Chapter 48 Wang Caifeng will never have another chance to hurt my dad!
Chu Yanxi put down the phone, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.
Having a friend working at the police station has its advantages. Based on the name Wang Caifeng and several key characteristics mentioned by Chu Yanxi, they quickly found Wang Caifeng's specific address in the Third Village of the Old Cotton Mill in the west of the city.
Chu Yanxi immediately launched an investigation.
Chu Yanxi contacted the community workstation where Wang Caifeng lived. Through internal mediation records and visit information, he learned that Wang Caifeng had been frequently and unusually changing her rented residence in and around the Third Village of the Old Cotton Mill in the west of the city in the past year. She had also had several disputes with landlords over "no notice, early termination of rent, and deposit disputes". She had been reported in several nearby communities.
More importantly, based on reports from concerned residents about suspicious circumstances such as "being active at night and having strange men visit late at night," Chu Yanxi began to follow Wang Caifeng and figured out the core activity pattern of her boyfriend Zhao Tianhu—every Wednesday and Friday night without fail, he would appear at the hideout with the sign "People's Repair Shop" on the back street of the old cotton mill, stay for about half an hour, and was suspected of conducting illegal transactions.
"We can't alert them." Chu Yanxi quickly got into the zone, marking several key points on the map—Wang Caifeng's residence, the location of the auto repair shop, and possible escape routes.
“Zhao Tianhu is very vigilant. His repair shop has a back door that connects to the maze-like alleyways of the old factory area. We must catch him red-handed while he is making a transaction, and we can’t let him get away.”
Lu Zhe nodded: "We need to notify the police. But how should we say it?"
Chu Yanxi pondered for a moment, his eyes resolute: "Wang Caifeng's behavior has caused multiple disputes, and her whereabouts are suspicious, meeting the criteria for key personnel to be monitored. I, as a staff member of the Anning Community Work Station, will directly provide clues to the Criminal Investigation Detachment in charge of the district and suggest verification. This will not only attract attention, but my presence will also be reasonable."
After a pause, she whispered, "Besides trying to get the chance to assist the police at the scene, I must ensure that the credit for capturing drug dealer Zhao Tianhu belongs to my father and his teammates." Her father gave his life to capture the drug dealer, and this honor must belong to him.
On Wednesday morning, Chu Yanxi, carrying her work ID and a prepared written report on Wang Caifeng's unusual situation, personally went to the Criminal Investigation Detachment of Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau.
Instead of directly requesting an arrest, she submitted the clues to Chu Tongyu, the captain of the criminal investigation team, under the pretext of investigating potential safety hazards in the community and verifying key personnel. She also emphasized that Zhao Tianhu, who lived with Wang Caifeng, regularly appeared at the car repair shop, a suspicious location.
Chu Yanxi used cautious words, but the details he provided were solid, which immediately attracted Chu Tongyu's attention.
As Chu Yanxi had predicted, this lead, involving a possible drug deal and containing relatively specific information, prompted Chu Tongyu, a key member of the anti-drug task force, to immediately lead a team to follow up and verify it.
Chu Tongyu carefully reviewed the materials brought by Chu Yanxi and retrieved relevant files. He concluded that the leads were highly credible and decided to deploy investigative forces to take action on Wednesday night, the night Zhao Tianhu was likely to conduct a transaction. Chu Yanxi, as the informant, was instructed to maintain open communication and cooperate with identification efforts if necessary.
All of this was within Chu Yanxi's expectations and under his guidance.
At 7 p.m., as darkness fell, Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe were granted permission to observe the area near the police perimeter checkpoint, citing their need to "familiarize themselves with the community environment and assist the police in identifying targets." They lay in wait on the third floor of an abandoned factory building opposite the auto repair shop, where they had a wide field of vision.
Time passed. The repair shop closed early, but the lights were still on inside.
At 7:50, Zhao Tianhu and a thin man came out of the rented room and went to the repair shop.
At 8:10, a silver minivan with the license plate ending in 37 drove into the back alley.
"Target spotted." Chu Yanxi whispered, her heart pounding.
At 8:25 AM, investigators disguised as passersby and mechanics had quietly taken their positions. Chu Tongyu personally directed the operation, deploying two teams: one to storm the main entrance and the other to ambush in the back alley. Qin Feng led a group to stake out Wang Caifeng's apartment building to prevent her from fleeing or transferring evidence. A net had been cast.
At 8:30, the people in the van carried bags into the repair shop.
Operation begins!
"Police! Don't move!" The sound of kicking the door and shouting suddenly rang out!
Chaos erupted inside the auto repair shop.
In the back alley, Chu Tongyu and his men lay in ambush.
Sure enough, the back door was kicked open, and Zhao Tianhu and one of his henchmen rushed out in a panic. A cold glint flashed in Zhao Tianhu's hand—a sharp dagger!
"Stop!" Chu Tongyu shouted, trying to stop them.
