Ten Day Ultimatum

My name is Li Shangwu.
I distorted the truth.

On May 22, 2010, our team was assigned a surveillance operation targeting a notorious swindler named Zhang Huanan.
Zhang wasn’t just cunning—he had a lengthy criminal record with numerous offenses. What made things more difficult was his exceptional skill in counter-reconnaissance, which had helped him evade police capture multiple times. In this particular fraud case, he emerged as a prime suspect, and my colleague and I were tasked with monitoring him around the clock.
…

"Sergeant Li, would you like a smoke?"
Xiao Liu offered, producing my favorite brand of cigarettes, DCXC (冬虫夏草). Despite not being particularly well-off, he always carried these pricey packs—each costing fifty yuan—yet never smoked them himself. Instead, he consistently # Nоvеlight # made a point of offering me one.
"Xiao Liu, what’s your monthly salary?"

I declined his offer of the expensive cigarette, instead pulling out a pack of HJJ (红将军)—a budget-friendly choice at just eight yuan, yet surprisingly strong.
"Two thousand seven hundred yuan," Xiao Liu replied. "Didn’t you already know that, Sergeant Li?"
"You earn twenty-seven hundred and carry DCXC?" I asked, placing a HJJ between my lips, which Xiao Liu quickly lit for me.

"Sergeant Li, what do you mean?" he said with an overly eager smile. "I wouldn’t dream of smoking those! I’ve saved them just for you..."
I shook my head in exasperation. "We’re criminal police. Those who crack cases are the real top dogs, so don’t get caught up in workplace games."
"Yes, yes, yes… you’re absolutely right, Sergeant Li." Xiao Liu slipped the DCXC back into his pocket and pulled out a pack of ZBS (长白山), priced at six yuan. "That’s why I’m here—to learn from you how to crack cases!"

To be fair, Xiao Liu was sharp and had an impressive knack for grasping new concepts. They said he’d consistently ranked near the top at the police academy. Still, how his parents raised him remains a mystery. Despite his youth, he had already mastered the art of flattery, and it made him a bit of a nuisance to seasoned officers like me.
"Sergeant Li, do you think we’ll actually catch Zhang Huanan?"
"This—" I paused to consider. "Why the curiosity? We’ve been instructed to monitor this location; our job is just to follow orders."

We had parked across the street from Zhang Huanan’s residence, eyes fixed on the solitary entrance.
Typically, stakeouts are done in pairs, so one officer can rest while the other keeps watch. But with no clue how long we’d be stationed there, the uncertainty only intensified our craving for cigarettes.
"I should’ve brought a spare pair of underpants," Xiao Liu joked.

"What are you talking about, you little rascal? Planning to change them right here?"
"Haha!" Xiao Liu laughed it off. "I’m just kidding, Sergeant Li. Care for another?"
In that cramped space, we chain-smoked, moving cautiously. Not daring to crack a window, the car quickly turned into a thick haze chamber.
Xiao Liu occasionally flipped on the air conditioning to circulate some fresh air; otherwise, in that stifling environment, we’d be begging for lung cancer.

…
A full day passed without either of us getting a wink of sleep. I could manage, having weathered many late nights, but Xiao Liu was clearly struggling to stay awake.
"You should take a nap," I suggested. "I’ll keep watch."

"Sergeant Li… how could I do that? You haven’t rested either; I can’t sleep first…" But even as he spoke, his eyelids were heavy.
"It’s fine. Sleep. I’ll wake you later."
"Well… if you insist… just wake me in half an hour…"

Within twenty seconds, the sound of Xiao Liu’s snoring filled the car. The kid was spent.
After confirming he was sound asleep, I gently pulled my phone from my pocket to check for unread messages.
Of the four texts, three were from Xuanxuan.

{Dad, are you coming home for dinner tonight?}
{Dad, Grandma said you’re on duty these days. Please stay safe!}
{Dad, there’s a parent-teacher meeting next Friday afternoon. Will you be able to come then?}
I furrowed my brow slightly but replied to Xuanxuan:
"I’ll be home in a couple of days. Make sure to eat well."

After sending that, I opened the fourth unread message.
The unfamiliar number simply read: "Still staking out?"
I glanced at the still-sleeping Xiao Liu, then turned to the side and quickly replied, "Cut the bull, stay hidden."

Finished, I tucked the phone away and slowly reclined my seat to steal a quick nap.
The department’s new car was luxurious; the seat reclined smoothly with electric controls—a far cry from the old models that could drop out of nowhere and throw out your back.
As for surveilling Zhang Huanan…

What a joke. As long as I was here, he wouldn’t show up.
After some indeterminate amount of time, I suddenly jolted awake from a violent shaking. Blinking through the disorientation, I found Xiao Liu staring at me in a panic. "Sergeant Li! You fell asleep too?!"
"Huh?" Still groggy, I needed a second to gather my thoughts. "Oh... you’re awake?"

"This is bad! If we both fell asleep, what if Zhang Huanan showed up?"
"It’s fine. He can’t get away." I rubbed my eyes and adjusted my seat back upright.
"He can’t?"

"Oh... I mean, I just nodded off. It’s not like he’d pick that exact moment…"
"Sigh…" Xiao Liu still looked uneasy. Slapping his cheeks with resolve, he declared, "I knew I shouldn’t have slept. This is a disaster—my first time on duty, and I’ve already messed up."
"It’s fine, kiddo." I patted his shoulder. "If anything happens, I’ll take the blame."

Strangely, from that moment on, Xiao Liu seemed energized—like he’d been injected with chicken blood. He stayed wide awake for two straight days. I managed a few naps, but each time I woke up, he was still glued to the building across the street, unblinking.
"You trying to give yourself a heart attack, rascal?" I asked with genuine concern. "I’m awake now—take a break."
"No." Xiao Liu’s dark circles were pronounced, his face haggard. "Sergeant Li, I won’t rest until Zhang Huanan shows up."

At that moment, my phone buzzed again in my pocket.
Even my old Nokia 6300 was running low on battery.
I glanced at the screen—and sure enough, that troublemaker Zhang Huanan had texted again. Casually, I shifted to check the message, but Xiao Liu suddenly asked from behind, "Any updates from the department?"

"Oh, no," I said with a light chuckle, discreetly angling the phone away.
"If it’s not from the department… then who is it?" His eyes were locked on the phone, curiosity piqued.
Normally, such a blunt question would be considered rude. But Xiao Liu, sleep-deprived as he was, was clearly off his rhythm.

Watching him, an idea formed in my head.
I reached into my pocket, pulled the cigarettes from their pack, and waved the empty box at him like a flag. "Xiao Liu, how about heading out to grab a new pack of cigarettes?"
"Cigarettes? But there’s no convenience store nearby," he said, blinking in confusion.

"But I’m out of smokes," I replied, slipping both the empty box and my phone back into my pockets. "If nothing’s nearby, just go a bit farther. After a stakeout this long, it’s not wise to go without. Also, the water and bread in the car are running low—grab those too, if you can."
Xiao Liu stood still for a second, taking it in—then nodded firmly. "Understood, Sergeant Li. I’ll be back shortly."