The water manhunt had finally paid off—they’d actually nabbed the guy who delivered vegetables to the camp, Boss Qian!
Even though the "theft" Boss Qian was suspected of was clearly open to dispute, he really was a fugitive wanted by the East Sea Police.
Everything had to follow procedure: first "secure" Boss Qian, then, while reporting to the Water Police Station, get in touch with the East Sea colleagues who had put out the warrant for him.
Wang Wenhong received a call from Zhao Hongxing and laughed, "Whether he’s actually a thief, our East Sea colleagues will verify that. But for now he’s definitely a wanted fugitive. For us that still counts as a result—at least we can write in the report that we apprehended one fugitive at large."
Soone had actually shown up on his own asking them to check whether he was a fugitive—and the truly eye‑opening part was, he really turned out to be one!
Han Yu had never seen anything this absurd and couldn’t help asking with a chuckle, "So what do we do now?"
"Have you contacted the unit in charge of his case, the one that issued the warrant?"
"I have. I just called. They said they’d send officers over today, and at the latest they’ll reach Binjiang by 10 tonight."
"When they get here, help that veggie guy explain things properly to them."
"We’re not sending Boss Qian to the detention center?"
"They’ll be here tonight. Sending him to the detention center would be a hassle. Besides, the detention center’s packed these days—it’s not like you and I can just decide to send a suspect in and they’ll take him."
"All right, I’ll have Ma Jintao call our East Sea colleagues again and have them co straight to Lang Mountain. I’ll put in so overti with Ma Jintao tonight and wait for the East Sea officers in the camp."
...
Qian Yuzhu was definitely the freest fugitive ever to be brought in, bar none.
Not only had Zhao Hongxing and Liu Guixiang not handcuffed him, they were even helping Aunt Ding talk him round.
"Don’t worry. There’s definitely so misunderstanding here. Once the East Sea investigators get here, just explain everything clearly to them."
"Will the East Sea police take away?"
"Since they’ve already put you on a CD and circulated a wanted notice, under normal circumstances they’ll take you back—after all, what you drove off in was a truck, so in our police jargon the amount involved isn’t small. But your situation is a bit special. When they get here we’ll help you talk to them, see if we can get them to arrange bail for you first."
"So that ans I still have to go to court and still have to be put on trial!"
"It won’t necessarily go to court, Old Qian. You need to give the East Sea investigators ti to sort out what actually happened."
"Yeah, there’s really nothing to be that worried about."
Good thing he had "fallen into the net" inside the Customs, Navy, and Ard Police Force camp; if he’d been grabbed by the police sowhere else in a muddle, there was no way he’d be getting this kind of treatnt.
Qian Yuzhu was both moved and depressed. Clenching his fists, he said, "Director Zhao, I want to make a phone call."
Just as Zhao Hongxing was about to speak, Han Yu ca in and asked, "Who do you want to call?"
"That bastard who owes money. Secretary Han, I want to ask him what the hell he ans by this!"
"Do you have his phone number?"
"I do."
Old leader Zhou Huixin had said before that in this line of work you must rember not to listen to just one side, or you’ll easily form a bias from the start.
What if things weren’t actually as he’d just described?
What if that truck really was stolen by him, and he had accomplices, and he was trying to use everyone’s sympathy to tip them off?
Han Yu felt he needed to stay on guard, and smiled as he said, "Old Qian, we understand you, but you also have to understand us. Right now your status is special; if we let you make a call, we’d be breaking discipline. How about this: you give us the phone number. When the East Sea investigators get here, I’ll talk to them, and then we’ll call that boss who owes you wages right in front of the East Sea officers."
"All right, thank you, Secretary Han."
"Don’t thank —have so water."
"I’m in no mood to drink water. The vegetables for Lang Mountain Middle School are still on the truck. If we don’t hurry and deliver them, what are they going to use to cook lunch for the students?"
"All the vegetables in the truck are for Lang Mountain Middle School?"
"All of them."
"Xiao Yu."
"Here!"
"You and Aunt Ding will have to work a bit harder. Help Old Qian get the vegetables over to Lang Mountain Middle School as soon as possible."
"Okay, no problem."
Xiao Yu took the truck keys from Boss Qian, then stopped at the door and couldn’t help turning back with a smile. "Boss Qian, don’t worry, you’ll be fine."
Aunt Ding felt especially sorry for Boss Qian and asked, "Langzhong isn’t far from the vegetable market. Should we swing by the market and say sothing to your wife?"
"You should tell her, but don’t say I’ve been put on a wanted list or she’ll be scared to death. Just say... just say I’ve got sothing going on and won’t be ho at noon."
"Okay."
...
Zhao Hongxing was the deputy director of the Water Police Station and had a pile of things to deal with at the bureau. He couldn’t stay here waiting for the East Sea colleagues with Han Yu, so after a few more words of reassurance to Boss Qian, he had to head back first.
Liu Guixiang and Xu Haoran also had things to do, and went back to the city with Zhao Hongxing.
Han Yu couldn’t keep an eye on Boss Qian all the ti, so he simply had Wang Xiaosheng and the other Ard Police soldiers "accompany" Boss Qian in playing Upgrade.
Anyway, they had captured a fugitive.
That’s a rit!
The Changhang Bureau needed rits, and so did the Water Police Station.
