Chapter 446: Where to Escape

Lao Liu was stunned when he saw Mei Feng turn and leap down the dry well, and he immediately prepared to jump down after him, but was grabbed by Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao's grip was very strong, and he was yanked into a stagger: "Don't chase him! He had already calculated today. If you go down now, you will surely die."

Upon hearing Zhou Hao show such concern for his safety, Lao Liu felt very moved; his eyes grew hot, and his voice choked with emotion: "But, but what do we do now?"

Zhou Hao shook his head, "There is no other way. We can only go back to the Municipal Bureau and put on a show, pretending that Mei Feng escaped on his own."

"I will handle this matter!" Lao Liu volunteered.

Zhou Hao patted his shoulder and urged: "Lock all the doors, let's get down the mountain quickly!"

Outside the wall, He Yuzhu was startled by that shout; mainly, he couldn't understand how he had been discovered through the wall.

Hearing Zhou Hao's conversation with the other man, he realized that someone had been bluffing to create a distraction and had taken the opportunity to run away.

He immediately activated Scanning and discovered a secret passage hidden beneath the courtyard.

Rather than a secret passage, it was more like a natural cavern.

He Yuzhu did not hesitate and pursued them from above the cavern.

Mei Feng had fled in such a rush that he didn't even have any of Zhao Liang's things; he ran with heavy, uneven steps, terrified that Lao Liu would catch up.

In fact, Zhou Hao had overestimated Mei Feng; he hadn't set up anything in this tunnel at all.

If Lao Liu had chased him inside, he might not have been able to escape.

After being bumped into countless times, Mei Feng finally emerged from the other end of the cave, panting for breath.

He Yuzhu had been waiting for a long time; he struck a palm directly onto the back of Mei Feng's neck.

Mei Feng fainted immediately, and He Yuzhu neatly tucked the person into his space.

At the foot of the mountain, Tian Dan was extremely anxious seeing Zhou Hao escape, and she paced back and forth in the woods.

Lin Wanning comforted her: "Dan, He Yuzhu must have his reasons for not coming out, no need to be too anxious."

Tian Dan suddenly saw someone on the hillside turn a flashlight clockwise three times.

She ran out quickly and asked eagerly: "I saw Zhou Hao's car leave. What exactly was he doing on the mountain?"

"We'll know once we go take a look together!" He Yuzhu said.

He Yuzhu brought Tian Dan and Lin Wanning into the small courtyard by the Great Wall; because Zhou Hao had heated the kang, it was still warm inside.

In the courtyard, Lin Wanning identified their position based on the Beidou Star before walking inside: "I have seen this place in Siqiang's notebook, though he didn't mark the specific location at the time. Looking at it now, this place must have been provided by Mei Feng."

"Smart," He Yuzhu said while lighting two Candles.

The room instantly brightened, and the shadows of the three people were cast onto the dark wall, appearing somewhat eerie.

"You two must not touch anything in the room, and don't lift the lids of the cabinets either," He Yuzhu warned.

"Then how are we supposed to check the things he left behind?" Tian Dan asked, somewhat anxiously.

"Just let me do the work; you two just need to warm up!" He Yuzhu pretended to tap around the wall casually, finally stopping his hand in front of the "Year After Year of Abundance" New Year painting.

He lifted the painting paper and saw the secret compartment.

He slowly pulled out a stone.

Tian Dan watched him, feeling a bit tense.

"There are no Trick Mines here, you two can rest assured." He Yuzhu retrieved a Secret Letter from within.

Tian Dan took the letter and looked at it for a long time, discovering that the page was filled with numbers; her brows immediately furrowed.

Lin Wanning leaned over, took a look, and said: "This code isn't difficult; I can decipher it."

"About how long will it take?" Tian Dan asked.

"About six hours," Lin Wanning calculated and said.

"If I'm not mistaken, this Secret Letter is what Zhou Hao is using to frame me!" Tian Dan said with a bitter smile.

He Yuzhu laughed: "Dan, you're being quite Tianzhen today; if it weren't for you, would Zhou Hao have run out to this desolate mountain in the middle of the night?"

"Thinking about this makes my heart go cold... I really don't want to keep doing this!" Tian Dan actually shed tears.

