Chapter 76: I Was Guarding Against a Fellow Officer

Neglecting the matter of special services means they won't dig deep into why such a custom formed here.

Precisely because of this.

They won't suspect foul play from a fellow officer.

Moreover, to handle a case here, they would first go to the local police station to understand the situation.

And have the police station officers cooperate with the investigation.

Their reach is too short; if an emergency arises, contacting the detachment would be too late.

So the police station is their first choice.

Thinking it might be a fellow officer who struck a dark hand, Yu Dazhang felt a chill run down his back.

It shouldn't be that bad... he comforted himself in his heart.

At this moment, Zhang Sen had changed into a different set of clothes; from the side, he already looked very much like an elderly man.

But he was still applying makeup in front of the mirror.

Not knowing what he had smeared on his face, his originally healthy, glowing skin tone had now dimmed.

Yu Dazhang turned his head for a glance, estimating that Zhang Sen wouldn't be finished for a while yet.

This was good; while there was still some time, he could just sort through the case details.

Along this journey, he hadn't settled his mind to analyze it carefully.

Shifting his body, Yu Dazhang changed to a more comfortable posture, leaning against the head of the bed.

He still had to start with Zhou Zizhe.

How far could a five-year-old child walk in a day and a night?

No one could say for sure, because there were too many variables.

So one could only estimate a rough figure.

First, take an adult as an example.

A normal adult's walking speed is six to eight kilometers per hour; if walking faster, it can reach ten kilometers per hour.

On this basis, halve the speed, and even then, reduce it by the minimum rate.

That is three kilometers per hour.

Considering that prolonged walking exceeds the human body's limits, especially for a five-year-old child.

So, halve it again.

At this point, it is one point five kilometers per hour.

The testimonies of the father and son had one similarity: Zhou Zizhe collapsed at the construction site entrance back then.

This indicates that Zhou Zizhe didn't rest much midway, constantly overexerting his body.

Also, the "day and a night" Zhou Zizhe mentioned was actually not twenty-four hours.

He slipped out in the middle of the night, around one o'clock in the early morning.

Then he collapsed at the entrance when work was ending at the construction site the next afternoon; that time was about six o'clock in the afternoon.

Calculated this way, his actual walking time was about seventeen hours.

Multiplying the two, twenty-five point five kilometers.

Previously, Yu Dazhang had been looking at an electronic map on his phone; he wasn't checking navigation, but measuring the straight-line distance.

There were three mountains near the industrial park.

The mountain to the west, a straight-line distance of fifty-two kilometers, was too far.

Zhou Zizhe would never walk that far even if he exhausted himself to death.

The mountain to the south, a straight-line distance of eight kilometers, was too close.

At this distance, Zhou Zizhe wouldn't have walked for seventeen hours, nor would he have collapsed.

Process of elimination.

Only the mountain adjacent to Fenglin Town fit best, with a straight-line distance of nineteen kilometers.

Accounting for detours along the way, at Zhou Zizhe's walking speed, he could have reached the industrial park.

Why measure the straight-line distance?

Very simple, because sixteen years ago, there were no roads connecting the two places.

Even the industrial park was a construction site; one could imagine what Fenglin Town looked like.

The road built later took a huge detour; otherwise, Yu Dazhang and the others wouldn't have driven for several hours to reach the town.

According to Zhou Zizhe's recollection, he kept walking in one direction.

Afraid of losing his way, he would find a landmark to serve as a target every time he walked a certain distance.

For a five-year-old child, thinking of this method already counted as having his intelligence online.

Undoubtedly, those two missing officers calculated it the same way.

Moreover, they were more meticulous, even using reverse simulation. Therefore, Yu Dazhang was now certain that those two officers must have come to Fenglin Town.

Next, the scope became much smaller; the places where they went missing were reduced to just two.

1, Fenglin Town.

2, Shoushouyingzi Village.

And Shoushouyingzi Village is a subordinate village of Fenglin Town, so the scope is even smaller.

Surely some friends are wondering again.

Since the scope has narrowed down to the town, why not call in a large force to investigate?

Where is the evidence!

All of the above is Yu Dazhang's personal deduction.

No evidence? What the hell are you talking about!

If the detectives at the local branch handled cases this way, launching police operations based purely on speculation, everything would descend into chaos.

If they found even one thing—the person or the gun—the local branch could immediately mobilize all their forces to support us.

Please... you... collect... 6... 9... book....!

You haven't found a single hair, and you're relying solely on your mouth to speak; who would believe you?

So, we still need to find evidence next, and it must be crucial evidence.

This case is too big; any single slip-up is something Yu Dazhang cannot bear.

All he can do now is try to gather evidence within the shortest possible time.

A day has passed since we set out, and the local branch is about to collapse.

If we still can't find anything, we'll have to report it to the municipal bureau.

Investigate level by level, report level by level, until it finally reaches the provincial department.

If it truly comes to that final step, everyone from the detachment up to the municipal bureau will be held accountable.

"Alright," Zhang Sen's voice rang out.

Yu Dazhang snapped out of it and looked over.

The original Zhang Sen was gone; now, besides himself, there was an old grandmother with a full head of silver hair in the room.

The old grandmother had her hair combed into a neat bun, and the wrinkles on her face were filled with the traces of time.

Even the skin on her neck and hands had been treated; at a glance, it looked like dried apple peel.

"Incredible, absolutely incredible, it really is too perfect," Yu Dazhang couldn't help but praise.

Although he had seen Zhang Sen in disguise many times before, he had never observed him this closely until today.

It was truly full of details; one could find absolutely no flaw.

After walking closer, he looked carefully again:

"Brother Sen, you're a waste of talent working as a police officer."

"Stop joking," Zhang Sen glared at him:

"Hurry up and get to the real business."

That glance left Yu Dazhang stunned; he actually saw a hint of warmth in Zhang Sen's eyes.

It was as if the old grandmother was using her gaze to intimidate her own grandson.

Amazing!

Yu Dazhang had previously worried there might be flaws, but now he felt he was truly overthinking it.

It's a sin to doubt a master!

The two discussed it; if they left the inn together, it would surely arouse suspicion in the middle-aged woman at the door.

When they entered, there were two young men; when they leave, it will be a man and a woman, one old and one young.

Such a bizarre combination would make it hard for her not to suspect.

So finally, the two decided that Yu Dazhang would leave first, and five minutes later, Zhang Sen would walk out of the room.

Even this attracted the attention of that middle-aged woman.

When did this old lady come in? I don't have the slightest impression.

And she's alone; at such an age, doesn't she have any family accompanying her?

She stared at Zhang Sen's hunched back, becoming more and more confused the longer she looked.

This is ghostly!

At the entrance of the Fenglin Town Police Station.

A fat man was slowly walking, supporting an old grandmother who leaned on a crutch with one hand.

The two walked very slowly, pausing from time to time.

The old grandmother looked somewhat strained, her complexion was not good, and she was muttering something in her mouth.

"Is this really necessary? You don't even trust a fellow officer?"

"I've said it before: no matter who we meet, regardless of their identity, we cannot fully trust them."

"That doesn't mean we have to test a fellow officer."

Yu Dazhang lowered his head; it looked like he was worried about the old grandmother Zhang Sen was portraying falling, but in reality, he was avoiding the gaze of the people around him.

He spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"The only ones who could force those two officers to reveal their identities voluntarily are probably fellow officers."

(End of this chapter)