Chapter 500: Zhou Jie ran away

Xiao Long left my place; he wants to rely on himself to get a job, or prove his chance.

I will do my best to help him, so this kid faces fewer setbacks.

His era of growing up differs from mine.

I have grown up amidst setbacks since childhood; I fear no failure.

But Xiao Long's upbringing environment is different.

He grew up indulged by Qian Niang and Li Ming.

If he encounters even a slight setback, he becomes discouraged.

I watch Xiao Long's receding back.

I think, for a kid his age, having such awareness is not bad.

Many kids just like to sponge off their parents, hoping to succeed in society under their elders' protection.

For example, Wen Han, Zhou Jie, Wang Ge, and others.

If it weren't for their parents' success, how could they squander their lives so recklessly?

I finished the cigarette in my hand.

Then I prepared to deliver the fried dough sticks to Qiao Jie.

Right here, my phone rang.

I saw it was Ding Li's call.

I hurriedly answered.

"Zhao Ge, it's bad, Zhou Jie ran away." Ding Li's urgent voice came through the phone.

"How did he run?" I asked.

"I went out to buy breakfast; Shi Yong was watching him—who would have thought? While Shi Yong was in the toilet, he actually sneaked out the door." Ding Li said.

"This Shi Yong really messes things up.

"I'll head back to Zaocheng Lao Cheng Qu right away; you guys hurry up and make sure this guy doesn't leak out."

"Okay, Zhao Ge, I'm arranging people to look for him." Ding Li said.

I also couldn't bother delivering the fried dough sticks to Qiao Jie.

So I rushed out of the house.

I quickly started the car and drove toward Lao Cheng Qu.

How did this Zhou Jie guy manage to run away,

I originally planned to go to Lao Cheng Qu today and bring Shi Yong, Ding Li, Zhou Jie and the others back to Niushiling.

I'll see it myself before saying more.

I never expected him to run away.

If he runs away, exposing his identity will be troublesome; if Wen Han finds out, I'll be completely finished.

We must catch this kid, or the situation will blow up.

As I drove, my mind raced.

About twenty minutes later, I arrived at the residential complex where Ding Li lives.

I saw Ding Li leading people in searching everywhere for Zhou Jie.

I hurriedly got out of the car and walked toward Ding Li.

"Ding Li, have you found him?"

"No, Zhao Ge, we've searched all the nearby streets. Where did this kid go?" Ding Li said helplessly.

"Does he have any money on him?" I asked.

Ding Li shook his head,

"He has none; he's just wearing a pair of big underpants.

"Shi Yong—before, we always tied him up with rope,

"but today we forgot to tie him, and he ran away.

"This kid, it looks like his past suicide attempts were all fake."

At that moment I took out a cigarette,

"And Shi Yong—where did he go?"

"He took people and went to the long-distance bus station." Ding Li said.

"Call Shi Yong back; Zhou Jie wouldn't run to the long-distance bus station.

"He has no money, so he can't buy a ticket." I said.

"Or maybe after running downstairs he borrows money from someone?" Ding Li said.

"He speaks with an out-of-town accent.

"Borrowing money isn't easy. Ding Li, your residential complex is still some distance from the main street,

"even if he runs out to hail a taxi, it still takes time.

"From when you went out to buy breakfast until you returned and discovered he'd run away—how long did that take?" I asked.

"Less than ten minutes—I went downstairs to buy buns; Shi Yong loves buns." Ding Li said.

"Like that, from running down from your building and then using ten minutes, see how far he could go." I told Ding Li.

Ding Li then went upstairs and ran down from there.

I waited at the bun stand near the complex's entrance.

Soon Ding Li came running down,

Just after leaving the complex, less than 200 meters away, ten minutes had passed.

I called Ding Li over,

Ding Li, you buy buns at the community gate; if someone rushes out from inside the community, you will definitely notice.

Then you will discover it's Zhou Jie.

That way, he has no chance to escape.

You return to your room, discover he has escaped, and then go downstairs to chase him.

In that time period, he couldn't run far.

You will also discover him.

But you didn't discover him, and you brought people to inquire up and down the streets.

Nobody saw a running person.

That indicates a problem.

This Zhou Jie did not leave the community.

"How many exits does your community have?" I said to Ding Li, analyzing.

"Our community has only one exit. I also asked the security guards; they didn't see anyone run out." Ding Li said.

I pondered: "Is it possible that Zhou Jie never left the community? He might be hiding somewhere; we just haven't found him."

Ding Li thought a moment, then said: "Zhao Ge, our community is old, all ground-level buildings, with no above ground."

Except for residents, only storage rooms remain.

The community isn't big either; where could he hide?

Like this: you bring people to search the community's perimeter, check the base of the walls to see if anyone is hiding.

"I'll go search inside the courtyard." I said.

"Okay, Zhao Ge, big guy, follow me." Ding Li then led several people toward the community's perimeter.

Just then Shi Yong came back from the multi-vehicle station,

Seeing me,

with a mournful face he said: "Brother, I didn't find Zhou Jie. What do we do?"

I angrily said to Shi Yong: "You can't even watch a living person; what can you do? Last time Zhou Fuhai escaped, this time Zhou Jie escaped again."

"You, what can we say? In the future, watch less of that stuff; it's affecting your intelligence."

Shi Yong lowered his head,

"I haven't watched it for a long time; my phone broke, I was just going to find Hou Laoban to get a new recording."

"Alright, come with me into the courtyard to look for Zhou Jie." I then brought Shi Yong into the community's courtyard.

This community isn't big either; it has a total of six buildings.

They aren't high-rise buildings; the tallest is only six floors.

The ground floors are all storage rooms for the community owners.

Inside the community there is a small park; a few retired old men play cards in the pavilion there.

I walked around the community,

I and Shi Yong climbed every unit of each building from top to bottom,

the result: we still haven't found Zhou Jie,

"Brother, don't search like this; I'm exhausted, I can't take it, my mother is coming, I can't catch my breath." Shi Yong said, hands on his legs, panting heavily.

My body is still okay, not panting heavily, just sweating nonstop.

Damn it, where on earth did Zhou Jie run off to.

I wiped sweat with my hand.

Looking at the community's storage rooms, they are very small, without even windows,

and few are opened,

even if the opened ones contain two electric vehicles, there's no space left.

I checked the storage rooms of all six buildings again, still nothing.

Ding Li outside also messaged me; they searched outside the community and found nothing.

I puffed on a cigarette and started thinking: if Zhou Jie didn't leave the community, where could he be hiding?

Could he be hiding in someone's home? He can't pick locks, can't get in; besides, if a stranger entered a home, someone would have called the police already.

The community is very quiet; he probably wouldn't hide in someone's home.

I need to think calmly.

Looking inside the community, I saw that several sewer drainage well covers were open,

so I went over to ask the old men playing cards there,

I took out a cigarette and tossed it to those old men playing cards,

"Old sir, how did the community's sewer get opened?"

One of the old men replied: "A few days ago it rained, the sewers were full; isn't it that the property management had people pump out the sewers?"

"Otherwise, nobody could get into the community."