Simulating_Crimes_C05

Chapter 5: An A-Class Fugitive with Three Lives in His Hands

The voice instantly put the three men into action.

Their gazes locked on the grassy area near the exit ahead.

Clearly, this was an update from other plainclothes officers who had spotted a suspicious individual.

A few seconds later.

In their line of sight, a tall and burly man appeared, wearing an oversized black T-shirt, multicolored beach shorts, and old, worn-out flip-flops. He had a simple, slightly messy buzz cut.

Without even glancing at the surroundings, he immediately picked up a cigarette box from the grass.

Then something unexpected happened.

The burly man opened the cigarette box, glanced inside, and stuffed it into his chest pocket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one, lit it, and took a deep drag, exhaling thick smoke. Then, he pulled out his phone, seemingly making a call.

However, his left pinky finger had been severed by a sharp object, and the wound hadn’t fully healed, showing a grotesque scar. His hand also had a large scar, still in the process of healing.

Instead of leaving immediately, the man stayed in place, smoking and making a phone call with no sign of fear or hesitation.

At the same time, the mini earpiece in their ears crackled with a low voice.

“Old Xu, how should we handle this?”

“I think we can start the net now. Both fish have shown up.”

The question of whether to net the suspects was met with silence from Xu Tian Sheng.

The bizarre behavior of this man made him furrow his brow in confusion.

Su Ming was also carefully observing from afar, his mind constantly analyzing the situation, using his vast experience in simulating crimes to pick up every detail.

This situation didn’t seem right!

Under normal circumstances, a typical drug user would fear being caught during a transaction, especially since they wouldn’t want to be caught with the drugs on them.

This man, however, was standing in place, smoking and making a phone call after receiving the drugs.

There were only three possible explanations:

1. This man might be a naive newbie who just took the drugs and hasn’t yet experienced the government’s strong anti-drug stance. However, anyone who could buy 25 grams of heroin wouldn’t be a novice!

2. This man could be a drug addict who couldn’t wait to use the drugs and decided to shoot up right there at the pickup point. But since he merely checked the purity and put the cigarette box away, that possibility didn’t hold either.

3. The third possibility was much more likely.

This man might be a hardcore fugitive, so detached from the idea of being caught that he didn’t care anymore. He might have been involved in serious crimes and now lived in constant danger. Perhaps he was simply resigned to the fact that, if caught, he would face severe punishment, and thus, he no longer feared the police.

The most important detail was that this man almost certainly had an accomplice. It was likely that this accomplice had instructed him to purchase the heroin, which explained why the man was already making a phone call.

From the injuries on his pinky and hand, it was evident that the man had been involved in a fight with a sharp weapon over ten days ago, which led to his injuries. Since he didn’t dare seek medical attention, the wounds hadn’t healed properly.

His unkempt appearance, ill-fitting clothes, and old flip-flops suggested that the man had been living in a bad situation lately. He probably didn’t even have the chance or time to take care of himself.

It was very likely that this man was a fugitive who had fled from the northeast and was now hiding in Modu!

The type of cigarette he was smoking also provided a clue. It wasn’t a local brand found in Modu, but rather a brand popular in the northeastern provinces—Changbai Mountain cigarettes!

His skilled way of smoking indicated he was a longtime smoker. And most veteran smokers always have their preferred brands, which they never change.

Based on his extensive experience from countless crime simulations, Su Ming knew that such minor habitual details could easily expose someone under pressure. The small, often unnoticed actions could give a criminal away.

From these clues, Su Ming had deduced that this burly man was likely a major fugitive who had escaped from the northeast and had committed a significant crime within the past month.

Just as Su Ming had pieced everything together in his mind, Xu Tian Sheng, still unaware of the deeper implications, finally gave up on further investigation.

He pressed his earpiece and spoke with a frown.

“Don’t wait anymore. Start the net now…”

Before he could finish, Su Ming immediately interrupted him, speaking up urgently.

“Wait!”

“I suspect this man is a fugitive from the northeast, and he likely has at least one accomplice. We should hold off on the arrest!”

This statement stunned Xu Tian Sheng for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Ah Qi, Old Lin, hold off! Don’t make a move yet!”

“Keep the man in sight. I need to verify his identity further, and then I’ll give you the signal to act!”

As he said this, he turned to Su Ming with a confused expression, eager to know how Su Ming had come to this conclusion.

Su Ming, however, wasn’t interested in explaining just yet. He turned to Wang Hu, sitting behind him, and gave a quick command.

“Huzi.”

“Check the list of wanted fugitives in the northeast from the past month and see if anyone looks like this man.”

“Focus on the facial features. His hairstyle might have changed.”

Though Wang Hu was also puzzled, years of working under Su Ming had taught him to always follow his instructions precisely.

Without hesitation, he took out his phone, logged into the police’s internal fugitive tracking system, and quickly filtered the results for wanted fugitives in the northeast over the past month.

Less than thirty seconds later, Wang Hu’s eyes widened. He compared the image on his phone to the man in front of them and gasped loudly.

“Shit! An A-class fugitive! And he’s got three lives on his hands!!!”