Chapter 519: Closing the Net

Time quickly came to half past six.

Originally a bit carefree, Xu Mo now became serious; time had arrived, and Xu Mo clearly knew the suspect would appear on Binjiang Bridge at half past six, so he naturally became serious as well.

Just then.

A middle-aged man with half-white hair, prominent cheekbones and brow bones, small eyes, and somewhat triangular eyes walked onto the bridge.

During the short time the police were crouching on the bridge, they hadn't seen a single suspicious person.

But now, the portion of police crouching at the bridgehead fixed their gaze on this middle-aged man who had just stepped onto the bridge.

The officers assigned to the stakeout, without exception, had rich experience; their intuition was sharp, and they could instantly distinguish a perverted killer hiding in the crowd by facial features and gaze.

Xu Mo's Criminal Capture Radar also came into play at this moment, spanning over a hundred meters and directly locking onto this middle-aged man.

He is the murderer from the homicide case twenty-four years ago!

Before Xu Mo could speak, an officer reported his discovery via the Wireless Earpiece.

"Team Leader Han, Team Leader Xu, there's a suspicious person at the three o'clock direction near the bridgehead! He matches the facial features and gaze of a perverted killer, and his age fits too—should I move in and detain him now?"

"Don't rush; making an arrest from your position isn't convenient. Let him walk forward a bit, then we'll move in together for a surer capture. Also, describe the suspect's features so other colleagues can recognize him." Han Fei said.

Xu Mo simply stayed silent; thanks to the Criminal Capture Radar, he could confirm that the middle-aged man who had just stepped onto the bridge was the killer from years ago. Han Fei was right—acting rashly now might let the man flee; it was better to let him walk a little toward the bridge's center before moving in, because then he would have no chance to escape.

"Yes! This man is about fifty years old, wearing black trousers and a dark blue short-sleeve shirt, with a bit of a beer belly, half-white hair, triangular eyes, long narrow corners of the eyes, a somewhat cold gaze, and prominent cheekbones and brow bones..."

Upon hearing this, the remaining officers had already braced themselves, ready at any moment to move in and make the arrest.

According to the description, this middle-aged man's facial features bore many similarities to the perverted killers they had encountered, and his age matched as well.

There's an eighty to ninety percent chance that the perpetrator of the homicide case twenty years ago is him!

After stepping onto the bridge, the middle-aged man walked toward the center with his hands behind his back, leisurely, as if taking a post-meal stroll here.

However, he hadn't walked far before he sensed something was off.

The man lives nearby; after dinner each day he comes to the bridge for a walk, a habit he's kept for about twenty years, so he remembers every spot on the bridge.

"How odd—why are there so many stalls on the bridge today?" the man muttered to himself.

Although it felt strange, the man didn't associate these people with the police.

After all, that incident from years ago had long passed; he had completely let down his guard and didn't even fear the police.

In his view, after so many years, even if the police discovered a corpse hidden in the bridge piers, they couldn't trace it back to him, because too much time had elapsed.

They couldn't pin it on him twenty years ago—could they possibly do so now, twenty years later?

Could a manhunt spanning twenty years possibly happen?

Walking on, the man had already reached the exact center of the bridge.

Han Fei at the crepe and fruit stall also saw him.

Upon first seeing this middle-aged man, Han Fei, relying on his excellent intuition and rich experience, almost reached the same conclusion as the officers who had initially spotted the man.

The middle-aged man strolling before them is very likely the perpetrator of the case from twenty years ago.

First, the age matches—he looks about fifty or sixty, fully meeting the primary requirement for committing the crime.

Second, his facial features are exactly those typical of a perverted killer.

Of course, not everyone with such features is necessarily a perverted killer; the gaze is the main factor.

This middle-aged man's gaze is somewhat gloomy and ferocious; just looking at it sends a chill down one's spine, which fits the profile of a killer very well.

Seeing that the man had walked into the ambush zone the police had prepared in advance, and Han Fei also deemed him highly suspicious, he promptly called for the officers to move in and make the arrest without hesitation.

"Everyone, close the net!"

In the next second, the vendors who had been selling rice noodle rolls, small toys, iced jelly, candied hawthorns, and the like on the bridge all rose to their feet; even the fortune-telling stall and the beggar with a broken bowl stood up and ran toward the center of the bridge.

The passing onlookers were all stunned, not knowing what had happened.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; soon, the nearest officers who arrived first had already surrounded the man.

"Don't move, hands on head, squat down!"

By now the man realized these people were police in disguise, and their target was him.

Yet even being surrounded by the officers, he showed no trace of panic, nor any inclination to flee.

He merely cracked his mouth open, revealing a highly perverted smile, and muttered to himself.

"I was wondering why there were so many stalls on the bridge today—turns out they're all cops, no wonder..."

The man's reason for not running was first, his age—he's old, and even if he tried, he likely couldn't outrun these strong, able-bodied officers; moreover, there were police not just behind him but on all sides, making his chances of escape even slimmer.

Second, he never intended to flee upon being apprehended.

In fact, after killing someone back then, he had been waiting for the police to come arrest him, but they never did.

"You've finally come; I've been waiting for this day a long time." The man smiled at the officers, his words carrying a hint of mockery and anticipation.

"Cut the nonsense." Han Fei produced a pair of Handcuffs and stepped forward, cuffing the man.

Seeing this, the onlookers who happened to be passing by realized that these small vendors were actually police, deliberately disguised to make the arrest.

Although they didn't know what crime the arrested man had committed, the clueless onlookers still cheered.

"Well caught!"