Chapter 161: Hidden in Plain Sight

Waking up at eight in the evening, Kang Ning put on a loose denim outfit and a duck-bill cap, propped a pair of black-rimmed flat-lensed glasses on his high-bridged nose, and walked over to the dressing mirror to inspect himself closely.

This upscale apartment located by the South Lake in Lanning was rented by Kang Ning just yesterday. It was close to the water and fully equipped with amenities. Across the wide expanse of the lake, it sat diagonally facing the Affiliated Hospital of Lanning Medical College, where Kang Ning had once worked.

For the previous three days, he had been staying at a small motel in the suburban outskirts. Within those three days, he had acquired a new ID card. The name on the ID card was Nie Kang, and the registered residence was Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. That hard-working off-road vehicle was parked right in the parking lot of his residential complex.

The security guards of the complex had very poor vigilance; they were so used to vehicles with various license plates that they never paid attention. The parking lot was quite large, and many cars from neighboring units were also parked here overnight. As long as the monthly two-hundred-yuan parking custody fee was paid and a self-made community parking pass was inserted behind a vehicle's windshield, the guards would have no objections to the entry, exit, or parking of the vehicles.

Although the central government had just issued a decree prohibiting the military from engaging in business, and rumors spread that military vehicles would immediately begin replacing their license plates with new styles, enforcement could not be sorted out overnight. At least for now, the military-plated cars running all over the streets of Lanning remained completely unaffected, still enjoying privileges such as exemption from various road and bridge tolls as well as arbitrary parking. Therefore, Kang Ning did not need to worry too much about his counterfeit vehicle.

Almost all residents of the complex were successful white-collar professionals, and interpersonal relationships were relatively indifferent, which helped Kang Ning conceal his whereabouts.

The main gate of the complex opened onto a street lined with tech product shops, while the back gate led directly into South Lake Park. Turning left for fifty meters led right out of the park gates and onto the intricate Yuanhu Road, making transportation extremely convenient.

Kang Ning strolled along the tree-lined path of the South Lake embankment, gazing longingly with his eyes at the large neon sign on the rooftop of the affiliated hospital building across the lake, a deep sense of sorrow welling up on his face—that twenty-story inpatient building was shrouded in a gentle glow. And by the shores of the college lake, one kilometer to the left of the building, was the home Kang Ning had longed for.

At this very moment, Kang Ning felt that home was both so close yet so near, right within arm's reach and yet completely out of reach.

Kang Ning sat on a bench by the lake, staring blankly at the sparkling surface of the water, completely ignoring the ambiguous sounds coming from two people passionately in love on a bench ten meters away.

A gust of cold wind ruffled the flat surface of the lake, causing the reflection of the building in the water to instantly shatter and distort. Kang Ning pulled up his collar, hesitated slightly, and pulled out his mobile phone to dial the number Zhang Jianhan had left him.

"How are you doing over there?" Zhang Jianhan's deep voice came through.

Kang Ning smiled slightly. "Not bad. Are you at home?"

***

"Just came back from the old man's place. Both elders are in good health and high spirits. Strangely enough, those two women of yours actually get along like biological sisters. The old man, on the other hand, is worried sick, sighing and groaning all day long. Every time he mentions you to me, he goes on a fierce rant, cursing about moral corruption, spoiled brats, and so on without stopping. Often he gets so carried away with his scolding that he drags me into it too, as if it were my fault. You brat better compensate me for my losses when the time comes." Zhang Jianhan's tone was filled with grievance.

Kang Ning imagined his father's furious expression. His heart warmed, and he asked softly in a gentle tone, "How are the two little ones?"

"Don't you worry, they're as healthy as can be! Su Xiaoning is starting to teeth now, and the whole family revolves around the two little ones. Even my mom doesn't cook for me anymore, she's entirely busy fussing over the kids, making me green with envy. Don't let the old man fool you into thinking he's all bristling with anger when he mentions you; compared to the utterly satisfied and sickening expression he wears when he holds the little ones, he's like two entirely different people. It's damn unfair!"

