The voice made the three instantly get into position, their gazes fixed on the bushes near the exit in front of them. It was clear that an undercover officer had spotted someone acting suspiciously and sent an early alert.
A few seconds later, in their line of sight, appeared a burly man wearing an oversized black t-shirt, colorful beach shorts, and worn-out slippers. He had a simple, uneven buzz cut and didn't even glance at his surroundings. He simply picked up a cigarette box from the bushes, opened it to check, and then stuffed it into his pocket. Taking out a pack of cigarettes from his bulging pocket, he immediately lit one, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick puff of smoke. Then, he took out his phone, seemingly dialing a number.
But his left hand, holding the phone, had a pinky finger that had been cut off by a sharp object, the wound still not fully healed and looking rather gruesome. A large scar with peeling scabs was also visible on the back of his hand.
Despite all this, the man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stayed put, smoking and making a call without any hint of fear.
Meanwhile, a low voice crackled through the miniature earpiece, "Old Xu, how should we handle this?"
"I think we can act now. Both targets are here."
Xu Tiansheng didn't respond right away. He furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of this strange behavior of the man in front of them.
Su Ming was also carefully observing from a distance. With his extensive experience in simulating countless crimes, he could quickly capture and analyze every detail. Something felt wrong.
In a typical situation, a drug user would be afraid of getting caught red-handed during a transaction. There's no way a typical user would stand around smoking and chatting after obtaining drugs.
This situation only made sense under three possible scenarios.
One, this man was a reckless novice who hadn't yet realized the severity of drug enforcement. But anyone willing to buy 25 grams of heroin couldn't possibly be a clueless newcomer.
The second possibility was that he was in such desperate need of a fix that he couldn't wait to get home and planned to use it right there. But since he merely checked the purity and then put the cigarette box away, even this seemed unlikely.
The third possibility, then, was that this man was a hardened fugitive, beyond fear of the police. He was probably involved in major crimes and had long accepted the risk of getting the death penalty if caught. This would explain his numbness, his willingness to take each day as it comes without fear.
The most telling signs were his injuries. Judging by the severed pinky and the scar on his hand, this man had likely been in a knife fight with someone about ten days ago. Not wanting to risk a hospital visit, his wounds had grown gruesome over time. His hair was cut unevenly, unlike what you'd see from a proper barber, and his oversized clothes and shabby sandals suggested he hadn't had the time or opportunity to maintain himself, possibly due to being on the run.
There was a high probability that this man was a fugitive wanted in some region and had come to Shanghai to lie low.
Even the cigarette he smoked wasn't a local Shanghai brand but a popular one in Northeast China—Changbai Mountain. The practiced way he smoked indicated he was a long-time smoker. Old smokers usually stick to their favorite brand, unlikely to change it under normal circumstances.
With experience from countless crime simulations, Su Ming had gained deep insights into the mindset of hardened fugitives. For them, facing capture meant the death penalty, so they would choose to indulge in their favorite things while they still could. Cigarettes, though small, served as an important psychological comfort for a fugitive.
In these crime simulations, Su Ming had repeatedly seen hardened criminals reveal telltale habits under pressure, leading to their capture.
Based on his experience, he deduced that the burly man in front of him was likely a high-profile fugitive from Northeast China who had fled to Shanghai, with his crimes committed within the past month.
At that moment, as Su Ming finally pieced his thoughts together, Xu Changsheng, who had sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint the issue, decided to drop any further investigation. Pressing his earpiece, he frowned and said, "No more waiting; let's move in and…"
Before he could finish, Su Ming interrupted, quickly stopping him.
"Wait!" Su Ming said urgently. "I suspect this man is a fugitive from Northeast China and that he has at least one accomplice. Don't bring him in yet!"
Xu Changsheng was taken aback but immediately reacted, "Aqi, Old Lin, hold off! Don't apprehend him yet!"
"Keep him in sight. I need to further verify his identity; wait for my command!"
After that, Xu Changsheng looked at Su Ming, puzzled and curious to know why Su Ming suspected this man was a fugitive, particularly a high-priority one from Northeast China.
But Su Ming didn't take the time to explain. He turned to Wang Hu and gave his instructions.
"Huzi," he said. "Check the fugitive list from Northeast China for the past month. See if there's anyone who looks similar to this man. Focus on facial features—the hairstyle might have changed."
Although Wang Hu was a bit puzzled, he'd worked with Su Ming for many years and followed his commands without hesitation. He took out his phone, logged into the police internal tracking system, and filtered the fugitives from Northeast China from the past month.
In less than thirty seconds, Wang Hu glanced at his phone, then looked up at the man in front of them for comparison. His eyes widened as he exclaimed in shock, "Damn! An A-level fugitive! And he has three lives on his hands!!!"