Chapter 697: Old Men Are Shrewd, Old Ghosts Are Clever

Is it still timely to investigate internet cafes now?

If we're only checking black internet cafes, there's plenty of time.

Because black internet cafes are far fewer in number than small inns.

Usually, once an area has one internet cafe, no second one will appear within several kilometers.

Of course, exceptions exist near universities.

Moreover, compared to inns, internet cafes rarely cluster together.

"I'll arrange it immediately."

Hua Team knew time was critical; after speaking, he hung up the phone.

After putting down the phone, Yu Dazhang continued pondering his conversation with Hua Team.

At present, black internet cafes are the most likely place Zhang Jiangke chose to spend the night, but there's still a chance we're wrong.

If we don't catch him, what's the next step?

Next, Zhang Jiangke will do everything possible to flee back to old Burma…

Before Yu Dazhang could think further, sleepiness hit him again; his head tilted sideways and he fell asleep once more.

When he opened his eyes again, daylight had come.

He picked up his phone and checked the time.

7:10 a. m.

Slept enough.

After getting up and washing up, he walked back to the bed, about to put on his clothes, when his phone suddenly rang.

It was Hua Team again.

"We found him."

Hua Team's voice was hurried but steady:

"We found Zhang Jiangke in a black internet cafe in Qingpu District…"

Upon hearing they'd found the man, Yu Dazhang immediately perked up and asked urgently:

"Did you catch him?"

It wasn't surprising he was so excited—this was a major breakthrough.

Zhang Jiangke plays a pivotal role in this entire case; capturing him would mean securing the most critical lead.

"We didn't catch him."

Hua Team's voice carried a hint of frustration:

"To avoid leaking information, I arranged simultaneous operations in two districts, but in the end, we still couldn't locate Zhang Jiangke."

Here, he changed tack:

"However, two detectives from Qingpu District made an important discovery in one of the internet cafes under their jurisdiction."

"They showed Zhang Jiangke's photo to people in the cafe, and one young man online said he'd seen Zhang Jiangke and even spoken with him."

Hua Team's tone grew slightly lighter:

"The two detectives then reviewed the cafe's surveillance footage and saw Zhang Jiangke lying on a small sofa at the back of the cafe, apparently planning to spend the night there."

His voice gradually grew quieter:

"But at 11 p. m. last night, Zhang Jiangke suddenly received a phone call, then left the cafe and never returned."

It was clear Hua Team was in a foul mood, his tone laced with anger and disappointment.

If we'd started investigating black internet cafes from the beginning, we'd have caught Zhang Jiangke long ago.

But he had no grounds to complain—after all, deducing Zhang Jiangke was in Qingpu District was no ordinary feat.

Besides, when they initially focused on small inns, he hadn't seen anything wrong with that either.

"Send me the surveillance video of Zhang Jiangke taking the call," Yu Dazhang ordered.

Hua Team paused, then confirmed:

"Just the part where he answered the phone?"

"Yes," Yu Dazhang replied:

"I only need that segment. Send the full surveillance footage to Xu Team later."

He didn't believe this was luck.

Qingpu District's investigation began at 10 p. m., and Zhang Jiangke received the call at 11 p. m. —clearly, someone was tipping him off.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have left immediately after the call and never returned.

Yu Dazhang had thought Zhang Jiangke was a seasoned fox, but he hadn't expected him to be this cunning.

He not only hid in a black internet cafe, but also anticipated the police would search small inns.

"Got it," Hua Team replied:

"I'll extract the surveillance footage now."

After ending the call, Yu Dazhang drove to Xicheng City Bureau.