After leaving the station, Wang Yuanchao turned to me, "I’ll continue locating the thief!"
"Alright, I'm going home first."
After we said our goodbyes, I headed back to the store, though Dali and Luo Youyou were nowhere to be found. Upon calling and asking Dali, I learned that Luo Youyou had rented a place.
When I arrived at the location of the address, I found myself outside a basement apartment. The door opened and I was greeted by Bingxin, Dali and Luo Youyou. There were snacks and a game of Monopoly on the table, and several sleeping bags on the floor. Bingxin even moved an entire set of laboratory equipment.
"Where did you get this?" I gasped in amazement.
"I borrowed it from the university laboratory,” replied Bingxin. “You should quickly collect more evidence for me to test. Or I’m going to be bored out of my mind waiting here."
I smiled and explained the events that had just transpired.
There was nothing on the agenda throughout the afternoon. Bingxin suggested going to the hospital to visit Song Xingchen which I immediately vetoed. The Dog Trainer's people were everywhere. If we casually walked around unprotected, wouldn't we be giving him what he wanted?
Naturally, I wasn’t at all interested in playing Monopoly with the others. I explored the apartment, summing up all the clues I had at the moment, and thought about the Dog Trainer's next move. My intuition told me that he was planning a big conspiracy.
Unfortunately, Dali picked up the terrible habit of smoking ever since he started the business. He finished three cigarettes in the living room, choking the rest of us with the horrid smell of smoke. Bingxin couldn’t take it any longer and chided, "You don’t pick up the good stuff but you learn to smoke?"
"What’s the difference between a eunuch and a man who doesn’t smoke or drink?" scoffed Dali.
"You little fucker, who are you cursing?" I frowned.
Dali waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no! I didn't mean that. I’m talking about others."
"I can't stand it anymore!” cried Bingxin. “Song Yang-gege, let's go out for a walk!"
We headed out and wandered around for some time when Wang Yuanchao called, "Song Yang, my informant says he’s met the thief. The man comes from Jiujiang and studied under Yun Zhonghe, an expert thief during the Republic of China. He was called Lightning Hands in the Jianghu! The thefts he’s committed are worth more than ten million each and he’s not interested in small cases at all. In the Jianghu, he’s known as the Innocent White Wall because he has never been caught. More importantly, he disappeared for a while last year."
"Can you find him?" I asked.
"That might be a little difficult. I'll ask around and get back to you!" Wang Yuanchao replied.
"Thanks for the hard work," I acknowledged before hanging up.
When Bingxin asked what happened, I reported Wang Yuanchao’s finding, to which she jumped up excitedly. "The witness has been found! Xiaotao-jiejie will soon be declared innocent!"
I shook my head, "Don't be happy just yet. The gap in the enemy’s strength and ours is a vast ocean. This is just a small game to the Dog Trainer but it’s taking all we have to solve it. If he decides to deal with us seriously, I’m afraid our lives would be in grave danger."
"What do you think is his purpose?" queried Bingxin.
Instead of answering her question directly, I deflected, "By the way, I forgot to mention something. From now on, you must text me every hour and I will reply after receiving your message. If I disappear, then go to your father!"
"Why would you disappear?" Bingxin appeared alarmed.
"I’m talking about the worst-case scenario."
Bingxin held my hand, "Song Yang-gege, please be safe. Without you, my life would be so bleak."
"Don't worry!" I comforted.
We strolled around and headed back to the apartment after dinner, only to find Dali and Luo Youyou missing. I picked the lock and opened the door, finding opened snack packets left by two people in the room. I immediately called Dali but his phone was turned off.
Bingxin and I exchanged a look of consternation and rushed back to the store together. However, the cashier didn't know where Dali and Luo Youyou had gone either.
My heart sank with worry. The disappearance of the two must be related to the Dog Trainer. I called Wang Yuanchao and Sun Tiger, asking for their help to locate Dali and Luo Youyou. Meanwhile, Bingxin and I visited their usual haunts.
Just past seven in the evening, I received a call from Wang Yuanchao. "An old colleague from the DEA said a couple was caught with drugs at around four in the afternoon and their characteristics match Wang Dali and Luo Youyou," reported Wang Yuanchao.
"What?!" I exclaimed.
"My colleague said they found half a kilogram of heroin on Wang Dali, which is enough to put him away for ten years!"
"How did the DEA find out?" I asked.
"They went after the couple after receiving a call," answered Wang Yuanchao.
Knowing this was another one of the Dog Trainer’s schemes disheartened me.
"Tell me where you are. I’ll pick you up and we’ll head there together!" said Wang Yuanchao.
We agreed on a meeting place, and after a while, Wang Yuanchao's car pulled up in front of us. Thus, we tore hell for leather down to the DEA office. Although it was also part of the public security system, I had never been there.
There were several fierce-looking detection dogs in the courtyard being trained. Bingxin tightened her hand around mine in fear.
When Wang Yuanchao flashed his badge, we were taken to a detention room where Dali and Luo Youyou were being held. At the sight of us, Dali burst out, "Dude, what’s going on here? Youyou and I went out to eat when a group of DEA officers suddenly jumped out and pinned me to the ground. Then they found a pack of white powder in my pocket."
"When did this happen?"
"4:30!" cried Dali.
I sighed, "Didn't I tell you not to leave the apartment? Why would you still go out?"
Luo Youyou sobbed, "I'm sorry, Song Yang. It’s all my fault. I wanted to eat luosifen from a restaurant nearby, so Dali took me out."
I stared helplessly at my two pig teammates, "Who gave you the drugs?"
"I don't know,” Dali looked blankly at me. “We were chatting and didn't notice anyone close to us."
Like a man going up a creek without a paddle, I sighed, "You guys stay here for two days. It’s safer in here."
After leaving the detention room, Wang Yuanchao greeted his former colleague and explained the situation. In fact, the officer also found it rather odd that such a large amount of drugs were found on a boy. No drug trafficker would be so bold. However, he couldn’t just let them go, and hence the arrest. Before we left the DEA office, he promised to take good care of them.
As soon as I stepped out of the office, I received a phone call without a caller ID. It was the Dog Trainer. "Do you like my surprise?" he asked.
"You’re really an expert at set-ups!" I mocked.
"This is your own fault. Since you won’t behave, then I must punish you. Meet me at the Golden Dragon Mall at eight tomorrow morning. I hope you’ll come with a sincere attitude this time."
"How long are we going to play this game?" I retorted.
The Dog Trainer smiled, "I'm the rule maker so I have the final say. By the way, if I find out that you’re up to any little tricks again, the sniper rifle aimed at your friends’ heads will go off. Remember, I expect sincerity if you want the same in return."
Then, he hung up right at 29 seconds. This man was extremely meticulous and cunning!
Wang Yuanchao interjected, "Song Yang, I’ll go with you tomorrow!"
"No, I'll go alone,” I said, shaking my head. “The Dog Trainer won't do anything to me for the time being. I'll wear a tracker."
There’s a Chinese saying-a weak teammate does more harm than the enemy. So a pig teammate refers to that.