Chapter 464: This Pit They Must Jump Into

"Dig a pit?"

Li Mingzhao didn't understand what he meant and looked at him in confusion:

"You mean, we set a trap?"

Yu Dazhang nodded, the smile on his face growing thicker.

"Look at that checkpoint."

He pointed at a roadblock set up in the middle of the road down the mountain and said:

"No matter where the other side comes from, they'll definitely avoid that checkpoint, because once the people inside the checkpoint spot them, the test area's side will react immediately."

Everyone, including Li Mingzhao, was full of question marks after hearing his words.

Isn't that just stating the obvious.

The checkpoint's purpose is to warn and intercept—if you don't avoid it, are you supposed to crash into it on purpose?

Seeing everyone staring at him, Yu Dazhang smiled and went on:

"If the other side wants to go up the mountain, they'll definitely go around that checkpoint, or at least get out of the guards' line of sight."

"What if we set up a few more checkpoints like that? How would the other side respond?"

At these words, everyone showed thoughtful expressions.

Soon, one team member answered:

"The other side will still look for a chance to go up the mountain. They'll search for weak links between the checkpoints, then sneak in when the opportunity arises."

Actually, this was plain as day—the other side definitely wouldn't give up their covert reconnaissance just because of a small obstacle like this.

The reason was simple.

If the test area slipped out of their surveillance, once the researchers successfully relocated, all their previous efforts and investments would come to nothing.

So, no matter what, they wouldn't give up surveillance of the test area.

Another team member immediately chimed in:

"Actually, this kind of checkpoint can only serve as a warning. If it really comes to a firefight, the other side would break through the line very easily—it's just that doing so would also expose them."

Yu Dazhang listened quietly.

At the same time, he was calculating in his head.

From these two people's words, he could confirm two things:

1. Certainty.

No matter what difficulties our side sets up, the other side will definitely find ways to keep sneaking in.

2. Avoiding the sharp edge.

Regarding the checkpoints set up, the other side won't launch an active attack; they'll only think of ways to go around.

After all, their goal isn't to attack, but to monitor covertly.

In that case, then there's no problem… A confident smile appeared on Yu Dazhang's face as he spoke again:

"If, among the additional checkpoints, we deliberately leave loopholes, let them slip through…"

Before he could finish, several team members shouted in unison:

"I get it!"

Excitement was written all over their faces, and one of them said quickly:

"Leave an opening, let the other side come in, then we set up an ambush in advance—that way we can catch them every single time!"

Yu Dazhang's line of thinking was actually very simple.

Since setting up defenses on the mountain won't work, then set up a few more checkpoints on the outer perimeter.

This was equivalent to compressing the other side's operating range down to a controllable area.

Then leave two or three not-too-obvious loopholes. Given the other side's professional training and experience, they would definitely spot and exploit them.

Next, all they had to do was quietly wait for the other side to walk right into the net.

This fatty is pretty devious.

At this moment, the way everyone looked at Yu Dazhang had completely changed.

This move looked simple, but it was currently the most direct and effective method.

And the other side had almost no other choice—they could only obediently walk into the trap this fatty had designed in advance.

If the other side didn't choose to breach the checkpoints, then they wouldn't be able to continue their surveillance.

This immediately put the other side in a dilemma.

Everyone present was a seasoned professional with real combat experience, so they knew very well that using this fatty's method, they would shift from being on the defensive to being on the offensive. "Anything else?"

At this point Li Mingzhao was getting excited too, his earlier frustration swept clean away. He stared at Yu Dazhang and asked:

"Is there anything else we need to watch out for?"

He asked this in a tone of seeking instruction.

Clearly, he had already placed Yu Dazhang on the same level as himself.

"The loopholes can't be left too obvious."

Yu Dazhang said, deliberating:

"And there have to be at least two or more loopholes left—that's the only way to make the enemy feel there's an opportunity to exploit."

Then he emphasized:

"There's one more very important point: absolutely no information about this can be leaked to the Armed Police side. We have to let them treat these checkpoints as real defensive lines and guard them as such."

"Don't let them know the trick—only this way can the plan be carried out smoothly."

If you're going to put on a show, do it all the way.

He only hoped the State Security side wouldn't act too poorly in their performance.

As for how to set up an ambush and make arrests, the State Security side had far more experience than him, so Yu Dazhang didn't need to worry about it at all.

There was no time to lose.

After coming down the mountain, Li Mingzhao immediately found the leaders on the Armed Police side and began making arrangements.

Yu Dazhang, on the other hand, went to the mess hall to eat dinner.

Whether it was setting up checkpoints or staking out an ambush, he couldn't be of any help.

In his view, this kind of hands-on, rough-and-tumble work didn't suit him either.

After eating and drinking his fill, he got another portion of food and brought it over to Ye Lin.

Inside the hospital room.

"Eat slowly."

Yu Dazhang watched Ye Lin wolf down her food, and for some reason, he found himself missing Qu Tuotuo a little.

He didn't know whether she had eaten or not.

"Force of habit."

Ye Lin swallowed the food in her mouth and smiled at him:

"In a relatively relaxed environment, I just can't help eating big bites. It's a habit I picked up in the army, and I still haven't shaken it."

Binge eating isn't exactly a good habit... Yu Dazhang frowned, watched her finish her meal, then stood up and tidied up her leftover food box.

After sitting back down, he said with a solemn expression:

"There's still something I want to ask you."

Seeing how dead serious he looked, Ye Lin sat up straight as well:

"Go ahead."

Yu Dazhang took a deep breath, let his gaze linger on her injured arm for a few seconds, then asked:

"In the encounter in the grove four days ago, how did you spot the other side?"

After everything that had happened today, he was increasingly convinced there was something odd about that grove.

Three points in a line.

It was there in the grove that he had spotted Wang Ze, and right behind him was the test zone.

In other words, the very spot where Wang Ze had been lying offered a clear view of both the test zone and the grove.

Yu Dazhang didn't think that was any coincidence.

Mountains all around — what were the odds he'd just happen to be lying directly opposite the grove?

There was no record of this in the statement materials either.

Which meant the State Security interrogators hadn't asked, and Wang Ze hadn't brought it up on his own.

He had no authority to direct State Security's interrogation, so he could only come to Ye Lin first to get the picture.

"At first we got an emergency alert saying a person acting suspiciously had been spotted over by the grove."

Ye Lin recalled as she spoke:

"When we got there, the guy was still around, but from the look of him he seemed to be trying to pull out, and we ended up cutting him off."

"Just as we were about to take him into custody, a group of people suddenly came charging up from the foot of the mountain."

(End of chapter)