Before Jiang Chuan could even figure out what was going on, Jason Statham grabbed him and pulled him to his feet.
Back in their original room, Jason Statham gave Jiang Chuan a quick and simple disguise—a hat, a tracksuit—so he’d pass for a young guy heading out for an early morning run.
Jason Statham, though, went all out. He put on a grayish-white beard, dressed in some seriously old-fashioned clothes, and in the dim early light, you could even make out the wrinkles on his face.
It was just past dawn, and unless someone knew him really well, they probably wouldn’t have recognized Jason Statham in that getup.
Jiang Chuan was even less noticeable.
He had no idea what was happening, but seeing how urgent Jason Statham was—grabbing him and rushing out—he knew something had to be wrong.
Jiang Chuan didn’t ask a thing. After all, he knew Jason Statham was absolutely loyal to him.
The two of them headed downstairs.
Once outside, some of the elderly folks in the neighborhood were already out and about, doing their morning exercises.
Jason Statham hunched over, leading Jiang Chuan toward the community entrance.
Just as they neared the gate, Jiang Chuan spotted the flashing red-and-blue lights of police cars, along with officers standing at the entrance, checking everyone coming and going.
Police…
Are they here for me?
That thought naturally popped into Jiang Chuan’s mind.
But it didn’t seem quite right—after all, he hadn’t really done anything.
If he had done something, it was mailing that Desert Eagle to the scammer.
Unless that scammer had turned himself in and the police actually bought his story—then they’d have sent officers out.
But when Jiang Chuan had been texting Zhang Songyang, he’d intentionally left some holes in his messages, just in case the police took it seriously. Under normal circumstances, the cops would be able to tell he was just bluffing the scammer.
After all, police are used to solving cases by piecing together tiny clues. With loopholes like that—not too obvious—a little thought would reveal Jiang Chuan’s real intent.
Of course, it was also possible they were coming after him because of that Desert Eagle.
But for now, Jiang Chuan wasn’t going to overthink it.
What Jason Statham did made perfect sense. Right now, he needed to get out of here as fast as possible—and it was about time he went to check on the factory anyway.
“Hello, please sign in. This is a routine check. We appreciate your cooperation.”
A young officer walked over with a clipboard, stopping in front of the old man and the young man.
Jason Statham took the clipboard and pen with trembling hands and scribbled something down.
The officer squinted at the two of them and casually asked, “Heading to the hospital?”
“Yeah, my grandpa has an appointment for a checkup. We need to get there early to grab a number, or else we’ll be stuck waiting forever,” Jiang Chuan brushed him off casually.
The officer nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, hospitals are packed these days. Takes forever just to get a number. So, what’s wrong with your grandpa?”
He looked at Jiang Chuan, feeling like the young man seemed vaguely familiar. And that tall, sturdy old man—didn’t he look a lot like the guy they’d been trying to catch last night?
“Officer, I—I’m done signing. Cough, cough, cough…” Jason Statham wheezed, barely catching his breath.
The officer immediately stepped forward to support him. “Sir, are you okay? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”
Jason Statham waved him off. “No need… old—cough, cough, cough—old ailment. You officers have… important work. This old bones of mine… don’t… don’t want to trouble you… cough, cough!”
The officer nodded. “Alright then. Hurry up and finish signing, then get to the hospital. Don’t let your condition get worse.”
Jiang Chuan was about to scribble a fake name on the form.
But just then—
“Cough, cough, cough… cough, cough, cough… cough, cough, cough!” Jason Statham suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit. His voice grew louder, and his expression twisted in apparent agony.
“Grandpa! What’s wrong, Grandpa?” Jiang Chuan seized the opportunity, rushing over to support him.
Then, with sharp eyes, he spotted a taxi parked right at the community entrance.
“Officer, I need to get my grandpa to the hospital immediately—our cab’s already here!” Jiang Chuan said urgently.
The officer was taken aback for a moment, then quickly helped Jiang Chuan escort Jason Statham to the taxi.
“Do you need me to clear the way for you?” the officer asked seriously.
Jiang Chuan waved his hand. “No need to trouble yourself, Officer. The hospital’s just up ahead.”
“Alright, go on then.”
As the officer watched the old man and young man drive off, something nagged at him—but before he could dwell on it, a senior officer at the gate shouted, “Get over here and give us a hand!”
“Coming!”
The taxi drove all the way to the hospital. Jiang Chuan helped the elderly “Jason Statham” out, paid the fare, and walked inside.
They didn’t go to any department. Instead, they went straight to the restroom.
When they came out again, they had switched to yet another disguise.
Then, keeping their heads down, they hurried out of the hospital.
“Xiao Guo, what’s going on?” Jiang Chuan asked as they walked.
Jason Statham’s voice was cold and serious. “I detected police presence last night. I suspected they might be coming for you, so I made sure to get you out of there. Besides, it really is time for you to go inspect the progress at your military factory.”
Jiang Chuan nodded, not overthinking it. “Got it. By the way, is the factory far? How are we getting there?”
“Boss, I have my ways. Just follow me. Don’t worry—it’s my duty to make sure you get to the factory safely.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Chuan didn’t say anything more. He trusted Jason Statham completely—both his ability and his loyalty.
After all, the guy had managed to slip them both out of that neighborhood right under the noses of a bunch of cops. That alone spoke volumes about his skills.
——
Night fell.
At the Qingcheng Police Bureau, inside the conference room.
Chief Zhou Ran sat at the head of the table, looking at the people on either side: Liu Changshan, another operations commander, and the bureau’s senior leadership.
“Liu Changshan, are you certain you didn’t find the suspect?” Zhou Ran asked sternly.
All eyes in the room turned to Liu Changshan. He could feel the pressure mounting, but he still shook his head. “I’m sorry, Chief. This operation… we failed.”
“Failed.” Zhou Ran nodded. “So, in your opinion, what’s the reason for our failure?”
Liu Changshan kept his head down. “The main reason is that we didn’t thoroughly investigate the residents in the surrounding area beforehand. We also underestimated the suspect’s counter-surveillance awareness. Clearly, this is an arms dealer with very strong counter-surveillance skills—it’s very possible this isn’t his first time dealing with law enforcement.”
After a full day of searching, they’d turned that neighborhood upside down. They’d checked not only the apartment Jiang Chuan had rented but also his neighbors’ places—and found no trace of him.
They’d even pulled the community’s surveillance footage, but still couldn’t spot Jiang Chuan or the young man—not even any sign of them leaving the area.
That proved beyond doubt that the suspect had top-tier counter-surveillance capabilities. And it was highly likely he’d anticipated the police operation and fled before they even moved in.
