I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

In the task force's meeting room, the map on the wall had been changed.

The map of the western part of the city was removed and replaced with a map of the southern part of the city.

A larger area is circled in red on the new map.

Extending southward from the old bridgehead in the south of the city, all the way to the urban-rural fringe.

It contains old residential areas, rental houses, idle factories and several vacant lots awaiting demolition.

Hu Yuheng stood in front of the map, holding a marker, and marked the location of the hotel in the west of the city with an X.

She wrote down the check-in and check-out times next to the cross.

Then another dotted line was drawn, extending south of the city along the direction Gu Huaiyuan walked after leaving the hotel.

The technical department's report arrived this morning.

After retrieving surveillance footage from the area around the hotel, they pieced together Gu Huaiyuan's movement trajectory after he left the western part of the city:

He left the hotel early in the morning, without taking a car, and walked along the street across three intersections.

It disappeared into a blind spot of surveillance cameras near a bus stop, but later reappeared at an intersection in the south of the city.

There's a gap of about forty minutes in the middle, but the direction is clear—

He was heading south of the city.

Chen Yuanda stood next to Hu Yuheng, staring at the dotted line for a while:

What's in the south of the city?

Hu Yuheng opened his notebook:

"The old city area, urban villages, several idle factories, and some scattered households awaiting demolition."

The workforce is highly mobile, and regulatory capacity is weak.

If he chooses to settle there, he will indeed be less likely to be discovered than in the west of the city.

Chen Yuanda nodded:

"Then shift the focus of the investigation to the south of the city. Notify the South City Public Security Bureau to send more personnel to assist, and cover key areas in the south of the city by today."

Hu Yuheng responded and turned to make the arrangements.

Chen Dapeng stood at the door and heard Chen Yuanda's words.

He didn't get back until very late last night, and didn't close his eyes until after 5 a.m.

She had just gotten up from the folding bed and still looked tired.

He picked up the bottled water on the table, took a sip, and then squeezed into the bus heading to the south of the city with the others.

……

The streets in the south of the city were noticeably more chaotic than those in the west.

The road is narrower, power lines crisscross overhead, and the buildings on both sides are a mix of old and new.

There aren't many shops along the street; most are self-built buildings, some rented to people from other places, and others locked up so it's hard to tell if anyone lives there.

The alleyways are even narrower and more winding, making it impossible for vehicles to enter; the entire investigation relies on walking.

The police officer sent by the local police station in Nancheng was a young man in his early thirties surnamed Fu, who was quite familiar with the area in the south of the city.

He led the task force through the streets and alleys, talking as they went:

"There are many people from other places in the south of the city, and the mobility is also high."

Many rentals are short-term, with tenants changing every one or two months. Landlords don't really care where the tenants come from, as long as they pay on time.

If the person you're looking for is really hiding here, the landlord might not necessarily report it.

Chen Dapeng walked behind the group, observing the surrounding environment.

As he passed through an alley, he slowed his pace, his gaze falling on a row of tightly locked iron gates—

Those were several abandoned workshops, with most of the windows shattered and the walls covered with withered vines.

He stopped and looked around a few more times, but there were no new footprints at the door, and the rust on the lock was intact, so it didn't seem like anyone had been there recently.

He looked away and caught up with the group.

The investigation continued until noon.

The task force verified two rental houses and three small hotels, but found no trace of Gu Huaiyuan.

There are fewer small hotels in the south of the city than in the west, but there are more rental houses scattered around, making the investigation more difficult than expected.

After listening to the feedback, Hu Yuheng decided to adjust the direction of the investigation.

Chen Dapeng proposed:

"Director Hu, if Gu Huaiyuan plans to stay in the south of the city for two or three days instead of just staying overnight, he is unlikely to stay in a small hotel."

Hotels are frequented by people and are easily remembered.

Rental housing offers more privacy, and landlords won't ask too many questions once they've received the money.

I suggest focusing our efforts on rental properties; we can postpone offering small hotels for now.

Hu Yuheng glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and then nodded:

"Then let's change our approach. Notify all investigation teams to focus on investigating rental properties in the southern part of the city, especially those in remote locations where landlords don't often come."

……

Nancheng, the southern suburbs of the city.

Gu Huaiyuan followed the person who was there to meet him for nearly forty minutes, crossing a dirt road, going around an abandoned vegetable garden, and finally stopping in front of a yard with withered vines climbing the wall.

The person who was there to meet him pushed open a rusty iron door and stepped aside to let Gu Huaiyuan in.

The yard wasn't big, and the ground was compacted soil.

In the middle is an old three-story office building, with most of the cement on the exterior walls peeling off, revealing the red bricks inside.

Some windows were closed and some were open, the glass covered with a layer of dust.

There were several piles of miscellaneous items in the yard, as if no one had touched them for a long time.

The person who was there led Gu Huaiyuan into a room on the first floor.

Inside, there was a cot, a chair, and a case of bottled water and several packets of instant noodles in the corner.

"You'll stay here for the next couple of days. Don't turn on the lights after dark, and try not to go near the window during the day. Water and food are here; I'll bring more if you need more."

The person receiving the message placed a key on the windowsill.

Gu Huaiyuan asked, "And two days later?"

"Someone will come to take you away in two days. First, we'll go to a neighboring province, and then we'll change transportation there to reach our final destination."

The person receiving the message paused for a moment:

"Someone will tell you the specific route later. Asking more questions now won't help."

Gu Huaiyuan didn't ask any more questions, he just nodded.

The accomplice turned and left.

Gu Huaiyuan stood in that room and looked around.

There was a dusty light bulb on the roof and a spider web in the corner.

He placed his briefcase on the cot and sat down in the chair.

He knew he would have to stay in this place for the next two days, unable to go out or be seen by anyone.

The conditions are a bit poor, but at least it's safe for now.

……

It was a little after nine o'clock at night.

Chen Dapeng returned to his temporary residence.

I had just sat down and taken a couple of bites of my boxed lunch when my phone rang.

He glanced down at Lin Chen.

He answered the call, and Lin Chen's voice carried a hint of excitement:

"Dapeng, we've got some results today. Zheng Haitao finally found the materials. One of the payment vouchers for Huarong Investment's participation in the Xincheng International project has Hongye Investment's name on it."

Chen Dapeng asked, "Are you sure?"

"Sure.

I have received the copy. The heading is clearly written as "Hongye Investment," the amount is 300,000, and the date matches the one I found before.

Although it doesn't directly point to Bai Jiangfei, Hongye Investment's appearance twice in this line of events is certainly not a coincidence.

Chen Dapeng paused for a moment.

Normally, he would immediately set about verifying this information, but now the entire team is focused on Gu Huaiyuan, and there's no one to handle Bai Jiangfei's case for the time being.

He thought for a moment and said, "Lin Chen, take a clear photo of the copy and send it to me. I'll deal with this lead after the task force has resolved Gu Huaiyuan's matter."

Lin Chen didn't press further: "Okay, I'll send it to your phone. Take care of yourself."

"it is good."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Dapeng opened his phone and saw the picture Lin Chen had sent him—

A photocopy of a payment voucher, amounting to 300,000 yuan, with "Huarong Investment" listed as the payee and "Hongye Investment" as the payer, dated September of last year.

He saved the picture, looked at it for a few seconds, then put his phone back on the table and continued eating the half-eaten, now-cold rice.

He knew he would have to follow this line sooner or later.

But we need to finish what's in front of us first.

Gu Huaiyuan hasn't been caught yet, so he doesn't have the energy to be distracted right now.