143: Chapter 143 A Chance Encounter

The phone was picked up on the second ring.

"Tianchang?" Chen Zhi's voice was a bit raspy, but clear.

The coldness and anxiety in Lin Ning were instantly soothed, and a hint of a fawning smile touched the corners of his mouth.

"Brother Chen, hehe, well, I have something I need your help with."

Chen Zhi's tense body also relaxed. He glanced at the time and said helplessly, "What is it?"

"Drugs, transnational drug trafficking, and a protective umbrella."

Chen Zhi: "..."

"How many days have you been home?"

Chen Zhi felt like Lin Ning was like Nezha, who had nothing better to do than take his Red Armillary Sash to bathe in the East Sea; trouble followed him everywhere.

"...So I sneaked in tonight to take a look. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that they had goods coming in tonight. I even told my mom I'd play in Erenhot for two days..." Lin Ning didn't pick up on the comment and started recounting the events on his own.

He spoke with increasing ease. Here, he was completely isolated and without help, and even the police couldn't be trusted. If it hadn't been for the fact that Bureau Chief Bai wasn't a 'red name,' he would have almost packed up his things that day and sent his mother and sister to Yanjing for a 'tour.'

The tension from the recent operation and the various angers regarding the criminals were now slowly subsiding.

It was like the "I'm home" feeling in a game.

Chen Zhi interrupted Lin Ning's increasingly divergent topics.

"I'll contact the anti-drug unit at the border."

He paused, his tone helpless. "Next, just stay put. Don't continue to get involved or ask around, okay? You've been home for four days; first, you were investigated for catching human traffickers on the highway, and then you were investigated for a brawl. My heart... have some pity on an old man nearing fifty. I really don't know if letting you out was a good idea or not..."

"Aren't you only forty? Where did 'half a century' come from?" Lin Ning whispered.

"..." Chen Zhi took a deep breath to steady himself. "So you only heard that one sentence?"

"But I can't just ignore it when I see a child being kidnapped, and when thugs corner me, I can't just not fight back..."

"Lin Ning!"

"Fine, fine, fine, I get it! I'll just eat, drink, and have fun. I won't go looking for trouble." Seeing that Chen Zhi was getting annoyed, Lin Ning quickly gave his word.

"I don't know when their goods will be shipped out, so tell them to hurry up!"

Lin Ning urged, then suddenly thought of Wu Zhanmu, and his tone darkened. "They might have killed someone too—Wu Zhanmu, the former dispatch captain of the coal yard and a retired border soldier. Investigate it thoroughly. He didn't get killed by Third Brother, but he died at the hands of his own people. Dammit."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds. "Alright, I understand."

After hanging up, Lin Ning relaxed completely. Although these people hadn't been caught yet, from the moment he gave the list to Chen Zhi, their lives had entered a countdown.

He had absolute confidence in Chen Zhi.

He got out of the car, changed his clothes, and gave the seat a simple wipe.

He reclined the seat and curled up to lie down.

He didn't dare drive around this salt-alkali flat late at night, so he decided to make do for the night.

With all sorts of things on his mind, his consciousness slowly began to drift.

Vaguely, it seemed like the sound of firecrackers could be heard. Lin Ning rolled over and continued to sleep.

...

Light shone through the car window and onto his face.

Lin Ning opened his eyes and checked his phone; it was seven o'clock.

He climbed up, took care of some business, and stretched his stiff body. He packed his things and prepared to drive back.

Just as he started the engine, his phone rang.

As soon as the call connected, Hao Hong's voice came through impatiently.

"Lin Zi, the Armed Police raided the rest station outside last night! They even exchanged fire over by the small warehouse!"

"He Changcheng and a few other police officers were also arrested. I heard He Changcheng opened fire to resist arrest and was shot."

"Whoa—" Lin Ning marveled at Chen Zhi's efficiency.

"How do you know? Is He Changcheng dead?"

"I heard he's not dead." Hao Hong asked, "What exactly is the situation? Do you know something?"

