Chapter Twenty-Four: A Moment of Peril

In Wei Mingzhong’s office, six elite members of the police force, including Zhang Jianhan, sat in a circle around their division chief. After receiving word from Guilin, every member of the investigative team was left shaking their heads in awe at the fugitive Kang Ning’s cunning and the elaborate illusion he had crafted. It was said that Director Jiang Shangwu, in a fit of rage, had smashed two chairs and a crystal ashtray, injuring his own wrist in the process.

Wei Mingzhong looked around at everyone and spoke in an unhurried tone: “We’ve reviewed the fugitive’s social connections and have shifted our focus to fifteen of his close university friends. Of these, four are abroad and have been ruled out; eight more have been eliminated by our colleagues in the local departments. That leaves three: two in Guangdong, one in Jiangxi, none of whom we’ve managed to contact. This line of inquiry will have to wait for responses from Guangdong and Jiangxi before we can proceed. If anyone has ideas or suggestions, don’t hesitate to speak up—let’s pool our wisdom.”

Yang Yong shook his head and said to Zhang Jianhan, “Captain Zhang, your junior is truly something else. He’s got thousands of us running in circles like monkeys. If only we’d recruited someone like him into our ranks back then—maybe we wouldn’t be working ourselves to exhaustion every day. Lately, my wife says I look like a rabbit whenever she sees me.”

The whole group burst out laughing. Zhang Jianhan said, “Kang Ning is no ordinary man. By today’s standards, he’s a genuine high-IQ suspect. From what I know of him, he’s proud and rarely asks for help. With his current circumstances, he’s even less likely to reach out to old acquaintances. That makes our job much harder.”

“So we can only wait for him to make another mistake?” Liu Weiqing asked.

Zhang Jianhan replied noncommittally, “After this last operation, it’s impossible to predict when he’ll surface again. Especially with the warrant issued, he’s probably resolved to stay hidden. We’ve been monitoring his girlfriend Liu Yiqing’s phone, but except for a call to the newspaper this morning, there’s been nothing for over a month. I suspect he’s been lying low in the Liuzhou area this whole time, since he’s seriously injured and in need of treatment. By now, he’s likely recovered and planning his escape—otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown himself in Liuzhou.”

Gao Jialin, captain of the Third Unit, raised a question: “We’ve set up watches at every hospital and pharmacy in Laning and Liuzhou, but haven’t found anything useful. Judging by the severity of his injuries, I don’t see how he could recover so quickly.”

Wei Mingzhong interrupted, “Gao, you’re not being thorough enough. Have you forgotten who Kang Ning’s father is? I even went to the 303 Hospital to consult with Deputy Director Zhao, an orthopedic specialist. He spoke of Professor Kang with great respect, saying the hospital has often invited him for consultations and that his patients’ recovery rates are astonishing. So with the family expertise and six years of advanced study at university, Kang Ning is far from ordinary.”

At that, everyone fell silent. Deputy Division Chief Li Dezhi, who had been quiet until now, said coolly, “In my view, we should focus our surveillance on Liu Yiqing. For someone like Kang Ning—a romantic playboy—women are likely his greatest weakness.”

Everyone turned to Li Dezhi, and thoughtful expressions spread across their faces.

……………………………………………………

Amid the crowd bidding farewell to friends and family, Kang Ning walked briskly out of the station toward the parking lot, making his way to a Jetta taxi. After settling the fare with the driver, he climbed into the back seat and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

The driver was a lively young man, weaving through the congested city streets at a good speed, deftly overtaking one car after another. After twenty minutes, the young driver suddenly grumbled, startling Kang Ning into opening his eyes: “Damn, they’re setting up checkpoints again. They’ve been doing this for a month—just took them down for a few days and now it’s starting again. Don’t the police ever get tired of this?”

Kang Ning saw a dozen heavily armed officers erecting barricades, and his heart clenched. Fortunately, his taxi passed through just before the roadblock was fully in place. A tall officer in sunglasses motioned for them to hurry along. Once across, Kang Ning, drenched in cold sweat, glanced back to see every car behind him being stopped for inspection and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ha, good thing we’re leaving through the west side—there’s less traffic. If we’d gone south or north, we’d have been stopped for sure, and who knows how long we’d be delayed,” the driver said cheerily. Glancing at Kang Ning in the rearview mirror, he asked, “You look pretty cool, brother. Where are you from?”

Kang Ning replied amiably, “Guilin. I’m headed to Yizhou to visit a sick friend.”

“No wonder you’re in such a hurry. Don’t worry, just rest. We’ll be in Yizhou in no time—eighty or ninety kilometers goes by fast. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Thank you,” Kang Ning said, closing his eyes to replay the recent danger in his mind. Everything had unfolded just as he expected, though the police response had been far quicker than he’d anticipated. He reminded himself not to rely on old habits when judging the current situation; from now on, he must be more cautious than ever.

When they reached Yizhou, the driver woke Kang Ning, and the taxi stopped in front of the Chinese medicine hospital. Kang Ning paid the 350 yuan fare without hesitation and got out with his bag. After turning right at the corner and walking about fifty meters to the market entrance, he became wary of a shifty-looking young man walking in the same direction. As Kang Ning quickened his pace, the young man sidled up and whispered, “Need any documents? Work permits, marriage certificates, driver’s licenses, diplomas, ID cards—I can get you anything.”

Kang Ning slowed and asked, “You can make ID cards?”

“No problem! Just give me a photo and I guarantee you’ll have it in two days,” the young man replied eagerly.

“I don’t have that much time to wait. Goodbye,” Kang Ning said, striding away. Ten minutes later, he reached the bus station parking lot, bought a bottle of mineral water, and paused under a tree, sipping and observing the taxis nearby. According to his plan, he had to be through Hechi—the last city in Guangxi—before nightfall. Only north of Hechi would he feel a measure of safety. As for his next destination, Kang Ning could only take things one step at a time.