Tan Yunlong said to a colleague nearby: "There must be a mistake, he was speaking the Nantong dialect, that gang is from out of town."
Tomb-robbing gangs generally consist of relatives as core members, it’s very rare for outsiders, let alone people from other provinces to join. Greed can drive people, but the thing they fear most when dealing with riches from the dead isn’t the dead themselves, but being double-crossed.
"Captain Tan, does that mean we’ve been discovered?"
"Probably. Your work wasn’t meticulous enough; they might have noticed us long ago and that’s why they haven’t been caught. However, it’s also possible that they’re just sounding us out."
Tan Yunlong suddenly thought of something, when you throw a stone to test the waters, you at least need to stand by and watch the ripples it creates.
He immediately pushed open the door and walked out of the Security Department, heading to the bench area. There were a lot of people there, and his eyes quickly scanned across them.
Li Zhiyuan’s voice came over, and it was only then Tan Yunlong realized that at some point, the boy had gone out on his own.
First, he looked at him and then followed the direction the boy discreetly pointed to. In the corridor leading to the water room to the east, a person was leaving. From the back, it was a woman.
Tan Yunlong immediately leaped over the bench in front of him and quickly followed her.
Seemingly hearing the urgent footsteps behind her, the woman quickly switched from walking to running, and a chase ensued.
When several policemen came over later, they couldn’t find Captain Tan and didn’t know which direction he had gone. Li Zhiyuan came over to remind them:
"Uncle Tan went that way, chasing a female suspect."
The policemen then ran off to reinforce.
Li Zhiyuan didn’t follow to see the commotion but went back to the Security Department, where a plainclothes officer was still watching the pickpocket.
Pouring himself a glass of water, Li Zhiyuan sat down on the chair and slowly waited.
Earlier, after hearing the pickpocket speaking in the Nantong dialect, he came out. Though there were a lot of people in the central bench area, it was not difficult to find someone.
The hospital room of those two "water monkeys" was at the very west end, meaning that if you draw a line connecting the hospital room and the Security Department and then project that line onto a plane falling on the bench area, the search area narrows significantly. Because only in this small area can you observe both the hospital room and the Security Department.
When Li Zhiyuan went to observe, the woman just got up, and he immediately noticed her because she was empty-handed.
About fifteen minutes later, the door to the Security Department was pushed open again, and Tan Yunlong walked in being supported, accompanied by a doctor.
Tan Yunlong’s shirt was undone, and there was a long, oblique bruise on his left chest, likely from being kicked.
Li Zhiyuan tilted his head following the direction of the bruise, trying to figure out the position and force used for that kick, feeling a bit awkward.
As the doctor applied the medicinal oil, Tan Yunlong recounted to his colleagues: "I was chasing her and I had caught her, but she threw me off and kicked me before I could get back up."
"Captain Tan, is that person so skilled?"
"Not really skilled, and I’m not making excuses for myself. I lost face by not catching her and getting injured.
When I got up close to her, whether she was throwing or kicking me, I was actually prepared to counter and take her down.
But her force was strange, I didn’t anticipate it, and my whole body was thrown away."
After listening, Li Zhiyuan silently understood, because she used a move meant for dealing with a Corpse.
Such move might not necessarily work on a living person, but since Tan Yunlong was holding back intending to subdue her, his unfamiliarity with the move caught him off guard.
Before long, several more policemen returned, looking dejected; obviously, they had lost her.
"Send more people to guard here. Didn’t the doctor say that those two were about to wake up? We might get some clues from them."
After giving instructions, Tan Yunlong put his shirt back on and took Li Zhiyuan’s hand as they left.
"Uncle Tan, can you still drive?"
Seeing Tan Yunlong continuously holding his chest, Li Zhiyuan couldn’t help but ask with concern.
"No big deal, get in the car."
This time, Tan Yunlong drove the motorcycle very slowly.
"Xiao Yuan, next time you go out, you have to tell me in advance."
"I’ve noticed that you’re quite suited to being a police officer. Have you ever considered applying to the police academy?"
"Then what university do you want to apply to?"
Hearing this, Tan Yunlong’s mouth twitched because he seemed to guess the reason why the boy wanted to apply to this university.
Upon arriving home, Tan Yunlong handed Li Zhiyuan a piece of paper: "Xiao Yuan, call me if you need anything."
Watching the motorcycle drive away, Li Zhiyuan’s gaze then shifted towards Big Beard’s house.
An expert who specially trains to deal with Corpses is not the same as your average "water monkey."
However, if they can fall for a bait trap, then even if this "water monkey" gang is complicated, their complexity is limited.
So, to be cautious, should I prepare in advance?
The books all mention various methods to eliminate Corpses but offer no guidance on how to help them; however, the books also list many taboos when dealing with Corpses...
So, by using these taboos in reverse, I can do it.
This way, even if there’s a tough nut in that "water monkey" gang, I can still back Little Huang Ying up.
Fisting his hand, Li Zhiyuan gently knocked his forehead, suddenly realizing:
What kind of crooked thinking is this?
But he quickly rationalized it to himself. He’s been exposed to archaeology since childhood, has seen countless national treasures destroyed by tomb robbers, and has witnessed the anguish of many senior archaeologists.