Chapter 72: Capture
After waiting for around six minutes, Wei Changan’s Discoverer arrived at the dorm. When he saw Chen Chuan waiting on the steps, he opened the front passenger door. “Come on, let’s go.”
Chen Chuan did not waste time asking questions. He walked down the steps without hesitation and got into the car.
Wei Changan waited for him to fasten the seatbelt before driving off. “The constables brought those gang members in for questioning yesterday, and they spilled the beans right away. Scar Face is hiding in the Checkpoint District.”
“That place is chaotic and full of all kinds of people,” Chen Chuan mentioned.
The Checkpoint District was located on the southwestern side of the city. It was next to a few counties, villages, and small towns. Anyone heading into Yangzhi City from the southwestern side had to pass through it, which was why there was a complicated mix of people there. It was also easy to get out of the city through that place.
“The Constabulary searched the entire city before this, but they placed their focus on the Blood Scars Gang’s territory. That’s why they never found him,” Wei Changan said.
“The Checkpoint District is near the Chain Links Gang’s territory. Do you think they’re connected to this?” Chen Chuan asked.
“Can’t say. Scar Face isn’t Qiu Huzi. He’s from outside the city and has only been in Yangzhi City for a year. While Qiu Huzi has connections everywhere, Scar Face doesn’t. But the Chain Links Gang is often fighting with the Blood Scars Gang, so as long as they can cause trouble for the Blood Scars Gang, they might just do it. Then again, they could also not be connected to this. Someone else could be helping Scar Face.
“That’s not our concern, though. What’s important right now is that we know where Scar Face is. Qiu Huzi always sent Scar Face to liaise with Fang Dawei and his group while he was supplying medicine to them. Our trail hasn’t run cold. If we catch Scar Face, we can find where Fang Dawei and his gang are through him!”
“No one has gone to arrest him yet?” Chen Chuan asked.
“If the Constabulary sends the constables out to hunt him down, they would cause a huge fuss, and word about them trying to arrest Scar Face will leak. Besides, we need to capture Scar Face alive. It isn’t convenient for the Constabulary to do this, which is why they issued a mission.
“Since we captured Qiu Huzi, tried to locate Scar Face before this, and captured Brother Tian, who led us to Scar Face, the Constabulary decided to give us this mission.”
“Is the Constabulary really that confident that we’ll be able to capture Scar Face?” Chen Chuan asked.
Wei Changan smiled. “We’ve been on this case for a while, and we’re the ones who provided the leads. Without us, the Constabulary wouldn’t have a single clue as to where Scar Face is. Besides, we’re both related to constables. Who else is the Constabulary supposed to trust if not us?”
Chen Chuan understood exactly what was going on. This was how the world worked. Each social circle kept to itself and was highly averse to outsiders. The Constabulary was very united, so much so that they allowed the constables to pass down their positions to their children and relatives. Even if both him and Wei Changan were technically not members of the Constabulary and were instead Martial Valor University students, they were related to constables, so they were considered to be part of the Constabulary.
“Changan, don’t you belong to an agent company?” he asked.
Wei Changan nodded. “Even though the company decides what sort of missions you get to take, the client’s will is also important. Don’t worry, at the very least, when it comes to Scar Face, we’re bound to get it. The question right now is how we’re going to capture him.”
“Do you have any details about him?” Chen Chuan asked.
“I was just going to tell you that. Based on what Brother Tian said, Scar Face has a few people with him. Take a look.” He handed over a few papers.
Chen Chuan took them and started looking through them. After some thinking, he asked, “How did Brother Tian learn about this? Isn’t he just the leader of a small gang?”
“Check the next page, yes, that one. Brother Tian’s distant relative is Swift Leg Tian Yaozu, who’s Scar Face’s underling. Both of them are Yangzhi City locals. That connection is the reason Brother Tian was sent to do this trade.
“Brother Tian was supposed to go back and report this morning after doing the trade. In order to not arouse suspicion, the Constabulary locked down the street and arranged a fake sweep yesterday. They also had Brother Tian send a letter that he will meet up with them before noon today. Based on the people monitoring the situation, Scar Face and his gang have yet to move, so for the time being, we have them in place.
“So, we have some time, but only until noon. We need to arrest Scar Face and his entire gang within this short amount of time!”
“Based on the information, Scar Face has always had two strong helpers with him and recently recruited a few more people. The two of us won’t be enough to take them all down. Have you gotten other help too?” Chen Chuan asked.
