NOVPUBHearing the kidnapper’s words, everyone present furrowed their brows.
In typical kidnapping cases, there are several key ’points’ that influence the development of subsequent events, the most important of which is the kidnapper’s reaction upon learning that the victim has alerted the police.
Notifying the police brings significant psychological and mental pressure to the kidnapper. Despite having anticipated that the victim might call the police, the highly tense nature of kidnapping as a ’job’ often leads to most kidnappers reacting furiously and injuring the victim. In the gravest of cases, they might even kill the victim outright.
Even if they don’t harm the hostage immediately, alerting the police sends a signal to the kidnappers that their operation has entered a more challenging phase and must end quickly. The entire process becomes fraught with danger, and the slightest provocation might provoke the kidnappers into extreme actions.
Many kidnappers, for the sake of their own safety afterwards, may decide to kill the victim even after receiving the ransom upon learning that the police have been notified.
Therefore, once kidnappers find out about the police being notified, it exerts tremendous pressure on both sides, the struggle immediately escalates, and kidnappers could be caught at any moment, while the victim could be faced with the dire outcome of being killed at any time.
To put it plainly, since the other party had brought up the police, it was as if a final ultimatum had been issued to both sides: either pay up swiftly or face the hostage being killed without further ado. As for whether the kidnappers would kill the hostage after receiving the money, and whether the police would capture them, that remained to be seen; however, the idea of conducting a slow and methodical search with a large police force, as had been done before, was certainly no longer viable. By the time the kidnappers were found, they might have already taken action.
A tense atmosphere quickly engulfed the surveillance room as they had reached the point of direct confrontation, bayonets at the ready.
He Baowen’s expression turned serious as he grabbed a piece of paper, quickly scribbled a few words on it, and pushed it in front of Luo Jiaju.
Stuttering, Luo Jiaju said, "Don’t get excited, I didn’t call the police, it must be a misunderstanding..."
"Bullshit! I’ve already seen the police searching the mountain. Dare you say you didn’t call the police! Mr. Luo, enough of this nonsense. Tomorrow morning at 9:30, bring 40 million in cash to Ocean Park. Only one person is allowed to come. If I see any cops or anyone who looks like cops, your daughter is dead for sure!"
Luo Jiaju looked helplessly first at Long Wu, then at He Baowen... from the order in which he sought help, his hopes seemed to rest more on Long Wu; he never glanced at Suming from start to finish, which also showed that, in his eyes, Suming was just a non-entity.
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He Baowen kept a straight face and nodded, at which Luo Jiaju immediately said, "Okay, okay, I promise you. Just don’t do anything rash, you must ensure my daughter’s safety. Let me talk to her first!"
"Daddy, save me!" A frightened female voice came through the phone instantly.
But then it switched back to the kidnapper’s voice, "Mr. Luo, I’m aware of how tough Xiangjiang police are, but you need to think clearly, even if the police get to me, I can kill your daughter with one shot before they can react."
"I understand, I understand, I will deliver the money on time, but how should I contact you when I get there?"
"We will contact you!" The kidnapper hung up immediately after saying this, leaving a busy tone on the other end of the phone.
Clutching the phone emitting a continuous tone, Luo Jiaju looked at Long Wu and He Baowen for help.
He Baowen paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. The kidnapper clearly had some experience, choosing Ocean Park for the ransom drop where the crowds were too large and having a gun greatly complicated the capture and tracking efforts.
If a gunfight broke out, innocent bystanders could easily be injured, sparking a new uproar.
"What do you think?" He Baowen looked up and asked.
"It has only been two hours since the police were searching the mountain. Since the kidnappers spotted the officers, it means they are still within Flying Goose Mountain! Choosing Ocean Park for the ransom drop is an intentional distraction to divert the police’s attention," Long Wu analyzed calmly.
"Flying Goose Mountain is too vast. There’s not enough time to send officers to search inch by inch! Besides, with the kidnappers hidden and the officers exposed, searching the mountain could easily provoke the kidnappers to kill the hostage!" another officer in the room said.
An experienced officer added, "Logically, the kidnappers must have split into two groups: one to guard the hostage, the other to collect the ransom. If the ones collecting the ransom get caught, the ones guarding would kill the hostage."
Suming, who had been silent so far, suddenly stood up.
All eyes turned to him, for he was brought in by Long Wu. Although he’d been ignored all along, Long Wu must have had his reasons, and now that Suming was stepping forward, he might really have some valuable insight!
Finally being acknowledged and having the chance to get involved in the kidnapping case, Suming puffed out his chest and said confidently and loudly, "The kidnapper is from the Qian-Gui region!"
The room fell silent for several seconds, and everyone’s expressions turned indescribably odd.
Was that not obvious? Anyone could tell from the accent, and even if the locals present couldn’t, a verification of the recording would reveal it. But the real question was, how did that information help with the kidnapping case? Was the kidnapper’s origin important? Could one possibly say to the kidnapper, "I’m your fellow townsman," and expect the kidnapper to release the victim?
After all that analysis, was this his conclusion? It was a complete waste of everyone’s time and emotions!
