"Listen up, everyone inside! Open the door immediately, no rash actions! We're from the police station!"
The door wouldn't budge, and they couldn't get in. Amidst the chaos, Gu Dashan shouted into the supermarket.
"Old Gu? What the hell is that you?" a breathless male voice came from inside the supermarket.
"Chen Nairong? Is that really you?" Gu Dashan glanced at Mei Qian, signaling him to report quickly.
As Mei Qian had predicted, the person inside the supermarket was indeed Chen Nairong. After escaping, he had cautiously made his way to this supermarket.
"Old Chen, come out. Surrender. You know the rules. Resisting is useless. The SWAT snipers aren't messing around," Gu Dashan persuaded.
"It's no use. I know I'm doomed, but I have something to do before I die. Don't lean by the door. Stay back. Come back in ten minutes. I'm willing to surrender." Chen Nairong said.
"You want to kill someone? You dare to kill someone?" Gu Dashan said angrily. "Let the person go. If you mess around, this small wooden door really won't stop me. Maybe my next kick will break it open."
"No! Don't force me! I have something to do. Once it's done, I'll kill myself, okay!" Chen Nairong's hysterical voice echoed from inside the supermarket.
Just then, police cars roared in, and various police units arrived in succession. When Yan Qing, holding a loudspeaker, reached the supermarket entrance, Gu Dashan was still trying to persuade Chen Nairong inside to surrender through the door.
"Chen Nairong, I am Yan Qing. You are surrounded. Don't do anything foolish. Come out obediently and release the hostage," Yan Qing said into the loudspeaker.
"No, this woman is a devil! If I don't kill her, she'll harm more people, and she'll get Ping'an killed!" Chen Nairong said.
"What does this woman have to do with Ping'an?"
"Didn't Chen Nairong want to kill Ping'an?"
"How did Ping'an get involved?"
"There's a conspiracy behind this?"
...
Chen Nairong's uncontrolled outburst surprised the police officers present. Even Yan Qing was momentarily unsure how to proceed with the conversation.
Outside the small supermarket, police cars formed an inner and outer cordon, creating a containment area. Although it was the early morning and the streets were deserted, the police officers responsible for perimeter security and traffic control had already set up long cordons.
As the heavily armed SWAT team entered, the atmosphere became even more solemn. Even Mei Qian, standing on the front line, felt a chill. He knew that if there was a worst-case scenario, they would have to shoot him on sight. He also knew that if Chen Nairong died here tonight, then Ping'an…
"You let me in! This is my home! What's wrong with my home?"
Outside the cordon, a man on a tricycle was arguing heatedly with the police. Mei Qian took a closer look and realized it was Gao Min.
"Why aren't you in the supermarket?" Mei Qian waved his hand, signaling the police to let him in.
"I was out making deliveries all night! What's wrong with my home? What's wrong with Liu Juan?" Gao Min looked anxiously at his home, which was almost set up like a frontline battlefield.
"Chen Nairong is inside, holding your wife hostage!" Mei Qian dared not hide it from him, explaining it word by word.
"What? Chen Nairong? Why didn't you kill him! Hurry up, he'll kill Juanzi!" Gao Min became anxious.
"The spatial layout of your home isn't suitable for a direct assault. The arrangement of the rooms front and back, neither allows for..." Mei Qian patiently explained, but Gao Min interrupted him.
"Above the window on the front door, between the two curtains, there's a five-centimeter gap. Have the snipers get close and observe. With a curved mirror, they can see into the inner room. At this distance, even an average veteran wouldn't miss. Oh, and use rubber bullets. There's a gas tank in the inner room. Liu Juan is simmering the broth for rice noodles at this time..." Gao Min said frantically. "Or, use a directional charge in the adjacent room. Throw smoke bombs into the back room window from outside, then detonate, charge in, and secure the area!"
Gao Min's rapid succession of standardized operational terms in his panic caught Mei Qian's attention.
