Surveillance Arrangement

Only Zeng Ping and five others remained in the restaurant.

“Old Sun, you’re more familiar with the area around People’s Square. Tell us, how should we set up the surveillance?” Zeng Ping asked.

Sun Hao took a diagram from his bag. “This is a map of the terrain around People’s Square.”

“Impressive. With this map, the surrounding situation is clear at a glance,” Zeng Ping commented.

“Old Zeng, you’ve got more experience with these kinds of cases than I do. You take charge of arranging the police units. I have just one suggestion: the northeast corner of People’s Square has a subway entrance with heavy foot traffic. We absolutely can’t let the suspect escape into the subway, or we’ll be at a disadvantage,” Sun Hao said.

Zeng Ping nodded. “That’s an important suggestion. I think we can assign two officers to guard the subway entrance. If he runs in that direction, we’ll close in from both sides and capture him immediately.”

“Captain Zeng, if the suspect hides and hires someone else to come pick up the money, and we move in to arrest them, the real offender will definitely flee,” Han Bin remarked.

Zeng Ping pondered for a moment, his right index finger tapping the table. “In that case, as long as the money collector doesn’t head toward the subway entrance, we’ll just follow and observe before deciding whether to make the arrest.”

“If we do that, it’ll be harder to make the arrest. Do we have enough manpower?” Sun Hao asked.

“Our team still has two more members coming to support us soon. We should have enough officers. But near the payment location, we need to prepare two cars and two electric scooters, just in case,” Zeng Ping said.

“How should we assign the rest of the force?” Sun Hao asked.

“We’ve got eight officers in total. Two guard the subway entrance, and the remaining six are stationed around the north third trash bin, in teams of two, covering each other, tight inside and loose outside,” Zeng Ping replied.

The group discussed the details further. Around five in the afternoon, Zheng Kaixuan arrived at People’s Square with Chen Luyan and Xiang Shaoming.

Zheng Kaixuan was captain of Team Three. With an extortion case happening, he couldn’t sit still at the station, worried something might go wrong, so he came to oversee.

At six o’clock, Tian Li and Li Hui also arrived at People’s Square.

There were now nine officers deployed on site.

Two staked out at the subway entrance, far from the designated trash bin for the money. The others spread out around the trash bin, each in disguise.

Han Bin was positioned southwest of the trash bin, where two old men were playing chess, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Han Bin blended in, inconspicuous.

Each officer wore an earpiece. Zheng Kaixuan directed from a distance, overseeing the entire situation.

The surveillance began at six o’clock. Even before Chen Luyan delivered the ransom, Han Bin and the others were already observing for any suspicious individuals near the square.

Time ticked by. At six-fifty, following Zheng Kaixuan’s instructions, Chen Luyan arrived at People’s Square by taxi and placed the ransom—wrapped in a black bag—into the designated trash bin.

Though she knew the police were nearby, Chen Luyan was still nervous. After placing the money in the trash bin, she left by taxi.

The money was in place, and the suspect could come to collect it at any moment. The tension mounted.

Han Bin stood by the chess game, but kept his focus on the trash bin. Anyone passing near it made him extra vigilant.

Yet, all who came by were either tossing things away or just passing through.

By eight o’clock, night had fallen and the square’s lights glowed. The chess players had changed shifts, and nothing stirred near the trash bin.

Han Bin glanced at his watch and pressed his earpiece, “Captain Zheng, it’s been an hour since the scheduled payment time.”

“Don’t rush. Be patient. The suspect may be watching too,” Zheng Kaixuan replied.

“Yes, sir.”

Han Bin was lucky; with the chess crowd as cover, he didn’t need to change surveillance spots. Other officers, to avoid exposing their disguises, had to rotate locations periodically.

Unnoticed, another hour passed.

After nine, most people had left the square, the music for the group dances had stopped, and the women departed in small groups.

Only four old men remained at the chess stall, plus Han Bin, making five. If their numbers dwindled further, Han Bin would stick out.

Surveillance had started at six, and now, more than three hours later, the officers were growing restless. The earpieces buzzed more frequently.

But Zheng Kaixuan’s answer remained the same: wait.

Half an hour later, the chess players went home. Han Bin had no choice but to return to the car to continue monitoring.

The other officers followed suit, returning to their vehicles. With fewer people on the square, lingering near the trash bin would look suspicious.

Any flaw would be easy for the suspect to spot.

Just then, an elderly woman pulled a two-wheeled cart across the square, stopping at each trash bin to scavenge.

“Captain Zheng, should we stop her? If she keeps picking through the bins, she might end up taking the money,” Li Hui said.

Zheng Kaixuan thought for a moment and spoke into his earpiece, “No one is to act without my command.”

Soon, the old woman reached the third trash bin on the north side.

“Captain Zheng, if we don’t stop her now, she really might walk away with the ransom,” Tian Li couldn’t help but remind.

“You’re anxious, but the suspect is even more so. If he’s watching nearby, he won’t let anyone take his money,” Zheng Kaixuan replied.

“So Captain Zheng wants to force the suspect to reveal himself,” Li Hui said, his expression showing newfound understanding.

“Not only that. How do you know this old woman isn’t a suspect? We can disguise ourselves, and so can the perpetrator,” Zheng Kaixuan explained.

“Captain Zheng always thinks ahead,” Li Hui flattered.

But Zheng Kaixuan wasn’t a screenwriter, and the plot didn’t go as he hoped. When the old woman scavenged at the third trash bin, no one stopped her. She opened the black plastic bag, glanced inside, and quickly sealed it.

Fit and agile, she placed the bag in her little cart, looked around, and strode off briskly.

“Captain Zheng, that’s fifty thousand,” Li Hui exclaimed.

“Li Hui, Tian Li, you two pretend to be a couple and follow her.”

“Han Bin, ride the electric scooter and keep your distance.”

“Zeng Ping, drive ahead and block her path.”

“Sergeant Sun, stay here with your team. The odds are slim, but if the suspect shows up after we leave, we’ll be in trouble.”

“Yes, sir,” everyone replied.

Too many people would make tracking obvious.

Han Bin rode the electric scooter, following at a steady pace. After a day of surveillance, he hadn’t expected such a turn of events.

“When do we act, Captain Zheng?” Han Bin asked through his earpiece.

“Keep following. Let’s see where she goes and whether she meets anyone else,” Zheng Kaixuan hadn’t given up.

“Captain Zheng, this old lady moves fast. She’s already at the intersection… oh, she just ran a red light,” Zeng Ping reported.

Zheng Kaixuan gave a wry smile. “This old lady is something else.”