“Since the company gave me the mission, I could naturally mobilize some of its agents. They will join us later, but no one knows what will happen during the mission. We can’t guarantee that everything will go according to plan. This is also the first time I’m leading an operation, so some oversights are inevitable. That’s why I’m going to station you at the back later. Don’t worry, though. You’ll be recognized as one of the main contributors to the success of the mission.”
Chen Chuan did not mind it. This was the first time he was involved in a mission to arrest an important convict. So, he came into it with the mindset of learning and gathering experience. He was not actually thinking about standing out.
Wei Changan drove southwest and reached the Checkpoint District half an hour later.
Chen Chuan looked outside and saw that this place was more or less the same as the West Post District. The layout of the buildings was a mess, but the Checkpoint District had an even higher population. The streets were filled with people. Occasionally, trishaws and passersby even spilled onto the road.
Wei Changan slowed down and sometimes pressed the honk.
The Discoverer rolled forward slowly for around twenty minutes before they reached a department store. Wei Changan parked his car there and told Chen Chuan to go out. Then, they went into an alley.
After some turns, they arrived in front of a red-brick building. They walked up the narrow staircase to the top floor. Wei Changan went to a door and knocked on it. “Open up, Fourth.”
A long-haired young man opened the door and greeted Wei Changan before turning to Chen Chuan. “You must be Chen Chuan,” he said with a smile.
Wei Changan introduced them. “He is Cai Si, also from Martial Valor University.”
“Hello, Cai Si,” Chen Chuan greeted him.
Cai Si waved his hand repeatedly in refusal. “Please don’t. That actually sounds way too close to chussy. Just call me your fourth brother.”
“Let’s talk inside,” Wei Changan said.
Cai Si let the two of them in before checking the area outside. Once he made sure that there was no suspicious movement, he shut the door.
Wei Changan went straight to the window and looked outside. “How are things?”
Cai Si walked over as well. “It’s been quiet. Even if they suspect that there’s something wrong with the letter, they won’t change locations until they find a new place to set up a base. Lao Wu and the others are keeping an eye on them from the other side.”
Wei Changan hummed in acknowledgement before pointing outside. “Take a look, Chen Chuan. It’s that building.”
Chen Chuan looked outside. They were on the fifth floor, and the other buildings were lower than theirs. About two hundred meters down the street stood a four-story, tube-style apartment building oriented north to south. The apartment had old windows on either side and no balconies.
“According to Brother Tian, Scar Face and his gang are holed up in three connected apartment units on the fourth floor, near the east end. The eastern and western wings both have residents. The rear of the apartment building faces northeast, where you can see a path. There’s an open-air market not far from there, while the south is empty,” Wei Changan said.
Cai Si offered some words as well. “Arresting the gang won’t be hard. As long as we have enough manpower, it can be done, but we took into consideration that if Scar Face has any semblance of a brain, he would have installed a scout among the residents living near the entrance of the street. If many unfamiliar faces show up, he might be alerted. Then, things will get harder.”
“Fortunately, aside from that building, this is the tallest building nearby. They also live on the top floor, so we intend to split up and climb up from their blind spot. Then, we’ll meet up on the roof.
“There’s a martial arts school two hundred meters from here. My people will set off fireworks in the empty space in the south and make noise to attract Scar Face and his gang’s attention. Then, we’ll break in through the north-facing windows and arrest them. Even if they manage to escape, the people from the martial arts school will block them off. Our chances of success are quite high.”
“The martial arts school is willing to work with us on this case?” Chen Chuan asked.
Wei Changan smiled. “Since the criminals wanted by the Constabulary have a base so close to the martial arts school, the constables might just find an excuse to do a sweep later. Then, it'll be up in the air whether the martial arts school will still be able to continue running. Helping us will free the school from suspicion, so they can’t say no.”
Chen Chuan understood what he meant. Martial arts schools were dominant presences in their areas and were forces of power in their own right. With Scar Face and his gang setting up so close to them, they had a group of criminals living under their noses. Even if they told everyone that they had nothing to do with them, the Constabulary could make their lives hell for it.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
“The agent company sent quite a number of people, and they’re all professionals. You don’t have to participate in the arrest itself. You should keep watch over the entrance to the open-air market with Fourth and his group to prevent anyone from slipping out.”