I promised Liu Yuning I'd quit smoking, and now I probably would have lit up immediately. But no, I can't let her down.
There's no news of Du Yuting yet, so we'll have to take a break. He Xin and Yuan Hezhipersistent were not given this luxury and had to continue working overtime.
I had originally wanted Liu Yuning to come back to the police dormitory with me, but before we could leave, He Xin sent me a video call: "Dad, we've found the whereabouts of Officer Du again on the Sky Eye!"
"Alright, I'll be there immediately. Did you notify my uncle?"
"I sent him a message, he should be here soon."
I stared intently at the screen of the Sky Eye and indeed saw Du Yuting's image, though it quickly disappeared. The location was near Kang Le West Road in Fuming City, an area with many entertainment venues. If someone with Du Yuting's build were to vanish within such a place, it would be very difficult to find her.
Because Du Yuting is slender and of average height, I'm starting to understand why she would appear here. Even if she were just passing through, if she blended in, we wouldn't be able to determine her exact location.
Of course, since we saw her appear, we have to stake out the area. I had Xia Hou, Xiao Yuande, and Gao Mingqiang split into groups and set up ambushes around Kang Le West Road, guarding several important intersections. If Du Yuting's trace appeared again, they would report to us immediately.
Due to a shortage of personnel, Liu Yuning and I also had to drive to the vicinity of Kang Le West Road to stake out the area.
Our location was on the east side of the road. Others guarded different intersections. According to our deployment, if Du Yuting reappeared, she would be apprehended by our people immediately.
We began staking out on the 11th. By today, the 12th, our operation was hampered by a torrential downpour. We could only take shelter in shops or factories until the rain subsided, which was past 2 PM.
With the rain gone, we returned to our designated posts to continue the stakeout. This kind of work is also a test for police officers. Sitting in the car, I, who rarely engaged in such work, quickly grew tired and started to yawn.
Seeing my condition, Liu Yuning said with a hint of disdain, "You can't hang on for so long, huh? Back then, to apprehend a few drug lords, I once staked out near a building for several days and nights. We had to eat, drink, and relieve ourselves in the car and nearby. The male officers even used bottles for their bodily functions, you know!"
"Aren't these things ordinary police officers do? Does a captain like you often do that?"
"Of course. In fact, the criminal investigation captain is even more tiring. Many things require personal involvement, especially when dealing with hostage situations where you have to negotiate. Ordinary officers wouldn't do that."
"Uh, that's quite tough. But it fits your personality. I'm not tired, I just couldn't help yawning. I'll have some coffee!"
"No, He Sheng. I've noticed your mental state hasn't been good lately. Haven't you had rest before?"
"I did rest, but I couldn't sleep. When you encounter cases like this, you can't rest peacefully."
"That's true. Give me a cup too!"
While drinking coffee, I suddenly noticed a familiar figure passing by a club nearby. My eyesight is good, and I immediately recognized the person's build as very similar to Du Yuting's. Gao Mingqiang and Xia Hou were watching over there. I quickly pressed the radio and said, "Mingqiang, the target has appeared. You act immediately!"
Gao Mingqiang's side had no reaction at all. I was puzzled. Could he have fallen asleep? I exchanged a glance with Liu Yuning and then quickly got out of the car, rushing towards a woman.
But the distance was a bit far, and by the time we ran over, we might not make it in time.
Moreover, the road was full of pedestrians. She deliberately chose crowded places to slip into, causing us to bump into people on the road countless times. I realized this wasn't working and turned my wristband to call Xiao Doudou. There's a way to catch criminals using drones!
Xiao Doudou activated and flew towards the target. I chased behind, pushing aside many people on the road. Every time someone cursed, Liu Yuning would flash her police ID to identify herself.
As we ran, we reached a market nearby. The woman rushed in desperately, knocking over a vegetable vendor in the process. The vendor cursed at her and wanted to argue, but she forcefully pushed him away, leaped over several guardrails, and ran off.
The moment we ran over, we bypassed the vendor and headed towards a post office not far away. However, a heavy truck passed by at that moment, obscuring our vision.
After the truck passed, we looked back in the direction we came from and found that the suspicious woman had disappeared.
Damn it! I couldn't help but curse. I looked around, ran to where she had last disappeared, and observed everything. I raised my wrist and looked at the indicator on the wristband, only to find that the drone couldn't find her either.
How is this possible? Can this guy even evade drones?
Liu Yuning panted and said, "Was that person really Officer Du?"
"She looked very similar. If it wasn't her, why would she run when she saw us just now? Isn't that strange?"
"Right, but it could also be her accomplice!"
"No, this person is Officer Du. She really isn't dead!"
Since we couldn't find her for the moment, we had to continue searching, checking shops and other public places nearby.
When Gao Mingqiang walked over, I immediately got angry and tapped his head, asking, "Where the hell were you just now?"
"I had to go to the restroom. I originally asked Xiao Huang to keep watch, but who knew that guy would fall asleep in the car."
"Did you know the target appeared just now? If you guys hadn't delayed us for some time, we would have caught her long ago!"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone to the restroom!"
"This isn't your fault. It's Xiao Huang's problem. I'll have a good talk with him later."
It's useless to blame them now. We need to find her quickly. After some time, I asked the investigating officers, but they all told me the target had escaped. Liu Yuning went to find Xiao Huang without waiting for me. I think someone needs to take responsibility for this, otherwise, we won't be able to explain it if Director Zhang blames us. But I don't care about this matter.