"I didn't expect you to have served in the military? Special forces, perhaps?" Mei Qian stared intently at Gao Min, probing cautiously. At the same time, he glanced at the alcoholic goods on the tricycle and noticed a foreign liquor called "Platinum."
"I usually enjoy watching military movies. What's wrong? You should all hurry and save her!" Gao Min said angrily.
While Mei Qian tried to calm Gao Min from behind, Yan Qing at the front was becoming flustered. In several conversations with Chen Nairong, he realized the suspect seemed to have the intention of taking Liu Juan with him to the grave. There was no time to delay; action was imperative.
"Chen Nairong, calm down. Whatever it is, come out and explain it clearly," Yan Qing signaled with his hand, ordering the SWAT team to quickly formulate and execute a rescue plan while continuing to stall Chen Nairong with words.
"There's nothing to say. I've wronged my brother. I'm a scumbag, and I even thought of killing him. I can't owe him. Before I die, I'll kill this she-devil." Inside, Chen Nairong, who had gradually calmed down, seemed to sense the situation outside.
"Don't take action. Give me five minutes to clarify things, and then let me shoot her dead. This matter ends with me. Outsiders, Ping'an, shouldn't be involved," Chen Nairong said, breathing heavily.
A team of SWAT officers quietly entered the room next to the supermarket. This room, which housed a pastry shop, was adjacent to the small supermarket. The shop owner, holding his trembling wife, was arranged by the police to vent his dissatisfaction in hushed tones before being escorted into a police car.
From the situation, it appeared the SWAT team was preparing to breach the wall.
"The front door isn't intact, and even if we entered immediately, it's still several meters to the back room. In those few seconds, there are too many variables. So, we decided to cooperate with smoke bombs from the adjacent room and enter through demolition, attacking at close range for better effect and a higher chance of success," the SWAT team captain reported to Yan Qing.
"Do we have a clear understanding of the situation inside? Does it meet the conditions for directional demolition?" Yan Qing asked.
"The inner room is well-concealed, making observation difficult. Based on external visual cues and thermal imaging, we've determined Chen Nairong is standing in the center of the inner room, and the victim is also in the center, with Chen Nairong stepping on the victim. Additionally, we've found a liquefied gas tank near the door in the inner room. Although it will affect the directional demolition, the walls are old brick, the detonation point is outward, and we'll reduce the amount of explosives, so it won't detonate the gas tank," the SWAT team captain said.
"Director Yan, why is there no movement inside? No one has spoken for a long time," a police officer reminded Yan Qing, who was still analyzing the situation.
"Not good, something's going to happen! Act quickly!" Yan Qing gave the order to proceed.
Watching the SWAT team captain salute Yan Qing and leave, Mei Qian, who had been blocking Gao Min's entry, breathed a sigh of relief.
"They're about to act. Don't worry, your wife will be fine," Mei Qian comforted him.
"They need to act quickly. If Liu Juan can't take it anymore, she'll go down with Chen Nairong!" Gao Min said worriedly. "You don't know how much Liu Juan hates Chen Nairong."
Just then, a flash of insight struck Mei Qian. He grabbed Gao Min's collar and asked, "You just said your wife might be simmering soup right now? Could the liquefied gas be turned on?"
Gao Min nodded, unsure why Mei Qian was asking this.
"Not good!" Releasing Gao Min's collar, Mei Qian's mind raced with the thought, "Would a cornered hostage-taker first turn off the liquefied gas?" He ran towards Yan Qing, shouting, "Don't act! The liquefied gas in the room might be on!"
Gao Min also reacted at this point and, with a hoarse voice, roared "Liu Juan!" and ran towards the supermarket.
However, it was too late. First, a muffled "bang" echoed, followed by a deafening "boom."
The fiery explosion became the brightest point in the night sky. A blast wave hit, seemingly sucking the air dry. The glass of the three police cars at the forefront shattered instantly. Various small packaged food items rained down from the sky. The owner of the pastry shop, sitting in his police car, was contemplating how to use government compensation to repair the wall of his home after the directional demolition, when he witnessed his small shop being blown to ruins.
