Chapter 31: Meeting Brother Liang Song (Part Two)

As he was about to leave the room, having packed all his belongings as well as the items in the box the message sender asked him to carry, he stopped abruptly at the doorway. It seemed as though his subconscious was holding him back from moving forward. He turned around, returned to the bed, set the box aside, sat down, and sank into deep thought.

His current dilemma was this:

First: If the box contained drugs, and after delivering it to the abandoned factory—the agreed destination—the other party did receive it and, as promised, released Brother Liang Song, and if he truly saw Brother Liang alive, then despite the good news, he would still have helped drug traffickers successfully transport narcotics. This would ruin him. As a criminal investigator, his career would be over, and he would face severe legal punishment. After all, drug trafficking is an extremely serious crime in China.

Second: What if the delivery was a trap? That abandoned factory must have been shut down, so no ordinary people would be there. According to what he learned at the Public Security University, the people there would most likely be either gangsters and drug traffickers or anti-narcotics police. Crossing either group would spell grave consequences for him.

Third: Should he even do this? His entire purpose was to see Brother Liang Song in person. All his efforts had been focused on that goal, but he still hadn’t met him.

At this moment, he felt overwhelmed and anxious.

Just then, his phone rang. He abandoned his thoughts, pulled out his phone, and saw it was Brother Li calling.

Almost simultaneously, the number he had been texting sent him a new message. He opened it and read:

“Mr. Zhang Heng, we allow you the freedom to answer calls, but please fulfill our previous agreement. Do not disclose this cooperation or mission to anyone else. You are well aware of the consequences if you do.”

Seeing this threatening message and then the call from Brother Li, he felt both relieved and alarmed. He decided to experiment to see if the other party could overhear his call.

He pressed the answer button, and the voice on the other end said:

“Xiao Zhang.”

“Brother Li.”

“I need to tell you something.”

“Go ahead, Brother Li.”

“It’s about the case you’re handling. If you’re still clueless, just set it aside for now. Our team has taken on a more important case. You know Comrade Liang Song met an unfortunate fate, so…”

Before Brother Li could finish, Zhang Heng interrupted:

“Brother Li, I have to tell you the truth. I found out Brother Liang is not dead but has been…”

Before Zhang Heng could finish, Brother Li was shocked:

“What? Xiao Zhang, you’re saying Comrade Liang Song is...?”

“Brother Li, it’s just my speculation for now. I want to take two days to verify this theory, though the process might be complicated and I’ll need your guidance.”

“Alright, Xiao Zhang. Tell me, where are you now? What have you discovered?”

“Brother Li, I can’t say right now. I’m a bit busy. Let’s agree to talk again at 7 tonight. That’s all. I’m hanging up.”

“Wait, wait, Xiao Zhang. Don’t hang up. Tell me if you’re in danger or trouble. It’s okay to be vague if you can’t be specific.”

“No, no, Brother Li. Don’t worry, I’m safe. I’ll contact you later.”

“Okay, make sure to keep me updated. If you can’t solve the case or want to hand it over, just let me know.”

“Got it, Brother Li. I’m hanging up now.”

“Mm.”

Zhang Heng ended the call. Shortly after, he received another message from the same number. Opening it, he read:

“Very good, Comrade Zhang Heng. Thank you for honoring our agreement. Rest assured, once you safely deliver the box to the destination, we will return your Brother Liang Song to you. We guarantee you will see him in person.”

After reading this, Zhang Heng replied:

“Alright, I hope you keep your promise. I’m setting off now and should arrive before noon.”

He sent the message, and within a minute, another reply arrived:

“Okay, okay. Go ahead and depart. No need to contact us on the way. We will get in touch once you reach the destination. No need to reply now. Thank you.”

Reading this brief message, he put away his phone, slipped it into his pocket, packed up once more, and left.

Carrying the box, he checked out at the hotel front desk, stepped outside, pulled out his phone again, and opened Baidu Maps. Searching the address, he saw it was 36 kilometers away. He tapped navigation and was surprised to find multiple route options, including public transportation.

He chose the public transit route, which involved a bus transfer to an intercity coach that would take him near the destination, followed by a 1.5-kilometer walk. The total time was just over an hour, less than two hours, and the fare was only 12 yuan. Checking the time, it was 8:25. Taking public transport seemed an excellent choice, ensuring arrival before noon.

Suddenly, he realized he had forgotten his breakfast back at the hotel. While packing, so preoccupied and anxious, he hadn’t felt hunger and neglected to take it.

He smiled to himself at the thought.

Following the navigation, he headed to the bus stop. To his delight, an elderly woman selling egg-filled pancakes from a tricycle cart was nearby.

He quickly bought one pancake but thought it wasn’t enough, so bought another, along with a bottle of nutritional drink. After paying, he noticed the bus arriving and boarded immediately.

As the bus rolled along, he ate his egg pancakes, reminiscing about his favorite Beijing breakfast during his university days at the Public Security University. Those pancakes, fried golden and crispy on the outside, soft and fragrant within, layered thinly yet not sticking together, sometimes over a hundred layers, never hard after cooling, spread with sweet and spicy sauce, topped with seasoned shredded potatoes and raw lettuce, plus diced radish and green beans—each bite was a perfect blend of crispness and tenderness, utterly delicious.

After a few stops, he followed the navigation to transfer to the intercity coach at a designated stop.

Checking the time, it was 9:11. The coach was scheduled to arrive in 13 minutes, according to Baidu Maps.

He waited patiently at the stop for about ten minutes until the intercity coach appeared just as predicted.

Confirming it was the correct bus, he boarded and chose a seat at the back. A ticket collector came by, and he bought his ticket willingly.

The coach started moving forward. He placed the box on the empty seat beside him, keeping one hand on it. His gaze shifted outside the window—not so much to enjoy the scenery but to clear his mind with the passing landscape.

After about half an hour, the navigation indicated he had reached the stop. He got off with the box and pulled out his phone to navigate the final stretch.

Walking forward, he noticed the surroundings had changed. This was the countryside—the outskirts of the city. Stretching fields of green crops spread before him, dotted with small, modest houses made of tile and brick, typical rural homes. The fields and houses combined into a pastoral scene.

Yet, these idyllic views offered him no comfort. What lay ahead was the true challenge.