"I don't know jack!" Lin Ning flatly denied. "I'm in Erenhot! I'll listen to you tell me all about the excitement in a bit when I get back."

Hanging up, Lin Ning stopped the car and looked up at the sky.

The rising sun began to preside over the grassland with its warmth. In the tile-blue sky, the clouds looked like torn pieces of cotton candy, thin and wispy.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Once things are settled, one must always move forward.

Wu Zhanmu, did you see that?

The car returned the way it came.

When he was seven or eight kilometers away from the national highway, Lin Ning saw a figure in the distance, limping across the barren beach.

He narrowed his eyes.

A black-red light flickered in the sun.

Lin Ning was instantly alert.

He slowed down as he got closer—it was Zhao Gaoshu.

The "reddest" one among that gang from Xichang.

Zhao Gaoshu also saw Lin Ning's car. After observing that it wasn't a police or military vehicle, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his eyes lit up.

God has eyes.

He stopped and waved his arm, signaling like a normal pedestrian trying to flag down a car.

His other hand was behind his back, and his face wore a well-timed expression of surprise and urgency.

Lin Ning's nerves began to tense. Why was he here?

He quickly "looked" around; he was alone, with no other bandits.

Lin Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the arm Zhao Gaoshu held behind his back, a cold sneer appeared on Lin Ning's face.

The distance grew shorter and shorter.

Lin Ning lowered his eyes.

One second.

When he looked up again, his gaze had turned dark.

He floored the accelerator.

The engine roared, and the car charged straight ahead.

Zhao Gaoshu froze for a moment, then turned to run.

But how could two legs outrun a car?

Lin Ning slammed on the brakes a second before hitting him—the message was sent.

There was a dull thud.

Zhao Gaoshu flew two or three meters, crashed to the ground, and lay motionless.

Lin Ning didn't get out of the car.

He reversed, backed up twenty or thirty meters, and stopped.

He sat in the car, staring at the prone figure in the distance, his eyes bloodshot.

After a long while.

He dialed his phone.

"What is it now?" Chen Zhi's voice sounded much clearer, though filled with helplessness.

"Zhao Gaoshu, the leader of that gang, I ran into him on the salt-alkali flat."

Chen Zhi's end went silent instantly.

"He had a gun in his hand and wanted to stop my car." Lin Ning paused. "I hit him."

"Did he fire? Are you hurt?"

"No. He..."

"Don't get out of the car," Chen Zhi commanded directly. "Stay away from him. I'll contact someone now. Wait for my call."

"...Okay."

The call ended. Lin Ning stared blankly at the "corpse" in the distance for a while before reversing the car another ten meters.

After waiting for nearly twenty minutes, two vehicles drove over from the direction of the national highway.

They had Armed Police license plates.

The cars came to a stop, and two men in black uniforms got out. They walked over to his car and held up their IDs.

Only then did Lin Ning open the door and step out.

He pointed into the distance. "Over there."

The younger one turned to signal the people in the other car to check on Zhao Gaoshu's condition.

The older officer looked at Lin Ning, his cheek twitching slightly as he forced a smile. "Hello, Mr. Lin Ning. I am Wu Gong."

Lin Ning: "..."

"Hello... Your name is really unique."

Lin Ning gave an awkward but polite smile.

Wu Gong fell silent.

In the distance, the person checking shouted, "He's still alive... Firearm seized."

Lin Ning lowered his eyelids, hiding the complex mix of regret and relief in his eyes.

Hearing this, Wu Gong made a gesture.

Then he turned back, dropping the stiff pleasantries. "You just need to give a brief oral statement and then you can go. Name..."

Lin Ning was stunned for a moment, then quickly began answering Wu Gong's questions.

Driving back onto the national highway, Lin Ning let out a long sigh as he passed the ambulance.

Brother Chen really comes through.

He grabbed his phone and sent a voice message to Hao Hong: "I'm giving you a chance. Have the fried sheep intestine mixed noodles and mutton offal soup with extra meat ready at Lao Kan's. I'll be there soon..."