Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 82 - 72: The Arrest

After about five or six minutes, Wei Chang’an’s sedan pulled up in front of the dormitory. He reached over, pushed open the passenger door, and called out to Chen Chuan, who was waiting on the steps, "Come on, Junior Chen. Let’s go."

Chen Chuan wasted no time, immediately descending the steps and getting straight into the car.

Wei Chang’an waited for him to buckle his seatbelt, then started the car and said, "After we brought the guy in yesterday, he confessed pretty quickly during interrogation. Scarface is hiding in the Defensive Zone."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "That place is crowded, and the population is a real mix."

The Defensive Zone was in the southwest of the city. Several surrounding counties, villages, and even people coming to Yangzhi City from other cities would pass through this district. As a result, the people coming and going were a complex mix, and it was also easy to get out of the city from there.

Wei Chang’an said, "The Patrol Bureau conducted a city-wide search before, but they focused on the Blood Mark Gang’s territory, so they never found him."

Chen Chuan said, "The Defensive Zone is close to the Iron Chain Gang’s territory. Could this be related to the Iron Chain Gang?"

Wei Chang’an said, "It’s hard to say. Scarface isn’t Moustache Chou; he’s an outsider who’s only been in Yangzhi for about a year. He doesn’t have the kind of connections Moustache Chou had all over the place. However, the Iron Chain Gang is always at odds with the Blood Mark Gang. They’ll do anything if it means causing trouble for them. But it’s also possible this has nothing to do with either gang, and someone else is helping them.

But that’s not for us to worry about. What’s important now is that we know Scarface’s whereabouts. Before, Moustache Chou was supplying Fang Dawei’s group with drugs, and Scarface was his frontman. It looks like that connection is still active. So, as long as we catch Scarface, we can use him to lock onto Fang Dawei’s crew!"

Chen Chuan asked, "Haven’t they started the arrest operation yet?"

Wei Chang’an said, "If the Patrol Bureau sent a large team to hunt him down, it would cause too much of a commotion and news could easily leak. Besides, we need to capture Scarface alive, and the Patrol Bureau isn’t suited for that kind of work. So, the Bureau has issued a commission.

Given that we were the ones who first pursued this lead and caught ’Brother Tian,’ which is how we found Scarface, the Patrol Bureau decided to give the commission to us."

Chen Chuan said, "Brother Wei, is the Patrol Bureau really that comfortable trusting us with this?"

Wei Chang’an chuckled. "We’ve been the ones tracking this from the start. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even have a lead to follow. Besides... Junior Chen, you and I are both sons of the Patrol Bureau. If the Patrol Bureau can’t trust us, who can they trust?"

Chen Chuan understood. ’That’s just how the world works. The lines between different circles are drawn sharp and clear, and outsiders are fiercely rejected. Not to mention how the Patrol Bureau sticks together, with positions now being passed down to sons and relatives. Even though he and Wei Chang’an are Wuyi Students, because they come from Patrol Bureau families and still have elders serving, they’re seen as one of their own.’

He thought for a moment, then added, "Brother Wei, you work for a contracting agency, don’t you?"

Wei Chang’an nodded. "The final assignment still comes down to the company, but the client’s opinion is also very important. Don’t worry, as far as Scarface is concerned, the job is ours for sure. The problem now is how to catch him."

Chen Chuan asked, "Do you have specific intel?"

Wei Chang’an said, "That’s what I was about to tell you. According to ’Brother Tian’s’ statement, Scarface has a few people with him." He took out several documents. "Junior Chen, take a look."

Chen Chuan took them and flipped through them one by one. After a moment of thought, he asked, "How would ’Brother Tian’ know all this? Isn’t he just a minor gang leader?"

Wei Chang’an said, "Look at the back. Yes, this page. He’s from the same hometown as Scarface’s subordinate, ’Fast Legs’ Tian Yaozu, and is also a distant relative. Both of them are locals from Yangzhi City. It’s because of this connection that he was sent to handle the deal.

’Brother Tian’ was supposed to go back and report to them this morning after yesterday’s deal. To avoid arousing suspicion, the Patrol Bureau arranged a street lockdown and search operation yesterday, and had ’Brother Tian’ send a letter over saying he’d find time to stop by before noon. Surveillance so far shows that Scarface’s crew is indeed there, and they’ve been kept in place for now.

This gives us a window of time, but it’s only from this morning until noon. We need to capture Scarface and his entire group within this short period!"

Chen Chuan said, "Judging from these files, besides two capable henchmen, Scarface has also recruited a few other men. The two of us aren’t enough. Brother Wei, have you arranged for more backup?"

Wei Chang’an smiled. "Since the company assigned this commission to me, I can naturally mobilize some of its resources. We’ll have people showing up to coordinate with us. However..."