Desperate, Zhao Tianhu lunged at Chu Tongyu, his face contorted with rage, aiming a knife at the man closest to him! The attack was swift and vicious, aimed straight for Chu Tongyu's abdomen!
In a flash, a few words of concern inexplicably flashed through Chu Tongyu's mind.
—You will face a calamity when you turn forty; be careful.
Do not go out on the winter solstice.
—When going out, remember to protect your lower back and abdomen, and remember to wear a back brace.
Who exactly said these things to me?
Chu Tongyu had no memory of it, so why did it keep popping up inexplicably?
Because of these few words, Chu Tongyu has been particularly cautious this year. He wears a back brace every time he goes on a mission. When his colleagues ask him about it, he says that he has a bad back and needs to take care of it.
Instinctively, Chu Tongyu twisted his waist, and the dagger pierced his left side.
"bite!"
A metallic cracking sound reached my ears.
"Pfft—"
Then came the sound of tearing cloth.
Chu Tongyu's heart tightened. Taking advantage of the opponent's forward momentum, he executed a standard grappling move, twisting the wrist, hooking the arm, and thrusting the knee in one smooth motion, instantly pinning Zhao Tianhu to the ground!
With a click, the handcuffs tightened, and Zhao Tianhu was arrested.
The thin man who was with him was also quickly subdued by other criminal police officers.
"Captain Chu, you're injured!" His teammates' hearts jumped into their throats when they saw the dagger aimed at Chu Tongyu's side.
Almost simultaneously, Chu Yanxi rushed over, her face pale, and reached out to check Chu Tongyu's injuries.
Chu Tongyu was startled and hurriedly dodged, lowering his head and touching his left waist.
There was no blood on my hands.
He seemed to have thought of something, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a red brocade pouch embroidered with a golden "福" (good fortune) character. There was a hole in the pouch.
Chu Tongyu opened the brocade pouch and took out a palm-sized bronze mirror. The mirror surface was cracked, and the bronze base on the back also had deep cracks.
Lifting up his shirt again, Chu Tongyu discovered a tear in the waist protector.
After examining him for a while, Chu Tongyu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "I'm fine, not even a patch of oil has been rubbed off."
Chu Yanxi, who was standing to the side, kept trembling. When she saw him take out the bronze mirror from his pocket, unfasten his waist guard, and stand steadily without a trace of blood on his hands, her hands stopped trembling and she said in a hoarse voice, "...It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."
"That was close! That guy's ruthless!" His colleague bent down to pick up the dagger that had fallen to the ground, excitedly patting Chu Tongyu on the shoulder. "Caught red-handed! Great job!"
A large quantity of drugs and cash were found inside the auto repair shop.
Zhao Tianhu was apprehended.
Meanwhile, as planned, Qin Feng's team, who were guarding downstairs from Wang Caifeng's building, immediately revealed their identities and went upstairs to knock on the door after hearing the signal that the operation was about to begin from the direction of the auto repair shop, in preparation to control and question Wang Caifeng.
However, no one answered the door. Qin Feng acted decisively, forcing the door open. He found the room in disarray, and Wang Caifeng was nowhere to be seen, but some personal belongings and her signature old canvas bag were still there.
"They ran away? They just ran away!" Qin Feng immediately reported to Chu Tongyu via walkie-talkie and led his men to search the building and surrounding area.
Upon hearing Qin Feng's words, Chu Yanxi's heart stirred, and she whispered to Lu Zhe, "She definitely didn't go far. She heard the news and tried to hide or move. I know some of their abandoned hideouts; let's go check them out!"
Chu Yanxi was referring to several possible hiding places of Zhao Tianhu near the abandoned railway culvert, which she had seen in the case file.
Using their familiarity with the terrain and the cover of darkness, the two quickly moved towards the culvert. Sure enough, at the end of a dimly lit alley, they saw a furtive figure carrying a bulging canvas bag, preparing to slip into the culvert—it was Wang Caifeng!
"Wang Caifeng! Stop!" Chu Yanxi shouted sharply, blocking the alleyway with Lu Zhe.
Wang Caifeng was terrified and tried to force her way in, but Chu Yanxi firmly stopped her.
Wang Caifeng recognized Chu Yanxi, her face turning deathly pale: "I...I'm going back to my hometown..."
"Back to your hometown?" Chu Yanxi's gaze was icy as he swept his eyes over her bag. "Zhao Tianhu has been caught! What's in your bag? Is it the stolen goods he asked you to keep?"
Upon hearing that Zhao Tianhu had been captured, Wang Caifeng completely broke down, bursting into tears and pleading incoherently, "It's not my fault! It was Brother Tianhu who made me do it. I was just watching his things. I haven't hurt anyone. Please, please let me go!"
Looking at her weak, pitiful, and hateful appearance, and thinking that it was she who stabbed her father's spleen with a dagger on that cold winter solstice night, Chu Yanxi's anger, grief, and contempt accumulated over two lifetimes erupted like a volcano.
