113: Chapter 111: Death Roll 113: Chapter 111: Death Roll The wind picked up.

The swirling sands threw the police officers, who were gathered around the pomegranate tree, pine tree, broccoli, spider plant, Diao Lan, Mimosa, and cactus smoking, into a moment of panic.

They quickly stubbed their cigarette butts into the flowerpots and looked for places to shelter from the wind.

At the entrance, Huang Qiangmin drove up.

“Sorry for the rush, there’s a meeting I need to attend,” Huang Qiangmin casually explained to the visiting officers from the provincial headquarters before striding over to Jiang Yuan.

“Captain Huang,” Jiang Yuan greeted him promptly.

“Good lad, you really did us proud, not bad at all!” Huang Qiangmin embraced Jiang Yuan, rocking him back and forth.

Wei Zhenguo and others promptly got out of the way.

This gesture, known jokingly within the detective squad as the “death roll,” was only done when he was particularly excited, and it was usually bestowed on police officers who had come through life-and-death situations.

Jiang Yuan, being rocked side to side by Huang Qiangmin, couldn’t help but smile.

One particularly endearing quality of the police force was the closeness among colleagues – much closer than in ordinary workplaces, especially among detectives.

During investigations, they ate and lived together; while transporting criminals, they squeezed into a crowded, airless Santana, forging close bonds rapidly.

Those with good relations really did have a strong bond.

Many times, these work relationships were the main motivation for working under the scorching sun, going bald from stress, and working overtime without pay.

After embracing Jiang Yuan, Huang Qiangmin let go and examined him closely.

He looked Jiang Yuan over as minutely as a boyfriend in a long-distance relationship might study his girlfriend after traveling thousands of miles by train to see her.

Seeing that his spirit and physical condition were good, and his eyes were clear – not looking like he’d been led astray by some villain outside – he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had anticipated Jiang Yuan would shine in the fingerprinting initiative, but he hadn’t expected him to dazzle quite so brightly!

Solving ten longstanding homicide cases in the fingerprinting initiative was undoubtedly a great achievement.

Unsolved murder cases are unbearably painful.

Year-old unsolved cases can sometimes be more agonizing and heartbreaking than death itself.

The number of families destroyed by such cases is far beyond ten, affecting many others deeply.

Justice might be delayed, but it won’t be absent.

That is where all hope lies.

“Well done!

Impressive!

All our officers are proud of you.

Your master has been particularly cheerful lately, even told you to eat more red eggs.”

Huang Qiangmin, like a gentle crocodile, wore a 66.6-degree smile and couldn’t resist giving Jiang Yuan another hearty slap on the back.

If only his mouth were bigger, it felt as if he would have liked to bite Jiang Yuan’s head and shake it to fully express his affection and joy.

Jiang Yuan felt even more warmth and comfort around Captain Huang.

It was part of Captain Huang’s charm.

But the arm he was slapping hurt due to his strength.

All Jiang Yuan could do was grin sheepishly.

Looking jovially at Jiang Yuan, his team’s precious gem, Huang Qiangmin then turned to the others and said, “I’m going inside to get the assignment.

You guys take a break; we’ll probably be heading out soon…

Catch up a bit.”

Seeing that Captain Wei’s Changbai Mountain cigarettes were all smoked, Jiang Yuan then pulled out his soft-pack Zhonghua cigarettes and distributed them to everyone.

Huang Qiangmin grabbed one first and said, “Alright, I’ll leave after I finish this one.”

One by one, the group pressed their Changbai Mountain cigarettes into the pomegranate tree’s pot and switched to the Zhonghua cigarettes Jiang Yuan handed them.

Going on a business trip for manual labor, as long as you don’t tuck your head into your pants, you’re at a loss if you move.

Talk, smoke, earn 180 a day, and slack off whenever possible.

That’s happiness.

Though a bit monotonous.

Huang Qiangmin entered the police station, and when he came back out, Liu Jinghui followed.

Liu was still polite to Huang Qiangmin, respecting him for lending Jiang Yuan to them, a bit like a tenant being courteous to their landlord.

So, while Director Liu showed no special favors to the head of Changyang City’s detective brigade, Huang Qiangmin, the squadron leader, received an extraordinary welcome.

And this exceptional treatment occurred in front of his colleagues from the provincial headquarters.

This gave Huang Qiangmin immense face.

As he walked out, he stood tall, with his lips curled into a 55.5-degree smile, looking very smug.

The suspect inside, Chen Fan, had already been nearly wrung dry.

He had confessed to cases involving the suspected deaths of four people, the hunting of over ten national protected wildlife species, gang rape, illegal use of firearms, illegal manufacturing of firearms, wildlife trafficking, and so forth…

Unless the murder he himself committed, for the other cases, Liu Jinghui estimated that in order to “earn a significant contribution,” Chen Fan would confess to anything.

At this point, the capture of the primary suspect was put on the schedule!

“We’ve arranged for you to go to Jingye Town,” Liu Jinghui signaled to the people around him, then pulling Jiang Yuan aside, said to Huang Qiangmin.