For a moment, the room fell silent, and He Yuzhu hurriedly advised: "Dan, most people are still good; look at the bright side."

Tian Dan nodded and immediately regained her decisiveness: "Wan Ning, make a copy of the Secret Letter to take back and help me decipher it as soon as possible. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Lin Wanning hurriedly took out paper and pen to copy the Secret Letter to take back, and He Yuzhu also found a place to take a photo of it.

The three did not stay long; once Lin Wanning finished copying the letter, they headed back to the city.

When the car reached Deshengmen, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

The area in front of the city gate grew lively; breakfast stalls billowed with steam, and people wrapped in cotton-padded jackets hunched their shoulders while drinking soy milk and eating fried dough cakes.

He Yuzhu stopped the car and asked: "You two haven't slept all night, you must be hungry, right? Let's eat something before we go."

"Okay! I was almost frozen to death." Lin Wanning hunched her shoulders tightly.

He Yuzhu placed three bowls of wontons on the small table; the wonton bowls were steaming with white vapor, but none of the three ate first, instead holding the bowls to warm their frozen hands.

Tian Dan said: "After we eat, I'll send you two back, and then I'll head straight to the Municipal Bureau."

Lin Wanning reminded her: "I suspect his next step will be to send a contact Secret Letter to the Telecommunications Division, decipher 'that place,' and then bring people to find 'that Secret Letter.' The method is a bit clumsy, but it's enough to smear your name."

"I understand." Tian Dan's gaze was calm, "You two break the code as soon as possible so I know where to strike."

"Don't worry, Dan, this time we have already seized the initiative!" He Yuzhu said comfortingly.

After all, he still had a living person stored in his space, and if he wasn't mistaken, that was definitely a key figure.

Returning to the East Cross Courtyard, Lin Wanning closed the door and suddenly hugged He Yuzhu, saying: "Are you... planning to send me away?"

He Yuzhu gently patted her back and nodded: "No matter who wins or loses this time, the fact that you didn't die might be dug up. Once you are caught, we are all finished."

"But I don't want to be separated from you," Lin Wanning said.

"Hong Kong will develop very well, and I will come to see you often."

Lin Wanning said no more, only burying her face deeper, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Let's get to work first," He Yuzhu said softly, "Breaking the code is what matters."

Lin Wanning sniffled, walked to the table, and spread out paper and pen; although the corners of her eyes were still red, her expression had already become focused.

Municipal Bureau.

As soon as Tian Dan entered the door, she sensed the atmosphere was wrong. Xiao Tian hurried up to meet her and said, "Section Chief Tian, Mei Feng has escaped from prison—it was Xiao Geng who assisted."

Tian Dan sneered inwardly: she knew it was Zhou Hao's handiwork. But without evidence, there was nothing she could do.

"Section Chief Tian, Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo requests your presence," Secretary Liu said as she pushed the door open and entered.

The office of Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo was thick with smoke.

Seeing Tian Dan, he frowned so deeply a mosquito could have been crushed between his brows: "Comrade Tian Dan, a spy has actually appeared in our Municipal Bureau compound; this is outrageous! Put aside the work you have on hand for now and concentrate your efforts on investigating this case."

Tian Dan said with difficulty, "Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo, everyone in the bureau knows each other; self-investigation is not conducive to unity! I suggest... inviting an outside unit to investigate. The Dewai Police Station performed very well last time, handling such a major case cleanly and efficiently. Why not have them seconded here?"

Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo pondered for a moment, and the ash from his cigarette fell: "... That is a method. You handle the contact then."

Tian Dan returned to her office and immediately called Li Xiangxiu.

As soon as Li Xiangxiu heard this, she declined, "I can't do it, I really can't handle this job!"

Tian Dan's tone was firm: "Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo has already decided. Bring a few key members from the station over; if you handle it well... you might be able to stay at the Municipal Bureau."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. Li Xiangxiu caught the subtext and finally agreed: "... Fine, I will bring people over."

By doing this, Tian Dan wanted to pull He Yuzhu into this case. She had owed him too much lately and found it hard to even ask. If Li Xiangxiu led the investigation and asked He Yuzhu for help, then it would be Li Xiangxiu who owed him the favor...