"Save them! Save them first!"
In the panic, someone shouted, but the cry was drowned out by the continuous, chaotic blaring of car alarms. A few minutes later, the police, who had gradually recovered, began lifting bricks and tiles and dismantling fallen walls, rescuing the SWAT team members buried under the rubble.
"Juanzi! Juanzi!" Amidst the crowd, Gao Min stood in the ruins of his supermarket, frantically digging through the dirt and stones with his hands. Mei Qian followed closely behind him. Perhaps having just experienced an explosion, he was surprisingly the first to regain his senses after this close-range attack.
Lifting a piece of broken wall, a cry finally came from under a double bed. Gao Min, now almost numb, sped up his excavation. Finally, he pulled the heavily injured Liu Juan out from under the bed.
"Where's Chen Nairong!" Mei Qian stepped forward, grabbing Liu Juan and shouting.
"I don't know. I was the only one under the bed..." Liu Juan said, tears streaming down her face.
"Where is Chen Nairong? Everyone look, where is Chen Nairong?" Mei Qian, like a madman, shouted to the police officers around him.
"He must have been blown up! At such close range!" Gu Dashan, who had rushed over, said breathlessly.
"Where's the body? Where did the body go?" Mei Qian continued his search, lifting a few stone slabs and carefully looking.
"Damn it! Where did the person go!" After searching for a while, Mei Qian squatted outside the supermarket, puffing on a cigarette.
This explosion brought a new wave of shock to the city. Although no SWAT officers were injured because the house was old and only one story, and people outside the supermarket were also unharmed, even Liu Juan only sustained minor abrasions. Only Chen Nairong seemed to have vanished with the explosion.
At eight in the morning, five hours after the explosion, a case review meeting, attended by the Mayor of Hechuan City, began at the Hechuan City Public Security Bureau.
"What is going on recently? Do you still have any political awareness! Decapitation, landmines, assassinations, drug trafficking – scenes straight out of a movie! Hechuan City has never encountered such situations since the founding of New China." At the meeting, the Mayor was furious, criticizing the city's recent social security issues and demanding a deadline for solving the case.
After the meeting, the Mayor left in a huff. Vice Mayor Wang then presided over another meeting.
"Comrade Yan Qing, in response to the current situation, please temporarily take charge of the procurement and inspection of police equipment. You'll lead a team to Beijing tomorrow or the day after. You don't need to be involved in this case anymore," Vice Mayor Wang said somewhat subtly. "Old Yan, the case has reached this point, we have to change our approach. This is the mayor's intention, and the bureau's party committee's decision. Of course, you'll still be in charge of daily work. This case has already been handed over to the provincial department for supervision. You've been busy lately; it's good to go out and relax."
"I accept the bureau's party committee's decision. I have nothing to say about this case. We didn't handle this battle well, and the responsibility is mine. I am willing to cooperate with the organization in the handover," Yan Qing said sincerely, having anticipated this. "In fact, I've been reflecting on my mistakes during this period. The error lies in empiricism and dogmatism, which are both unacceptable. That's all I have to say."
As comrades for decades, Vice Mayor Wang clearly sensed the injustice and dissatisfaction Yan Qing was holding back. However, seeing him put the case aside for the greater good, he also felt a sense of frustration. To be honest, since the incident, he had been monitoring every step. He was aware of many of Yan Qing's orders and specific case-solving ideas, and some of them were even his direct requests. Gao Xiaofei was not an ordinary person, yet he repeatedly made mistakes. Su Xia, who was being watched closely and should have shone in these cases, was bogged down by a report. Mei Qian, whom Yan Qing had praised repeatedly, was clearly a talented individual, but due to being an outsider, he was unable to exert his strength. Added to this was Ping'an, who was acting neurotic every day and should have provided crucial insights from a "third-party" perspective, but why had he become a suspect?
