Chapter 39 - 39 39 Swarm

Words : 1688 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

39: Chapter 39: Swarm 39: Chapter 39: Swarm The next day. As soon as the early morning meeting ended, Jiang Yuan got dressed neatly and went downstairs to wait for Wei Zhenguo and the others. The target of the arrest was just an electric bike thief, so there was no need to mobilize at night. However, even though it was just catching a petty thief, Jiang Yuan was still a little nervous. He had never been involved in an on-site arrest before. Jiang Yuan’s nervousness dissipated after Wei Zhenguo and others arrived. “Isn’t this a bit too many people?” Jiang Yuan saw a group consisting of 7 men and 1 woman. Including himself, that made it 8 men and 1 woman. Based on the videos Jiang Yuan had seen, the suspect’s build and movements were on the weaker side. Among the 9 people present, including the female officer, they all looked capable of pinning down the thief. Wei Zhenguo said, “When you’re catching someone, it’s better to have more people. We’re soldiers, and when soldiers catch thieves, we use three to four times the number of people to pin them down! Just follow me later.” In truth, Wei Zhenguo was somewhat protective of Jiang Yuan. A forensic technician who was as good with fingerprints as him was like a cake falling from the sky for Ningtai County. Wei Zhenguo was keen on having as big a bite as possible... As for whether Jiang Yuan wanted to participate in the arrest or had any experience, Wei Zhenguo didn’t really care. After all, just bringing more people was good enough. The same went for those leaders in the bureau who were incompetent but loved to play around. They used the same approach when participating in arrest operations. The 9 people drove in two cars without turning on sirens or flashing lights, silently arriving at a small residential complex by a bridge. After getting out of the cars, they saw two more officers in duty uniforms getting out of a car parked by the roadside. “Captain Wei,” the officers approached with enthusiastic greetings. “Gu,” Wei Zhenguo shook hands with him, then introduced the others, “Gu is the deputy chief of Pizhou Police Station. These are colleagues from our team, and Xiao Jiang is a rookie in the criminal investigation squad... Do we have the suspect’s location under control?” “He should be at home. We have a record of his home address, we sent someone to observe yesterday, and the lights were on at night. He probably hasn’t woken up yet,” Gu said as he looked at the crowd of 9, clicking his tongue twice, “How big is the case?” He didn’t ask for details, just the severity of the case. For ongoing cases and even unsolved cold cases, everyone is usually cautious about the details. Unless necessary, they won’t speak too specifically, as such information is both a resource for case handling and for securing a conviction. This is adhered to well, even by the officers from the county bureaus. Wei Zhenguo smiled and replied, “It’s not a big case.” Seeing how many people Wei Zhenguo had brought and his serious demeanor, Gu said, “The suspect lives in an old residential area, which is relatively complex. If you need more people for surveillance, we have a few on duty in the station—” “That’s enough, we’re just being cautious.” Wei Zhenguo declined the offer and asked Gu to lead the way. The group of 11 people split up into three groups, approaching the target complex from both front and back directions. The so-called complex had only three buildings, ranging from 20 to 24 stories high, but since they were all tower blocks, with more than a dozen apartments per floor arranged in a square around a long central courtyard, surrounded by safety staircases on both the inside and outside. This kind of environment might look simple, but it was complicated to control. Both the front and back gates of the complex, plus two garage doors, all allowed vehicle and pedestrian access. The same was true inside the complex. Parking was available on the ground level, and there were walkways in the underground parking lot. Moreover, there were two entrances leading to the underground parking lot from the apartments. With four elevators in each building, located on the eastern and western sides of each building, and at least one reaching the underground parking, plus two safety staircases in each building and an additional two in the parking garage, the residential complex felt like it had endless pathways. Listening to the property manager’s introduction of the complex, Jiang Yuan imagined scenes from Hong Kong police and gangster movies in his mind. If today’s arrest was discovered and the suspect escaped, what would follow could be an aerial shot from the top of a 22-story staircase in the shape of a square, watching as both parties climbed up and down the stair railings, back and forth, left and