The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

In winter, Toyama Town is shrouded in thick fog for eight out of ten days, with visibility less than one meter.

Chen Shi went to work early in the morning wearing a down jacket. He disliked the winter in Fushan Town; it was too oppressive.

I've been quite busy lately. I'm busy as soon as I get to work, and around 11 o'clock, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Shi called out, "Come in."

Zhang Hu pushed open the door and came in, bringing with him a gust of cold wind.

Chen Shi was warming himself by the grill, but a cold wind blew in, and the office temperature dropped instantly.

Zhang Hu quickly closed the door, walked to Chen Shi's side, and said mysteriously, "Chief Chen, we've made a major discovery."

Chen Shi put down the documents in his hand, looked up at Zhang Hu, and waited for him to continue.

Zhang Hu continued, "Do you still remember the old man from Longtougou Village whose cattle and horses were stolen by Ma Shuang?"

He said he saw fugitive Zhang Dong yesterday in the back mountains of Longtougou.

Chen Shi's eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly asked, "Where is he?"

"I went out earlier and met him at the entrance of the police station. He was looking around suspiciously. I took him to the office and told him that he had come to report a crime to you."

Only after I pressed him did he tell me the truth.

"No one else knows, except you, right?"

"No, I personally received him. Upon learning this news, I came to report to you immediately."

Chen Shi quickly said, "Go, bring him to my office. We can't let anyone else know about this."

"Understood," Zhang Hu said, turning and walking out.

Soon he brought the old man to Chen Shi's office.

Chen Shi stood up to greet him, supporting the trembling old man, sensing that he was afraid of something, his whole body shaking.

"Sir, don't be afraid. This is the police station. I will protect you."

Chen Shi helped the old man sit down and poured him a cup of hot tea.

The old man said tremblingly, "Director Chen, thank you for helping my family find our cattle and horses last time. Otherwise, I would have kept this matter to myself and never told anyone in my life."

Yesterday I went hunting in the back mountains and saw Zhang Dong, the fugitive you're looking to arrest.

Chen Shi asked, "Grandpa, are you sure you didn't see wrong? The person you saw is Zhang Dong."

"I watched Zhang Dong grow up since he was a child. When his parents were alive, our two families had a very good relationship and often helped each other with chores."

I'm very familiar with Zhang Dong. Even if I haven't seen him for years, I can recognize him from afar at a glance. I won't mistake him; it's Zhang Dong.

"Did he notice you?"

"The fog was even thicker yesterday than it is today. You might not be able to recognize someone even if you're face to face. I was three or four meters away from him, and I could only see his back. He didn't notice me, so I immediately hid and didn't dare to look at him again."

Chen Shi asked, "You only saw his back?"

The old man grunted in agreement.

Zhang Hu chimed in, "Luckily it was just his back. If we had seen him face to face, given Zhang Dong's ruthlessness, he wouldn't have left any survivors."

Zhang Dong indeed fled back to Longtougou Village. No wonder there was no sound from him outside. Chen Shi asked, "Grandpa, are you familiar with the mountains behind Longtougou Village?"

"I've been digging for medicinal herbs in the mountains since I was a child. There's no place I don't know within a 20-kilometer radius. I know exactly where every cave is."

"Based on your knowledge of the mountains behind Longtougou Village, can you draw the place where you found Zhang Dong?"

The old man looked bewildered: "I can't read, so I can't draw, but I can describe it."

The place where Zhang Dong was found was about ten kilometers away from the village. There are many caves in that area. If an unfamiliar person goes in, they can easily fall into a cave if they are not careful. If they are not discovered in time, the risk of death is very high.

In Longtougou Village, many villagers died in that area.

It's winter now, and the fog is so thick that even people from Longtougou Village would get lost if they went there. Throughout the winter, no one except me would dare to go there.

Chen Shi looked puzzled and said, "How dare Zhang Dong hide there? Is he familiar with the terrain in that area?"

The old man suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "That's right, when Zhang Dong was a child, he, his father, and I often went to that area to hunt wild game in the winter. He's about the same age as me and is very familiar with the terrain there."

Chen Shi nodded. The terrain where Zhang Dong was located was complex, with many caves. Even if a large number of police officers were sent in, they might not be able to find Zhang Dong and might even alert him. If he moved to another location immediately, it would be even more difficult to catch him.

His eyes lit up as he looked at the old man.

"Sir, based on your knowledge of Zhang Dong and the terrain, where is Zhang Dong most likely hiding?"

The old man fell into deep thought. After thinking for a long time, he remembered a place where, when he was young, he went hunting with Zhang Dong and his father. Zhang Dong's father fell into a cave and broke his leg. The old man carried him out of the cave. Zhang Dong had been to that place many times since then.

The cave is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, so hiding inside can keep you warm and protect you from the winter winds.

There is another exit below, hidden in a deep ditch, very secret, and unlikely to be discovered.

Chen Shi pressed further, "Sir, what are you thinking about?"

"I know where Zhang Dongzang is."

"Where?" Chen Shi and Zhang Hu asked in unison.

The old man talked at length, but Zhang Hu and Chen Shi were completely bewildered; they had no idea what place the old man was talking about.

Chen Shi took out cigarettes, gave them to the old man, and even lit them for him.

"Sir, could you please lead us to the place you mentioned?"

The old man shook his head. He wouldn't dare. If Zhang Dong knew that he was the one who told the police his whereabouts, knowing Zhang Dong as he did, he would wipe out his entire family, not even a dog.

"I'm not very handy, I can't take you in."

Chen Shi could see the old man's concerns, and his whole body trembled slightly, clearly terrified of Zhang Dong.

He said with a relaxed expression, "Sir, Zhang Dong killed a family of five. He has committed murder before. Once he is caught, he will be sentenced to death and executed immediately. There is no way he will come back alive. I assure you of that."

Don't be afraid of him. With me here, no matter how powerful Zhang Dong is, he's no match for me.

You need to understand, we police officers are armed. If we spot him, we'll shoot him dead.

The old man was still afraid. Zhang Dong had been a ruthless man since he was a child, and no one who offended him had a good ending.

Chen Shi continued, "The Public Security Bureau has issued an arrest warrant, offering a reward of 200,000 RMB for anyone who assists the police in capturing Zhang Dong."

Our police station also issued a reward order, offering 100,000 yuan to anyone who reports Zhang Dongxing's whereabouts.

The total is 300,000, sir. How much can you sell your cows for? Think about it carefully.

Opportunities like this are rare and hard to come by. Three hundred thousand is basically more money than you can earn in your entire life.

Besides, you won't take any risks. Just lead us to his hiding place, and we'll arrange for you to hide while we go down and catch him.

Faced with the temptation of 300,000 yuan, the old man's fear of Zhang Dong gradually dissipated.

Three hundred thousand yuan—he had never seen so much money in his entire life. In Longtougou Village, the villagers looked down on him, even his own children. He had never built a decent house in his entire life, living a miserable life. Now, with his old bones, it was time for him to fight for it.

His cloudy eyes looked at Chen Shi: "Chief Chen, is what you're saying true? You'll give me 300,000 yuan as long as I take you to where Zhang Dong is hiding."

Chen Shi gave him a reassuring look: "Uncle, don't worry. If you don't get this 300,000, come to me for it. If you don't believe me, I'll give you a written agreement right now."

Chen Shi took out a piece of stationery, wrote a note on it, signed his name, pressed his fingerprint, and handed it to the old man.

The old man held it in his hand, but he couldn't understand it. He was illiterate, but he believed that what Chen Shi said was true.

"Okay, even when we're old, we should still give it our all and prove ourselves. I'll take you there."