Chapter 16: Look, There's a Drug Dealer Over There
In fact, Cen Lian hadn’t expected to stumble upon a case just by going out for a meal.
“Were you serious just now?” Tang Hua hastily finished the last bite of his dish, then turned to look toward the spot Cen Lian had indicated. He couldn’t see anyone there who looked like a criminal at all.
But the previous cases had clearly proven Cen Lian’s instincts to be uncannily accurate, so although reason told him otherwise, his body was already set to move toward that corner.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Cen Lian said, staring at the floating text bubble above the corner, “but I just feel like no matter how you look at him, he’s definitely a drug user.”
Tang Hua scratched his head but decided to trust him.
“It’s the end of the year, so if it’s drugs, that counts as performance. Want to check it out?” he asked.
Cen Lian pondered briefly, unsure whether or not to alert the suspects.
Because the text bubble he saw read:
[Name: Feng Tianyang]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 26]
[Criminal Record: Currently involved in drug transportation
Participated in drug transport 24 days ago
Participated in drug transport 63 days ago
Participated in drug transport 107 days ago
Participated in drug transport 150 days ago
Long-term drug user]
[Incarceration Record: Forced rehabilitation 421 days ago]
This guy transported drugs frequently and consistently, indicating a stable upstream and downstream connection, likely sustaining his addiction through trafficking.
“I think his expression is off. Maybe it’s not just usage,” Cen Lian said slowly as he stood up. “Let’s follow him and see.”
Tang Hua’s expression turned serious immediately.
“You think he’s carrying drugs on him?” he whispered.
Cen Lian and Tang Hua moved to a dark corner by the roadside.
“Looking around nervously,” Cen Lian described him with two words, “The night market near the urban village is always crowded and mixed, a perfect place for deals. Just don’t know how they plan to pass this batch along.”
“I’ll take a couple of photos and send them back to the narcotics unit. Don’t spook them,” Tang Hua said quietly as he snapped a frontal shot of Feng Tianyang and sent it to the narcotics team through Yuan Chenxi.
---
Cen Lian waited quietly nearby.
Narcotics enforcement often required patience to catch the big fish, so they frequently left bait to draw out entire drug chains, especially the upper echelons.
Encountering a small-time courier like Feng Tianyang, Cen Lian and Tang Hua’s first thought was to notify the narcotics team.
Yuan Chenxi quickly sent over the narcotics team captain Song Yanghua’s WeChat and phone number, along with some chat messages.
“Guangxin Village? That’s not an area we’re monitoring,” Song Yanghua replied on WeChat, clearly this wasn’t a known drug line.
Cen Lian quickly dialed Song Yanghua.
The call connected instantly.
“Captain Song, this is Cen Lian,” he introduced himself proactively.
“I know you — the guy who’s always delivering backup to the brother units,” Song Yanghua responded, his tone not anxious but tinged with a secret excitement.
It made sense; year-end pressure on performance was intense.
“Uh, that’s me,” Cen Lian admitted, feeling his reputation was beyond saving.
After a light joke, Song Yanghua asked, “Where did you find this guy?”
“In Guangxin Village. He smells like meth. We felt something was off, so we tailed him for a while,” Cen Lian explained briefly.
“Keep watching him. I’m bringing the team over now,” Song said as sounds of packing could be heard—his narcotics team was preparing to mobilize.
Tang Hua, still hidden in the corner recording, suddenly tapped Cen Lian.
“They’re starting,” he said excitedly. “I also caught the person he’s dealing with on camera — solid evidence!”
After Song Yanghua asked Cen Lian to send his location, he hung up.
Cen Lian peeked out from the corner, continuing to watch the two men exchanging drugs amid the bustling night market.
[Name: Zhang Fan]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 37]
[Criminal Record: Currently involved in drug transport
Participated in drug transport 37 days ago
Participated in drug transport 69 days ago
Participated in the murder of He Chang 71 days ago
Participated in drug transport 146 days ago
Participated in the murder of Kang Wenhong 207 days ago
Participated in drug transport 255 days ago]
[Incarceration Record: None]
The middle-aged man dealing with Feng Tianyang had committed murder but hadn’t been involved in drug trafficking for long, suggesting he was a lower-ranking member of a larger gang.
Judging by this, Feng Tianyang was likely just a small-time courier.
“They seem to be leaving,” Tang Hua whispered as Cen Lian mulled over the situation.
Cen Lian estimated the narcotics team would arrive soon and replied softly, “After they split up, I’ll follow the middle-aged man. You take control of the meth user.”
“That’s dangerous to tail him recklessly!” Tang Hua immediately protested.
Who knew if these dealers were armed?
“No worries, I’ll keep my distance,” Cen Lian activated location sharing on WeChat. “I’ve shared my position with Captain Song.”
As the two men prepared to separate, Cen Lian quickly followed.
Tang Hua watched him leave with concern, biting his lip but promptly intercepted Feng Tianyang at full speed after Cen Lian tailed the middle-aged man.
“Brother, can I borrow a light?” Tang Hua feigned familiarity, slinging an arm over Feng Tianyang’s shoulder. Before Feng could react, Tang Hua flashed his police badge in front of him. “Don’t move. If you do, you’ll be charged with trafficking and assaulting an officer.”
Feng Tianyang trembled, nodding under Tang Hua’s threat.
He had no idea how the cops caught onto him. He’d been dealing here for almost half a year without incident.
Tang Hua, tall and muscular at 1.86 meters, completely restrained him.
When Captain Song Yanghua and his team arrived, Tang Hua was the first person they saw.
“Captain Song,” Tang Hua said, leading Feng Tianyang forward, “Cen Lian is tailing the middle-aged man. He’s sharing his location with you. Hurry up.”
Song Yanghua’s face was grave. After leaving two officers to take Feng Tianyang away, he and Tang Hua set off to find Cen Lian using the shared location.
Cen Lian didn’t feel any danger at the moment. The street was crowded; even if Zhang Fan had some anti-surveillance skills, it would be hard for him to spot Cen Lian in the throng. On the contrary, Cen Lian worried more about losing him.
He quickly put that worry aside.
Zhang Fan, standing out conspicuously amidst the crowd with a floating text bubble half a person’s height above his head, was impossible to miss.