"Gao Xiaofei, you will temporarily hand over this case to Director Huang Sha of the Provincial Department, and then handle the follow-up work on Chen Nairong's drug trafficking case," Vice Mayor Wang said. "According to the joint research of the Provincial and Municipal Bureaus, it has been decided to establish a special investigation team for the 'Chen Nairong Case.' The team leader will be Comrade Xiang Wanfeng, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Corps and Head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Detachment of the Provincial Public Security Department. Based on specific circumstances, the task force will be divided into three groups. The first group will be led by Comrade Huang Sha, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department's Public Security Supervision Office, responsible for investigating the anonymous举报. The second group will be led by Comrade Gao Liang, Captain of the first brigade of the Provincial Department's Serious Crimes Investigation Detachment, responsible for specific criminal investigations and operations. The third group will be led by Mei Qian, Captain of the Serious Crimes Detachment of the Municipal Bureau, responsible for logistics, local coordination, and intelligence gathering. In addition, we have specifically added a SWAT team and an aerial reconnaissance team, led by the Municipal Bureau's SWAT Detachment and Helicopter Brigade, respectively."
As the case continued to develop, the Provincial Department officially took the initiative in solving the case. The three groups had their respective responsibilities, but it was evident that Mei Qian, representing the Municipal Bureau as an "outsider," indicated that the Provincial Department had completely rejected the Municipal Bureau's investigative approach in the previous stage. At the first special analysis meeting of the "Chen Nairong Case," the 55-year-old Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Corps and Head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Detachment of the Provincial Public Security Department, Xiang Wanfeng, under Huang Sha's "instigation," directly ordered Gao Liang to summon Ping'an.
Meanwhile, Ping'an was still sleeping soundly on his own bed, drooling.
"Ring..." A mobile phone rang suddenly.
Ping'an closed his eyes, reached out and fumbled around the head of the bed, and finally found his phone.
"Hello?" Ping'an said, yawning.
"Sir, we've received a batch of used furniture. Would you like to come and see?" A deliberately disguised voice came from the other end of the phone.
"No, no, no!" Ping'an said, about to hang up, but the other end was insistent.
"You little brat, we really have some new old furniture. You have to come and see, or I'll pack up and go back to farming." The angry voice came from the other end.
"Oh my god! I'm coming, I'm coming! I was half-asleep. Where are you?" Hearing the angry voice, Ping'an suddenly sat up in bed.
"Outside your door. Hurry up. Security has chased me away twice." The voice on the other end said.
Without bothering to get dressed or wash up, Ping'an, in his pajamas, rubbed his eyes and walked through the living room. Amidst the surprised looks of An Jing and Lin Dang, who were eating breakfast, he rushed out the door.
The conference room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau was temporarily requisitioned as the operational headquarters for the special task force. After the case analysis meeting, Gao Liang led the team, with Mei Qian's cooperation, to Ping'an's home to summon him.
"What's the deal with that Xiang Wanfeng and Gao Liang?" Before leaving, Mei Qian took the opportunity to discreetly meet with Gao Xiaofei while going to the restroom. At this point, he no longer cared about his dejected old superior and new confidant, and cautiously inquired about his counterparts from the provincial department.
"Tell Ping'an not to play any tricks. These guys are not to be trifled with. If he messes up again, no one can protect him, and I have to go see Director Yan. The rest is up to you," Gao Xiaofei said weakly. "Oh, and your new partner, that old fox of a station chief, Gu Dashan, right? He's a tough character. This time, the provincial department has put all their investigative resources into this. Xiang Wanfeng is in charge from above, Gao Liang handles operations, and Gu Dashan acts as a check and balance. Your life is going to be difficult."
Without getting any useful information and being threatened by Gao Xiaofei, Mei Qian cursed and got into the police car, heading towards Ping'an's home.
Meanwhile, Ping'an, still in his pajamas, stood in the cold wind, talking to an old man who collected junk for a long time. Shivering, Ping'an returned home, looked at the breakfast on the table, picked up a bowl, and started eating.
