Chapter 2: Former Partners

Feng Ziqi left Hu Xiao's office, feeling somewhat dejected. As a police officer, he was well aware that Xiao Gang's escape had changed the nature of the situation. It was likely that a wanted notice would be issued soon, and his former partner, the former deputy captain of the narcotics team, would become a fugitive.

Fan Cheng immediately saw that Feng Ziqi was lying. Why would Feng Ziqi lie to him? Where is he going? Is he going to meet Xiao Gang?

Hexi is located in the urban-rural fringe of the bridge city. In the last century, Hexi was quite lively; at that time, the Jianjiang Fertilizer Plant had not yet closed down and employed more than 20,000 workers and their families

Feng Ziqi then sat down, and Hu Xiao tossed him a cigarette, lighting one for himself as well

Xiao Gang had originally stood up, but upon seeing this text message, he collapsed onto the bed. How could it be possible that he had shot Du Hongze last night! If he had not discovered that there was one bullet missing from the gun, he would have certainly thought this was just a joke, but now he could not think that way.

Xiao Gang was aware of the grievances between him, Huang Xiaolan, and Du Hongze. Back in the day, when Xiao Gang and Huang Xiaolan, a couple, were preparing to discuss marriage, Huang Xiaolan suddenly proposed to break up with Xiao Gang. Shortly thereafter, news broke that Huang Xiaolan had married Du Hongze. This incident dealt a significant blow to Xiao Gang; he could not believe that Huang Xiaolan was a woman who craved vanity and was certain that Du Hongze must have used some despicable means against her

He was once a partner of Xiao Gang, and he is confident that no one understands Xiao Gang better than he does. He believes that Xiao Gang could not possibly be the murderer

After speaking, Ling Li forcefully pushed the door open, aiming the gun ahead. He soon realized that there was no one in the entire room.

Hu Xiaozheng was tidying up the desk and looked up at Feng Ziqi: "Sit."

Xiao Gang looked around; he was in a room he had been to once before, the very place where his unreliable informant resided. It was here that he had been attacked last night m.hetushu .com .com

The faint smell of gunpowder at the muzzle made Xiao Gang acutely aware that this gun had been tampered with and had been fired.

He glanced at it; the sender was Aunt Peng. The content of the message was: "Xiao Feng, can you help Auntie change the gas cylinder?"

Fortunately, the gun is still here; if that person had taken the gun away, the consequences would have been severe

Xiao Gang lit a cigarette, slightly furrowing his brow. Aunt Peng looked at him and asked, "Gangzi, do you have something on your mind?"

Ling Li glanced at him and said, "Now is not the time for impulsive actions; he has a gun, so everyone should be cautious!" After saying this, he dialed Xiao Gang's number and heard the ringing of the mobile phone

However, later the factory closed down, and most of the employees and their families moved away from Hexi, leaving behind mostly elderly individuals

Xiao Gang opened his eyes, feeling a slight pain in his head. He raised his hand to rub it, only to realize that he was still holding a gun in his hand

Xiao Gang pressed his lips together and said: "Auntie, I estimate that I won't be able to visit you for a long time. Please take good care of yourself."

The car headed towards Aunt Peng's house, and after Xiao Gang smoked another cigarette, he finally went downstairs and walked towards Aunt Peng's home

Feng Ziqi opened the door of the Volkswagen Tiguan, and a voice came from behind: "Xiao Feng, where are you going?"

After getting drunk one time, Xiao Gang went to confront and injured Du Hongze. Fortunately, Huang Xiaolan persuaded Du Hongze, which prevented the matter from escalating. However, the bureau still took internal measures against Xiao Gang, and he was demoted from the captain of the first criminal police team.

Xiao Gang coldly said: "You can leave however you wish, it won't cost you any money"

Ling Li pushed him away: "What are you causing trouble for? Rest assured, he will not shoot at me."

"Hello, Ling Li, is there something you need to discuss with me at this late hour?" Xiao Gang made an effort to calm his emotions

Feng Ziqi merely held the cigarette in his hand without rushing to light it: "Hu Da, you are our leader. How can you remain calm after such an incident? Lao Xiao is your deputy; you should know him best. You ought to speak up for him!"

