Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing originally didn’t want to speak. He knew these Xiangjiang police officers didn’t have much goodwill towards him. However, since Ou Keren had looked at him, he couldn’t remain silent anymore.

Ye Qing pondered for a moment and asked, ”When did they start ordering takeout?”

One of the Xiangjiang police officers sneered, ”What a strange question. Of course, they started eating takeout as soon as they arrived. Do you think they didn’t eat anything for days and suddenly decided to order takeout?”

Ou Keren frowned slightly and said, ”Ye is just trying to help us. Why are you talking like this? Ye, don’t stoop to his level.”

”It’s fine.” Ye Qing smiled faintly and said, ”Maybe the way I worded it was wrong. Let me put it this way: in the clues you’ve investigated, what’s the earliest time they started ordering takeout?”

”Earliest time for takeout?” The Xiangjiang police officers exchanged glances. After a brief silence, one of them said, ”This… it should be from yesterday noon. We checked all the takeout records, and yesterday around noon, a delivery person saw a man who looked like a Huaxia Countryman but spoke in a strange accent. It’s highly likely it was one of those mercenaries. However, when we investigated the address, those people had already moved. They only stayed there for one day, and the neighbors had no information about them. They only noticed their strange accents, which makes it highly likely they were those Bonguk people.”

Ye Qing nodded and said, ”That makes sense. Miss Ou, I think in the future, you all need to be more cautious. Even if you find information about these people, try not to approach them directly!”

”Why?” Ou Keren asked curiously. Since there were already leads, why not pursue them?

Ye Qing didn’t answer directly but instead asked, ”Miss Ou, is it common practice for the Xiangjiang Police to rely on takeout records to solve cases like this?”

”Not commonly, but for special cases, we’ll use this method to investigate,” Ou Keren responded.

Ye Qing shook his head and said, ”This method doesn’t work in Huaxia.”

”Why?” Ou Keren asked again, puzzled. Several Xiangjiang police officers also looked displeased. One of them said, ”Just because you say it doesn’t work, it means it doesn’t? Do you know how many major cases we’ve cracked using this method? The numbers would probably shock you!”

”There’s a saying: ’When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ You may crack cases in Xiangjiang with this method, but it might not work in Huaxia.” Ye Qing explained, ”In Xiangjiang, space is limited, and almost every inch is occupied by people. It’s easier to spot someone hiding. So, hiding in a residential area and ordering takeout ironically becomes safer. Many people in Xiangjiang live cramped lives and often order takeout. Additionally, Xiangjiang is home to a mix of nationalities, so even if some Bonguk people showed up, they wouldn’t stand out as much. But Huaxia is different!”

”What’s the difference?” One Xiangjiang officer asked indignantly.

”Huaxia has vast lands and abundant resources. Take Shenchuan City for example—there are many secluded villages and forests where people rarely go. If some major criminal entered Shenchuan City, they could hide in an uninhabited village or forest, making them much harder to find. Additionally, there are many vacant villas in Shenchuan City that remain untouched for weeks or months. Hiding there would be even safer!” Ye Qing paused and looked at the Xiangjiang police officers, continuing: ”And in Shenchuan City, it’s rare to see Bonguk people. If several Bonguk people suddenly appear, it’s extremely conspicuous. In this situation, do you think these mercenaries would prefer to cook for themselves in hiding or risk exposure by ordering takeout?”

The Xiangjiang police officers looked at each other in silence. Hearing Ye Qing’s analysis, they now found the situation highly suspicious.

”Ye is absolutely right! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that!” Ou Keren clapped her hands in realization and said, ”Exactly! Remember He Ziqiang from last time? We couldn’t find him no matter how hard we tried after he went into hiding. He didn’t need to call for takeout, and these mercenaries are probably doing the same thing!”

A still-reluctant Xiangjiang police officer argued, ”According to your theory, investigating takeout won’t lead us to these people. Yet, we still managed to track them. Why is that? I think you’re just making things up. Maybe these Bonguk people can’t cook, so they have to order takeout!”

Ye Qing smiled faintly and didn’t respond. Ou Keren glared at the officer and said, ”These mercenaries are specially trained. They can survive in the wilderness by eating tree bark and raw meat. Do you really think cooking skills are a problem for them?”

”This… this…” The officer’s eyes widened as he stammered, ”But we still found their trail. How do you explain that?”