right... They could even jump over the railings, risking their lives to leap between floors and down to the ground. The dimly lit stairway could make the pursuit through the safety staircases thrilling, highlighting the tension and anxiety. If it were possible to drive a car or open doors, the film could further develop into a car chase or a room invasion, with about thirty extras from the three buildings, enough to make a movie, no problem. There was no readable expression on Wei Zhenguo’s face. His police uniform was a bit wrinkled, just like the wrinkles on his face. But as for his gaze, the Wei Zhenguo who walked outside was obviously more confident than when he was in the office. “Two people at each of the front and back gates, one at each garage, carry walkie-talkies, and be ready to provide backup at any time. Oh, and remember to turn on your bodycams,” Wei Zhenguo instructed as he walked and listened, promptly dispatching the officers accordingly. The remaining 5 people then regrouped and took an elevator straight up to the 12th floor. The door opened, and a young couple looked up to see 5 police officers in uniform, their eyes a bit glazed. “One on each side of the corridor,” Wei Zhenguo commanded briefly before leading the team to the suspect’s door. The door number was 1209. “Knock on the door and say there’s a water leak downstairs, and you need to check it out,” Wei Zhenguo instructed, as he and the others took positions on either side of the door. The person looking through the peephole should only be able to see the old property manager. From inside the door, an irritated voice soon came through. Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. If the person was there, the chances of making an arrest were very high. As Jiang Yuan mulled over this, after a brief exchange of words through the door, it clicked open. Without a signal, two strong officers swiftly entered the room and pushed the unsuspecting suspect against the wall. “Police. Don’t move. What’s your name?” several voices demanded, stern and heavy. “Cai Bin...” “Cai Bin, you’ve committed a crime...” As the handcuffs were secured, the officers continued to press, “How many people are in the house? Is there anyone else here?” “Yes... my wife, no, I mean, my girlfriend is inside.” Cai Bin raised his voice and shouted, “Yun, it’s the police, it’s nothing to do with you, don’t move around...” Jiang Yuan stood by, watching, with nothing to intervene in. The suspects had no resistance at all, they just yelled out a couple of times, making the whole arrest smooth like a drill. “Nervous?” Wei Zhenguo asked, as he had the policewoman accompanying him bring out the suspect’s girlfriend and then walked over to Jiang Yuan with a smile. Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, “A bit.” “Most arrests are just like this,” Wei Zhenguo muttered, saying, “The ones who violently resist are usually of two types, those who have committed major crimes and those who are truly innocent. So, when you face violent resistance, keep an eye out during interrogation.” Jiang Yuan glanced at Cai Bin, who was firmly pressed down, and nodded again. “Let’s head down,” Wei Zhenguo then signaled to the officers stationed outside to gather at the entrance of the complex to wait for the car. The officers who had been guarding the front and back doors and the garage slowly walked back. 11 people congregated together, surrounding the two suspects at the entrance of the complex in the early morning, extremely conspicuous. Cai Bin, with his hands cuffed, twisted restlessly, looking at the large group of police officers, his body full of question marks. Two or three officers arresting one thief is quite normal. But seeing 11 officers swarm in like this, there had to be some issue. The more Cai Bin thought, the more distressed he felt, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you arresting me?” “Don’t you know what you’ve done?” Wei Zhenguo’s eyes pierced through Cai Bin. Cai Bin counted the number of officers again, shaking his head vigorously, “I haven’t done anything, you’ve got the wrong person, really...” “Got the wrong person? Think about it again. I won’t ask you right now,” Wei Zhenguo’s stern face wrinkled up, resembling a stern Bao Qingtian, as he gestured around and spoke slowly, “Do you think we are so idle that we’ve come out here to play?” “No, I... it’s not like that...” Cai Bin felt as if ghosts of injustice were clinging to him. “We’ll discuss it back at the station,” Wei Zhenguo pointed at the law enforcement recorder, looking every bit like someone who did things by the book. And the more by-the-book Wei Zhenguo’s approach, the more uncomfortable Cai Bin felt. Even Cai Bin’s girlfriend couldn’t help but cast a suspicious look, re-evaluating Cai Bin.

Chapter 39 - 39 39 Swarm

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