141. Surveillance Deployment

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In the afternoon, Han Bin and Li Hui went to inspect another base station. The situation there was much the same: the equipment room had resumed normal operations, and the locks had all been replaced.

After conducting their inquiries and sending the surveillance footage they had collected to Tian Li, Han Bin and Li Hui drove back to the Yuhua Branch.

Han Bin rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, leaned back in his seat, and began taking slow drags.

“Binzi, what do you think of Big Guy?” Li Hui asked.

“He calls you Senior Brother, and on his very first day you’re already giving him a nickname?” Han Bin countered.

“‘Big Guy’ isn’t an insult. I think it suits him perfectly. It’s much better than Sun Xiaopeng. I’ve always thought I wasn’t short, but standing next to that fellow, I’m barely up to his shoulder.” Li Hui was 178 centimeters tall.

“You’ll get used to it. Children in the next generation are growing taller and taller. Some middle school students are already six feet tall,” Han Bin said.

“That’s only in isolated cases.” Li Hui curled his lip. In the eyes of many people—especially girls—six feet was a dividing line.

The two chatted idly, and time passed quickly. Before long, they arrived at the branch.

Back in the Second Team’s office, Li Hui and Tian Li were sitting in front of the computers, watching surveillance footage. Han Bin and Li Hui did not disturb them. They poured themselves two cups of tea and drank in silence.

“Having one more person really makes a difference. Before, we worked without pause. Now, at least we can take a break,” Li Hui said with a smile.

One person acts privately; two act officially.

The police regulations stipulated that when conducting investigations and collecting evidence outside the station, at least two officers had to be present, and they had to identify themselves as law-enforcement personnel.

A burst of footsteps sounded, and Zheng Kaixuan entered from outside.

“Captain Zheng,” everyone greeted him.

Zheng Kaixuan glanced around the office. “Those two old fellows, Zeng and the others, still haven’t returned?”

“They should be back soon.” Li Hui looked up at the clock.

“I have something to tell you. The injured suspect, Chen Fangzhou, has confessed to robbery and assaulting a police officer. This morning, I personally took him to identify the scene. The case is now closed,” Zheng Kaixuan said.

Chen Fangzhou had been injured by Han Bin. To avoid any conflict of interest, Zheng Kaixuan had assigned the First Team to interrogate him. Naturally, however, the Second Team still deserved the lion’s share of the credit.

Han Bin secretly let out a sigh of relief. The stone in his heart had finally fallen.

Not long afterward, Zeng Ping returned with Sun Xiaopeng. Zheng Kaixuan called Zeng Ping aside for a private conversation.

“Congratulations, Officer 577533, on solving a robbery case and a case involving illegal group gambling.”

The system notification from the police badge rang in Han Bin’s mind.

“Microexpression Analysis: Proficiency +8.”

“Merit reward: 14 points.”

“Officer 577533 faced danger without fear during the arrest, acted decisively, and dared to shoulder responsibility. By protecting his colleagues and comrades, he has earned an additional bonus package.”

“What kind of bonus package?”

Skill: Shooting Technique

Category: Handgun

Level: Advanced

Effect: Within effective range, the user can strike the target and render a suspect incapable of attacking, effectively stopping the threat.

Han Bin smiled. He was very satisfied with the reward. It was exceptionally generous, and the police badge’s generosity could be regarded as recognition of his actions in protecting his comrades.

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…

After giving a few instructions, Zheng Kaixuan left.

Tian Li and Zhao Ming were still comparing the surveillance videos.

Zeng Ping called Han Bin, Li Hui, and Sun Xiaopeng together to summarize the case.

As usual, Zeng Ping opened his notebook. “What did you find at the three base stations you inspected?”

“Those three base stations have also been repaired. The scenes were already damaged, and after going over them, we basically found no clues,” Li Hui said, spreading his hands.

“The two base stations we inspected were the same.” Zeng Ping sounded somewhat helpless.

“Captain Zeng, I’d like to look through the files from the previous cases and compare them with the conditions at the base-station scenes. Perhaps we’ll find some new clues,” Han Bin suggested.

Zeng Ping rose and walked over to the cabinet. He unlocked it with a key and took out two kraft-paper folders. He tossed one onto Han Bin’s desk and kept the other for himself.

Han Bin had looked through the files before, but at the time he had never visited the scenes, so much of the material had seemed abstract. Now that he examined the files again, they no longer felt unfamiliar.

Li Hui and Sun Xiaopeng also joined the surveillance review. With all four of them watching the footage together, their efficiency improved considerably.

Time passed minute by minute. At eight that evening, Zeng Ping set down the file in his hands, rubbed his eyes, and said, “Let’s all stop for a moment and summarize the progress of the case.”

