Free Web NovelChapter 218: Chapter 185: Fu Qingzhu
"Oh," Zhuge Zhijie took a seat very perceptively.
Yang Xiao wanted to cry but had no tears; Zhuge Zhijie was such a bookworm with limbs that weren’t very coordinated, and his combat ability was roughly equal to that of a chicken. Taking him along was like planning to laugh an Evil Cultivator to death.
Fortunately, under the pressure of Director Nalan, the entire investigation team was mobilized. Da Xiong, Beibei, and Xi Menxiu disguised themselves as customers and entered the coffee house to support Team Leader Yang Xiao. As for Zhuge Zhijie, he followed Director Nalan’s side as a reserve force.
Besides the members of the investigation team, Director Nalan also extracted a portion of the elite forces from within the Patrol Defense Bureau’s internal security department to participate in the action.
To prevent any leaks, except for a few members of the investigation team, no one knew the content of the mission until they set off.
"Yang Xiao, I’m going to teach you some response tactics. Your mission is to stabilize Fu Qingzhu and then try to get information out of him," Nalan Shuo handed Yang Xiao a piece of paper filled with common and unobtrusive lines of talk, showing the Patrol Defense Bureau had plenty of experience in this area.
"Carry a handbag and try to fill it with as many items as possible. After sitting down, place the bag in an appropriate location, which can help divert the opponent’s attention," he continued.
"Of course, the bag contains only useless items; the real weapons you carry on your person."
"Refuse to consume any drinks to avoid being poisoned, and consider bringing your own insulated mug. Inside, put goji berries, which any man would understand," he added.
"Receive a text message midway, act very urgent, and ask if the other party is free later and if they could give you a ride. If successful, you might get information about how they came, whether by car, and if so, try to confirm where it’s parked. The technical department can then go and install a tracker, and use the parking spot as a center point to search for any hidden accomplices nearby," Nalan Shuo advised.
...
While Yang Xiao was still familiarizing himself with the procedure, Beibei, Da Xiong, and the others had already started their operation. They took the elevator to the Patrol Defense Bureau’s underground parking garage, the elevator doors opened, and a familiar figure appeared before them.
"Yu Shu, sister?" Xi Menxiu was quite surprised.
Beibei frowned and quickly stepped out of the elevator, "You should be recuperating at home, what are you doing here?"
"You have a mission. Take me with you; I can be of help," Yu Shu lifted up a clipboard with writing on it, demonstrating her readiness by swiftly drawing a gun with one hand, pointing the muzzle downward, kicking up the heel of her shoe to chamber a round, and then, in a smooth motion, reholstering the weapon at her waist.
"How did you know we have a mission?" Da Xiong was more concerned about this than anything else, since there shouldn’t be such a slip in the Patrol Defense Bureau’s secrecy.
"I saw in the group chat that ’the Team Leader has returned,’ but when I called you guys, your phones were turned off, and when I called the Director, he wasn’t in his office either. You must be having a meeting, so I figured the Team Leader ran into trouble in his nightmare," typed Yu Shu at a rapid pace.
Whether to add someone to the team wasn’t for Beibei and the others to decide, so they reported it to Director Nalan, and he responded that she would act as the second echelon, staying close behind him.
After getting into disguise, Beibei and the others split up and went to the agreed-upon location, Sixi Road, Yin Zhe Coffee House.
At 9:45 a.m., the taxi carrying Yang Xiao stopped at the closest intersection to the coffee house. The driver turned to look at Yang Xiao, "The dagger is in the left pocket of your windbreaker; the holster for the pistol has been modified according to your requirements. It’s just a light pull to draw it out."
The driver lowered his voice, "The Director asked me to give you a message: if things really come down to a fight, don’t have any reservations because we’re not cops."
"I understand." Grabbing his handbag, Yang Xiao opened the door and got out of the taxi.
Yang Xiao, wearing a change of clothes, entered the coffee shop. It was a workday, and not long after the coffee shop had opened, but business was already decent with nearly ten customers scattered around.
