Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 59 The Net is Cast

"Fake Leng Yan is the real Leng Yan, surprised? Unexpected? Hmph..."

Lin Han was not in this room. She had entered the wrong one without realizing it. The only explanation was that someone had swapped the nameplates when Lin Han went upstairs. This was a detached house with four units, and the original address was in Unit Three. If Unit Three and Unit Two were swapped, coupled with Lina's interference, it would be normal for Lin Han to walk into the wrong room without noticing. Moreover, they wouldn't go to another building; my eavesdropping equipment had a limited range, and if they went too far, it would have been detected.

After a quick thought, I swiftly went downstairs and said into the phone, "Leng Yan, you can't escape. I know where you are."

"You know?" Leng Yan scoffed rudely. "Go and see. See if I'm there?"

By this time, I had already hurried downstairs. With the phone still connected, I said coldly, "Have you ever considered that I always knew the fake Leng Yan was the real Leng Yan?"

"What did you say?"

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

There was silence from Leng Yan's end, but he didn't hang up. I was already at the door. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart before saying, "You heard me, I'm at the door. Open up and surrender."

With a bang, Leng Yan burst through the door. Seizing the opportunity, I kicked out horizontally. Leng Yan, quite agile, ducked and lunged forward, darting under my leg. He then somersaulted on the stairs, regained his footing, and ran down, shouting, "Tang Nan, if you don't want that woman to live, come and chase me!"

...

I didn't chase Leng Yan. I quickly entered the room. There was medicine in the water cup. Lin Han had been drugged and placed in the bathtub, which caused the eavesdropping device to malfunction due to water damage. Unconscious and drowning, the police would easily determine the cause of death. Therefore, Leng Yan had set it up to look like a suicide by wrist-slitting, with blood slowly flowing into the water.

Seeing Lin Han's state, I quickly checked her breathing. Fortunately, if anything happened to this girl, I would never be able to live with myself. I lifted her out of the water and placed her on the bed. I tore off a bedsheet to wrap her hand, stopping the bleeding from her wrist wound.

After I finished, I went to the balcony and looked down. The Leng Yan who had just fled had already been apprehended by Yu Xiaoluo. I took out my phone and called Yu Xiaoluo. Yu Xiaoluo replied unhappily, "You informed me beforehand, could I have let him escape?"

"Sister Xiaoluo, that's not what I meant. This criminal resisted arrest, and you went to great lengths to catch him. I'll testify for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Let him go, let him escape, then you have a reason to beat him up. We can't sentence him, but we can vent some anger during law enforcement. I know this violates your police principles, but think about Brother Hao, how unjustly he died."

After I said that, I saw Yu Xiaoluo, who had already subdued Leng Yan, release her grip. She merely pressed her knee into Leng Yan's back. Leng Yan, being skilled, thought he had a chance to escape. The moment he broke free, Yu Xiaoluo delivered a flying kick, sending him down. I didn't watch the subsequent physical punishment; it was too much to bear.

...

While I was waiting for the ambulance, Chang Dachun called me: "Officer, I was negotiating with the auction house staff when a lot of SWAT officers suddenly stormed in, and the place was immediately secured. You were right, they were part of Leng Yan's team. One room had as many computers as an internet cafe, and many people were chatting with women under Leng Yan's name."

"Brother Chang, I'm sorry."

"What's there to be sorry about? They found me, and you used me to make them complacent, allowing us to take down their lair in one fell swoop. That's great."

"That's not what I wanted to say. My sister is injured, and the ambulance is on its way."

"I... I'll be there immediately."

...

As soon as I hung up, Da Huang called: "Tang Nan, I'm not flattering you, but you're amazing. We were still looking for Lina when we saw two police cars escorting them out of the basement. They were changing cars in the basement to escape but were immediately caught by the police. I get it now, that woman knew we were tracking her and she was focused on us, so she didn't see the plainclothes officers you arranged at all. However, it's a pity, I asked the police here, and that Leng Yan is fake."

"It doesn't matter."

"How can it not matter?"

"The real Leng Yan has already been captured. Da Huang, you and Pang Zi, come to the hospital. My sister is injured."

"Okay, okay, we'll be right there."

...

After making the calls, I re-examined the suicide scene set up by Leng Yan. Leng Yan had left an envelope at the scene, with the words "Please deliver this to my father" written in handwriting that mimicked Lin Han's.

I looked at the envelope, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided not to open it. I put the envelope directly into my pocket.

...

Lin Han woke up in the hospital. The first thing she saw were our concerned gazes. She looked somewhat dejected. "Did I mess up again? Did they get away?"

Chang Dachun smiled, "No, not one of them got away. All captured. We're not flattering the police this time, this plan was brilliant."

