Time slipped away silently,
Soon, an hour had passed since the explosion.
During this time, Colonel's special police team under him never stopped searching. However, this Lu Ting seemed to have vanished into thin air, without a trace!
As the night grew late, the Colonel grew more anxious.
Before him hung a map of the city, with the area of today's explosion marked in red. The Colonel's face was filled with worry because, up to now, he hadn't received any news about Lu Ting's whereabouts.
Just then, a captain from the special police rushed in and, after approaching the Colonel, placed something on the table. He said, "Colonel, we used satellite GPS to locate and found this only in a corner, the person was nowhere to be seen."
The item the captain placed on the table was the mobile phone Lu Ting had turned off and abandoned, along with a shattered electronic card.
They used satellite GPS to pinpoint Lu Ting's last signal location. When they searched there, they found only these items—no sign of the person!
The Colonel glanced at the items on the table, then tossed them back with frustration. "Continue the search!" he ordered.
"We must find him before tomorrow!"
According to Arthur's orders, all traffic in the city has been sealed off today, but it's impossible to keep it sealed indefinitely.
Could it be that if Lu Ting wasn't found today, all traffic in the city will remain blocked from the outside world?!
That's clearly impossible!
After all, the economic losses and the pressure from above would be too great!
Even with Arthur's backing, he couldn't afford such consequences.
So, if Lu Ting isn't found today, once the traffic to the outside world resumes tomorrow morning, he'll disappear like a dragon into the sea, beyond their reach!
Thinking of this, a hint of fierceness flashed in the Colonel's eyes. Before noon today, he hadn't considered Lu Ting, an ordinary and obscure mercenary, could become such a thorn in his side.
At first, the Colonel hadn't taken him seriously, but now the situation had escalated to the point where his entire career might be jeopardized by him!
Even his family might be implicated because of this!
How could the Colonel not feel furious towards Lu Ting?!
Bang!
Unable to contain himself, the Colonel slammed his fist hard on the desk in front of him, seemingly trying to vent his anger.
"Colonel!"
At this moment, his subordinate stationed outside the office pushed the door open and reported, "Mr. Arthur has arrived!"
Upon hearing this report, the expression on the Colonel's face changed involuntarily. Immediately, he walked out to personally greet Arthur.
Arthur's exclusive sedan was parked at the side entrance of the police station. As the Colonel approached the rear door, the window automatically rolled down.
Arthur sat in the backseat, expressionless, but when he turned to look at the Colonel, his eyes were filled with cold determination. Then, he extended a surveillance screenshot photo.
The Colonel immediately reached out to take a look. The figure in the photo was somewhat blurry, but still recognizable at a glance. The person captured by the surveillance camera was the elusive Lu Ting they had been desperately pursuing!
"He's cautious. This is the only footage my people found of him among all the surveillance cameras," Arthur said succinctly as he stared at the photo in the Colonel's hand.
"His last known location was on the second main road in the Wan Zha civilian area. Have your people expand the search area and look carefully. My people will join in. He won't get far in a short time."
With the current situation outside being so tense, Lu Ting certainly wouldn't dare to show up frequently on the streets. Arthur believed he must be hiding somewhere, and as long as he remained in this area, he could be found!
Even if they have to turn the entire civilian area upside down, Arthur will find Lu Ting!
After hearing Arthur's words, the Colonel immediately nodded in understanding and responded, "Understood, I'll continue to deploy manpower."
Shortly after, Arthur's car didn't stay long at the side entrance of the police station. After a brief exchange with the Colonel, it drove away immediately.
Then, holding the surveillance screenshot photo, the Colonel turned and returned to the police station, ordering all his subordinates to intensify the search efforts in the Wan Zha civilian area.
In reality,
Indeed, as shown in the surveillance footage Arthur obtained, Lu Ting was currently in the Wan Zha civilian area!
However, at present, he looked completely different from before!
If initially Lu Ting gave the impression of a strong and robust mercenary, now, disguised as he was, Lu Ting appeared as a middle-aged drunkard on the verge of collapse!
He sat in an unnamed dilapidated tavern in the Wan Zha civilian area, with four or five empty bottles on the small table in front of him.
His muscular body was concealed under oversized, shabby clothes. He hunched over the table, his once clean wheat-colored face now dirty and difficult to recognize.
The reason Lu Ting disguised himself like this was because, according to his observations in the city, the largest group of people in any civilian area were these drunken vagrants.
Even throughout the city, aside from vermin, this type of vagrant was the most common.
You could see them lying on the streets sleeping anywhere.
And disguising oneself as them was simple; no additional purchases were necessary.
Upon arriving in the Wan Zha civilian area, Lu Ting simply found a vagrant with a similar build to himself in an area without surveillance cameras, exchanged clothes with him, and rolled around in a garbage heap.
With just a slight change in posture, Lu Ting transformed from a muscular mercenary into an inconspicuous drunkard.
Sitting in the corner of the tavern, Lu Ting pretended to be intoxicated while discreetly scanning the environment.
Just then!
The door of the tavern was rudely pushed open, and in walked the heavily armed special police, the very ones Lu Ting was most familiar with, here to conduct a search!
(End of the Chapter)