guan Xia's wound was healed, Zhong Xiaoyu came over, carrying Pang Le. She placed her on another chair next to Guan Xia and said, "You two are really forcing yourself to endure hardship. It's a twelve-kilometer distance. Look at the wounds on your knees. It's a good thing it's cold and you weren't wearing skirts, otherwise you would have had to go straight to the hospital."
Ji An also said, "You two were indeed a bit reckless this time. There are so many people on Longbei Mountain. Why do you need two non-staff members to fight? Especially Guan Xia, don't you know your physical condition? Look at the bloody wound. How long will it take to heal?"
Ji An has always been a man of few words and has a good temper, but now he couldn't help but scold Guan Xia before continuing to apply medicine to her gently.
Zhong Xiaoyu leaned over to take a look and said, "The wound is a bit serious, but fortunately there's no broken bones. However, it's in such a special place, so you'll be in some pain from now on."
Guan Xia truly regretted it. She looked at Pang Le with a guilty look and quickly changed the subject.
"Where's Captain Zhang?" Guan Xiadong looked around for Captain Zhang and asked, "How is she? Is her injury serious? And the two armed police and two criminal police who first entered the passage to arrest the criminals, did they catch anyone? Is the suspect still alive?"
Although several people were a little angry and resentful about Guan Xia and Pang Le's reckless behavior, Xu Nian still answered seriously, "Captain Zhang has treated the wound and started to dispatch support personnel. The suspect is injured but alive and has been sent to the hospital. The two armed police and two criminal police are also fine. Of all the people, you two are the most seriously injured."
Guan Xia felt a little guilty again, and turned to glance at Pang Le's wound. She saw that hers was similar, but perhaps because she was used to being injured, it didn't hurt as much as Guan Xia showed.
While treating the wound, Guan Xia asked about the latest developments of the case.
Xu Nian told her that the entire Longbei Mountain had been completely blocked by the police, and almost half of the public security officers in Jianyang City had been mobilized. Everyone was busy, and the organization's lair was full of people. There was a lot of evidence and clues of crime. Except for the 9 criminals who died, none of the others escaped. Even Zhong Xiaoyu, who was guarding outside, helped to hold one down, but she used a little too much force and dislocated the arm of the criminal who jumped out.
Director Gao, who is in charge of the Municipal Bureau, immediately transferred another group of personnel from the county and town levels after receiving the news from Captain Zhang. However, it was still not enough, so he has been trying to coordinate with several nearby cities. In the future, more personnel will come to support.
Before Captain Zhang and Guan Xia came out, Xu Nian and the others had already reached the exit with the new organization's personnel. The surveillance videos of various roads with surveillance cameras nearby were already being adjusted. If all went well, in another hour or two they might be able to find any clues left by Wu Yang and Lin Jinnan during their escape.
Hearing Lin Jinnan's name, Guan Xia remembered the information Pang Le had found out before. Longbei Mountain was developed by Lin Jinnan, which means that this hidden escape passage was dug out under her supervision. Although it had been speculated and confirmed long ago, Guan Xia still found it hard to believe when she thought about it now. Why would such a smart and outstanding person like Lin Jinnan be so devoted to Wu Yang?
Pang Le obviously had the same doubts as Guan Xia and couldn't help but say, "This Lin Jinnan is really loyal to Wu Yang. Even now, she's still running with him. I don't know what kind of magic potion Wu Yang has poured into her. She simply doesn't care about her life. With all the crimes she has committed, even if she is not shot on the spot when she is arrested, she will be shot sooner or later."
"I don't know," Zhong Xiaoyu said. "If you're really curious, just ask them in person when they're caught. I'm more curious now. What on earth are they trying to do by going to all this trouble?"
Wang Yu finally treated Guan Xia's elbow wound. He stood up, packing his medicine box, and said, "Before you left, Captain Xu and I studied the map. We're currently standing in the northeast of Jianyang City. Although we don't have any evidence to confirm this, Captain Xu and I suspect Wu Yang and his men will continue to run northeast. What could be northeast of Jianyang City that would warrant such a desperate move?"
Zhong Xiaoyu rubbed his chin and said, "If they don't run south, they run east. From what I know about the habits of some criminals fleeing abroad, if they can't escape by plane at the beginning, most people prefer to flee south. After all, some places on the border over there are where the same mountain meets between two countries. Even if the control has always been very strict, if the other side is not peaceful, there are still ways to escape through. It is considered the best option for fugitives. But now they are running east. What is there in the east? The sea? Are they trying to escape by boat?"
"Escape by boat? Where to escape?" Pang Le asked, "To the island country across the way? Get on the island and then take a plane? Isn't this more troublesome than running south?"
"Perhaps it's more likely? Safer?" Jiang Yingyao speculated. "We still don't know how many people Wu Yang brought with him, but seeing how complicated their escape was, and how hidden the escape route was, I suspect it wasn't many. It's very likely that besides Lin Jinnan, there were one or two other trusted thugs like Lin Jinnan, but definitely not many, protecting them. With just these few people, if they crossed the border southward, they'd probably be eaten to the bone right after they crossed."
"That's quite possible," Guan Xia said. "It seems they must have been carrying a large amount of cash. Otherwise, if they had a cell phone with them, they would have been found using GPS."
"This bastard is really good at running," Qi Bai couldn't help but say, "and he's especially good at throwing smoke bombs. Besides the large-scale operation to divert the police's attention, he also had lifelike doubles and a twelve-kilometer-long passage hidden deep in the mountain. If Guan Xia hadn't discovered it early, they might have gotten away. But now, we've roughly deduced their escape direction. As long as we give it some time, there's still a good chance of catching them back."
Guan Xia glanced at the horrible wound on her knee that had been stained with dark brown potion and took a deep breath. She really hoped to capture Wu Yang and Lin Jinnan alive. There were too many unsolved mysteries, especially those about the Quming City Welfare Institute. She had no idea how many people who had walked out of the orphanage had been developed into members of the organization by Wu Yang, and what roles they played in the organization and what important or unimportant tasks they undertook.
As long as she doesn't figure it out, Guan Xia won't be able to sleep well. After all, this is where she grew up. She still hopes that every child from now on can grow up safely and healthily without any burden or covetousness.
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