Chapter 1: Escorting 911
In May, the climate in the East City is mild. The bustling streets and towering buildings cannot block the sea breeze bathing the entire city.
May is the most refreshing season in the East City.
But the season is not the main factor affecting people's mood. For example, Zhang Tian is completely unaffected.
At the square in the fourth district of the East City, the forty-something Zhang Tian wears a sun hat and the thickness of his glasses lenses is about the same as the fat pressed out by his jaw. Zhang Tian is very fat and sweats a lot, even in the East City in May. He is checking his watch with one hand while holding a black suitcase and using a small towel to wipe away the sweat constantly seeping from his forehead. Sitting in a resting chair, his left foot taps awkwardly to the beat, and even passersby can tell his anxiety at a glance.
About thirty meters away from Zhang Tian is a couple eating ice cream, leaning on the railing to watch children play in the small amusement park. When the two laugh and talk, they occasionally look at Zhang Tian not far away.
On the second floor of the shopping mall opposite Zhang Tian is a café. The large floor-to-ceiling glass allows the café's patrons to clearly see the square. Sitting in a window seat is a man of twenty-eight, with a neat suit, a short flattop haircut, neatly applied moisturizing water, and well-defined features. He is accompanied by a beautiful woman who is not an ordinary person; she has a microphone in her hand, and she is a journalist.
The female journalist looks at Zhang Tian and asks, "Officer Zhao, it seems this man is our suspect?"
“Haha, Miss Dong is very clever, even you can see it.” Officer Zhao, known as Zhao Ang, says with ease and grace, "Pardon me for the joke, but these days, the IQ of those engaged in crime is getting lower and lower, and we are genuinely frustrated. Of course, we strategically look down on our adversary, but tactically, we still take them very seriously. Although the other party is inexperienced, we still dispatched four teams to the cardinal directions, and can also contact the patrol cars for reinforcements in the first place. It only takes five minutes. Even if he is Usain Bolt, to catch him, it only takes five minutes." Full of confidence.
Miss Dong asks, "Are we underestimating him a bit too much?"
"No." Zhao Ang shakes his head and smiles: "Man is not as strong as a lion, but why is man the ruler? Why is the lion confined to a zoo cage? Because of the brain. Look at the mistakes he's made: the first mistake was facing the sun directly, which impaired his vision to judge the situation around him. The second mistake was checking his watch every ten seconds, which not only does not speed up time but only makes him more anxious and unsettled. The third mistake was gripping the suitcase with his left hand, expending too much energy. The fourth mistake was running into me; I regret it, of course."
Zhao Ang strikes a pose, and the camera adjusts its angle. Zhao Ang is satisfied and says, "Physical fitness is also crucial, but he is not a violent person. Based on my observation, there will be no physical conflict in this arrest. As soon as we identify ourselves, he will surrender immediately."
Miss Dong asks, "Officer Zhao, I remember you seem to have been overly confident and made a command mistake, so you were..."
Zhao Ang says seriously: "Miss Dong, every job is important. I do not deny that many citizens perceive there to be a slight difference between drug and medication enforcement. Actually, is there any difference? No, drugs are just a type of medicine..."
"Boss." The walkie-talkie says: "Five more minutes.
Zhao Ang pressing the headset: "Understood... Miss Dong, most people may think that a cleaner is unimportant, at least their contribution is less than that of the mayor. But that's not the case. The mayor and the cleaner are just jobs. Just like me, as a senior anti-narcotics officer and now as the drug interdiction specialist, they are just jobs that need to be done. Take the phone booth on the square, it appears because someone needs it. It's a form of existence, the value of which is not determined by its height or lowness, but whether it exists or not."
The phone Zhao Ang mentioned is a plastic mannequin with a telephone suit, distributing flyers in the square to attract potential customers to accept the discounts on the flyers and go to the designated phone sales point to buy the phone.
The phone distributed flyers all the way to Zhang Tian's face, handing one over. Zhang Tian only felt someone approaching himself and subconsciously looking up as he saw the flyer already on top of his suitcase, the person on the phone whispering, "Read it carefully."
Zhang Tian* for a second, looked down at the flyer, a small headset stuck to it, Zhang Tian pretending to be uninterested in taking the flyer, peeled off the headset and secretly put it into his left ear, watching the phone person leave.
Soon, the voice came through the ear: "Mr. Zhang, I am Escort 911. You are to listen, not speak, not move. Use your left hand to wipe sweat to show you don't understand, and use your right hand to wipe sweat to show you do. The situation now is that you have been betrayed, and there are about three groups of customs police nearby. You are just a small fish, and their target is your buyer. Do you understand, or not?
Zhang Tian took a deep breath, wiping sweat with the towel in his right hand.
“Next, remember the steps. Out of the square, across the road, to the eighth floor of the shopping mall opposite, exit the eighth floor elevator and turn left, go straight for one hundred meters, there is a clothing and general merchandise supermarket, take any set of clothes, and go into changing room seven.” The voice asked: "Understand or not?"
Zhang Tian thought for a while, wiping sweat with the towel in his right hand.
The voice said: "Don't hurry just yet, wait for my order."
“Ah!” A mischievous child was tugged and fell towards the couple in plain clothes monitoring Zhang Tian, the girl unable to avoid it, with the ice cream splashing over the child's collar.
At this time, the voice said: "Go, don't look around, as that will expose your intentions, just look towards your destination, as it can gain you a little more time."
……
Zhao Ang was still chatting with Dong the journalist, when finally the cinematographer reminded: "Detective Zhao, the person has left."
“The head, the person is going to the shopping mall.” The female in the couple still noticed.
Zhao Ang moved quickly, standing up, turned to the window side, looking at Zhang Tian approaching the shopping mall near him, pacing at a moderate speed, naturally relaxed. Zhao Ang said: “He doesn't show any signs of fleeing or alertness. Why would he suddenly come to the shopping mall?” Zhao Ang added: “Team Two, follow up.”
“Team two, understood.” A man returned the newspaper to the newsstand and walked towards the entrance of the shopping mall.
Dong, the journalist, asked, “Inspector Zhao, is something wrong?”
“A bit strange.” Zhao anguished, feeling something was off. Although Zhang Tian was a small case, he had spent two days getting to know Zhang Tian. His performance at the plaza was normal, exactly as expected, but as he walked those ten or so meters, with a steady pace and an air of confidence, it contradicted his earlier profile.
The second team member watched the elevator and reported, “Leader, he went to the eighth floor.”
“The eighth floor?” Zhao Ang immediately asked the cafe server beside him, “What is sold on the eighth floor of the mall?”
The server replied, “Apparel.”
“Sichang, transform!” Zhao Ang picked up the walkie-talkie, “The prey is escaping, move in, quickly, quickly.” What the hell, yes, he was self-righteous, but that was the confidence one should have after knowing their enemy. God bless, don't make any more mistakes, he had been demoted four times in two years, and his astrological forehead was black, as offensive as it could be.
Without another thought for Dong the journalist or the camera, Zhao Ang sprinted towards the elevator on the second floor.