Hearing that all the culprits were caught, Lin Han became somewhat excited, but more than excitement, there was confusion. She looked at me blankly and asked, "Tang Nan, what exactly happened?"

"Yeah, what happened?" The other three asked in unison.

In this elaborate plan, I had utilized this newly formed team. So, before explaining, I bowed and apologized to them. They looked surprised. Chang Dachun spoke for them, "Officer, please don't have any psychological burden."

"Then I'll start from the beginning."

"Please do!"

From the information provided by Wang Zeyee, I deduced that Lina, who had reported the incident, was problematic. Therefore, I used the team to initiate a tentative plan.

Every time I fought against a schemer, I was the passive one, deciphering the scheme first. This time, I took the initiative, using the strategy of "Tian Ji's racehorses" to disrupt the rules. I didn't decipher the scheme first; instead, I laid out my own plan, and through this plan, I deciphered the scheme and broke it with changes in rhythm.

First, I had the team, under the guise of a fake magazine company, conduct harassing interviews in the neighborhood where Lina lived. I had them interview idle elderly people, whose key role was to spread news quickly within the community.

During this period, through observation, I judged that Lina was likely a schemer. Qin Sisi had once told me that Leng Yan was Liu Chenxi's assistant, meaning Leng Yan was not a schemer but a tool used by a schemer.

"Logical Paradox." To smuggle highly valuable collectibles out of the country, one needs people unrelated to the organization. And Leng Yan's online scamming methods could very well be this organization's method of moving goods.

To keep this method running, if I were the leader of the "Logical Organization," I would also have an outstanding schemer stationed in Beijing. Liu Chenxi would be the prime candidate, but seeking revenge, she would certainly deviate from the organization's principles, otherwise, she wouldn't have single-handedly wiped out the Fourth Master's family.

When I explained to the team, I omitted these steps, fearing that the "Logical Organization" might bring them immense trouble.

Therefore, I simply stated that I had determined Lina was a schemer. They didn't ask further questions because the most exciting part began when Lina started interacting with us. Lina deciphered the scheme. Through her interactions with us, she assessed the framework of my plan and the roles and abilities of each member of this team.

Rhythmically, she was right. But what she didn't expect was that I was certain of one fact from the very beginning: the development of this situation would undoubtedly lead Lina to confidently believe she could plan and break the scheme.

After understanding the basic framework of my plan, Lina began to execute hers. First, she threw out the plan of a fake Leng Yan, with the real Leng Yan impersonating the fake. She also knew that Da Huang and Pang Zi would be tracking them. Moreover, in her meticulously crafted plan, she even accounted for Chang Dachun. By exposing Xing Sheng Auction House and prolonging negotiations with Chang Dachun, she aimed to tie him down.

After guessing Lina's plan, I changed the rhythm. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I was both the mantis and the oriole. The criminal investigation bureau had already been following Da Huang and Pang Zi. After Lina and the fake Leng Yan's elaborate efforts to shake off Da Huang and Pang Zi, they were apprehended by colleagues from the criminal investigation bureau. As for Chang Dachun, Lina thought she had him contained, but she didn't realize Chang Dachun was just a distraction. When Lina, feeling no need to hide, resumed her daily activities, the SWAT team from the criminal investigation bureau struck like lightning, catching her red-handed with the evidence.

My plan wasn't precise, but Lina fell for it due to two factors. First, she was overconfident and underestimated me. Second, she sensed the police were getting closer to the core of her scheme and tried to make a clean getaway.

This is the only part I didn't understand until last night. When I produced the hairpin and Lin Han recognized it instantly, I finally grasped Lina's entire plan. Lin Han was the most valuable person in this team.

Upon my statement, everyone looked at Lin Han. I took out the forged suicide note and handed it to Lin Han: "I didn't read it. Can you explain it?"

Lin Han remained silent, lost in thought.

Da Huang and Pang Zi exchanged confused glances. Chang Dachun broke the silence first: "It's all over now, no need to pursue it further. Officer, you've achieved such a great accomplishment, shouldn't you treat us to a meal?"

"No problem."

Since Lin Han didn't want to speak, I didn't press the issue.

With my and Chang Dachun's coordinated efforts, Pang Zi and Da Huang also relaxed.

However, Lin Han, who had been in thought, suddenly came back to herself: "I'll tell you my background, tell you every single detail."

Lin Han was actually going to speak. Frankly, I hadn't expected it. The reason I brought it up was that it was one of Lina's motives. Without mentioning it, my plan would have seemed abrupt. Moreover, I knew Lin Han was extraordinary because her understanding of antiques was even deeper than Old Tie's, and she was only a high school student when she left home.