Chapter 86: False Clues

On Saturday morning, Zhang Wenhao accompanied his mother to the street and bought a relatively ordinary Giant bicycle. Its design leaned toward a student style, with two curved beams in the middle, a square plastic basket in front, a rear seat at the back, and no gear-shifting function. This kind of bicycle, when ridden on the street, wasn’t as eye-catching as a mountain bike—exactly what Zhang Wenhao wanted.

After purchasing the bike, Zhang Wenhao used the excuse of having something to do and didn’t return home for lunch. Having bid farewell to his mother, he rode toward Jiangquan Road, intending to inspect the situation there and see if things were as urgent as the post from last night had described.

To be cautious, Zhang Wenhao tore off all the plastic wrapping from the bicycle and deliberately passed through a muddy side road. In just a few hundred meters, the bike went from a brand-new Giant to a dirty, mud-splattered vehicle. This way, he would be even less likely to attract attention on Jiangquan Road.

During broad daylight, Jiangquan Road was crowded with both motor vehicles and bicycles. Zhang Wenhao blended into the flow of traffic, making it hard for anyone to notice him. As he rode along, he observed that there was still a car parked at every intersection, and, most critically, police patrol cars had increased noticeably along the road. In just ten minutes, more than fifteen police cars passed by him, clearly far exceeding the usual number. Evidently, the post was accurate—the police were searching for Qian Ning as well.

Initially, Zhang Wenhao intended to turn back at the end of Jiangquan Road, but fearing that passing through twice might draw attention, he chose a longer route and rode straight to the school. Qian Ning’s situation was dangerous. The men in black might not search house by house, but the police had plenty of reasons to conduct investigations. If they did, Qian Ning would have no chance of escape.

Arriving at his own parking lot, Zhang Wenhao locked up the bicycle, then drove out, found a restaurant, and ordered two dishes and a soup to take away. He returned to his car and drove toward Jiangquan Road.

Entering Alley Six, Zhang Wenhao didn’t attract any notice. As soon as he entered the gate, he carried the food into the room. Qian Ning, having heard the activity outside, knew Zhang Wenhao had arrived and was preparing to use her cane to get out of bed.

Seeing Qian Ning about to get up, Zhang Wenhao spoke, “Just stay lying down—don’t move too much if you can help it.”

Qian Ning smiled gently and obediently lay back down. As Zhang Wenhao unpacked the food and soup, he said, “I haven’t eaten lunch either, so I bought some outside. Let’s eat together.”

Qian Ning nodded. “Thank you. I keep troubling you—it really makes me feel guilty.”

Zhang Wenhao waved it off, placing the food on the bedside table. He handed Qian Ning a box of rice and disposable chopsticks, ladled some soup into the bowl he had bought for her, and placed it in front of her, then squatted at the other end of the table.

While eating, Zhang Wenhao spoke tentatively, “I saw a post online about a man named Gu Haiming…”

Qian Ning was slightly startled, nodded, and replied, “I saw it online yesterday too. The post revealed a lot of hidden truths. If we both read the same one, I can tell you that almost everything it said is true.”

Zhang Wenhao smiled. “I’m worried they’ll find this place soon. I specifically rode over today to check—those people haven’t left, and there are many more police cars now.”

Qian Ning nodded, speaking mildly, “According to plan, I should have left for here immediately after the job, taken the car, and left Jiangcheng. But something unexpected happened. The intelligence I received indicated Gu Haiming had only three attendants—his assistant and two bodyguards. But that night, there were actually eight bodyguards, which is why they chased after me and I ended up getting shot. It disrupted all my subsequent plans.”

Zhang Wenhao frowned. “Is your intelligence always so unreliable?”

Qian Ning shook her head. “It’s always been accurate before, especially about the number of bodyguards—the margin of error is usually no more than one. This time, though, it was way off.”

“Two turning into eight—that’s outrageous!” Zhang Wenhao frowned even deeper, hesitated, then suddenly looked up. “I’ll get you out of here as soon as possible.”

