Ding Minghan's call was short; he hung up soon after, left a paper ticket for the shopkeeper, turned and quickly left the shop, heading towards Chengji Hospital, and soon entered the hospital.
Along the way, he did not notice that there was another pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.
Zhao Kai watched him enter the hospital, then hurried over to Wang Hanmin's side and said urgently, "Director, you were right. Ding Minghan made a move. He went to a shop in front, found a public phone, made a call, and then rushed back."
Wang Hanmin turned sharply to Zhao Kai and asked in a low voice, "Just to make a phone call? Did you contact anyone else?"
Zhao Kai shook his head and said with certainty, "I just made one phone call, paid the shop owner, and didn't contact anyone else."
A smile finally appeared on Wang Hanmin's face. Things had finally taken a turn for the better. He knew that there were three telephones installed in the entire Chengji Hospital: one in the director's office, one in the duty room, and one at the reception desk. At this point, at least the telephones in the duty room and the reception desk were usable.
If there was a real need, Ding Minghan could have used the two phones in the hospital. There was no need for him to come out and use a public phone. Moreover, he went straight back to the hospital after making the call, which clearly showed that the phone was important and that Ding Minghan didn't want anyone to notice.
The call most likely went to Ding Mingzhen!
"Let's go, let's take a look!" Wang Hanmin didn't delay any longer and took the lead. Zhao Kai gestured towards the darkness, and several more figures followed closely behind.
The group quickly arrived at the shop on the street. When the shopkeeper saw two men dressed as homeless people rush in, he frowned and was about to tell them to leave when one of the men reached out and pulled out a pistol, pointing the muzzle directly at the shopkeeper's chin. The shopkeeper was so frightened that he stumbled backward and fell onto the chair behind him.
Immediately afterwards, several more strong young men rushed into the shop, filling the small shop to capacity. Wang Hanmin waved his hand, and several agents stepped forward and tied up the shopkeeper.
Wang Hanmin was cautious in his actions. Although he believed that the shop owner and Ding Mingzhen had no connection, there was always a chance of something going wrong, and he could not be careless about any detail.
The agents dragged the shopkeeper in front of Wang Hanmin. The shopkeeper was so frightened that he turned pale. He knew that no matter who the other party was, he probably couldn't avoid the trouble today.
Wang Hanmin pointed to the telephone on the counter and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, twenty minutes ago, a middle-aged man in a long gown made a phone call here. Do you know that person?"
The shopkeeper looked around at the people. Some were wearing suits and top hats, while others were wearing tattered coats and felt hats, but they all looked fierce and menacing. He said helplessly, "The person you mentioned looks familiar, but I really don't know who he is."
"How many people used this phone during that time period?"
"No, only the person you mentioned used it."
After confirming that everything was correct, Wang Hanmin snorted coldly. He was too lazy to ask any more questions. This was a shop, and someone could come in at any time. It wasn't a place for interrogation. Without delay, he picked up the phone and dialed.
However, he dialed the Telecommunications Bureau's number. Ever since the accident involving Ding Chengyun was arranged, Major Yokota of the Special Higher Police had been stationed at the Telecommunications Bureau, responsible for monitoring the telephone lines belonging to the Ding family and Chengji Hospital.
Wang Hanmin quickly contacted Major Yokota, explained the situation, and asked him to immediately investigate where the phone call had gone in the previous conversation.
Major Yokota immediately agreed and began the search. He also instructed Wang Hanmin not to act without his permission before he arrived, emphasizing that any action taken by Wang Hanmin and his group in Qingdao must be approved by him.
Wang Hanmin naturally nodded in agreement. In fact, he knew that he did not have enough manpower. They had brought more than forty operatives from Shanghai, and now he only had these few subordinates by his side.
The others also need to continue monitoring the hospital's movements, since he couldn't guarantee that the call would lead to Ding Mingzhen, so the hospital couldn't give up monitoring.
Wang Hanmin ordered his men to seal the shop door and hang up a "Closed" sign. He then waited inside. As for the shopkeeper, if he couldn't find Ding Mingzhen this time, he would take him back for a thorough interrogation.
Shortly after, the shop door was pushed open, and Major Yokota, dressed in plain clothes, rushed over with his men. Upon seeing Wang Hanmin, he said directly, "We found the phone number. The call lasted two minutes and the destination was in Ximen District, on the northern outskirts of the city. It's the phone number of a tea shop called Penglai. I brought a few cars with me, and we'll head over there right away."
Wang Hanmin immediately nodded in agreement. This Major Yokota was also a shrewd and capable man who had considered things very carefully. The vehicles used by Wang Hanmin and others in Qingdao were all provided by the Special Higher Police.
"Ximeng District?"
Wang Hanmin suddenly realized something. Wasn't the Xuanhua Textile Factory that he had previously searched for about Xiao Guoyuan located in Ximen District in the northern suburbs?
This made sense. As far as he knew, Qingdao Station had retreated to the suburbs to hide because of the severe damage. It seemed that Ximen District was their hiding place.
Major Yokota looked at Wang Hanmin thoughtfully and asked with some confusion, "Wang-san, what's wrong? Is something amiss?"
"Oh, it's nothing, we'll be right there," Wang Hanmin quickly covered up.
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