Chapter 187: Discovery of the Butcher’s Tracks, The Tightening Net

After confirming the arrest location, the Xiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team quickly sprang into action once again, making various arrangements for nearby police officers to be on alert while also preventing the butcher from fleeing.

However, more importantly… it was crucial to avoid the butcher taking any civilians as hostages.

These extreme criminals, who had dozens of lives on their hands, were very likely to do anything in a desperate situation.

Thus, during the arrest operation, ensuring the safety of the public’s lives and property was equally important.

…

Several private cars drove out of the parking lot of the Xiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team.

Although it was six in the morning and most people were still in bed, necessary caution and secrecy were required.

There were still many elderly people out for morning exercise.

Additionally, some were catching buses or high-speed trains to the Modu City for work, so the roads at dawn were not lacking in people eager to see the action.

In the front car, Liu Yang, familiar with the roads of Gusu, was sitting in the driver’s seat, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel, heading toward the older Shimao Jincheng Community.

Although he was middle-aged now and his energy wasn’t what it used to be, with noticeable dark circles under his eyes, Liu Yang didn’t seem too fatigued at this moment. In fact, there was even a hint of excitement in his demeanor. It wasn’t just because they might capture the butcher, but also because he had rediscovered the passion he had when he first joined the force.

Since becoming the head of the Xiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team, purely solving cases through criminal investigation had become difficult to achieve further progress.

Liu Yang had shifted his focus from criminal investigation to politics.

This was evident from his increasingly rounded face, growing belly, declining physical fitness, and the fact that his criminal investigation knowledge was becoming more outdated.

But now… whether it was due to the pure brilliance he had been infected with, the potential merits from cracking this massive drug trafficking case, or simply rekindling his youthful resolve when he joined the force, Liu Yang was still filled with excitement, even though his body was showing signs of fatigue.

At this moment, Liu Yang pressed down on the gas pedal, glancing briefly at Su Ming, who was sitting in the passenger seat, closing his eyes to rest and adjust himself.

He then turned to look at An Quan in the back seat, who was reviewing surveillance footage on his laptop. Liu Yang asked calmly, “Officer An, have you found anything?”

“Through the surveillance along the nearby roads of Shimao Jincheng, have you seen any sign of the butcher entering the community?”

“Honestly, after eliminating the possibilities that the butcher is hiding in places like hotels, internet cafes, or bathhouses, and considering the need to store his killing tools, in my view, as Su team leader said, the butcher is most likely hiding in the house that was bought specifically to monitor Fat Cat’s family.”

“But I still feel… I’m not at ease until I see him enter the community with my own eyes.”

It was clear that due to several previous failed attempts, Liu Yang had become somewhat lacking in confidence, worried that this time might turn out to be another wasted effort. He feared that K, who enjoyed spying, might have already detected the operation and alerted the butcher, enabling him to escape Gusu by exploiting the time difference.

If the butcher was compared to a fish, Gusu was a tightening fishing net.

As long as the butcher was still hiding in Gusu, with the net tightening, he would soon have nowhere to escape and would eventually be caught.

However, if the butcher managed to escape from Gusu, it would be like finding a gap in the net, easily slipping out of the trapped area and returning to the deep sea.

Capturing him again in the future would undoubtedly be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

After hearing Liu Yang’s question, An Quan, who was sitting in the back seat, didn’t look up. His eyes were still glued to the laptop screen as his hands continued typing on the keyboard. He shook his head and responded, “Not yet.”

“Shimao Jincheng is an old community from 20 years ago, and the security measures are outdated. Even the security guards are just retired uncles from the community.”

“Additionally, most of the residents in the community are elderly people like Fat Cat’s parents who have frugal habits, so it’s unlikely they would spend money installing surveillance cameras.”

“Now, we can only rely on nearby roads or other official surveillance systems to check if…”

At this point, An Quan suddenly stopped speaking, halting his typing. He adjusted his glasses with his right hand and focused intently on the screen.

Two seconds later, he handed the laptop to Su Ming in the front seat and said seriously, “Xiao Ming, you should take a look. Could this fleeting figure be the butcher?”

“This is the most likely suspect I found in the surveillance footage from a state-owned bank across from Shimao Jincheng. I saw him passing by in the footage, and in other surveillance on the nearby roads, I couldn’t find him.”

“This is the most suspicious footage, and the person seems to be intentionally avoiding the cameras, which doesn’t seem normal.”

Upon hearing this, Su Ming opened his eyes immediately, took the laptop, and played the video that An Quan had quickly captured.

In the high-definition surveillance footage, it was clear to see…

At the top-right corner of the frame, there was a tall man dressed in a black mountaineering jacket, with a waterproof leather mountaineering backpack on his back.

This tall man was walking very quickly, and because he was at the edge of the frame, his appearance was brief—only about three seconds.

But these short three seconds spoke volumes.

The black mountaineering jacket was great for concealing one’s tracks, and even if he were coming down from Xishan at dawn, the outfit wouldn’t attract much attention.

After all, if he encountered a passerby, a mountaineering jacket would be much more inconspicuous than a suit or a raincoat.

People might wonder why someone is wearing a suit to climb a mountain, but wouldn’t question why someone is in mountaineering gear coming down from the mountain.

Additionally, the backpack was made of leather, specifically designed to prevent blood from leaking out and exposing his killings.

But the most important thing was…

The tall man in the surveillance video was walking incredibly fast, far too quickly for someone who had just finished a mountain climb.

If we imagine him as the butcher, then the reason for his speed is easily explained.

The butcher had likely been hiding on the mountain, waiting for orders to carry out executions, so the long interval between going up and coming down meant he hadn’t exerted much energy.

Moreover, with the knowledge that Gusu police were actively hunting for him, his nervousness and urgency made his fast pace quite normal.

After reviewing the brief footage, Su Ming put the pieces together in his mind, noting that the time shown on the video was 3 AM, which matched up with the timeline when the poison was likely being executed.

An Quan had also specifically mentioned that, aside from the surveillance footage from the bank’s entrance, no other surveillance cameras on nearby roads had captured this tall man.

It was clear that he was consciously avoiding the cameras, not wanting anyone to discover his whereabouts.

If only one detail matched the butcher, it might be considered a coincidence. But now, with so many details matching up, it undoubtedly meant… this tall man was the butcher everyone was searching for!

Returning the laptop to An Quan, Su Ming narrowed his eyes and gazed firmly at the road ahead, speaking with unwavering confidence.

“Director Liu, speed up.”

“The fish… should be starting to struggle in the net!”