Chapter 126: Testing Each Other

Was it difficult to monitor an entire city comprehensively? It was not just difficult, it was impossible. 

Let’s put it plainly. Even if you managed to do it, deploying the military to monitor every corner 24/7, do you think the criminal was an idiot? Under such circumstances, would they still commit a crime? If the criminal stopped committing crimes and you have no leads, how do you catch them? There was no solution.

“Do we just wait?” Wang Dong looked at Xiao Yu, his expression extremely conflicted. “Wait for him to slip up?”

Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed instantly. “Unless… no, it’s not feasible.”

“What?” Wang Dong pressed.

“Air traffic control radar.” Xiao Yu spread his hands.

Wang Dong fell silent. 

What was air traffic control radar? It was radar used by aviation control, usually installed around airports. In places like Beijing, you would find these radars every so often on buildings or elsewhere. Any flying object, no matter the size, entering the radar zone would be detected. Installing such radars throughout an entire third or fourth-tier city? That was a huge project. Not realistic.

“Actually, there’s another way.” Xiao Yu smirked, “New Year’s Eve!”

Wang Dong, “???”

Wang Dong was confused.

“New Year’s Eve is like our Chinese New Year.” Xiao Yu explained, “There’s a legend that ‘Nian’ was a ferocious creature that appeared on New Year’s Eve. But it was afraid of noise, so people invented firecrackers. They lit them on New Year’s Eve to scare it away, hence celebrating the New Year.”

Wang Dong, “???”

‘Is it that hard to speak plainly? Are you telling me something I don’t already know about New Year’s?’

“Think.” Xiao Yu pointed to his head. “How do we get through the New Year?”

“By scaring it away, obviously,” Wang Dong replied, puzzled.

“Exactly, scare it.” Xiao Yu nodded, “Make it flee at the sound.”

Wang Dong was stunned and finally got it. “Scare the criminal so they won’t dare to commit a crime?”

“No, we use methods to make them avoid certain places.” Xiao Yu explained, “For instance, we can have a few police officers enter some neighborhoods, pretending to install some surveillance. Deploy all our available manpower to various neighborhoods. Scare him, make him think we’ve set up measures to catch him in these neighborhoods. If he hears the rumors, will he still dare to commit crimes there?”

“One problem remains.” Wang Dong looked at Xiao Yu with a strange expression. “If he’s too scared to commit a crime, we still don’t know who he is. How do we catch him?”

“There’s another version of the New Year’s story,” Xiao Yu grinned, baring his teeth. “Some people, trying to save money, didn’t buy firecrackers for New Year’s Eve. So, the Nian monster came to their house and ate them.”

“Damn!” Wang Dong understood. 

Xiao Yu actually wanted to control where the criminal committed the crime, keeping it within an area they could monitor. Then they’d set a trap and catch him in the act? Could this work?

“This plan probably won’t catch anyone,” Xiao Yu said with a peculiar smile.

Wang Dong felt like cursing. 

‘If the plan won’t work, why mention it? Are you messing with me?’

“I want to see what kind of person he is,” Xiao Yu grinned. “If he’s arrogant, then he’s as good as dead.”

Seeing Xiao Yu’s smile, Wang Dong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

***

All the city’s police were mobilized, even a squad of armed police was brought in. They entered various neighborhoods, deliberately announcing they would be setting up surveillance cameras in all areas. They made a big show of it, claiming cameras would be installed everywhere.

Even with this, there weren’t enough people. Each team of two police officers and one armed officer had to cover several neighborhoods in a day, making a big spectacle of it. After two days, with over a thousand people running around, what was the result? Xiao Yu didn’t care about the effectiveness. He knew this method was too foolish. 

Anyone with a bit of brains could see through it. 

Were criminals stupid? Studies showed that criminal minds generally had higher IQs than the average person. Hard to accept, but the reality was harsh.

So, if you were a smart criminal, would you fall into such an obvious trap? Of course not. You might even find joy in watching the authorities flounder. If you’re arrogant, you might think it’s fun to toy with them. The more they advertise a place is being monitored, the more you might want to mess around there.

However, Xiao Yu thought, this was just small-time cleverness. True wisdom would see through it as another trap.

Not only wouldn’t he mess with the bait, but he’d also do the opposite. This was what they call being too smart for your own good. Knowing it was a trap, he would still want to test it out. So, what would a truly smart person do?

***

Midnight.

Sitting in a police car, Xiao Yu glanced at his phone and murmured, “It’s been a week. If you’re as smart as I think you are, you should be making your move. Aren’t you curious about what we’re planning?”

Another week went by. But there were still eleven days left until the system’s deadline.

Xiao Yu had been in this city for nine days.

“Report, we’ve got movement,” crackled the radio.

“Location?” Wang Dong coldly asked into the radio.

“XX Road, XX Community…” the other side quickly reported.

The driver floored it, the car screeching as it sped off.

“Aren’t you nervous at all?” Xiao Yu asked.

A somewhat excited Wang Dong looked incredulously at Xiao Yu, who seemed to be resting his eyes.

“Why would I be nervous?” Xiao Yu opened his eyes. “He’s just playing around, testing us. We’ll just find a dead end, or maybe some…”

“What?” Wang Dong was stunned.

Find what? Could there be something other than the culprit?

***

Eleven minutes later, the car stopped outside a community. They rushed inside.

Outside a residential building, Xiao Yu looked up, a half-smile on his face as he stared at the… shadow in the sky.

The shadow looked like a giant bird of prey, or maybe a human-like figure with wings, hovering outside the sixth floor. There was also a faint buzzing sound.

Wang Dong quickly pulled out a strange-looking gun. It was big and bulky. It had a long name.

Anti-Low Altitude Flying Object Radio Interference Gun. 

Wang Dong pulled the trigger. A piercing sound came from the gun. The shadow in the sky seemed to instantly lose its ability to hover. It fell down.

Shaking his head, Xiao Yu’s eyes flashed with a cold glint.

‘As expected, you’re well-versed in criminal investigation and counter-surveillance. But too bad, you still slipped up.’