Chapter 224: Difficult Pursuit

Chen Shi said, “Looks like I wasn’t wrong!”

Lin Dongxue said, “Our intel shows Liu Hong has never been married. Although he’s had several girlfriends, he’s always been single.”

“Could there be someone else in his house?”

“Unlikely. If there were, Officer Liu would have noticed by now. He’s been watching for ten years.” Lin Dongxue thought for a moment. “Sanitary pads aren’t necessarily used by women. I’ve heard some men use them for hemorrhoids or to absorb foot sweat.”

“This case is like an iron wall, with no flaws. Any slight suspicion can’t be ignored. Starting tomorrow, we’ll monitor Liu Hong!”

“But we don’t have enough people.”

Chen Shi pointed to himself, “Am I not a person? Officer Liu’s place is perfect for surveillance. Can you get me some monitoring equipment?”

“Surveillance?” Lin Dongxue frowned. “That’s tough work.”

“It’s fine. Worrying and losing sleep is worse. Please look after Yueyue for a few days.”

Lin Dongxue couldn’t argue with him. “Alright then.”

Chen Shi went home to get some essentials. When they drove to the community entrance, they saw the young monk wandering around. Chen Shi invited him into the car. The young monk had come looking for them but didn’t know their exact address, so he waited at the entrance.

The young monk wanted an update on the case. Lin Dongxue said, “Little Master, don’t worry. Our investigation hasn’t stopped.”

“Sorry, I’m just anxious. If you need anything, let me know. Even if it’s just sweeping the floor or cooking, I’d feel more at ease doing something!”

Chen Shi said, “The best thing you can do is stay put and wait for our news.”

The next morning, Chen Shi brought surveillance equipment and binoculars from Lin Dongxue’s team to Officer Liu’s place. He set up a laser microphone, which uses laser beams to detect vibrations on glass and transmit sound.

Chen Shi then settled into a chair, beginning a day of monotonous surveillance.

That evening, Lin Dongxue came by after work and saw two black bags in the room. Chen Shi, wearing gloves, was sifting through them. Lin Dongxue was shocked. “You’re going through his trash?”

“Even trash can reveal a lot about someone’s life.”

Lin Dongxue waved away the smell. “If you were a cop, you’d get a medal for this dedication.”

“Stop with the sarcasm. Come, take a look.”

Chen Shi showed her the trash, piece by piece, while Lin Dongxue took notes. It was all ordinary stuff like banana peels and packaging, revealing nothing significant.

Chen Shi spent the night there.

The next afternoon, Lin Dongxue found Chen Shi looking more haggard, sitting by the window with binoculars, surrounded by sunflower seed shells and cigarette butts.

She sniffed him. “You need to go shower. I’ll watch for a while.”

“No need. I don’t smell that bad, do I?”

“What do you think? Any discoveries today?”

“The trash is the same. I recorded what he said.” Chen Shi played a few audio clips on his phone. They were all mundane phrases like, “Biaozi, come eat!”, “Come to Daddy!”, and “Bring that over.”

“Sounds like he’s talking to his dog,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Yeah, nothing suspicious.” Chen Shi rubbed his stubbly chin.

“Seriously, go shower.”

“I’ll shower in a couple of days, save some money.”

“I don’t like smelly men.”

Chen Shi sniffed himself and sighed. “Fine, you take over.”

“Got it.”

By the third day, Lin Dongxue found Chen Shi looking even worse. He muttered around a cigarette, “No progress.”

“Let’s stop this,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“No progress is progress.”

“What?”

Chen Shi opened a notebook. “These are all the types of trash I’ve recorded over the past three days.”

“Looks normal.”

“Where are the sanitary pads? Whether used or just the packaging, I haven’t found any.”

Lin Dongxue glanced at the notes. Indeed, there were none. “Sanitary pads are usually thrown in the bathroom trash.”

“I turned the bathroom trash upside down. I even found toilet paper with Liu Hong’s blood on it and sent it to Peng for testing… He doesn’t want to talk to me now.”

“Gross. I haven’t eaten yet.”

“We’ll eat together later,” Chen Shi said casually. “Why would he buy sanitary pads but not throw them out? Did he cook and eat them?”

“Do you mean there’s a woman in his house, but he’s hiding her?”

“It’s possible, very possible!”

“You’ve been eavesdropping and watching. Any sign of another person?”

“Not a single hint. Even when Liu Hong isn’t home, it’s just the dog.”

“So you might be overthinking.”

“Liu Hong’s girlfriend visited once. They went to a hotel. He seems to never bring outsiders home.”

Suddenly, the surveillance device picked up a sound, like a door opening. Chen Shi immediately grabbed the binoculars and looked through the window but saw nothing unusual.

“Let’s go out for a meal. I’m worried about your mental state,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Order in.”

Chen Shi watched a woman, dressed like an ordinary housewife, leaving the building.

Lin Dongxue returned later with a variety of food to cheer Chen Shi up. The meal and her company helped relieve some of his stress.

Lin Dongxue suggested, “The evidence room has an unclaimed TV. Want me to bring it tomorrow?”

Chen Shi chuckled. “No need. It’s not a camping trip.”

After dinner and some conversation, Lin Dongxue left. At the community entrance, Xu Xiaodong messaged the group, “Bad news, Li Biao is missing!”

Lin Dongxue rushed back to Chen Shi, who was calling Xu Xiaodong. “How could you lose him with three people watching?”

Xu Xiaodong, distressed, explained, “He seemed suspicious. He went to a bathhouse and never came out. We found out through surveillance that he escaped through a first-floor window.”

“How long ago?”

“Almost two hours.”

“Did he go home?”

“No, and we checked his usual spots. Nothing.”

Chen Shi looked through the binoculars. “Liu Hong is still home.”

“What now?” Lin Dongxue asked anxiously.

“We’re going to Li Biao’s place directly!”

“But we don’t have formal authorization or a case. It’s trespassing.”

“We have no choice. I have a feeling Li Biao might not come back.”