Su Ming and two others were sitting at an outdoor seat of a stir-fry restaurant.
The pedestrian street was packed with people.
Every snack and restaurant had placed tables in the surrounding open space, so the three casually dressed individuals didn't attract the attention of anyone who might be watching.
However.
Although they looked like they were eating and chatting seriously, occasionally picking up a few bites, their eyes never left the passing crowd.
As time ticked by.
Wang Hu glanced at his phone and realized it was already ten minutes past the designated transaction time. He picked up a garlic oyster from the table, popped it into his mouth, and muttered in code.
"Hm?"
"This oyster tastes a bit off. Could it have gone bad? (Is the suspect aware?)"
Xu Changsheng remained expressionless.
He also picked up a garlic oyster, tasted it, and responded in a subtle tone.
"It's not bad."
"The chef probably just didn't grill it long enough; we shouldn't have rushed him earlier. (Don't rush. Let's wait a bit longer.)"
"Speaking of."
"Do you guys know where the best oysters are from..."
As Xu Changsheng was about to chat casually with Su Ming, creating the impression they were just regular tourists, he suddenly caught a burning acidic stench in his nose and stopped mid-sentence.
Su Ming smelled it, too.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the man who had just walked by behind Xu Changsheng...
A thin, middle-aged man in work clothes.
Immediately.
Su Ming turned to Xu Changsheng, subtly nodded, and continued the conversation.
"Of course I know, Brother Xu."
"When it comes to oysters, it's got to be from Rushan!"
"I heard the oysters in Rushan are about ready for harvest and should be reaching restaurant tables in Shanghai soon. Just don't know when they'll have workers ready to harvest!"
Although Wang Hu, who was sitting on the end, didn't smell the stench of burnt acid, he quickly understood from Su Ming's oyster metaphor that a suspect had shown up but it wasn't time to take action yet.
Without hesitating, Wang Hu threw down his chopsticks, pretended to be finished, stood up, and pulled out his phone.
"Boss, let's pay."
"How much for this?"
While his detection skills might not be top-notch, Wang Hu was excellent at pretending to pay.
As the middle-aged man in work clothes walked away, Su Ming stretched as if casually but actually pressed a hidden earpiece, quietly saying with certainty.
"The seller has appeared."
"Wearing yellow work clothes, about 165 cm, with a clear scent of burnt acid, likely from substance number four."
"I suggest..."
"Let's hold off for now and wait for the other party to show."
Su Ming's words were heard clearly by both Xu Changsheng and Wang Hu.
To avoid any unexpected incidents, Xu Changsheng pressed his earpiece, issuing a more precise command.
"Old Chen, Little Xu."
"The fish is heading your way; just follow behind, and keep your earpieces on for contact."
Right after he spoke, Old Chen's low, gruff voice came through.
"We've got movement."
"The fish tossed a cigarette pack into the bushes outside the pedestrian street's parking lot exit and then slipped back into the crowd."
"Currently, Little Xu and I are tailing from a distance. This fish isn't getting away."
"Once the other fish appears."
"Little Xu and I will reel them in!"
Clearly, the team members on this mission were veteran detectives.
They knew very well...
If they caught the seller now, the buyer might get spooked.
After all, using a cigarette pack drop for the exchange...
Definitely indicated...
The buyer and seller were likely in real-time communication. Waiting for both to appear before taking action was the safest bet!
Xu Changsheng stood up, grabbed the car keys on the table, and said.
"Let's go."
"We'll wait in the car."
"Old Chen mentioned a secluded alley just beside the parking lot exit. We'll just lie in wait!"
...
Two minutes later.
The three were back in the car.
Their gaze fixed on the bushes at the exit, with a few other plainclothes officers hidden nearby.
Once the command was given.
They could make the arrest in seconds!
The wait at this moment was agonizingly long.
Xu Changsheng looked at Su Ming beside him, a bit curious, and asked.
"Xiao Ming."
"Can you explain?"
"What exactly helped you identify the suspect so quickly?"
"I just smelt some burning and acidic smell coming from the construction worker. That smell is the same when you do drugs. "
"Without seeing the person, how could you be so sure just from the significant burnt acid smell I detected from behind the crowd?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Hu, who was staring intently ahead, perked up and echoed, "Yeah, Big brother Ming, how did you know?"
"I couldn't even smell that acrid odor, and yet you already identified the suspect. I'm starting to doubt…"
"Are we even taking the same criminal investigation course?"
Su Ming squinted at the front and shrugged casually. "Let's not even talk about the burnt acid smell; it's a notable characteristic of the use of the fourth drug."
"As for how I determined that it was that man in construction clothes…"
"It's actually quite simple."
"First of all, Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street is a well-established commercial tourist area, and there's no construction site nearby. Besides, it's currently working hours for construction sites."
"If there's an urgent reason for him to be here, I didn't see any panic or urgency in that middle-aged man's eyes."
"Only tension and anxiety, and he kept glancing around as if afraid of being discovered."
"And the key point is…"
"His construction clothes have no stains or dust."
"It's the afternoon now. If he really didn't have time to change clothes, wouldn't he have some traces on him for coming to such a crowded place in those clothes?"
"There's only one possibility."
"That is…"
"He never went to work on a construction site; he's wearing that outfit just to cover up."
"Putting everything together proves…"
"This seller knows he has that acrid odor on him, so he wore the construction clothes simply to mask that smell and to lower his visibility."
"After all, people are used to seeing workers and wouldn't pay much attention to them."
As he said this, Su Ming seemed to recall a case he had simulated in the past, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "In fact…"
"This seller is full of flaws."
"The best disguise would be to wear sanitation worker clothes and carry a garbage bag, using trash to cover up his smell."
"While picking up bottles from the trash can, he could throw the drug-laden cigarette box beside the trash can, waiting for the buyer to collect it."
"With that method…"
"Even if we dispatched a lot of people, it would be difficult to catch him."
This statement made Xu Changsheng's eyes quiver slightly.
What kind of talent is this?
In such a short time, Su Ming could think of so many details and immediately identify a suspect.
What's even more astonishing is that he could even suggest a more perfect crime method!
Disguising as a sanitation worker?
Using a garbage bag to mask his stench? This is beyond imagination!
Wang Hu, sitting in the back, had his mouth wide open, unable to help but gasp, "Ming Ge, aren't you being a bit exaggerated?"
"In just this short while, you've even thought of the best crime method?"
"Good thing you're a police officer now; otherwise, I'd suspect you'd become the perfect criminal!"
Su Ming chuckled nonchalantly.
Just at that moment, a low voice suddenly echoed in the earphones of the three in the car.
"Another fish has appeared!!!"