Aunt Peng is one of them, childless and without any offspring, her partner having passed away several years ago

I took out my phone and glanced at it; it was turned off

Ling Li did not speak, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart: "Wei Dong, have the transportation department retrieve the surveillance footage from the main roads; he shouldn't have gone far."

Not long after Xiao Gang left, two police cars drove into Spicy Alley

During a drug enforcement operation, Aunt Peng provided them with considerable assistance. Later, whenever Xiao Gang and Feng Ziqi had matters to attend to, they often visited her to help with some tasks. However, Feng Ziqi clearly remembered that in October of last year, Xiao Gang had paid to install natural gas for Aunt Peng, eliminating the need to replace any gas cylinders. In Feng Ziqi's view, Aunt Peng's text message carried a deeper meaning; if he was not mistaken, Xiao Gang should currently be at Aunt Peng's home. However, Feng Ziqi clearly remembered that in October of last year, Xiao Gang had paid to install natural gas for Aunt Peng, eliminating the need to replace any gas cylinders. In Feng Ziqi's view, Aunt Peng's text message carried a deeper meaning; if he was not mistaken, Xiao Gang should currently be at Aunt Peng's home.

Feng Ziqi let out a sigh of relief; he was very afraid that Fan Cheng would dig deeper. In that case, he was unsure whether he could handle it. He was well aware that he was not a good liar, and if Fan Cheng asked a few more questions, he might inadvertently reveal his true self.

Xiao Gang stood up and said to Aunt Peng: "Aunt, I am going out to buy a pack of cigarettes. If Ziqi arrives, please have him wait for me for a moment"

A sudden shiver jolted Xiao Gang awake

Xiao Gang knew that his partner was a principled and serious person, and it was possible that he would bring others along to apprehend him, the suspect in this crime

Feng Ziqi directly barged into the office of the head of the Anti-Drug Team, Hu Xiao

Fan Cheng mentally drew several question marks, yet there was no hint of expression on his face: "Oh, then go ahead."

After running out of Spicy Alley in one breath, Xiao Gang stopped. What should he do next? Returning to the office is definitely not an option, as he cannot explain himself at all. However, if he just runs away like this, he would truly be in a situation where even jumping into the Yellow River would not cleanse his name.

After leaving Aunt Peng's house, Xiao Gang walked to the entrance of the community. Noticing that there were hardly any people around, he quickly made his way into a nearby building. Most of the residents in the building had already moved out. Xiao Gang entered an empty room on the second floor, where he could observe the main gate of the community through the window. If Feng Ziqi really brought someone here, he would have to find a way to leave this place first.

He shook his head vigorously, certain that he had done nothing at all, yet this text message could not have come out of nowhere

Watching Feng Ziqi's car leave the municipal bureau, Fan Cheng squinted his eyes and took out his phone to make a call

Xiao Gang did not deliberate for long before making a decision. In fact, just as he hung up the phone and left it in that room, he had subconsciously made a choice. He was determined to get to the bottom of the matter and prove his innocence

He gestured in sign language for his companions to get ready, while he also took out his pistol. Taking a deep breath, just as he was about to push the door open, Xing Weidong stopped him: "Ling, let me do it."

Feng Ziqi arrived at the team early in the morning and heard about last night's events. He was surprised to learn that the criminal police team had already gone to apprehend Xiao Gang

He glanced over, noticing that those calls were all from people in the bureau, including those from the narcotics team and the criminal police team. Then he looked at the text messages, and one message from an unknown number left him stunned.

At that moment, Feng Ziqi's phone rang with a text message notification

Aunt Peng urged him to sit down: "Xiao Xiao, I know you all are busy with work, so there is no need to come see me specifically. Even though Auntie is nearly eighty, I am still quite strong."

A white Volkswagen Tiguan drove into the community, and Xiao Gang recognized it as Feng Ziqi's car. There were no police cars following behind, and Xiao Gang breathed a sigh of relief. However, he did not dare to be careless, as he was unsure whether there was only Feng Ziqi in the car.

