Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 35 Intelligence
Ding dong, ding dong.

Ai Liang put down the novel she was reading and went to the door. She glanced at the doorbell display and saw that it was Shi Feng who had come.

"Please come in."

Ai Liang took out spare slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them in the entryway.

Shi Feng came to my door while I was sitting at home. Although I knew very well that he was there to ask if I had met him before, I had been in too much contact with the criminal investigation team lately.

Looking back on the past two weeks, it seems that every few days he would go to the criminal investigation team, either voluntarily or involuntarily, for various reasons.

As Shi Feng was looking around at the living room layout, Ai Liang brought over two cups of tea.

"Thank you."

Shi Feng took the disposable cup and placed it on the coffee table. Looking at Ai Liang, who had a somewhat languid expression, he smiled and said, "You seem much more cheerful than before."

Shi Feng was unaware of Ai Liang's past personality, only assuming that she was depressed because the girl who confessed to her had died when they first met, and that she had become much more cheerful now that she had overcome her psychological trauma.

“Yes, I was in a pretty good mood before your call just came in,” Ai Liang replied.

What could have been explained in a few words over the phone, Shi Feng insisted on making a personal trip to my home. It was clear he wanted to use this opportunity to build a closer relationship and make it easier to persuade me to apply to the police academy. Perhaps he also intended to approach me through my parents' side.

Ai Liang saw right through Shi Feng's intentions, so he said directly, "I have an appointment with a friend today, so please ask me as soon as possible."

Without wasting any words, Shi Feng directly pulled out a voice recorder, notebook, and law enforcement recorder—a three-piece set.

"Did you go to the restroom on the third floor of Yuelai Shopping Mall around 7 p.m. last night?" Shi Feng picked up his pen to take a statement.

"Yes."

"Have you seen this person before?" Shi Feng pulled out a printed photo of the video screenshot. "His clothes and appearance are similar to yours. Based on the time difference, this person came out of the restroom not long after you entered it."

Ai Liang picked up the photo and examined it carefully for a while before shaking her head and saying, "I had an upset stomach yesterday and went into a stall. There was no one inside when I entered the restroom."

"Did you hear anything?" Shi Feng persisted, "Like voices or any other sounds."

"Yes, I hadn't been in the cubicle long when I heard the door close next to me. Someone must have gone out, but I don't know who it was."

They even went to the person in question and didn't recognize him. Who else would they be fooling but you?

Ai Liang continued to lie through her teeth: "About ten minutes later, I heard someone rush in and then leave quickly."

"So you mean you didn't see anyone the whole time?"

"Yes." Ai Liang retorted without changing her expression, "Yesterday you were chasing a fugitive? Weren't you afraid of causing panic in such a public place?"

"I suppose so." Shi Feng didn't know how to introduce the Hermit, so he could only say vaguely, "That person has a very strong counter-surveillance ability. For five whole years, I couldn't find any information about him, so we could only seize this opportunity, but unfortunately, he still got away."

"Really? It seems he's no ordinary person. I counted yesterday, there were probably dozens of people involved in the arrest." Ai Liang probed casually, "And you were all carrying guns. Is he that dangerous? If so, isn't it a bit reckless to carry out an arrest in a shopping mall with such high foot traffic? What if he takes hostages?"

Ai Liang had worked with Xia Qiyuan for a while, after all. If you ask what criminal police officers hate the most, it's not the order from their superiors to solve a case in three days, nor the frustration of not being able to find the suspect due to a lack of clues. What they, as officials, hate the most is reporters.

Ai Liang knew this perfectly well, and Xia Qiyuan and Shi Feng wished they could dig up the ancestral graves of those unscrupulous reporters who were blocking the vicinity of the criminal police team.

Especially those despicable people who constantly use the guise of public safety to try and uncover inside information about the police.

The yin-yang issues of this kind of person can drive you crazy; they'll slap all sorts of accusations on you and you can't even refute them.

If you remain silent and don't answer questions, they'll say you're concealing the truth. But if you reveal the information the police have, it's against regulations, and leaking information could alert criminals, making police operations more difficult.

Xia Qiyuan was so angry that he wanted to pin those reporters to the ground and beat them up more than once. In fact, he did do it and was subsequently suspended from his post for a month.

Now, with those unpleasant memories dredged up, Shi Feng's face looked ashen, as if he had eaten a pound of cockroaches.

"He is not dangerous. Carrying a gun is a mandatory requirement when we carry out missions and has nothing to do with the target of the arrest. We have a reasonable arrest procedure."

Shi Feng, against his conscience, described the hermit as a harmless intelligence broker who possessed important information. Seeing his depressed face, Ai Liang felt a surge of relief.

This is the first time I've felt so relieved after being harassed for so long. If he comes back again, I'll continue to torment him in this way.

Ai Liang secretly made up her mind.

After reciting a dry, formulaic response to reporters, Shi Feng suddenly asked, "Do you live alone?"

"Yes," Ai Liang replied affirmatively.

It's not hard to tell how many people live here from the layout of the living room and the arrangement of the objects.

For a simple example, the number of cushions on the sofa, the water glasses in the closet, and the wear and tear on the edges of the coffee table and sofa can give an idea of ​​the number of people living in the house.

The more people there are, the more wear and tear will be. However, Ai Liang's sofa only has a small area that is severely worn, while the rest of it is shiny and new, which clearly indicates that it is rarely used.

"Where are your parents?" Shi Feng asked.

“They all have their own homes,” Ai Liang said coldly.

This sentence contained a lot of information, and after understanding it, Shi Feng immediately shut up and did not mention the relevant content again.

Shi Feng originally came over to get some fresh air, but he stepped right into a minefield. Judging from his tone, it seemed like his parents had each started new families.

