By the time Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou came down from the mountain, Zhang Lang, who had been craning his neck to watch the mountain, felt he was about to turn into a giraffe.
Seeing everyone safe and sound, Zhang Lang smiled and said, "Captain Pei, you finally came down."
"We went after the two lookouts," Pei Yucheng gestured towards Hei Mazi and Skinny Wang, then turned to Zhang Lang and asked, "Where are they?"
"They have taken those suspects back to the station first; I stayed here to wait for you," replied Zhang Lang, looking at Hei Mazi and Skinny Wang with a couple of clucks of disapproval in his heart.
They had just done a head count and arrested 32 people in total.
In the room, aside from finding poker cards and dice used for gambling, they had also discovered some drug paraphernalia.
Moreover, after facial recognition identified the brothers Zhao An and Zhao Quan, Zhang Lang almost knew who they had caught in this batch.
These were regulars on their bureau’s wanted list!
Actually, the department Zhang Lang belonged to had received an anonymous report about Zhao An and Zhao Quan as early as last year.
However, the police officers who received the report had made several surprise raids but had always let the brothers slip through their fingers.
The brothers were like slippery eels, always changing the locations of their operations, mostly in the wild or remote rural villages.
"Where were these two keeping watch? Surely not on the peak," Zhang Lang spoke up.
"They were on a very well-sighted tree on the mountainside, the two taking turns sitting on a branch with binoculars, keeping watch," Jiang Ning said indifferently.
Her words immediately enlightened Zhang Lang.
No wonder their colleagues had failed to capture them before; who would expect lookouts in such high places!
Probably in those past pursuits through the forests and villages, the Zhao brothers had made similar arrangements.
Zhang Lang looked at Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou with admiration in his eyes.
If it weren’t for Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou today, they might have come up empty-handed again.
They could have possibly caught just a few small fries, just like before.
Unlike just now, when they had almost effortlessly rounded them all up.
The colleagues who had just come down from the breeding farm told him, as they rushed to the farm, they had braced themselves for a fight with the people inside. Or else, they expected those people would have run into the mountains, giving them a hard time searching.
Instead, when they got there, they found that everyone had already been subdued by Qi Xingzhou.
Strong men, each one of them, were now huddled in corners like quails, waiting for them to move in and make the arrests.
This scene, something none of them had expected, was a first for everyone.
Right before getting into the car, a colleague couldn’t help but express a wish that, if only every informant were like Qi Xingzhou, it would save them so much trouble.
Zhang Lang’s gaze towards Jiang Ning was complex.
She really knew nothing about her own and Qi Xingzhou’s capabilities!
Pei Yucheng’s cool voice suddenly interrupted Zhang Lang’s train of thought, "Since they were on the mountainside, how did you find out?"
Upon hearing that, Jiang Ning laughed, "What do you mean by that, Captain Pei?"
She actually didn’t know the tall man’s identity, but since she heard Zhang Lang address him that way just now, she followed suit.
Pei Yucheng looked a bit surprised, "Just curious, can’t you say?"
"There’s nothing I can’t say." Jiang Ning had already thought of an excuse, "Someone sent an anonymous email to inform me that there were gambling and drug activities here and asked me to have a look. The location of the lookouts was also provided by that person."
Pei Yucheng nodded, it was unclear whether he believed it or not.
Jiang Ning didn’t care, and she parted ways with them then and there, "Since the matter is over, we will take our leave first."
Zhang Lang hurriedly spoke up, "Where is your car parked? Let me drive you there first."
He had been mindful earlier and hadn’t seen Jiang Ning’s car nearby.
Jiang Ning thought about where she had parked her car earlier; it would just be a push on the gas pedal, but walking there with Qi Xingzhou might take quite some time.
Jiang Ning nodded, "Alright. My car is parked up ahead, just keep driving straight ahead later."
After dropping off Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou, Zhang Lang drove, with Pei Yucheng in the passenger seat, another junior officer of Pei Yucheng’s and Hei Mazi in the back seats, creating a very cold and quiet atmosphere inside the car.
Pei Yucheng was from the armed police department, and Zhang Lang had only heard of his stern reputation before and was not familiar with Pei Yucheng himself. Plus, Pei Yucheng often had a stern face, looking extremely serious, which always reminded Zhang Lang of his own drill instructor, making him somewhat intimidated.
Unexpectedly, after driving for a while, Pei Yucheng actually initiated a conversation, "Officer Zhang Lang, are you close with Jiang Ning?"