He Baowen’s mouth twitched as he gave Suming a stern look, then once again turned to Luo Jiaju and said, "Mr. Luo, the hostage should still be on Flying Goose Mountain. We will send plainclothes officers to monitor all the mountain passes, and first thing tomorrow morning, we will send someone to Ocean Park with the money. Once the kidnappers collect the ransom, the police will track them to locate the hostage. Additionally, Mr. Xiang, our manpower might be insufficient, so we hope you can mobilize..."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Um, mobilize willing citizens to assist us."
Long Wu nodded. The people he could mobilize greatly outnumbered those in the police station and, on the surface, appeared as an array of characters mingling in Xiangjiang society, far less conspicuous than the police.
"Chen Yongren! Bright and early tomorrow morning, you’re responsible for delivering the money!"
A young male police officer snapped to attention, saluting He Baowen with precision, "YesMadom!"
"Much appreciated, Chen sir!" Luo Jiaju hurriedly bowed deeply to Chen Yongren.
"Hold on a second!" Just then, the consistently ignored but never discouraged Suming spoke up again.
Seeing Suming ’meddling’ again, He Baowen finally got a bit angry, slamming the file in her hand onto the desk and glaring at Suming with hands on hips, "Wow, pretty boy, can’t you stop? What do you want to say now!"
A moment ago, He Baowen had a cold, steely, and unapproachable air about her, a veritable shrew with not a hint of femininity. However, her outburst somehow gave her an alluring charm.
"At last, the scent of uniform seduction///appears..." Suming muttered.
"What did you say!" He Baowen furrowed her brows, glaring intensely.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Long Wu coughed as a signal to Suming not to clash with the female supervisor. Times had changed, and gone were the days when cops clocked off and gangsters called the shots. If the shrew went berserk, even he, a former titan of the underworld, couldn’t protect Suming.
"I’m saying, he’s not the right person to deliver the money!" Suming pointed at Chen Yongren. What a terrible name, it’s like it’s asking to be whacked.
"What’s wrong with me doing it!" Chen Yongren was the first to object, and He Baowen, too, was fixated on Suming, her posture screaming ’if you don’t make sense today, you’re going to regret it.’
"Have you considered that not just anyone can deliver the money? The person making the delivery has to meet at least two criteria."
Suming stood up, walked to the middle of the office, and said to those around him, unhurriedly, "First off, one, they have to be sharp enough to not lose the robbers or to handle sudden situations! Chen Sir, you may be good-looking, but obviously, you’re not sharp."
"Why not?" Chen Yongren asked, eyes wide with innocence.
"Wow, just look at the face and you’ll know. If someone were to jump out and accuse me, guess what I’d do?" Suming pointed at his nose.
Chen Yongren, still playing the fool, shook his head and asked, "What would you do?"
The others present were all somewhat intrigued by Suming and stopped interrupting him, waiting for him to continue.
"You still don’t get it with that silly look on your face?"
Suming rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever I say, you just ask away, like you’re totally following my lead, right? Believe me, if you keep going along with what others think, any random person from Tieling could swindle you into paying the ransom out of your own pocket!"
"Why would that be?" Chen Yongren looked utterly lost and confused, and what’s more, where on earth was Tieling?
"No ’why,’ it’s because you’re a blockhead!" Suming pointed at his nose, "If someone were to speak against me, regardless of whether they’re right or wrong, I’d shoot back on impulse, and not stand there like a dummy asking, ’why oh why?’ Baaah... baaah... do you think you’re a sheep or something?"
"Enough, please show the least bit of respect for the Xiangjiang police!" He Baowen’s mouth twitched as if she wanted to laugh but held it back, then she straightened her face again, "Now, tell us the second reason."
"Alright, the robbers made it clear they don’t want to see cops. I know you’d have him dress in plain clothes, but look at him, how perfect that salute was, purely instinctive. Even in plain clothes, that’s enough for him to be spotted immediately! Even if the robbers don’t recognize him, with all the people in Ocean Park, what if someone randomly shouts ’sir’? Guess if he would just drop the bag and start saluting?" Suming asked.
Despite the tension in the air, imagining Chen Yongren’s response had everyone struggling to suppress a chuckle. Suming’s reasoning made sense, and the resulting scenario, although exaggerated, wasn’t impossible.
Chen Yongren was clearly a rookie, but even if a veteran were to take his place, it might not help. Long in a profession, one’s actions and even the gaze in their eyes give away characteristic traits that aren’t easily concealed. For example, Suming himself now had the makings of a beast, eyes aglow whenever he was alone with Nangong Ye at night...
Luo Jiaju was the first to break the silence and spoke to He Baowen, "I think what Mr. Su said makes sense! If the robbers get furious, I can’t ensure my daughter’s safety! I’d like someone else to go." He finished speaking and then nodded at Chen Yongren, "Officer Chen, it’s nothing personal, I hope you understand!"
"Oh," Chen Yongren said, disheartened.
He Baowen looked at Suming with a mockingly amused expression, "Then who do you suggest should go?"
Hearing this, Long Wu, guessing the gist, looked up incredulously at Suming.
As expected, Suming gave a sly smile, "Since I’ve posed such a tricky problem for Madam, of course, I should be the one to solve it. In the mainland, when there’s trouble, the Party member always steps forward. As a Party member, I’ll go!"
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So this is what positive energy looks like! Yes, that’s right!