"Lin Dang, I'll be very busy these few days. Please look after the newspaper for me. I called the leader last night, and you'll temporarily report to Fei Keqing," Ping'an said. "Oh, and when you go to work today, remember to find all the photos of me with others on my computer. See if there's one with flour as the background. If you find it, remember to send it to me."
Lin Dang listened to Ping'an's words without a word, but diligently recorded them in her notebook.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just take care of yourself. Once I finish dealing with this mess, I'll help you review your studies. There's an exam for newspaper recruitment next autumn. If you can pass it, you'll be stable," Ping'an comforted her.
Before finishing breakfast, the doorbell of Ping'an's home rang. An Jing went to open it and found a group of police officers standing outside. Among them, one was shivering and feigning innocence – it could only be Mei Qian.
"May I ask who Ping'an is?" Gao Liang asked as he stepped into Ping'an's home.
"I am. Are you here to arrest me?" Ping'an asked, holding his rice bowl at the door.
"We need to clarify some matters. Please come with us to the Public Security Bureau," Gao Liang said.
"Okay, will I be staying overnight? Should I bring any clothes?" Ping'an asked nonchalantly.
"Not for now," Gao Liang said, his face darkening.
After a simple change of clothes and grabbing his old but sturdy backpack, Ping'an kissed his sister goodbye and exchanged a wink with Lin Dang, who stood there looking bewildered. He then walked out of his home with a light step.
"Sister An Jing, aren't you worried?" Lin Dang walked up to An Jing as the police car drove away.
"I can't help my brother, but I believe Mei Qian can," An Jing said calmly. "I feel like my brother has it under control. Don't worry, good fortune will favor him."
"I should go to work too. The director isn't here, so I have to hold the fort," An Jing said decisively.
In the late autumn of Hechuan City, fallen leaves fluttered, and the air was chilling. This time of year was always the best for hunting. Ping'an liked autumn, loved it from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps it was the heritage of his nomadic bloodline that made him so energetic every autumn. He remembered as a child, his favorite stories were of his great-grandfather riding horseback with arrows, hunting Japanese invaders on the vast Hechuan grasslands.
"The wind is the arrow's guide, the bow is the source of power. Towards the direction the wind blows, use all your strength, draw the bow into a full moon, and then with anger, draw and release the arrow. At this moment, the most wonderful thing will happen. You'll hear a 'whoosh' sound, and see the arrowhead draw a beautiful arc in the air. Yes, this is trajectory shooting, a secret art passed down through generations of horse herders. The farther the arrow is shot, the greater its power. It's elusive and unpredictable, until it strikes the enemy's heart. It never stops..."
Sitting in the police car, Ping'an looked at the city bathed in autumn colors and couldn't help but recall the stories his father used to tell. At this moment, his mood was calm, but his clenched hands felt like he was pulling a fine bowstring.
"I never thought we'd meet like this. Although we live and work in the same city, we've never had the chance to meet. I've imagined countless scenarios of our meeting – excitement? Euphoria? Heh, I never thought I'd be interrogating you like this." In the interrogation room, Xiang Wanfeng and Huang Sha, who was becoming increasingly bewildered, sat opposite Ping'an. Outside the interrogation room, Mei Qian, Gao Liang, Gu Dashan, and others watched nervously through the monitor. Little did they expect Xiang Wanfeng to say to Ping'an in such a tense situation: "Come on, my great writer, what treasures are you hiding? You're already considered a criminal suspect."
"Uh! Who are you?" Ping'an was clearly startled by Xiang Wanfeng's enthusiasm and his overly familiar demeanor.
"My name is Xiang Wanfeng, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Corps and Head of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Provincial Department, in charge of the special task force." Xiang Wanfeng paused, then said somewhat sheepishly, "You must have heard of the online alias 'Xiaofeng,' right? Heh heh, that's me."
"You're Xiaofeng? The old pervert who cursed me to have sons without testicles every day for not updating faster! Damn you!" Ping'an shouted angrily.