“Are you alright, little one?”
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Watching the little girl’s tears turn into a smile, Li Yang even carefully wiped away her snot.
On his journey, Gao Liang felt as if he had transformed into a benevolent god saving the suffering masses. Not long ago, he had helped up an elderly man who had fallen. The old man had fallen quite heavily and couldn’t walk, so Gao Liang had carried him to the pharmacy.
Now he had encountered a lost little girl. Her parents were careless indeed, falling asleep at the corner of the back street, leaving their daughter crying at the street corner.
It took him two hours to walk from the police station to Lai Long Alley.
Fortunately, the Hu family’s old house was still quiet, suggesting the Hu family hadn’t returned yet. Gao Liang leaned casually against the wall, smoking a cigarette.
If he had turned his head to the left at that moment, he might have seen a familiar figure walk past the street corner.
“I remember you went to Ouyang Wen’s. Are you enjoying your work there?”
“It’s okay. Captain Wen treats me well.”
“That’s good. I was afraid he might treat you poorly too, just because he’s targeting me.”
“No, Captain Wen said he only cares about you as a brother, and nothing else matters.”
“Hmph! His words are for listening, not for taking to heart.” Hu Jia walked quickly. Seeing Tong Meng trying hard to keep up, he felt a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I was walking too fast.”
“It’s fine. I know you’re worried about Li Yang and Wen Wu.” Tong Meng showed her understanding.
“Sigh, those two kids just don’t exercise enough. They get injured even when catching a fugitive,” Hu Jia said indignantly. “Good thing you saved them, otherwise they would have suffered a lot.”
“I’m their friend too, so I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Just now, Hu Jia was about to go home when he realized he had forgotten his key. The tall iron gate left him no choice but to climb over the wall.
But before he could act, Tong Meng appeared.
He only knew this woman by sight, but he couldn’t recall her name. Fortunately, she introduced herself, otherwise it would have been truly awkward.
Tong Meng said that Li Yang and Wen Wu had been injured on duty and were resting somewhere. Upon hearing this, Hu Jia couldn’t stay put any longer and immediately asked Tong Meng to lead the way.
Looking at Hu Jia’s expression and his words, Tong Meng knew she had guessed correctly.
After all, she had also returned from Huayan Village, and she knew perfectly well what Hu Jia had been doing there.
Earlier, when Gao Liang was on the phone, he called out “Qingqing,” and their conversation was about having Gao Liang go to Lai Long Alley. Thus, Tong Meng deduced that Hu Jia was in trouble.
Monday, Lai Long Alley, Hu Jia…
All these pieces put together led to only one possibility: Hu Jia had amnesia and had run off. Lü Qingqing had called to have Gao Liang intercept him.
How could Tong Meng miss such a good opportunity? She immediately notified Sixth Master for help and sent several groups of people midway to delay Gao Liang, thus giving herself a chance to find Hu Jia first.
Outside the city, into the mountains, across the fields, over the stream, looking at the house in front of him, Hu Jia found it strange. Were Li Yang and Wen Wu really here?
“They were not lightly injured. To prevent a counterattack from the fugitive, they decided to hide here,” Tong Meng’s explanation dispelled Hu Jia’s doubts.
After all, if one were in poor health and still insisted on being brave, it would be like carrying a coffin while rushing, digging one’s own grave.
He pushed open the door and indeed saw two people lying on wooden planks, one covering his face with his arm, the other facing the wall asleep.
“Yo-ho, I say, you two are still keeping your eyes closed.” Hu Jia thought they were asleep. After all, Tong Meng had said they were awake, just unable to move.
Hu Jia walked between them with a grin. The one covering his face should be Li Yang, judging by his frail physique.
He pulled away “Li Yang’s” arm and was about to mock him when a face he had never seen before appeared before him.
“Who are you?”
…
Gao Liang hurried after Ouyang, “Captain Wen, I’ve been guarding here the whole time. Captain Hu really hasn’t appeared.”
“Impossible, you must have missed him, you brat.” Ouyang Wen rushed back to the municipal police station. If Hu Jia hadn’t returned to Lai Long Alley, he might have gone to the Criminal Investigation Department.
After all, Hu Jia, at 22, hadn’t joined the Special Operations Team yet.
“Qingqing…” Seeing that Ouyang Wen didn’t believe him, Gao Liang turned to Lü Qingqing for help.
“Alright, I believe you.” Lü Qingqing was also walking in a hurry. Seeing Ouyang Wen’s displeased gaze, she smiled, “Why are you angry with Xiao Liang? You know it’s not his fault.”
“Hmph!” Ouyang Wen snorted haughtily. “But I still need someone to scold.”
Gao Liang: “…”
Is it really okay to say that in front of me?
Soon, they arrived at the police station, but the news they received was that Hu Jia had never been there. This surprised everyone.
Lü Qingqing and Ouyang Wen knew Hu Jia too well.
After losing his memory, he would definitely return to Lai Long Alley, as that was the home in his memory. But when he saw the dust in the house, he would immediately think of finding Li Yang and the others to ask for an explanation, so he would definitely come to the police station.
But now, Hu Jia was neither in Lai Long Alley nor at the police station.
Then there was only one possibility: he hadn’t returned yet.
“Could he still be in Huayan?”
“Impossible, right? We’ve searched Huayan top to bottom.”
“Could he have been harmed?”
Lü Qingqing was a little panicked. According to their deductions, Hu Jia had left with the Wang brothers. In his amnesiac state, it would be difficult for Hu Jia to guard against two strangers. If they played any dirty tricks, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“No, I have to go back.”
“Go back where?”
Ouyang Wen called out to Lü Qingqing.
“Huayan. I’ll go through that underwater passage. Even if he has left, I’ll retrace his path. I refuse to believe I won’t find any trace along the way.” Lü Qingqing said and ran off without hesitation.
“Gao Liang, continue guarding Lai Long Alley. Contact me immediately if you find Captain Hu,” Ouyang Wen said hastily and then chased after Lü Qingqing.
“What’s wrong with him?” Tong Meng entered with a stack of documents, looking at Gao Liang standing foolishly at the door. She handed him the papers, “Here, the information you wanted.”
“Thank you!” Gao Liang flipped through it. “You organized and finished all this in such a short time, you’re amazing.”
“Of course, I was so busy I didn’t even have time to drink a sip of water.”
Tong Meng blinked and floated away. These documents were all helped by Sixth Master’s people. They would serve as the best evidence of her not having left the police station during that time.
In less than 48 hours, Lü Qingqing had made three trips between Chongqing city and Huayan, covering more than 100 kilometers in total.
She was exhausted.
But her physical exhaustion was nothing compared to her anxiety.
Only now did Lü Qingqing realize how important Hu Jia was. Having grown accustomed to his presence in everything, the unease in her heart could not be calmed when he was gone.
Even though she was professionally trained, she couldn’t control it.
Meanwhile, Li Yang also learned that Hu Jia was missing, which startled him. “Xiao Yueyue, do you think the boss is playing some new trick? To suddenly bring out the sister-in-law’s emotions?”
“If your brain isn’t working, donate it. Have you ever seen someone with amnesia play tricks as soon as they wake up? Like some wicked female villain?”
That made sense!