Chapter 281: Reconnaissance
“While that’s true, wouldn’t it be beneficial for everyone to fully understand the superiors’ intentions?”
How could Chang Ning not know that the police wouldn’t frame them? He just wanted to get closer to everyone.
The members of Group B were not children, and they easily understood Chang Ning’s implied meaning.
Because the members of Group B were involved in the situation, no matter how they guessed, they couldn’t accurately determine the superiors’ intentions.
The group rushed to the provincial capital overnight, and having not slept, they were already feeling drowsy.
Geng Jihui, as the captain, naturally saw everyone’s performance. Since the superiors hadn’t set a clear deadline for the mission, Group B didn’t need to rush.
Therefore, at Geng Jihui’s suggestion, they slept fully clothed, and snoring soon filled the dormitory.
At the same time, in the Provincial Department’s office, Wen Keng leaned back in his chair, looking through the glass at the heavy traffic on the street, and murmured, “Why would the superiors assign Old He’s soldiers such a simple mission?”
He was not aware of the full scope of the plan, and this operation was just a part of it.
Group B slept until noon. Xiao Liu delivered their lunch to the dormitory.
Xiao Liu’s actions brought back memories for Chang Ning from his university days.
Back then, he often brought meals to the few pranksters in his dorm, and they affectionately called him “Godfather.”
“Have you eaten, Xiao Liu? If not, join us for some,” Chang Ning said as he took the lunch Xiao Liu brought.
“No, no, I’ve already eaten,” Xiao Liu quickly waved his hands in refusal.
“Join us for a bit. We’ll need your help later,” Geng Jihui said while helping to set the lunch on the table.
Hearing that his help was needed, Xiao Liu no longer refused.
He didn’t ask what specific help was needed, but he could generally guess it was related to the mission.
They weren’t familiar with each other, and apart from the mission, they had no other common ground.
“After everyone finishes eating, we’ll go to the urban village to scout the terrain and then formulate a plan. Any problems?” Geng Jihui asked.
Seeing their commander speak, everyone shook their heads, indicating no problems.
Ten minutes later, Group B finished their meal, changed into casual clothes, and drove to the mission location, led by Xiao Liu.
…
“Not far ahead is the criminals’ base.”
Xiao Liu and Geng Jihui squatted by a fruit stall, sifting through a basket of apples. The others were scattered around, some leaning against the wall smoking, others pretending to bargain with the vendors.
Chang Ning looked at the gray, two-story, terraced self-built building about fifty meters away. The innermost one was the residence of the target for this mission.
“Attention, target spotted.”
After paying the water bill to the small shop owner, Chang Ning’s peripheral vision caught sight of a man with dyed yellow hair and bruised eyes entering the shop.
Based on the photograph from the intelligence he saw that morning, Chang Ning was certain this man was one of their targets.
After reporting the situation to Geng Jihui, Chang Ning walked out of the small shop and squatted on the steps, unscrewing his water bottle to take a drink.
His attention remained focused on the target who had just entered the shop.
“A case of beer, boss.”
After Huang Mao finished his request, he casually picked up a few bags of snacks to go with the beer.
“That’ll be 58 yuan.”
After settling the bill, Huang Mao picked up the case of beer and the snacks and walked out of the shop.
Chang Ning’s eyes met Huang Mao’s for a moment before they separated.
“The target bought a case of beer, some chicken legs, and pickled vegetables.”
Watching Huang Mao walk towards the residence, Chang Ning reported the information he saw to Geng Jihui and then stopped intently watching him.
According to the intelligence, this was a five-person criminal gang.
If he kept staring at the target, he might be discovered or seen by the target’s accomplices.
Only after Huang Mao entered the house did Geng Jihui summon Chang Ning back.
Geng Jihui looked at everyone’s eyes, which were filled with joy: “Including the Huang Mao that Chang Ning saw, there are a total of five people who entered that house. This matches the number of people indicated in the intelligence.”
As comrades who had cooperated for a long time, Chang Ning could tell what he was thinking from his expression.
However, for an extra layer of caution, he still needed to temper Geng Jihui’s enthusiasm.
“Are you sure they are the five people from the intelligence?”
Chang Ning’s meaning was clear: even if the number of people matched, it couldn’t guarantee that the people who appeared were the ones from the intelligence.
With Chang Ning’s reminder, Geng Jihui’s mindset shifted. He looked at the others, his meaning self-evident.
“I didn’t notice any problems on my end,” Lao Pao said.
With Lao Pao starting, the others also indicated they had no issues.
This finally put Chang Ning at ease.
In fact, Geng Jihui wouldn’t be angry because Chang Ning poured cold water on him; he also knew Chang Ning was well-intentioned.
Having such a calm person in the team was beneficial to him and the team.
“If that’s the case, I have no issues on my end.”
Seeing that everyone had confirmed the accuracy of the intelligence, Chang Ning agreed with Geng Jihui’s intention to proceed.
“Alright!
Now, Xiao Liu, bring over the ten criminal police officers that the leader assigned to us to command. Have them monitor the target together and report any discoveries to us in a timely manner.”
After resolving the team’s issues, Geng Jihui decisively began assigning tasks.
Upon receiving the mission, Xiao Liu suppressed his excitement.
He had been following this case, and now there was finally an opportunity to make an arrest; he was happier than anyone.
After the criminal police arrived, Geng Jihui and the members of Group B returned to the dormitory arranged for them by the Provincial Department.
“My suggestion is to launch the attack today and end this mission.
Do you have any suggestions?” Geng Jihui asked, addressing the group gathered around him.
They had sensed Geng Jihui’s intentions in the urban village, so they were not surprised by his straightforwardness.
However, implementing the specific actions still required careful discussion to achieve perfection.
This time, they were under the watchful eyes of the police. Poor performance would affect not only Group B but also Wolf Fang.
Chang Ning pointed out a problem: “The intelligence provided by the police does not include a structural diagram of the target’s residence.”
For close-quarters combat indoors, understanding the room’s layout and structure would greatly aid the operation.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to understand the house structure. Do we not fight on the battlefield if we don’t know these things?” Ostrich said nonchalantly.
In his opinion, with a criminal group of only five people and no heavy firepower, there was no need for such caution.
“Tell those ten criminal police to watch the surroundings to prevent the criminals from escaping through the windows. We’ll directly blow up the door, then forcibly enter, and the battle will be over!”
Was that so difficult?
“But we have the conditions to figure out the room layout, and this mission has no time limit.”
Chang Ning’s implication was that they had ample time and assistance from the police, so there was no reason to do the job so roughly.
“That’s true, but you’ve forgotten an important condition,” Xiao Zhuang said.
Chang Ning: “What?”
