Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

As A Yong carefully observed the vehicle, he pressed the shutter. He recognized it as an NJ Iveco DeYi series van, with peeling paint in several places and no company logos or phone numbers on the body. The license plate was a suburban number starting with "沪C" (Shanghai C), the last two digits of which were covered in mud, but the reflective strips and annual inspection sticker were intact. Judging from the engine sound and the black smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe, this vehicle had been used very frequently and hadn't been maintained for a long time.

A man wearing a gray jacket and white gloves got out of the truck, opened the cargo compartment, dragged out a sack and threw it at the warehouse entrance, then got back into the truck. The whole process was quite clean and efficient, without any unnecessary movements.

The truck started reversing in their direction. They lay prone in the grass, the truck belching out thick, black exhaust fumes that mingled with the rising dust, enveloping them. Ah Yong felt as if someone had stuffed a small animal down his throat, making it hard for him to breathe.

The truck finally bumped and jolted its way onto the country road. A-Yong coughed and waved, tears streaming down his face like a waterfall.

"Are you done filming?" Ah Shan asked.

"Hmm... let's call Brother Elephant."

......

The van turned onto the Huqingping Highway. This road is deserted and desolate at night, especially now that it was past midnight. The driver immediately spotted the van in his rearview mirror; it was a silver-gray van, and the man behind the wheel seemed to fill the entire vehicle. He saw another figure in the passenger seat and considered getting out to ask what they wanted, but decided to test the waters first. Otherwise, if they were law enforcement, getting out to ask would be like walking into a trap.

After driving a few blocks, he could tell that the silver-gray van was indeed following him. But his companion in the passenger seat clearly didn't understand, because after he had taken two detours, his companion asked him if he wanted to see the scenery.

As they reached the edge of the city, traffic increased, with long lines of cars stuck at red lights, unable to move. The driver squeezed between two sedans, took out a cloth to wipe the instrument panel and windows, and carefully observed the situation behind them through the rearview mirror. They were only two cars away from the silver-gray van. He checked his watch: 11:47. Even if he didn't shake off those two idiots, he still wouldn't make it to the dinner party at noon.

Ten minutes later, all doubts vanished. Even if not all law enforcement officers were exceptionally intelligent, they would at least know to exercise extreme caution when following someone. Who were those two people? Just as he was about to stop at the next intersection to get out and ask, he saw the van pull into a gas station. Damn it, idiots. They'd followed him from near the delivery point; could it be Qian Youde? No, Qian Youde was just scared; he wouldn't dare turn against him. Was he overthinking it?

He hesitated for a moment, then looked in the rearview mirror again to make sure the bread truck wasn't following, before stepping on the gas and speeding away.

......

A silver-gray van slowly drove into the gas station, its tires creaking as they rolled over the empty concrete floor. Under the overhead lights, an employee wearing a jumpsuit and gloves stood beside the gas pump, inserting the nozzle into the fuel tank.

The elephant pulled out its cell phone from its pocket and dialed a number.

"Brother Elephant," Ah-Qiang answered the phone after only one ring, "we've caught up."

"Okay," said Elephant. "Judging from this man's anti-tracking awareness, he's clearly not a casually hired driver. He's guilty and probably rushing to report to his superiors. Since he suspects he's being watched, he'll either go directly to meet with his superiors or find a place to destroy the cargo in the car. If we get photos of it, we can use it. Either way, he's definitely not in the mood to go home and sleep. Follow him from a distance, and make sure he doesn't notice. Keep an eye on his location and send more people over."

"Understood, Brother Elephant. That car has just passed the Zhongchun Road intersection and is heading towards the national highway."

"Okay, got it," said the elephant, turning onto the road and continuing forward.

Forty-five minutes later, they crossed the national highway and drove onto a potholed but still fully functional asphalt road. A sign indicated they had arrived at Beizhuqiao Village. The village consisted mostly of two-story houses built in the 1980s and 90s, with tiled exteriors and iron-barred windows. Elephant checked the time: 12:57.

Ten minutes later, they left the residential area. Grasslands, farmland, and streams suddenly appeared before them. The elephant could tell that the location was extremely delicate. Not far to the north lay the Minhang Development Zone, and to the south, the Songjiang district—a gray area of ​​administrative jurisdiction.

The elephant parked his car on a grassy field, where two other silver-gray vans and a black Santana appeared to have been carelessly abandoned. Several of his men stood by the car, waiting.

The elephant opened the car door and got out: "How was it?"

"The car is parked over there," Ah-Qiang said, pointing to an intersection ahead, "but the person has disappeared. We went over and took a look from a distance just now, but there was no sign of them."

The elephant led the group directly to the intersection, where they turned a corner. A narrow, winding gravel path appeared before them, overgrown with weeds. At the end of the path was a detached house, with an open space to the right, and further to the right, a lake. The dark blue van and several other vehicles were parked in the open space.

"Brother Elephant," Ah Qiang whispered, "Do you think we... have we just found their hideout?"

"You never know," Elephant said. "This place is too remote, and it's on the border of two districts. It's obvious they're afraid of being investigated. We can't just barge in. If there are other people inside, we might alert them and get ourselves arrested. What President Han wants is evidence, not a fight. You guys make sure you remember the house numbers, car license plates, and routes in and out, and take pictures of them. I'll sneak over and take a look myself."

The elephant stepped onto the gravel path and headed towards the yard. The damp pebbles greedily clung to the soles of his shoes. The elephant's eyes were fixed on the yard gate, checking for any shadows or anything moving towards it.

He stopped at the gate and, through the fence, saw that the yard was about thirty square meters, with several crooked cement slabs laid on the ground. Stacks of things were piled up against the wall; in the moonlight, he could vaguely make out that they were wrapped in burlap sacks, with the words "Dongfang Paper Industry" printed on them. There were three brick buildings in the yard, each with its wooden double doors bolted from the outside, without padlocks.

Elephant took out his phone, dialed Ma Yongxing's number, and briefly told him that he had likely discovered the other party's printing den, and asked what to do next.

If it's safe, go in and take a quick look to see what's inside.