Chapter Eighty-Nine: Taken Down

“Yes, yes, yes. He had a bulging little leather bag on his back, and he was carrying a rather heavy parcel in his hands. He looked just like someone heading out to work as a laborer. His clothes were blue, he was tall, and his hair was very short.”

Chen Fang did not know who Zhang Ye was looking for, so he could only describe the scene from memory in detail.

“It has to be him,” Zhang Ye confirmed at once. It was Zheng Fan. Perhaps he had disguised his face and shaved off his beard, but he had not changed his clothes.

Thinking of how hurriedly he had fled, he either went to meet Shen Kaixing, or he simply took a car and left Lihua County. In any case, he would definitely be leaving by vehicle today. With that in mind, Zhang Ye hurried toward the station.

Chen Fang, quick-witted as ever, promptly hailed a motorized tricycle from the roadside and called for him to get in.

“To the station.” Zhang Ye knew time was pressing, so he quickly gave the destination, then patted Chen Fang on the shoulder as a sign of thanks.

Lihua County had two stations, one for buses and one for trains. Zhang Ye did not know what vehicle Zheng Fan intended to take, but fortunately both stations were in the same direction, so there was no need to distinguish his route.

As they were walking, his phone rang in his pocket. Zhang Ye hurriedly took it out and answered. “Hello, this is Zhang Ye!” Back then, phones did not have caller ID, so he had no choice but to identify himself.

“Brother Ye, I saw someone who looks like that Zheng Fan you mentioned. He’s at the bus station right now, and he seems to be with a tall, skinny man. He looks like he’s about to get on a bus, but that tall man isn’t getting on with him. He’s just carrying a bag and left…” Liu Guangxiang was calling from the phone booth at the station. From where he stood, he could see the bus waiting area.

“Good. Stay there for now. If the bus is about to leave, you must stop it. As for that other man, you can ignore him for the moment!” Zhang Ye said quickly.

The person meeting Zheng Fan was obviously Zhang Ye’s despicable uncle-in-law, Shen Kaixing. When things were urgent, the first priority was naturally to catch Zheng Fan. As for Shen Kaixing, so long as he was still in Lihua County, he could not escape.

“Hello, is this the Public Security Bureau…” After hanging up, Zhang Ye quickly dialed the police station.

Of course this matter had to be reported.

After filing the report, Zhang Ye thought it over and decided to call his uncle as well. What came next would still require the real principal to show up.

Liu Boqing was worth several million, so of course he owned a mobile phone, that convenient thing for when it was truly needed. Zhang Ye called him directly, and the line connected at once.

“How is that possible?” The moment he heard Zhang Ye’s explanation, he cried out in alarm. Then he asked Zhang Ye for the address and hurried over to the bus station at full speed.

Liu Boqing truly trusted Zheng Fan. When he opened his factory, he had even planned to have Zheng Fan help him and follow him in building his future. He never imagined that Zheng Fan would actually grow greedy and run off with several hundred thousand.

This was not because Liu Boqing had been careless. Rather, he had too much confidence in his judgment of people. In truth, his eye for character had been right, but because the blow of Zheng Fan’s wife running away had hit him too hard, his whole mindset had changed. His formerly honest and simple nature had twisted into what it was now: greedy, petty, and miserly. The frightening part was that Liu Boqing himself had never noticed it.

Soon, Zhang Ye and Chen Fang arrived at the station. Liu Guangxiang had clearly been watching for them all along, and when he saw them he immediately ran over. “The bus hasn’t left yet. That man is still on board.”

“Good, let’s go over.” Zhang Ye nodded and did not stop walking, heading straight toward a bus bound for Guangyang City.

From this alone, one could tell that Zheng Fan had no intention of helping Liu Boqing. From Guangyang City, one could indeed take a bus to Zhouhang City, but it required two transfers along the way. Going to Langmen, by contrast, offered a direct bus to Zhouhang City. If he wanted to avoid trouble, he could even reach his destination directly by train from Lihua County station.

In other words, however one looked at it, he had no reason to head for Guangyang City.

“Driver, driver, come here a moment.” Zhang Ye spotted Zheng Fan immediately. He was sitting at the very back of the bus, clutching his parcel and lowering his head with his eyes half closed.

The driver, who was just climbing aboard, looked at Zhang Ye in confusion, then glanced over the passengers on the bus and came down. “What is it?” He was a burly man in a tank top and sandals, his face full of impatience.

Zhang Ye did not hurry to speak. Instead, he watched the bus cautiously, then took a pack of Benson & Hedges from his pocket and handed over two cigarettes.

He did not smoke, but perhaps out of a habit from his previous life, he always kept one or two packs in his pocket, and whenever he met someone who seemed agreeable, he would offer a cigarette or two.

Seeing the cigarettes in Zhang Ye’s hand, the driver’s expression immediately softened. “What’s the matter, little brother?”

“There’s a wanted suspect on the bus,” Zhang Ye said after lighting the cigarette for him, then narrowing his eyes. His words were calm, but they struck like thunder.

“...” The driver looked back at the bus with some alarm, then said with a mournful face, “Little brother, you’re not joking, are you? Not long ago three knife-wielding robbers were caught after hijacking a bus, and ever since then we’ve all been on edge. It’s not even been a month yet. Could the same kind of disaster be happening to me now?”

“Right now he hasn’t noticed us. The police will be here in a moment. Don’t rush to drive off yet; just say there’s something that will delay the departure,” Zhang Ye said. At that moment, two police officers in uniform came over from afar.

What a coincidence—he had seen both of them before. One was the middle-aged officer who had driven before, and the other was the policeman who had escorted Zhang Ye into the interrogation room.

“Did you report this?” the middle-aged officer asked, looking at Zhang Ye with a distinctly sour expression.

“Yes. The man inside is suspected of fraud, and now he’s trying to flee because he’s guilty.” Zhang Ye briefly explained the situation, then led them straight onto the bus.

“You’re Zheng Fan?” The middle-aged officer stood before Zheng Fan and asked in a low voice.

Zheng Fan was sitting in the last seat by himself. Everyone in the bus stared at him in shock and uncertainty.

“What are you doing?” Zheng Fan’s face went deathly pale. He clutched the parcel tightly, and the pressure of his grip left pale streaks across the hard wrapping. Panicked, he craned his head around, as if searching for an escape route.

People in uniform naturally inspired fear in ordinary men and women. Zheng Fan might have dared to swallow Liu Boqing’s several hundred thousand, but when he truly faced the police, his heart was already in complete disarray. He was frightened to the core.

“Take him down!” The middle-aged officer was experienced and had dealt with all kinds of criminals. From the man’s expression alone, he knew there was something wrong. He immediately gave the order, pulled out his handcuffs, and lunged forward.

Zheng Fan was tall and had tremendous brute strength. The officer lunged at him and grabbed his hand, only to be flung off at once. Then Zheng Fan kicked the other policeman aside, seized the parcel, and jumped out through the window.

The bus had windows, and in the scorching heat they were left wide open, giving him an escape route.