Xiao Yu ca back after helping Boss Qian deliver the dishes and stayed in the camp to represent the Changhang Bureau, while Ma Jintao stayed in the camp to represent the Water Police Station. The two of them had nothing else to do anyway, so they used a switch Xiao Yu had bought with his own money to connect the two computers of the Water Anti-Smuggling Departnt, closed the door, and started playing computer gas.
Computer gas are not only easy to get addicted to, they also "spread."
Xiao Gong had taught Xiao Yu, Guo Weitao, and Yang Yong; after Yang Yong went back he taught Ma Jintao and the other Water Police of the Third Team. Although Ma Jintao had no computer background, he learned fast and played quite well.
The two of them were having a great ti in the duty room.
Han Yu was busy working out this year’s military training and political study plan for the Rescue Boat Team. The training funds, including subsidies, were on the team’s books, so he didn’t have to worry about training expenses.
He drew everything up with reference to the previous training outline of the Linghai Reserve Camp, and had a plan done in less than an hour.
Considering that the team’s Reserve Soldiers all had their own regular jobs, they had to be notified in advance to have them co for training.
Han Yu took out his keys, opened the file cabinet, took out the roster of the team’s officers and n, and was calling them one by one according to the contact information on the roster when Xiao Yu and Ma Jintao suddenly knocked and ca in.
"Is it ti to eat?"
"No, Aunt Ding is cooking soup. We’ll eat when the soup is ready."
"Then why aren’t you playing gas?"
"Sothing ca up, an unexpected situation."
"What unexpected situation?"
Han Yu thought maybe Boss Qian had done sothing stupid because he couldn’t figure things out, or that Boss Qian had been lying all along, and had slipped away when Wang Xiaosheng and the Ard Police weren’t looking, fleeing out of fear of punishnt. His heart skipped a beat; he put down the phone and stood up.
Ma Jintao didn’t know how to explain it and simply turned to look at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu took out his phone and asked with a wry smile, "Salted Fish, do you still rember Gu Liugen?"
"I rember. What about him?"
"Yang Yong just called Old Ma and said that this morning, when Gu Liugen was waiting to go through the lock at the Hubin River Lock, he got into a fight with a ship owner from Yungang and injured him. The guy called the police, and Yang Yong handled it. He brought Gu Liugen back to the Third Team; Gu Liugen said he knows us and insisted on calling us."
What was going on today, one headache after another.
Han Yu asked, puzzled, "Why did he get into a fight with the guy?"
Ma Jintao knew that during the Spring Festival Han Yu and Xiao Yu had helped cover for Gu Liugen. He hesitated for a mont and said, "He’s a boatman—today he’s here, tomorrow he’s there, drifting around, the whole world his ho. If no one had reported him, how could the judges of the Yungang Court possibly have found him?"
"He suspects that when the Yungang Court found his boat during the New Year, it was that Yungang ship owner who reported him?"
"Yang Yong said it’s not a suspicion; it seems it really was that Yungang ship owner who reported him."
"So he bore a grudge, and when he ran into the guy he started a big fight to take revenge?"
"Yeah."
Once Han Yu understood the ins and outs, his anger flared up and he said bitterly, "It’s one thing that the Yungang Court insisted on forcibly executing his boat without distinguishing right from wrong, and it’s another that the guy reported his whereabouts. He could’ve just walked around when he saw the man—why retaliate? The court wanted to find him, and the guy responded to the court’s call and helped keep an eye out. He didn’t do anything wrong."
Ma Jintao gave a wry smile. "He doesn’t see it that way."
Xiao Yu hadn’t expected sothing like this to blow up and muttered, "I always thought he was pretty honest. Didn’t think he’d dare lay hands on soone."
"Is that Yungang ship owner badly hurt?"
"It’s not light. He’s in the Developnt Zone Hospital, seems like two ribs are broken."
"Each matter is its own matter. This has to be handled as official business."
"So do we let him call you or not?" Ma Jintao asked in a low voice.
"If he wants to call , he can. What does he think I am," Han Yu snorted coldly, then went on, "He brought this on himself. Since he dared to attack soone, he has to be responsible for his actions!"
Xiao Yu reminded him, "In a situation like his, it very likely rises to the level of criminal liability. Once he’s put in the detention center, the Yungang Court will definitely co looking. What happens with the boat then?"
"I already said, each matter is its own matter. His wife didn’t hit anyone, did she? She’ll definitely argue her case."
"I’m not talking about whether the Yungang Court will forcibly execute his boat. I an that after this ss, the Yungang Court will definitely find out that we were the ones who covered for him during the Spring Festival. Won’t the court leadership use that as a pretext to make an issue of it?"
Han Yu hadn’t expected Xiao Yu to think that far ahead, and he had to admit Xiao Yu’s worry made so sense.
After all, the reason they’d let it drop earlier was that there was no evidence that he had acted as a "protective umbrella" for Gu Liugen and "obstructed" the court’s lawful forced execution. Now that Gu Liugen had gone and committed an offense of his own accord, the cover-up definitely wouldn’t stay hidden, which ant they’d be handing the other side leverage.
Han Yu was silent for a mont, then said casually, "Sa thing—each matter is its own matter. As for the boat, I did help him. At worst I’ll argue it out face to face with the judges of the Yungang Interdiate Court. As for the assault, I’m not getting involved. The Third Team can deal with it however they’re supposed to."
"True, there really isn’t anything to be worried about."
"Let’s eat first, call Old Qian. A fugitive is still a human being, still has human rights; we can’t not let him eat."
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