“Leave?” Qian Ning was stunned for a moment. “Where can I go? I’m injured, so many people are hunting me, I can’t use any public transport, and even if you drive me out of town, we’ll face checkpoints. With my wound, it’s just too hard to leave right now.”

Zhang Wenhao said, “We need to find another place. This area is obviously under heavy surveillance. If the police get involved, you’ll be found easily. Staying here is just waiting for disaster. And since your intelligence was so far off, it’s hard to rule out problems with your contacts or informants.”

Qian Ning thought for a moment. “It’s impossible for the internal team to have a leak—they all know about this supply point. If any of them had betrayed me, I’d have been caught already. But it’s possible there’s trouble with an informant…”

Zhang Wenhao asked, “Can’t your organization help you escape?”

“No,” Qian Ning shook her head. “For every solo mission, the organization never sends extra personnel. If you go out alone, you must return alone—it’s the rule.”

“What a ridiculous rule,” scoffed Zhang Wenhao. “If you can’t count on your own people, you have to rely on yourself.”

Qian Ning glanced at Zhang Wenhao, speaking sincerely, “I know you care about me and mean well, but taking me away is too risky for you. Whether you drive me away or rent a place for me, you’ll be exposed to danger. I attract too much attention in my current state. If they find me, you’ll be implicated immediately. It’s safer for me to stay here.”

With a pause, she added softly, “With the area under such tight watch, you shouldn’t come back anymore. You’ve already helped me so much—I don’t want to drag you down further. This isn’t something to take lightly. If they catch you, they won’t let you go.”

Zhang Wenhao’s brows knitted as he pondered. The opposing side had sealed off the entire area around Jiangquan Road, making it a fortress. Taking Qian Ning out now would be extremely risky, and even if he did get her out, finding her a safe place would be another challenge. He was caught between a rock and a hard place—should he really leave Qian Ning here to face her fate?

Seeing Zhang Wenhao’s serious expression and silence, Qian Ning felt a rare pang of sadness. She was grateful for his care and concern, and pained by the sense of helplessness he now carried because of her predicament.

Suddenly, Zhang Wenhao looked up, excitement in his expression. “You said your organization is secure, and the informant only knows you’re still in Jiangcheng, not your exact location, right?”

“Yes,” Qian Ning replied, puzzled. She had already explained these things to Zhang Wenhao—why was he suddenly so excited?

Zhang Wenhao blurted out, “That means those searching for you aren’t certain you’re hiding in this area. They’re only here because they lost track of you nearby, so they’re lying in wait, hoping for a miracle.”

Qian Ning nodded. “That’s probably the case.”

“Then that makes things easier,” Zhang Wenhao said. “Since they have no clues, they’re hoping to find a breakthrough around here. So why not give them a clue? Draw their attention elsewhere.”

“You mean a false lead?” Qian Ning asked curiously. “But how would we do that?”

Zhang Wenhao stood up, excitement growing. “The bandages from your wound, the bloodied, bullet-holed pant leg I cut off—all of that is in a plastic bag in the living room. I didn’t dare throw it away, for fear they’d find it. Since they haven’t found any useful clues yet, let’s find a way to place these items somewhere strategic and make sure they discover them.”

“Will it work?” Qian Ning was a bit skeptical. “If you just toss them outside, the chance they find them is pretty slim, isn’t it?”

“Trying is better than waiting for disaster,” Zhang Wenhao replied. “If we can successfully shift their attention elsewhere, your situation improves. They’ll focus their investigation on the false leads, relax their vigilance here, and after chasing those leads with no results, they won’t believe you’re still in Jiangcheng. The longer it drags out, the more helpless they’ll feel—they can’t keep searching forever. Eventually, it’ll fizzle out.”

Qian Ning considered this, nodded in agreement, then asked, “But how can we make sure they find the false clues without arousing suspicion?”

Zhang Wenhao replied, “Let’s not rush. Today, I’ll try to figure out their personnel arrangements here and in surrounding areas, learn their habits, and once I understand their routines, I’ll find the right opportunity to leave them the false leads.”