Chapter 289: A Powder Keg About to Explode, Confirmed Infiltration in Jiahe City

Inside the Criminal Investigation Technology Section of the Yangliu Criminal Investigation Brigade in Jiahe City.

After the exhausted Chen Sheng went to rest, Lin Tian, the head of the Special Task Force, temporarily took over the coordination of all matters.

In particular, he was focused on tracking the whereabouts of the Priest and Ghost, as well as analyzing the information coming in from various checkpoints.

But now… the atmosphere had grown more tense than ever before.

All because of a phone call Ghost had just made to the Criminal Investigation Brigade.

…

At this moment.

Lin Tian turned to Xiao Li from the Criminal Investigation Technology Section, narrowing his eyes as he asked seriously, “Are you sure?”

“Someone really just called in to report that the Priest is heading to Sanhe Square?”

Xiao Li nodded without hesitation and immediately handed over his headset to Lin Tian, indicating, “Chief Lin, someone did call in and report the Priest’s whereabouts. You can listen to this recording—it was sent over by the dispatch center as soon as the call came in.”

Lin Tian took the noise-canceling headset. As the Squad Leader from the Criminal Investigation Technology Section clicked on the audio file, a deliberately disguised, low-pitched voice came through the earpiece.

“The Priest will arrive at Sanhe Square soon…”

No preamble, no follow-up.

Just this one brief sentence, yet it was enough to send a chill through everyone present.

Or rather… it wasn’t just the content of the call that was alarming—the fact that it mentioned the Priest by name was even more unsettling.

Given the massive influence of this drug trafficking organization, the police had been keeping all information strictly confidential until the case was resolved. They certainly wouldn’t leak anything to the public, let alone ask civilians to risk themselves by helping track down fugitives.

So this call clearly hadn’t come from anyone within the police.

Which made the caller’s identity all the more mysterious. Who could possibly know about the Priest, and even be aware of his upcoming movements?

As Lin Tian’s mind raced through countless possibilities, Su Ming, who had just been woken up by Xiao Bai, walked over while putting on his jacket. He asked with a hint of confusion, “Chief Lin, Xiao Bai just woke me up. Said someone called the dispatcher to report the Priest’s next destination? What’s the situation?”

Seeing Su Ming arrive, Lin Tian, who had been deep in thought, took off the noise-canceling headset and handed it to him.

“Xiao Ming, have a listen.”

“This call came in about two minutes ago to the Yangliu Criminal Investigation Brigade’s dispatch center. The caller said just one sentence, then hung up.”

“But that one sentence… carries a lot of weight.”

As Lin Tian explained, Su Ming listened to the distorted voice in the recording. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but rather than confusion or surprise, his thoughts remained sharp and focused. He quickly determined their next steps.

He swept his gaze over the officers from the Criminal Investigation Technology Section and issued a firm order.

“First, trace the origin of that call.”

“Once you’ve got it, pull surveillance footage from the area and find the person who made the call. Apprehend and detain them immediately.”

“Whoever made that call, the fact that they know the Priest’s codename and that we’re actively pursuing him already tells us a lot.”

“Show me the layout of Sanhe Square. I need to assess the situation in more detail.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Li, seated in front of Su Ming, began searching in earnest. He quickly pulled up a simplified map of Sanhe Square and turned to report.

“Team Leader Su, this is the general layout of Sanhe Square. Please take a look.”

Su Ming gave a small nod and turned his attention to the map.

With just a glance, Su Ming—an experienced criminal investigator—immediately recognized that Sanhe Square was an ideal location for a sniper execution.

The square, resembling an outlet-style plaza, was extremely open and fully exposed in the center. On both sides stood tall buildings, perfect for sniper concealment.

For a sniper, this was the most comfortable, straightforward, and effective place to kill.

From hundreds or even thousands of meters away, a target could be eliminated with ease, and there would still be opportunities to escape and vanish afterward.

In that instant, Su Ming understood why the Criminal Investigation Brigade had received such a sudden call. He turned to the others and explained:

“If I’m not mistaken, that anonymous report was made by Ghost.”

Ghost?

Su Ming’s deduction clearly caught everyone off guard.

But a moment later, he continued without wasting time, eyes narrowing slightly.

“It’s very likely Ghost.”

“I’d already had my suspicions. Something about the call felt off. Now that I’ve seen the layout of the square, I’m even more certain.”

“My guess is, Ghost has realized that K intends to eliminate him.”

“He knows full well that the secret Lan Cai’er holds is a fatal weakness for K’s drug trafficking organization.”

“Before the police got involved, K might have tolerated Ghost because of so-called internal trust. After all, Ghost is a highly capable operative with excellent skills in assassination.”

“But now… with the organization essentially falling apart, Ghost—who knows about Lan Cai’er’s lead—has become the top target for execution.”

“Knowing how cautious Ghost is, he must have figured this out.”

“And think about it—aside from members of the drug trafficking organization, who else could possibly know the Priest’s codename?”

“At this point, there are barely any members of the organization left. Who would risk tipping us off, especially when Babu, Plague, and the Captain are all still trying to stay hidden?”

“The fire hasn’t reached them yet. They’re probably too busy running for their lives to risk exposing themselves by contacting us.”

“As for why Ghost would report the Priest to us, it’s likely to stir up chaos and divert some of our attention toward the Priest, buying himself time to escape.”

“A true self-serving survivor doesn’t care about whether they’re seeking help from the police or not.”

“And besides, take a look at this…”

At this point, Su Ming paused and pointed at the simplified map of Sanhe Square, speaking with absolute certainty.

“Based on this layout, it’s clear that this is an ideal location for a sniper execution. Long-range sniping is undoubtedly the Priest’s specialty.”

“So unless we’re completely off track, the Priest has already slipped past our checkpoints and is now hiding somewhere in Jiahe City, waiting to deliver a fatal shot to Ghost…”