But he also knows that once he chooses this path, it means he may fall from being a drug enforcement officer to becoming a wanted criminal, and with a gun in his hand and a book, the police will certainly make every effort to capture him

One bullet is missing

Oh, there are some matters at home, I need to go back for a while

Hu Da

"Ling Dui, is it really necessary to do this?" Xing Weidong asked softly

Hu Xiao stopped her work, casually threw the documents onto the table, sat down, and pointed to the chair opposite her, saying, "Sit down and speak."

Ling Dui, look!" Xing Weidong pointed at the phone on the bed: "It is Xiao Gang's phone.

Ling Li on the opposite side seems a bit agitated: "Xiao Gang, where are you now?"

There was no response, and Ling Li called out again: "If you are unwilling to come out, then we will come in."

Xiao Gang, last night you shot Du Hongze at Rain Flower Lake Tianfu Huayuan, and the police are searching for you everywhere

The taxi driver glanced at Xiao Gang and said, "Wouldn't it be faster to take the outer ring?"

Xiao Gang now fully understands that he has been set up by someone

Everyone gathered by the door in the middle, and Ling Li called out: "Xiao Gang, this is Ling Li, come out, let's have a good talk"

Hu Xiao looked at Feng Ziqi, who was in a state of shock. He knew that Feng Ziqi had partnered with Xiao Gang for the longest time, and there was a deep bond between them. He stood up, walked around the desk, and approached Feng Ziqi, patting him on the shoulder: "Old Feng, I know you have a very good relationship with Old Xiao. If he contacts you, you must report it immediately. At this time, you absolutely cannot be confused."

Feng Ziqi was taken aback; he did not expect things to turn out this way

Feng Ziqi did not sit down, placing both hands on the desk: "Hu Da, Old Xiao could not have committed murder"

Xiao Gang furrowed his brows, hesitated for a moment, then hung up the phone directly. He stood up and ran towards the door, stopping at the entrance to throw his phone onto the bed. He could now be certain that what was stated in that text message was true; at the very least, Du Hongze had been shot dead, and the bullet that killed him had been fired from his own gun.

The rain has stopped, and the sky has brightened.

He must have been attacked by someone last night. Who was the person that attacked him, and why did they do it?

They stopped in front of the two-story building, and Ling Li, along with Xing Weidong and seven or eight fully armed special police officers, got out of the car. The two of them formed pairs to guard the entrances of the three rooms on the first floor.

Hu Xiao sighed: "Old Feng, can you please not be so agitated? Do you think I am not anxious? I was called to the bureau early this morning by Director Tan, who said that the criminal investigation department has already grasped some clues, and Old Xiao indeed has a significant suspicion. I just received news that Ling Li managed to locate him through Old Xiao's mobile phone, but it turned out to be a false lead. Prior to this, Old Xiao had returned a call to Ling Li, but he only said one sentence before hanging up. Old Feng, Old Xiao abandoned his phone and ran away. Regardless of whether he is the murderer or not, his actions have put us in a very passive position."

He was preparing to put the gun away when he caught a faint whiff of gunpowder, causing his heart to skip a beat. He quickly removed the magazine and ejected the bullets, then took one last look at the chamber, leaving him completely stunned

After this, Xiao Gang seemed to have become a different person, remaining silent and taciturn all day, only knowing how to work tirelessly. It was not only in the bureau, but even in the anti-drug team, the only person who could have a proper conversation with him was his partner, Feng Ziqi.

"Silly child, how can an old widow like me eat and use all this food and these items you bought?" Aunt Peng said with a loving smile as she looked at Xiao Gang

This is a trap

He glanced at the watch; Feng Ziqi should have seen the text message by now. Will he come? Will he come alone or bring someone with him?

Xiao Gang revealed a faint smile and shook his head: "It's nothing."

Feng Ziqi was taken aback, turning his head to see Fan Cheng looking at him with a serious expression

Xiao Gang hailed a taxi by the roadside: "Hexi, take the old road past the Second Hospital."

Fan Cheng's gaze was piercing, making Feng Ziqi feel somewhat guilty

He hurriedly pressed the power button, and a multitude of messages and several missed calls popped up.