It seemed Zhang Jianhan was deeply disgruntled, letting loose with profanities.

"Haha! I can picture it... By the way, when are you and Sister-in-law Jiayi holding your wedding?" Kang Ning asked with concern.

"New Year's Day. If it weren't for your sister-in-law's parents and my mother nagging us every day, we would have planned to push the date back even further. Sigh! You—"

"My affairs can't be rushed. You should hurry up and hold your wedding." Kang Ning paused after saying this, thought for a moment, and tentatively said, "Brother, there are some issues I've never been able to figure out, but I can't explain them clearly over the phone. I really want to have a face-to-face talk with you."

"Face-to-face? Hold on..." Zhang Jianhan on the other end of the line was startled, then asked sternly, "Tell me, where are you? When did you get back?"

Kang Ning was also stunned upon hearing this, then smiled wryly with admiration. "It seems nothing can be kept from you."

"Listen, twenty minutes from now, I'll wait for you at Ba's place!"

Kang Ning shook his head looking at the phone screen, raised his head to glance at the group of Baise Uprising monuments across the lake, and slowly stood up to walk toward the mid-lake bridge.

Eighteen minutes later, the tall silhouette of Wei Baqun's statue base emerged in the night, accompanied by the constant flickering glow of a cigarette butt, allowing Kang Ning to fully appreciate the anxiety in his sworn brother's heart.

***

Kang Ning once again carefully observed the movement around him, then slowly emerged from the cluster of concubine-bamboo on the right side of the statue.

Stopping under the magnolia tree ten meters away from Zhang Jianhan, he quietly watched Zhang Jianhan slowly walking over, his eyes welling up with emotional tears.

Zhang Jianhan stopped in front of Kang Ning, scrutinized his long-lost younger brother for a few seconds, stepped forward and pulled Kang Ning into a tight embrace, then pushed him away and dealt him a fierce punch. "Who told you to come back?"

Kang Ning gently wiped the corner of his eye, cleared his throat, and replied in a low voice, "I couldn't stay in Sichuan any longer. I figured those guys of yours were still hanging around Chengdu looking everywhere for me."

"Let's go, we'll walk and talk."

Zhang Jianhan grabbed the sleeve of Kang Ning's jacket, and while leading him into the narrow path of the dense grove, he briefed Kang Ning on the situation: "Those three guys who went to Chengdu to capture you came back yesterday. The moment I saw the looks on their faces, I knew they had returned empty-handed. Right now, they haven't the slightest clue about your whereabouts and are anxious like ants on a hot pan. This morning, I heard Chief Wei say he's going to promote me to captain of the First Major Detachment. I suppose a cornered Jiang Shangwu was driven to desperation by Lan Jianguo, which made him think of making an exception and employing me—someone who should have recused himself."

Kang Ning smiled slightly. "Congratulations to you. But if that's the case, your official rank stops at the detachment captain level anyway; otherwise, why would you be discussing how to catch me with a fugitive like me?"

Zhang Jianhan smiled bitterly and shook his head. "What time is it, and you're still in the mood to joke? I've managed to get my hands on some favorable evidence, but it's not enough to clear your name of anything. Even if it went to court, they couldn't convict you, but neither could it clear you of the grievance. You would still end up locked up in a detention center as a major suspect. If that happens, who knows, you might lose your precious life by a careless mistake—their influence is everywhere, you know!"

Kang Ning stopped in his tracks and asked in a low voice, "Is there any way to crack open a gap within their ranks?"

"You think I don't want to? The best entry point is that coward and good-for-nothing Ruguang. He's been riding high lately, having just been promoted to deputy chief of the Waterfront Police Station, running around every day mingling with the anti-narcotics detachment chief Chen Junhua. Many of the hard-working brothers can't bear to watch it, but what can they do? Bringing him down probably isn't difficult, but the moment you touch his case, someone will definitely step forward to protect him right away."

After finishing, Zhang Jianhan proceeded to lay out the progress of Kang Ning's case as well as all the intricate connections and relationships, and this talk lasted for over an hour.