Chapter 955: Ambush and Capture

Although Gou Dan is a thief, he is quite perceptive.

"Back in the South, I stole this motorcycle right at the entrance of my old home, brought it over the night before last, and then turned around and sold it to the second-hand motorcycle boss in the South Suburb."

Old home in the South?

Wang Guodong continued, "Are you sure?"

Gou Dan nodded, "Right there, I’ve been working there recently. There’s a heavy flow of people, and the residents are quite mixed, mostly outsiders, so it’s relatively easier to make a move."

The old home in the South is actually the name of a self-built housing area.

It’s quite well-known in Donglai County.

In the meeting room, Wang Guodong described the situation of the old home in the South.

"Old home in the South is located at No. 28, Yongzheng Street, Donglai County."

A map of Donglan County hung on the whiteboard, and Wang Guodong introduced everyone to the circumstances surrounding the old home in the South.

"It’s a small cluster of self-built houses comprising over a dozen buildings. Since the residents are mostly workers from the South, people here habitually call it the old home in the South."

This old home in the South is located within the jurisdiction managed by Wang Guodu and others.

"The main feature here is the complexity of the people; there’s a high turnover, with all being migrant workers. It’s quite difficult to investigate, but conversely, if we go in, they won’t notice us."

All are from outside, so they aren’t familiar with the local situation. If the police enter to investigate, the chance of sweeping clean is low.

"The issue now is how long Zhang Yongzhi has been lingering here? Did he leave after realizing his motorcycle was stolen, and when he rented a place, did he use his real identity documents? We can’t determine it yet."

These concerns Wang Guodong raised are also shared by Lu Chuan and others.

Wang Zhaokai commented, "Zhang Yongzhi probably killing someone was an impulsive action, so it’s unlikely he prepared a fake identity in advance."

Zhang Yongzhi was originally a farmer, always engaged in farming in the village these years, so he’s unlikely to have made a fake ID for himself.

"The critical question now is whether Zhang Yongzhi left the old home in the South immediately after realizing his motorcycle was stolen, or even left Donglai County altogether."

That indeed is hard to say.

"My suggestion is that since Zhang Yong has been identified as the suspect, we should carry out a surprise search of the old home in the South. Catch him off guard, and if he’s still there, just apprehend him straight away."

Wang Zhaokai means to cut the Gordian knot, do it quickly and decisively.

Because right now, whether Zhang Yongzhi is still living in the old home in the South is uncertain, the pace needs to be quickened.

If they don’t catch him, they’ll immediately seek other leads; if they do catch him, the case is solved.

But there’s a downside to this approach, which is whether Zhang Yongzhi might act desperately, potentially endangering innocent civilians during the capture; how to deal with this if it happens?

"Advance on two fronts."

Lu Chuan, being the chief commander of this capture operation, listened to others’ opinions, but the final decision lay with him.

"First, check the rental information to see if there’s any record of Zhang Yongzhi."

Since he’s a fugitive suspect, it’s indeed unlikely he used his real identity to rent a house.

But as Wang Zhaokai predicted, killing was an impulsive act, so the chance of him being prepared with a fake identity is also small.

Moreover, he probably hasn’t been in the southeastern line long, so even if he sought someone in Donglan County to forge a fake ID, it’s doubtful he would have it now.

Therefore, Zhang Yongzhi is either hiding his identity, renting illegally, or genuinely using his ID to rent a house.

"Additionally, send someone into the old home in the South to investigate, but avoid a large-scale raid."

While a large-scale raid might catch Zhang Yongzhi, it could also push him into desperate measures. If he kidnaps innocent civilians during this process, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Half an hour later, at the old home in the South.

Lu Chuan and others realized as soon as they reached the entrance that the place was exceedingly complicated, with people constantly coming and going.

Once inside, the crowding was palpable, with vendors selling vegetables and fruit lining the roadsides.

It’s not just a gathering point for migrant workers; a micro-societal structure has already formed here.

"It’s already been checked; there’s no one named Zhang Yongzhi among the currently registered tenants."

Wang Guodong quickly provided the investigation findings.

Generally, all rental tenants must register with the police station, but if someone has just rented, there might be a time lag in registration, leaving a loophole.

However, while fleeing, Zhang Yongzhi deliberately avoided several surveillance cameras, suggesting he has some anti-detection awareness.

So, it’s quite unlikely Zhang Yongzhi used his real ID to rent a house.

"Without an ID, renting an apartment is highly improbable for Zhang Yongzhi."

The area around the old home in the South is a key point under police station jurisdiction due to high foot traffic, so ID requirements for renting houses are stringent.

Landlords around here generally have developed this awareness, so if Zhang Yongzhi didn’t use a real ID, he likely hasn’t rented a place in the past few days.

Lu Chuan glanced at some nearby bathhouse establishments: "Without an ID... could Zhang Yongzhi stay there overnight?"

Analyzing from this angle, Zhang Yongzhi’s active range seems slightly narrowed.

"It’s quite likely he stayed overnight at a bathhouse, or perhaps an internet cafe."

Wang Zhaokai’s eyes lit up, analyzing along with Lu Chuan’s line: "But Zhang Yongzhi is over 50 years old, and having been farming in the countryside, the chance of him going to an internet cafe for leisure is slim."

Some internet cafes, in a bid to attract patrons, allow underage individuals entry, with some machines not requiring ID registration to use, so there lies a loophole.

However, considering Zhang Yongzhi’s background, having always been a farmer in the countryside into his 50s, the likelihood of him being savvy with computers is low.

So the chance of him staying overnight in an internet cafe is slim, making his overnight stay in a bathhouse much more probable.

"Zhang Yongzhi has always been a bachelor, with not particularly favorable economic conditions at home, having lived in Beihong Village all these years, so probably not keen on high-end life experiences; even if staying at a bathhouse overnight, he wouldn’t opt for anything fancy, likely the cheapest kind."

After Wang Zhaokai spoke, Lu Chuan nodded in agreement.