She could no longer restrain herself. She stepped forward, and under Wang Caifeng's horrified gaze, raised her hand and slapped her hard with all her strength and anger.
"Smack—!"
Wang Caifeng staggered and crashed into the brick wall beside her after being slapped with boundless rage. Half of her face instantly swelled up, her ears rang, and she was completely stunned.
"This slap is to make you stupid! To make you blind!" Chu Yanxi's voice trembled with extreme anger, yet every word was powerful. "Who is Zhao Tianhu? He's a drug dealer! A cancer on society! How many families has he ruined and killed?! You followed him, helping him commit crimes, keep watch, and transfer illicit funds—you are his accomplice! His executioner!"
Chu Yanxi approached Wang Caifeng, who was slumped on the ground, and looked down at her.
"What kind of spell did he cast on you? A few sweet words and a few small favors, and you can't even tell right from wrong anymore? He's letting you get involved in these deadly things, is that for your own good? Wake up, Wang Caifeng, look at yourself now, is this the future you want?"
Wang Caifeng covered her face and huddled in the corner, speechless after being bombarded with Chu Yanxi's scolding. Only tears mixed with the handprints on her face flowed down her cheeks.
The realities that had been deliberately ignored, the hidden anxieties and fears, were laid bare at this moment, leaving her utterly ashamed.
She sobbed as she wiped away her tears, “I grew up with him since I was little, and I started following him out into the world when I was only sixteen. My dad is heartless; he demanded a dowry of 100,000 yuan. Tiger said that once he made his fortune, he would take me home and marry me in style, with a three-day, three-night feast in the village. To earn money, he did everything he could. First, he worked as a laborer on construction sites, then as a kitchen helper in a restaurant. But he couldn't make any money… He said this was a quick way to make money, but we couldn't afford to get arrested by the police. We would work in different places every now and then. I didn't even dare to have children. I got pregnant three times, but I miscarried each time. I didn't want to be like this, but what could I do? I had no way out, no way out!”
Chu Yanxi, panting heavily, looked at the trembling, pitiful yet hateful woman at his feet, closed his eyes, and after a long while picked up the phone and dialed: "Officer Chu? We've caught Wang Caifeng red-handed. She's Zhao Tianhu's accomplice."
Soon, the piercing sound of police sirens grew louder as they approached.
When Chu Tongyu and Qin Feng arrived at the dimly lit alley with reinforcements, this was the scene they saw: Wang Caifeng was slumped in the corner, her face swollen, with several packets of drugs and bundles of cash scattered around her, having fallen out of her canvas bag, while Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe stood calmly to the side.
Chu Tongyu's gaze swept over the slap mark on Wang Caifeng's face, then looked at Chu Yanxi, who was calm and composed with a hint of righteousness. His eyes showed even more scrutiny and admiration.
This female community worker is not only brave, but also seems to have quite a temper.
Qin Feng had already swiftly handcuffed the stunned Wang Caifeng, picked up the evidence from the ground, and excitedly said to Chu Tongyu, "Old Chu, this woman is Zhao Tianhu's lover, she must know a lot of things, this case is a sure thing!"
Chu Tongyu nodded solemnly to Chu Yanxi, his eyes now filled with genuine gratitude: "Thank you for your hard work! We are very grateful for your assistance; you have been a great help to us. Could we leave you our contact information? We might need you to take a formal statement later."
Chu Yanxi looked at her father's face and gave him a work phone number. Then, she looked deeply at Chu Tongyu, as if she wanted to etch this moment into her heart.
"Officer, please be careful." She couldn't help but whisper a word of advice, her concern making Chu Tongyu pause slightly.
Chu Tongyu felt the instruction was a bit abrupt. Logically speaking, the two weren't that close, were they? But inexplicably, he thought of the words that kept popping into his mind, and looked at Chu Yanxi gratefully: "I will. Thank you."
Chu Yanxi didn't linger any longer. She pulled Lu Zhe around and left, disappearing into the night.
She dared not turn around, afraid that her tears would flow again.
After walking a long way until the sound of sirens gradually faded away, Chu Yanxi leaned against a cold wall, looked up, and let her tears flow freely.
This time, the tears were tears of joy, tears of exhaustion after a heavy burden had been lifted.
Lu Zhe gently put his arm around her shoulder, keeping her company silently.
Chu Yanxi, unusually vulnerable for once, said, "I did it, Lu Zhe. My dad should be alright now. That drug dealer was caught, and Wang Caifeng was arrested too. She won't have a chance to hurt my dad again!"
"Yes, you did it." Lu Zhe's voice was gentle yet firm. "You changed your father's fate."
A cool night breeze caressed his face, filling Chu Yanxi with an unprecedented sense of peace and strength.
The father's life trajectory was reversed, Xiao Bin was given a new life, Zhou Yumei regained her dignity... She and Lu Zhe seem to have left some positive marks in this time and space.
However, at this very moment when she was most excited and relaxed, that familiar, irresistible, intense dizziness surged back like a tidal wave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com