The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 77 I need a tetanus shot!

Cheng Tan did not go to that garage.

At this moment, he sat in the darkness, still shaken, waiting for someone.

An unfamiliar apartment, a sofa, in the dark.

He knew someone was coming back; he was just waiting...

An hour earlier, just as he was about to push open the vent cover, a chilling feeling, as if he were being targeted by a venomous snake, suddenly gripped him!

He had to be grateful for the thirteen bloody nightmares that allowed him to repeatedly "preview" the presence of death and develop an intuitive warning of danger.

He abruptly stopped moving, held his breath, and peered out through the gaps in the rusted iron bars.

In the shadows of the garage corner, there seemed to be a blurry outline, blending into the darkness.

There's someone there! Waiting for me to appear!

Are they police? No, police wouldn't use such stealthy methods. Are they accomplices of those shadowy figures? Or... another group?

He had no weapons, no backup, and was unfamiliar with the terrain. Charging out would be suicide.

In a flash, he made a decision—to retreat into the alley and find another way out.

The backup plan provided by Cheng Jing failed.

What worries him is that it may not be safe for Master Zhou to be there now.

However, as soon as he stepped onto the street, he felt a familiar chill on his back; he was being watched again!

It was the third car in a row of cars parked on the side of the street.

Black, no license plate.

"Thieves... they're everywhere, even more ruthless than the police..." he cursed inwardly, but before he could finish, he suddenly remembered that he was a policeman!

At least... I was wearing a police uniform! I was swaggering around the street, completely ostentatious!

Looking at the street again, this is the driving lane, and two rows of illegally parked cars have narrowed the road!

Thinking of this, Cheng Tan steeled his resolve... "I'll see if you even spare the police!"

He turned around abruptly, met the gaze fixed on him, and walked straight past it.

He walked over to the first car and knocked on the window.

The car window opened, revealing a flustered man and woman.

"Officer...please show me your driver's license!" He tried to make his salute as standard as possible.

"We...didn't do anything...we're...lawful citizens..."

"Hello, this is a no-parking zone. Please move your vehicle immediately. Otherwise..."

"Okay... let's go now!"

His gaze remained fixed on his back, causing sweat to break out on Cheng Tan's back.

He let out a breath and walked toward the second car.

"Tap tap tap..." Just as he knocked on the window of the second car, he saw that the third car finally moved.

He still raised his hand in salute, and said with a rolled "r" sound, "Hello, this is a no-parking zone. Please move your vehicle immediately. Otherwise..."

The black car without license plates reversed slightly and slowly drove away...

Out of the corner of Cheng Tan's eye, he saw the car window roll up, and inside, a square-faced man turned his head straight ahead.

The person who had been watching him finally left...

But he knew that he had to salute each and every one of the cars in that row on the street, no matter what.

Damn it... if you're going to put on an act, go all the way!

The fake policeman... the fake traffic cop... is now a homeless person with nowhere to go!

Fortunately, the driver who parked was quick-witted; he had just saluted a few times... and the road had already been cleaned spotless. He leaned against the cold, slippery cement pipe wall and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.

My fingers unconsciously slipped into my pocket and touched a small, hard object.

He paused for a moment, then took it out.

It turned out to be a police officer's ID.

Chen Ming.

……

Chen Ming's eyelids kept twitching.

"I need to go back and change my clothes!" he said, somewhat embarrassed.

He and Cheng Jing waited for a long time at Master Zhou's residence. The old master's clean and tidy place made him feel uncomfortable all over.

Cheng Tan did not come... nor did he send any news.

Just as the two got into the car, Chen Ming's walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life with an urgent call!

"Chen Ming! Chen Ming! Please respond if you hear me!"

It was the voice of a colleague who was monitoring the area near Anpingli; his tone was unusually anxious.

Chen Ming immediately pressed the call button: "This is Chen Ming, please speak!"

"Something's happened! Everyone from 403 and 402 just came out! They split up and left! Some of our people followed, but the woman called 'Sister Fang' and the old man in the Zhongshan suit got into a black sedan with the license plate covered. It was going very fast, and we lost them! Also, we just tried to get closer to the old man who opened the door in 402, and we found... there's no one inside! And... and the furnishings in the room have completely changed! It doesn't look like an elderly person has lived there for a long time at all; it looks... it looks like an empty room that's just been cleaned!"

"What?!" Chen Ming and Cheng Jing both paled at the same time.

They acted so quickly! They cleaned up so thoroughly! Why now?

"Which direction did the car we lost go?" Cheng Jing grabbed the walkie-talkie and asked.

"Heading...towards the West City Logistics Park! But there are many forks in the road there, and we lost sight of it when we reached the intersection!"

Chengxi Logistics Park.

Cheng Jing immediately recalled two relevant clues:

Jin Xiaohao mentioned in his confession that some of his "tools of the crime" were stored in an abandoned warehouse in the west of the city!

The police were following a Jeep Wrangler, and the designated driver took it to the West City Logistics Park!

Could that be a crucial meeting point?

Perhaps it's the next scene on the "stage"?

"Notify all available field personnel to keep an eye on that black sedan! Focus on investigating the West City Logistics Park and surrounding areas! But don't alert them, get a clear picture of the situation first!" Cheng Jing quickly gave the order.

"clear!"

After the call ended, the atmosphere in the car became even more tense.

"They've left," Cheng Jing said in a deep voice. "The 'stage' has been thoroughly cleaned, and the actors have left. This means... either they believe they've achieved their goal, or they've sensed danger and prematurely terminated their plan. It could also be... they're preparing to move to a new location and move on to the next step."

"What's next?" Chen Ming felt uneasy.

"I don't know." Cheng Jing shook her head. "But if our previous speculation is correct, and Liu Li isn't dead, and might even be a key actress, then she might have left with us. Or, she might have a more special mission. Jin Xiaohao has been put on the spot as a scapegoat, public opinion is being guided, and the pressure within the police force is pushing towards 'closing the case'... We don't have much time left."

Chen Ming looked at Cheng Jing, "What do we do?"

"Don't bother changing your police uniform. Go to the West City Logistics Park... Here, give it to me..." Cheng Jing held out her hand.

"What do you mean, 'give you'?" Chen Ming asked, puzzled.

"Your house key!" Cheng Jing laughed. "It's on my way... I'll go pick up your clothes for you!"

Chen Ming got out of the car, frowned, and hailed a taxi.

Cheng Jing knew Chen Ming's apartment building, of course. She quickly arrived downstairs, parked her car, and ran upstairs.

With a "click," the apartment door opened.

She saw a person sitting on the sofa in the darkness, a man.

In the darkness, the man uttered a strange sentence:

"Quick... I need a tetanus shot!"