“Ah…”

Zhao Ming stretched lazily, extending both arms overhead. “I’m exhausted.”

“I think we should keep some eye drops in the office.” Tian Li massaged the pressure points beside her eyes.

Li Hui pushed himself up by the desk, exhaled deeply, and stretched his legs.

Han Bin held his cup and brewed himself a coffee.

“Xiaopeng, how does it feel to join the Criminal Investigation Team on your first day?” Zeng Ping asked with a smile.

Sun Xiaopeng hesitated. “It feels a little different from working at the local police station.”

“How so?”

“When I was at the local station, I handled all sorts of miscellaneous duties—legal education, mediating disputes, patrols, and so on. I was busy every day, but sometimes, when I thought about it, I wasn’t even sure what I had accomplished. It’s different now. Here, I can focus entirely on solving cases. It’s tiring, but it feels fulfilling. I know exactly what I’m doing,” Sun Xiaopeng said.

“Joining the Criminal Investigation Team was the right choice. With a build like yours, it would’ve been a waste to spend every day promoting the law and mediating disputes,” Zeng Ping teased.

Han Bin smiled without saying anything and looked Sun Xiaopeng over.

Zeng Ping had brought Sun Xiaopeng along on the assignment so he could observe whether the young man was suited for criminal investigation. Judging by his expression, he seemed fairly satisfied.

“Did the four of you find anything while reviewing the surveillance?” Zeng Ping asked.

“We found some clues.” Zhao Ming took out a tablet, opened a surveillance video, and pointed at the screen. “This footage was recorded at 1:30 a.m. on September 3 near Golden Beach. A van was traveling from east to west, roughly one and a half kilometers from the stolen base station.”

“Was it heading away from the base station?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Ming answered and opened another video. “This is footage from September 5 near the stolen base station, also in the vicinity of Golden Beach. The recorded time was around 1:00 a.m. The van was approximately two kilometers from the stolen base station.”

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“Both vans are silver-gray, but the footage isn’t very clear. Can you confirm that they’re the same vehicle?” Zeng Ping pressed.

“For the footage from the early morning of September 3, we estimated the vehicle’s route based on its speed and direction. Three kilometers away, we checked a public surveillance camera and found a much clearer image. The license plate was Lu B3Q15V.”

“After that, we retrieved the public surveillance footage from September 5 within a five-kilometer radius of the base station. Based on the vehicle’s speed and route, we determined that, roughly four kilometers from the station, another public camera had captured the same B3Q15V van.”

Tian Li added, “Although we can’t prove that this vehicle appeared at the scene of the base-station theft, the same vehicle was driving near the stolen base stations during the relevant time periods. I think it’s suspicious.”

“Did you find any trace of this vehicle in the jurisdiction of Tongan Police Station or near Antique Street?” Han Bin asked.

“Not yet. We’re still searching with all our efforts.” Tian Li answered, then turned to Zeng Ping. “Captain Zeng, should we investigate the vehicle owner’s information?”

“If you ask me, once we identify the owner, we should immediately apply for a summons and bring him to the station to give a statement,” Zhao Ming said.

“Without sufficient evidence, the police can’t summon someone at will. This vehicle has repeatedly appeared near Golden Beach but never in the jurisdiction of Tongan Police Station or near Antique Street. It could simply be a coincidence.” After analyzing the situation, Zeng Ping assigned their tasks. “Han Bin, first investigate the vehicle owner’s background.”

“The rest of you continue reviewing the surveillance. If this van appeared near Tongan Police Station or Antique Street around midnight, we’ll apply for a search warrant.”

Everyone split up and got to work, staying busy until ten that night before finally leaving.

…

The following morning.

After reporting for duty, the members of the Second Team continued screening the surveillance footage.

Although the work was extremely tedious, it was currently the most reliable investigative lead.

At ten in the morning, Sun Xiaopeng suddenly sprang to his feet and said excitedly, “Captain Zeng, we found the suspect vehicle in the jurisdiction of Tongan Police Station!”

Zeng Ping hurried over. “How far was the camera from the stolen base station?”

“Less than three kilometers. The footage was recorded at two in the morning, which falls within the estimated time of the crime.” Sun Xiaopeng pointed at the screen.

Zeng Ping turned toward Han Bin. “Did you find the owner’s information?”

Han Bin took a file from his desk and placed it beneath the projector.

Name: Meng Jingdong

Sex: Male

Age: 31

Ethnicity: Han

Mobile Number: 134524XXXXX

Address: Daxi Village, Qindao City

Zeng Ping stood and issued his orders. “Tian Li, apply for a search warrant and an apprehension warrant. Everyone else, check your equipment. In five minutes, we’ll head to Daxi Village and establish surveillance.”

Wonderful Book House

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