Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Trafficking Organization

After Zhao Shuo spoke, the group fell silent. The surroundings were perfectly still. He swallowed. ’Maybe I’m overthinking this,’ he thought. ’With an accident this big, there’s no way the nearby residents didn’t know about it.’

Zhou Tiancheng stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder. "That’s a good line of thought."

"Officer Zhou, I followed up on the lead you mentioned. I think I’ve found something suspicious!"

Another officer walked over, holding a file with the information he’d gathered.

"It’s a location on the outskirts of the city. There’s an unfinished building project there. Housing is hard to come by, so a few families ignored the warnings and moved in anyway.

And just half an hour ago, construction work started up again on that site."

Zhou Tiancheng took the file from him. ’Starting construction half an hour ago? Such a rush... it definitely looks like they’re trying to cover something up.’

"What about surveillance cameras in the area?"

The young officer scratched his head in frustration. "That’s the thing, there aren’t any. That’s what I found so strange."

Jiang Li spoke up. "May I take a look?"

Zhou Tiancheng handed the file to her. It contained photos of the area. Jiang Li examined several in a row, her mind already making comparisons.

Suddenly, Jiang Li’s gaze fixed on a corner in one of the photos. "Here... is that a bus stop sign?"

The young officer glanced where she was pointing. "One moment."

He then turned to investigate it.

Zhou Tiancheng turned to Zhao Shuo. "Zhao Shuo, take some men and go check out the situation. Keep in touch."

"Got it!" Zhao Shuo grabbed his cap, called his men, and headed out.

Zhou Tiancheng headed for the surveillance room.

Ji Qinghe went with him, bringing Jiang Li along.

"Officer Zhou, this is the surveillance footage from the outer perimeter, and this is from an aerial drone."

Jiang Li looked up at the countless screens.

"They tore up the ground in just half an hour?" Ji Qinghe frowned, glancing sideways at Jiang Li.

"Jiang Li, see anything you recognize?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Ji Qinghe winced. ’That didn’t sound right.’

Jiang Li watched intently, then she suddenly spotted a bus stop sign flashing past on one of the screens.

"There!" Jiang Li pointed at the screen.

Zhou Tiancheng stepped forward, isolated the footage, and zoomed in.

Jiang Li’s face went pale. "Yes, that’s it. A pregnant woman fell on that spot. There was a public service poster on the sign then."

But now, the poster was completely gone.

Zhou Tiancheng immediately contacted Zhao Shuo.

"I’ve asked around," Zhao Shuo’s voice came over the phone. "The construction crew here says their bosses are pushing them hard, so they have no choice. As for the previous residents, they were supposedly paid a settlement and have already left.

They claim it’s all legal and by the book."

Zhou Tiancheng snorted. "’Legal and by the book,’ my ass. Tell them to get their superiors on the line. Also, there’s a bus stop sign..."

Before Zhou Tiancheng could finish, Zhao Shuo’s roar echoed from the phone, "Stop! Didn’t I tell you to halt construction!"

Listening to the sounds of a struggle on the other end, Zhou Tiancheng felt a flicker of worry. "Zhao Shuo, secure the scene. I’m on my way with backup."

Zhou Tiancheng looked at Jiang Li. "Miss Jiang, we’ll need you to come with us."

Jiang Li nodded and got into the police car with the others.

Soon after getting in the car, Jiang Li once again found herself growing drowsy.

In her vision, she saw herself berating a fat man. "You bunch of good-for-nothings! I told you to destroy the evidence at the scene first! You dragged your feet, and now the cops are there! Utterly useless, the lot of you!"

"Boss, please, calm down. We were moving as fast as we could! Who knew the cops would show up when we were only halfway through destroying everything?

Now they won’t let us continue the work."

The woman in the vision took a deep, angry breath, snatched a cup from the table, and hurled it at the man. "Useless! A bunch of useless idiots! What about the surveillance footage?"

"The roadside surveillance footage has been wiped, but the flash drive is still with Chen Jianqiang. I’ll call him right now and tell him to destroy it immediately."

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Boss, the police are here to see you."

"Shit!"

A loud noise jolted her awake. Jiang Li’s eyes flew open, startled. A car was blocking their path, and they had nearly crashed into it.

Jiang Li shook her head to clear it. "Officer Ji."

Hearing her name, Ji Qinghe immediately looked at her. She had actually been watching Jiang Li ever since she’d fallen asleep, and she couldn’t help but take a gamble.

A gamble that everything Jiang Li had described was real. So now, hearing Jiang Li call her name, her heart filled with anticipation.

"There’s a man named Chen Jianqiang. He has evidence from the surveillance footage, and they’re about to destroy it. And there’s a fat man, he wears a thick gold chain around his neck."

Jiang Li finished, then looked at Ji Qinghe apologetically. "I’m sorry, Officer Ji. I still couldn’t see the real mastermind’s face... but he must be very rich."

"It’s okay. You’ve already done a great job." Ji Qinghe patted Jiang Li’s head comfortingly.

"Sorry, so sorry! We’ll move the car right now, right now!"

Watching the commotion outside, Ji Qinghe got out of the car and walked over. "Please show me your license and registration."

Chen Jianqiang looked at the police car and cursed inwardly. ’Dammit, what rotten luck. I was just about to head home and I run into the cops the second I step out the door.’

’Good thing I’m not the one driving.’ Chen Jianqiang glanced at the driver beside him. "Xiao Chen, show the officer your license."

Jiang Li watched the scene unfold, a thought forming in her mind. ’These people might be here to stop us from getting to the scene. What if we’re too late? What if something happens to Officer Zhao?’

"Officer Zhou."

Jiang Li called out from the car. Zhou Tiancheng walked over to her.

Jiang Li gestured for him to lean down.

Zhou Tiancheng bent down, leaning closer.

"Officer Zhou, I suspect they’re trying to stop us from getting to the scene," she whispered. "They’re trying to destroy all the evidence."

Zhou Tiancheng’s brow furrowed.

As Ji Qinghe was checking the documents, Chen Jianqiang’s phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He turned away to answer it.

A second later, his expression grew grim. He glanced back at the traffic jam of cars and people, hung up the phone, and prepared to slip away.

Jiang Li’s sharp eyes caught the movement. "Officer Zhou, that man’s trying to run!"

Hearing Jiang Li, Zhou Tiancheng turned and saw Chen Jianqiang already several paces away.

Chen Jianqiang broke into a run.

The other officers saw this and rushed forward, tackling Chen Jianqiang.

Zhou Tiancheng looked at Chen Jianqiang, his face stern and impartial. "Your ID card. Now!"

Chen Jianqiang forced a smile. "Officer, come on, who carries their ID with them all the time? Besides, I wasn’t driving. I just really have to pee, can’t a guy use the bathroom?"

’This is just my cursed luck!’

Jiang Li watched from inside the car, not daring to get out.

"Your name and ID number. Surely you remember those?"

Chen Jianqiang’s eyes darted back and forth. "My name is Cao Tiancheng. My ID number is..."

’Just try to bluff my way through it,’ he thought. ’What if it actually works?’

The search came back with no results. Zhou Tiancheng’s expression turned cold. "His behavior is suspicious. Take him in for questioning."

Chen Jianqiang started to panic. ’If they take me in and find what I’m carrying, I’m screwed!’

"Officer, Officer! I misspoke! I was a little excited tonight, had a few drinks... my head’s a little fuzzy. My name is Chen Jianqiang!"

Jiang Li shot bolt upright.