Shi Feng originally thought that Ai Liang's parents were focused on making money and rarely cared about their son's life, but he didn't expect that things were actually even more outrageous, to the point of separating the family.

Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Shi Feng could tell that Ai Liang's family situation was somewhat complicated, and he didn't know how to bring it up for a while. After confirming that Ai Liang had not had close contact with the hermit, he prepared to pack his things and leave: "Then I'll go back to the branch first. There are still a lot of things to finish up."

Ai Liang nodded and saw Shi Feng to the door, then stood on the balcony watching him drive away until he disappeared from sight.

Ten minutes after Shi Feng left, and after confirming that he had returned to the criminal investigation team, Ai Liang went to the bedroom, took out an old-fashioned mobile phone from a hidden compartment in the desk drawer and put it in her pocket. Then she stuffed a set of disguise clothes into her handbag.

The first time you and the hermit wear the same clothes in a shopping mall, no one will suspect anything. But if you wear the same clothes a second time, it becomes a bit intriguing. It's impossible that you two are long-lost brothers who have a telepathic connection.

The reason I didn't prepare two sets of clothes at the Yuelai Shopping Mall yesterday was because my shoulder bag was too big; it's quite conspicuous for a guy to carry such a large shoulder bag.

If the police waiting at the door ask to check the package and find another set of clothes, and this set of clothes happens to be the clothes worn by the person they are looking for, it will be troublesome to explain. You can't exactly say that you just stole it.

Ai Liang didn't tell anyone before going out this time, so she doesn't have to worry about being questioned.

Ai Liang walked to the restroom in a nearby park and changed her clothes there.

In previous years, he mostly disguised himself in this park because the old park had almost no surveillance cameras and very few people during the day. Only at night would elderly men and women come out for a walk.

He didn't have to worry about being caught on camera or having witnesses, so over time, this became his regular disguise location.

After changing her outfit and creating her character's face, Ai Liang dialed Mu Si's number.

“It caused quite a stir yesterday. If it weren’t for the police putting pressure on you and the fact that you were wearing a mask, you might have been recognized if you walked down the street.”

A gloating voice came from Mus.

Ai Liang didn't call just to hear him mock her.

Have you found the group that wrecked your bar?

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, but the thought of one of his strongholds being exposed made Mus feel so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.

He said through gritted teeth, "Why are you asking this?"

Having lost an underground bar, Mus's tone inevitably carried a hint of hostility.

Muslims can only overcome their fear of hermits when they lose money, just like how alcohol emboldens the timid.

The damage itself wasn't the main issue; at most, they'd just replace a couple of tables. The real problem was that this bar was a clandestine establishment, and the subsequent fire that attracted firefighters directly led to the exposure of their hideout.

In Nevada City today, without anyone backing you up, establishing an underground base is incredibly difficult.

This fire almost burned Mu Si himself. If he hadn't been like Ai Liang, never showing his true face and hiding it well, he probably would have been invited for tea by Shi Feng by now.

“I have some questions I'd like to ‘ask them for advice’,” Ai Liang emphasized the word “ask for advice.” “They destroyed one of your strongholds; you can’t just sit back and do nothing, can you?”

Don't be fooled by Mu Si's easygoing nature in front of Ai Liang. Even though those truly influential figures have already fled, it's impossible to take over the resources left behind by those big shots and secure the position of the top intelligence provider without real ability.

“I’ve already started investigating the origins of that group of people, and I’ve already found out the identity of one of them. I can send you a copy of their information, but if you want to consult them, you’d better do it soon, or you’ll only be able to collect their corpses.”

"What do you mean?" Ai Liang asked.

Mus said, "I hired a group of people to go and demand compensation for emotional distress from them."

Although there aren't many ruthless criminals left in Nevada's underworld, that doesn't mean Muslim can't recruit people from other places.

As Nevada's top intelligence dealer, Mus first took over the resources left behind by a former bigwig, and later relied on the Hermit's connections to gain a foothold. His network of relationships is now not limited to just one city.

"The people I hired arrived yesterday, but they haven't messaged me yet, probably because they haven't succeeded. You might still have time."

Ai Liang said directly, "Send me the information you found."

Two minutes later, Ai Liang's old-fashioned mobile phone received a file containing a person's information.

This time, Mus didn't ask for any payment. Their interests were aligned, and he could also do Mus's a favor. Why not?

If the person you hired makes a mistake, the hermit can clean up the mess for you, which is a win-win situation.

As for why the hermit wanted to consult that group of people, Mus could guess. He suspected that the recent rumors about the hermit were deliberately spread by that group of people.

Because apart from himself, the entire underground forces in Nevada City kept the Hermit a closely guarded secret, let alone maliciously spreading rumors about him.

After quickly glancing through the information sent to her, Ai Liang frowned and asked, "Are you sure it was him who smashed up your bar?"

It wasn't that Ai Liang suspected Mu Si was deceiving him, but rather that the information was simply too outrageous.

Wang Dafu, 39 years old, a grocery store owner, grew up in an orphanage with no relatives, and suffers from high blood pressure and stomach problems.
No matter how you look at him, he's just an ordinary, overweight middle-aged man. How could someone like him smash up Muslim's underground bar? Were those thugs with guns just sitting around doing nothing?!
“The information is correct; I’ve verified it. His grocery store was closed on the day the incident happened at the bar, and I also checked his travel records on his phone,” Mus said. “If I wasn’t sure it was him, I wouldn’t have dared to send you this information!”

Mus spoke the most cowardly words in the most arrogant tone, and he did so with a straight face.

However, what he said makes sense.

Ai Liang believed that Mu Si wouldn't lie to him about something like this, so he wrote down the information and hung up the phone. He stuffed the clothes he had changed out of into his backpack and hid them under the pavilion in the park, then walked out of the park openly.

(End of this chapter)