Huang Qiangmin drew Jiang Yuan to his side before asking, “Why go to Jingye Town?”

“There’s a hotel there which is outwardly marked as four-star, but in reality, some of the rooms and facilities are extremely luxurious; it’s the favorite place of those five old hunters.” Liu Jinghui murmured softly, “As Chen Fan confessed, every once in a while, they head to the Jingye Town Xinhong Grand Hotel to enjoy themselves.”

“Is there a fixed time?”

“It’s impossible to have a set schedule when entering and leaving the mountains.

However, each time they stay in a separate small building in the hotel, which is close to the mountain, and there could easily be side doors and the like.

Your trip over there will need to clarify the terrain and environment.”

Huang Qiangmin nodded slowly.

Liu Jinghui’s tone became more solemn, and he said, “I’m inclined towards capture outside the mountains, with Jingye Town as the first priority.

By handing this task over to you in Ningtai County, I am also taking responsibility.

You must be thorough with your work.

Those five are extremely brutal and have weapons; one cannot be too careful.”

Liu Jinghui, saying this, glanced toward Jiang Yuan.

Huang Qiangmin, without needing to say anything, immediately said, “Jiang Yuan is a technician; he hasn’t even fired two bullets and won’t be sent into the field.”

Jiang Yuan actually wanted to volunteer, having joined the police with fervor, he longed for a big battle in these peaceful times.

Opportunities like this were indeed rare.

But upon second thought, Jiang Yuan decided against it.

Although he had received some training before joining, it was truly minimal.

Compared with his colleagues who graduated from the police academy, who had at least two or three years of practice and several years of work experience, his combat ability could not be compared.

And in the face of a No.

12 hunting shotgun, a bulletproof vest could guarantee nothing.

If he insisted on volunteering, he might end up needing his colleagues to protect him.

Therefore, Jiang Yuan chose to stay silent.

Seeing this, Liu Jinghui breathed a sigh of relief; his biggest worry was that Jiang Yuan, in youthful vigor, would insist, which is why he had given the order to Huang Qiangmin.

Upon hearing Chen Fan describe the methods of murder, as well as the firearms and supplies used by the five men, Liu Jinghui immediately dismissed the idea of capturing them in the dense forest.

The risk was too great.

Even if the armed police were called in, searching was a challenge, and a successful capture would be even more so.

Looking back on forest manhunts since the founding of the country, including the famous capture of the two Wangs, even with thousands of people searching the mountains, it could take a very long time.

Compared to that, these old hunters had literally lived in the woods all their lives, part of a hunting tribe.

The mountains surrounding Mount Wulong were their home turf.

Even though the two Wangs were formidable, they were escaping in unfamiliar forests without a safe haven.

The five hunters knew Mount Wulong all too well.

The Mount Wulong range, spanning two provincial borders, is not a small hill; the main range alone stretches over a hundred kilometers, with an even larger associated area.

Just walking around the old hunting trails on the edge, Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui felt it a struggle, let alone venturing into the protected areas, which could become a prolonged endeavor.

Moreover, the firepower of these individuals was also formidable.

The 9mm pistols had a crushing advantage over the police’s classic small-caliber weapons.

Double-barreled shotguns also possessed tremendous power in urban street battles.

What Liu Jinghui was most wary of was that the five hunters had also carried Savage M110 rifles.

This rifle, standardized in the ’50s and ’60s, boasts two superior parameters: high precision and low price.

With various modified models included, over 3.4 million Savage M110 rifles have been sold globally, synonymous with good quality at low cost.

It also sold well in the country in earlier years, including models that could mount scopes.

In light of this, suggestions from the armed police were to first “drive” people away from Mount Wulong under the guise of exercises.

The protected zone deep within Mount Wulong had harsh conditions; it was suspected the hunters would not want to venture in for long unless necessary.

To avoid capture, they would likely exit the forest early and head to a hotel.

Apart from Jingye Town, they had spots in several other towns surrounding Mount Wulong, truly embodying the saying, “A cunning rabbit has three burrows.”

Liu Jinghui was currently considering their lack of timely information.

Whether it was the incident in Wen Township or the situation with Chen Fan, or the exercises of the armed police, if any insiders tipped them off, the information could easily be leaked.

But Liu Jinghui analyzed that the hunters were fringe elements of society—to that extent of evil, even cultivating the habit of killing without batting an eye, they would need a significant amount of money to smooth interactions with normal people, let alone insiders.

An expression that read ‘I’ll kill you if we disagree’ could make ordinary people cry and scare a leader to death.

“Set off early, prepare thoroughly.

Avoid confrontation and use of force if possible,” Liu Jinghui reiterated his instructions and added, “If the armed police can be dispatched, they will send support; if not, it’s all on you.”

“Understood, we guarantee to complete the mission,” Huang Qiangmin’s expression turned completely solemn; this case truly required them to risk their lives.

Jiang Yuan, standing by Captain Huang’s side, hearing the conversation, couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion, growing excited until his palms involuntarily clenched into fists.