Ou Keren turned to Ye Qing. Ye Qing smiled faintly and said, ”This trail might have been deliberately left for you. These mercenaries probably know how the Xiangjiang Police handle cases, so they would definitely use counter-surveillance tactics against you. Deliberately leaving a trail like this is likely meant to lure you in. The last time you found their location and got out alive, you were lucky. If you go back again, you might not be as lucky.”

”You… you’re saying they’d ambush us?” a Xiangjiang officer exclaimed, ”Would they dare to do that? Killing police officers is a serious crime!”

Ye Qing said calmly, ”For the right price, they’d even assassinate a country’s president. Killing police officers? That’s nothing to them.”

The Xiangjiang police officers exchanged uneasy glances. Ye Qing’s words left them speechless.

”Ye is right!” Ou Keren nodded. ”You all need to be more careful in the future. Don’t rush into situations blindly. If they ambush you, it would be disastrous!”

The Xiangjiang police officers, though unwilling, couldn’t refute Ou Keren’s words. Besides, they genuinely didn’t want to lose their lives.

Ou Keren smiled faintly but suddenly remembered something. She turned and asked, ”By the way, Ye, why did you ask about the timing of the earliest lead?”

Ye Qing smiled and said, ”Because the night before last, this group of mercenaries suffered a big loss in Dongzhou. They tried to ambush me several times, but they all failed. So, they must have changed their strategy and are trying to lure me to their location for an ambush. These clues—they’re actually meant for me!”

Ou Keren realized the truth and quickly said, ”Ye, you must be careful! You should leave this matter to the police instead of getting involved.”

Ye Qing didn’t respond. He knew the situation with Shenchuan City’s police too well. They weren’t capable of solving this case on their own. Meanwhile, these mercenaries remained nearby, like a persistent nuisance. Ye Qing was determined to capture them and eliminate this major threat!

After having breakfast with Ou Keren, Ye Qing escorted her back to her hotel. The Dongzhou police had already delivered the interrogation results for the two mercenaries they had captured. Ou Keren would soon meet with the Shenchuan City police to discuss the matter.

Ye Qing didn’t linger at Ou Keren’s side or go to the police station. After all, Zhao Chengshuang would update him with new information after the meeting. For now, Ye Qing was relatively free and knew the mercenaries wouldn’t attack him recklessly again. The only thing troubling Ye Qing now was Wang Tian’an’s group.

Ye Qing called Chen San, who had been keeping tabs on Wang Tian’an’s group all this time. Interestingly, Wang Tian’an’s group appeared to be retreating entirely, headed straight back to the Western Province without stopping. This unusual behavior puzzled both Chen San and Ye Qing.

Wang Tian’an had been planning something for twenty years. Although he had suffered significant setbacks here, it didn’t seem logical for him to completely abandon his efforts. Moreover, as Ning Qianshu’s apprentice, Wang Tian’an would likely have Ning Qianshu’s support.

Thus, both Ye Qing and Chen San concluded that Wang Tian’an must have some hidden plans. Chen San would investigate further since Ye Qing didn’t have the ability to delve into this matter personally.

Chen San had also been testing Wang Tian’an’s group according to Ye Qing’s suggestions. The next morning, over thirty people suddenly fled, clearly Wang Tian’an’s planted spies. Unfortunately, these individuals didn’t want to lose their martial arts abilities forever, so they escaped overnight.

For the remaining members, Chen San didn’t take any chances. He had Lin Tianyou create a special drug that numbed their nerves, making them believe they had lost their martial arts skills. These individuals were then placed in a factory to live regular lives. The idea was simple: any spies sent by Wang Tian’an would find it difficult to endure a mundane factory job for six months. This method would help weed out the infiltrators.

After setting these measures in place, Chen San left Shenchuan City to personally track Wang Tian’an in the Western Province. Meanwhile, Chen Si remained in Shenchuan City to assist Ye Qing in defending against potential attacks from Wang Tian’an’s men and to maintain their base there.

Ye Qing didn’t oppose Chen San’s decision to go to the Western Province but cautioned him against engaging in large-scale conflict with Wang Tian’an. After all, the Western Province was Wang Tian’an’s territory, and who knew what contingencies he had in place there.

Of course, Chen San was a cautious man, and Ye Qing trusted him to proceed carefully. For now, Ye Qing’s primary concern was the orphanage. The Capital’s evaluation team was arriving soon, yet the orphanage still lacked proper management. With Wu Yian bedridden and unable to even get out of bed, let alone return to work, Ye Qing’s pressing worry was finding a skilled acupuncturist to revive Wu Yian.