Chapter 276: I'll Be Waiting for You Where We First Began

Yu Dazhang smiled and asked in a relaxed tone:

"Han Lianwu?"

"That's me." The man answered crisply:

"Just as I thought—you've been waiting for me to call you."

Although he had long suspected it, hearing it confirmed from the other end still stirred some excitement in Yu Dazhang.

After chasing this suspect for so long, today they were finally face to face.

"That's right, I've been waiting for you."

Yu Dazhang admitted it openly, neither wary nor hesitant because of their different positions.

"I have to thank you." The other party was equally straightforward:

"Thank you for clearing the names of those who were wrongfully accused, thank you for healing my brother's psychological trauma, and thank you for not telling my mother about me."

Three thanks in a row.

Han Lianwu's tone was calm and sincere, not the least bit affected, more like he was grateful to a good friend.

"What you mentioned is all part of my job, not something I did for you."

Yu Dazhang replied lightly:

"So you don't need to thank me."

That was the truth—everything he did came from the heart, and had nothing to do with Han Lianwu.

"Let's meet." Han Lianwu said calmly:

"No matter what, you did help me—let me repay you one last time."

His voice carried no particular emotion, yet at this moment it somehow felt genuinely sincere.

With a hint of anticipation, and a touch of release.

Hearing this, Yu Dazhang froze for a moment, then his heart skipped a beat.

"Does it have to be this way?" he asked.

Han Lianwu's meaning was clear—he wanted to repay Yu Dazhang before dying.

Put plainly, he had already decided to end his life.

Otherwise he wouldn't have added the word "last"—it was information that slipped out unconsciously.

"You should know everything about my situation by now." Han Lianwu countered:

"Do you think I have any other choice?"

Yu Dazhang was at a loss for words.

For someone whose days were numbered, any words of comfort were futile.

Besides, Han Lianwu didn't need that kind of comfort.

Yu Dazhang had once had Ye Zhiyu run a psychological profile on him.

The conclusion: this was a man of strong opinions, with his own firm principles and beliefs.

Once he set his mind on something, he would stubbornly see it through to the end—even if it meant his head cracked open and his body shattered, he would never turn back.

"Give me the address, I'll come find you."

Yu Dazhang said no more—at this point, he didn't expect Han Lianwu to pull back from the brink.

Since the other party had asked to meet, naturally he couldn't refuse.

"Come alone?" Han Lianwu asked.

"I can't promise that." Yu Dazhang replied honestly:

"You came out of the disciplinary forces too, you should know this isn't the time to play lone hero."

He knew what it would mean if he went alone.

Subduing the criminal and rescuing the hostage—the credit and honors would all fall on him alone.

But for some reason, he just felt it was wrong, very wrong.

Although Yu Dazhang hadn't solved many cases, every one he had was a major one—only this time, he didn't want to take the top credit.

"Understood." Han Lianwu's voice suddenly softened:

"But I'd like to talk to you face to face before I go, just a few minutes—consider it seeing me off."

In the eyes of the police, Han Lianwu could absolutely be called a hardened criminal.

Meeting someone so brutal, so calculating, and with such high military素养 was hardly wise.

But if he refused again, Han Lianwu might very well hang up and disappear forever.

If that really happened, it would be a major dereliction of duty on Yu Dazhang's part.

"I agree."

Yu Dazhang had no choice but to compromise:

"Tell me the location, I'll come see you right now."

Danger wasn't really an issue—Yu Dazhang was confident Han Lianwu had no reason to kill him.

In fact, up to now in the case, Han Lianwu hadn't taken a single life.

Besides, Yu Dazhang wasn't that easy to kill. So many foreign mercenaries hadn't so much as scratched him before, let alone a Han Lianwu.

As far as was known, Han Lianwu had no gun and no explosives.

His method had always been close-quarters combat.

And close-quarters combat was what Yu Dazhang feared least—when it came to reaction speed, everyone else was a lightweight in his eyes.

Not to mention he still had his service pistol.

"I'll be waiting for you where we first began."

Han Lianwu didn't give the address directly, but took a roundabout way:

"You must know where it is. Come on, I'll be waiting for you."

After saying that, he hung up the phone directly.

Listening to the busy tone coming from the phone, Yu Dazhang's head was full of question marks.

The place where it all began?

We're not even close, and we've never even met. How would I know what you're talking about?

!

Besides, I asked you to give me an address, so why are you playing riddles?

Yu Dazhang was in no mood to play guessing games with him, so he quickly called back.

But the phone prompt tone sounded — the other side had powered off.

No need to guess — this phone card would never be used again.

"Aren't you afraid I won't be able to figure it out?" Yu Dazhang muttered through gritted teeth.

He immediately reported the situation to the provincial bureau, and also reported the phone number Han Lianwu had used.

A phone number alone cannot be used to track down the other party's specific location.

But through some special means and techniques, such as base station positioning, a rough location can be obtained to a certain extent.

This isn't Songhai — when out on the road, one must be extra careful.

So the proper procedures must be followed, and no one can be allowed to find any handle against us.

Han Lianwu's not giving the location directly was also a consideration on his part.

If he had said it, Yu Dazhang would definitely have reported it, and then there'd be no need for the two to meet — the police could just act directly.

But this kind of ambiguous riddle had no need to be reported.

Reporting problems up the chain was already a major taboo within the system.

What the leaders want to hear are investigation results. If you just toss the problem upstairs, then what's the point of having a task force?

"The place where it all began…"

Yu Dazhang sat on the bed, muttering this phrase over and over.

He and Han Lianwu had had no prior contact, so this place had nothing to do with him.

Narrow the scope.

Those who could be connected to this place were none other than the perpetrator and the victim, and both had once appeared at this place.

The very beginning — that is, going back to the start…

I know where he is… Yu Dazhang's eyes lit up.

The rental apartment where Han Lianwen met his misfortune back then!

"Where you committed the evil, there you shall atone." Yu Dazhang murmured:

"Only that place fits best."

He glanced at the time on his phone.

7:10 p. m.

It was already November, and it had long been dark outside.

After calling Ma Jian and Liu Miao over, Yu Dazhang also gave Captain Xu a call and told him his guess.

That's right — it was just a guess.

This address was deduced by him through the riddle; to confirm it, further investigation was needed.

And the main job of the task force was to investigate the case.

Enough people… Yu Dazhang estimated in his mind.

With his side plus Captain Xu's people, there were more than ten armed criminal police — more than enough to surround and capture one Han Lianwu.

With this, no one could find any fault.

He ran through it again in his mind — no matter how he looked at it, there was no issue of acting on his own authority.

So Yu Dazhang made up his mind and waved his hand at Ma Jian and the others.

"Move out."

(End of this chapter)