His expression turned more serious. "You can’t predict what might happen during a mission; nothing is ever foolproof. And this is the first time I’m leading a commissioned mission like this, so there might be oversights. That’s why, Junior Chen, I’m going to put you in a position at the rear later. But don’t worry, you’ll still get your fair share of the credit."

Chen Chuan didn’t mind. ’This was his first time participating in a commissioned mission to capture an important fugitive, too. He was mainly here to learn and gain experience, not to step into the spotlight.’

The car drove southwest. Half an hour later, they arrived in the Defensive Zone.

Chen Chuan glanced out the car window. The place was roughly similar to Xigang District, with a haphazard layout of buildings, but it was much more crowded. As far as he could see, the streets were packed with people, and trishaws and pedestrians would dart out from the sides from time to time.

The car slowed down as it drove through the area, and Wei Chang’an had to honk the horn from time to time.

After inching along in stop-and-go traffic for more than twenty minutes, they finally reached the front of a department store. Wei Chang’an parked the car, motioned for Chen Chuan to get out, and then turned into a small alley.

After several twists and turns, they came to a small, red-brick building. They went up a narrow stairwell to the top floor, where Wei Chang’an knocked on the door and said, "Fourth Brother, open up."

The door was pulled open from the inside, revealing a young man with long hair. He first greeted Wei Chang’an, then looked at Chen Chuan and said with a smile, "You must be Junior Chen, right?"

Wei Chang’an introduced him to Chen Chuan. "Cai Si, he’s from Wuyi too."

Chen Chuan greeted him, "Senior Brother Cai."

Cai Si waved his hands dismissively. "No, no, don’t call me that. It makes me sound like a total amateur. Just call me ’Brother Si’."

Wei Chang’an said, "Let’s talk inside."

Cai Si ushered them both in, glanced outside, and seeing nothing unusual, finally closed the door.

Once inside, Wei Chang’an went straight to the window, looked out, and asked, "How is it?"

Cai Si walked over as well. "All quiet. Even if they suspect something’s wrong with the letter, they won’t move until they’ve found a new hideout. Besides, Old Wu and his guys are keeping an eye on them over there."

Wei Chang’an grunted in acknowledgement, then turned and pointed outside to Chen Chuan. "Junior Chen, look. It’s that building over there."

Chen Chuan looked out the window. Their building was five stories tall, a head above the other structures. However, across the street, about two hundred meters away, stood a four-story, north-south oriented building that resembled a tenement block. It just had old windows on both sides, with no balconies.

Wei Chang’an said, "According to ’Brother Tian’s’ statement, Scarface and his crew are holed up in three adjoining rooms on the east end of the fourth floor. There are residences on the east and west sides. To the northeast, which is behind the building, there’s a path, and about a few dozen meters from there is an open-air market. To the south is an empty lot."

Cai Si also explained to Chen Chuan, "Getting up there to grab them isn’t the hard part, as long as we have enough people. But we have to consider that if Scarface isn’t an idiot, he’ll have placed a lookout in one of the residences near the street entrance. If they spot a large number of unfamiliar faces approaching, they could be alerted, and then things will get difficult."

Wei Chang’an said, "Fortunately, aside from their building, ours is the tallest one around. And they’re living on the top floor. So our plan is to have our people split up, find a concealed spot to climb up, and rendezvous on the roof.

There’s a Boxing Club just two hundred meters from here. I’ll have them set off firecrackers in the empty lot to the south, create a disturbance to draw the attention of Scarface’s crew. That’s when we’ll take the opportunity to climb in through the north-side windows and make the arrest. Even if they manage to run, the people from the Boxing Club will be waiting below to coordinate. This raises our chances of success significantly."

Chen Chuan asked, "A Boxing Club? A local club like that is willing to cooperate in something like this?"

Wei Chang’an smiled. "The fugitive the Patrol Bureau is after is this close to their Boxing Club. Afterwards, the Bureau could easily find an excuse to raid them. It would be an open question whether the club could even stay in business. By asking for their cooperation, we’re actually helping them clear themselves of suspicion. They won’t refuse."

Chen Chuan mulled it over and understood what he meant. ’A Boxing Club is a local power in its own right, a force to be reckoned with. But having a group of wanted fugitives appear right under their noses? Even if they claimed to have no connection, the Patrol Bureau could still find an excuse to give them trouble. So they wouldn’t dare refuse to cooperate.’

He said, "What do you need me to do, Brother Wei?"

Wei Chang’an said, "The contracting agency sent plenty of people to support me, and they’re all professionals. So, you don’t need to participate in the direct arrest, Junior Chen. You’ll be responsible for guarding the northeast intersection leading to the market with Fourth Brother and the others. Just watch out for any fish that slip through the net."

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