Yang Xiao didn’t rush to take a seat, but instead scanned his surroundings. Fu Qingzhu had not yet arrived. Sitting by the window, there was a woman dressed in a white blouse and a gray skirt. She wore elegant rimless glasses, one hand propping up her chin, the other operating a mouse, with a laptop on the table in front of her, a slice of red velvet cake served on a white porcelain plate, and a cup of coffee beside it.
Yang Xiao sighed internally; if he hadn’t known this woman’s true colors, he would have mistaken her for some elite career woman, a white-collar worker. Beibei’s acting skills were no poorer than his own.
Da Xiong was seated very close to the door, with a yellow climbing backpack placed on the chair beside him. He was busy fiddling with a camera in his hands. The table was covered with a cloth, on which several camera lenses of different lengths were neatly arranged—truly resembling a tech geek, a photography enthusiast.
It must be said, this matched his persona well.
Ximenxiu was even more natural in his role, wearing a floral shirt and slim trousers, his hair combed to perfection. The thick gold chain around his neck was nearly as thick as a small finger, and he deliberately showed off the belt buckle with a large gold-colored logo on it.
Ximenxiu sat not far from the bar, shamelessly sharing a table with a young girl, and it was unclear what he had said to keep her giggling behind her hands.
Of course, Yang Xiao didn’t just focus on these three; he gave every customer a glance as if showering them with equal attention.
Such vigilance was normal for anyone.
"Yang Xiao, find a seat first, third row by the window," Nalan Shuo’s voice came through the tiny earpiece hidden in his ear. "The person you are waiting for has arrived."
Knowing that Nalan Shuo was monitoring him, Yang Xiao followed the instructions and took a seat by the window, casually placing his handbag on the seat next to him. He was now very close to Beibei, who, as a close combat expert, could provide timely support in case of an emergency.
Ring ring ring...
The wind chimes hanging on the doorknob jingled clearly as Fu Qingzhu, now in a gray casual outfit, finally arrived. Unlike Yang Xiao, he scanned the room quickly before heading straight toward Yang Xiao with a warm and inviting smile. "Chu, sorry to have kept you waiting!"
To Yang Xiao’s slight surprise, Fu Qingzhu also had a handbag with him, and it was bulging.
"Be alert, this person didn’t observe his surroundings upon entering. He has no reason to be so careless; there must be someone inside the café tipping him off," Nalan Shuo’s voice came through the earpiece again. "Steady him first, we’re identifying his people."
Putting down his walkie-talkie, Director Nalan, who stood by the window of a tall building nearby, was observing the situation inside the coffee shop through electronic binoculars.
Lying on the ground to his left was Yu Shu, prone on a thin mat, operating a sniper rifle and intently aiming through the scope at Fu Qingzhu’s head.
Due to her position, her shooting angle was far from ideal. In front of her, a glass was cut with a circular hole, through which the wind blew incessantly, tugging at the stray hairs on her forehead.
"Director, the analysis result is out," Behind him on an office desk, Zhuge Zhijie’s fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard. "We’ve hacked into the café’s surveillance and from the angles, it can be seen that several people are sitting in partial blind spots of the camera, likely intentional. These individuals are our prime suspects."
Zhuge Zhijie enlarged the image, pointing out a messy-haired man to Director Nalan, "This man, no matter who enters, always takes a look, but he didn’t raise his head when Fu Qingzhu came in."
"And this woman, see her movements – clearly trained. She came in with a backpack that’s now out of camera view, likely hidden under the table," Zhuge Zhijie hit the keys, replaying the footage of the woman entering the café. Indeed, she had a tennis bag on her back.
"Judging by its shape, it’s most likely carrying something like a knife. I’ve assigned Ximen to keep an eye on her, and now they’re even discussing whose surname their future children should take," this woman was the one sitting across from Ximen, covering her mouth with laughter.
"First, confirm the identities of these people," Director Nalan ordered. freewebnoveℓ.com
"No use, the quality of the café’s surveillance is too poor and these individuals have obviously avoided the cameras. We can’t produce a scan of their faces," Zhuge Zhijie continued working diligently. "Before, to avoid alerting them, we didn’t install surveillance in the vicinity of the café. I’m now looking for a way to tap into the nearby surveillance cameras, but this will take some time."
