Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 19 The Bandits Appear
Accompanied by bursts of thunder, rain poured down from the depths of the sky through the thick, dark clouds, pelting the road in a dense downpour.

On the highway overpass, more than 500 meters south of where the hostages' families parked.

Under the cover of night and amidst the mingling rain, nine plainclothes detectives, bent low and crouching low, moved quickly northward, their bodies pressed tightly against the concrete railing.

“Li Da, if we just feel our way back down the steep slope, slide down again, and then run to the hostages, won’t that take too long? By then, the kidnappers might have already gotten the money and disappeared.” One of the policemen in the group questioned.

“It’s no use even if we get to the steep slope! We only found this one rope, and we’ll have to take turns sliding down it. It’s too time-consuming!” A policeman in the team, who was carrying rolls of thick rope, also raised a problem.

Li Meng, who was running ahead, turned around, looked at the criminal police officers following behind, and whispered, "Just park the car on the steep slope. What if the kidnappers on the mountain find it? What will happen to the hostage? Ren Da is with the family and will try to hold off the kidnappers. Okay, everyone be quiet."

After saying that, he immediately took a step, stepped over the puddle, and continued running forward. He shook his head, both to wipe the rainwater off his hair and to express his distress at the situation he was about to face.

Ugh, it started raining at the crucial moment. And we were on an overpass, unable to jump off, so running across wouldn't help; we could only stand on the bridge and stare helplessly.

Actually, none of the police officers mentioned that on a rainy day, everything was wet and slippery!
Even if you tie someone to a rope and have them slide down a steep slope, it would still be very dangerous!
It's so dark at night, you can't see anything clearly. If you're not careful, you'll end up falling to the ground, and jumping off a building won't be any better!
The only way to break the deadlock now might be through Chen Shu, who is desperately rushing to the scene on the national highway. But there are only two of them, one of whom is a police auxiliary officer who has only been on the job for a few months. Under these circumstances, they are no match for the three professional kidnappers.

Li Meng kept calculating in her mind, but unfortunately, she was still a little discouraged in the end.

“Chen Shu…” He murmured softly, looking at the still pitch-black road in the distance below the bridge.

The group of nine was demoralized and focused only on their journey. As veteran detectives, elite members of the Criminal Investigation Department, they all knew what was going on. In this situation, for the safety of the hostages, the ransom would undoubtedly have to be paid first.

It seems the police have lost this first battle with the kidnappers. Perhaps it's time to consider the next steps.

……

Late at night, a light drizzle was falling.

On this massive, long bridge, two small yellow dots were faintly visible flashing their hazard lights. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a black sedan parked there with its hazard lights on, amidst the darkness and haze.

The sound of cell phones ringing incessantly could be heard coming from inside the car.

"Jingle Bell!"

"Jingle Bell!"

"Jingle Bell!"

Zhao Hu sat in the driver's seat, holding his phone but not daring to answer. He just stared at the middle-aged man sitting next to him and said in a trembling voice, "Officer Ren, what should we do?"

The middle-aged man had slightly graying temples with some receding hairline, thick, neat eyebrows, and a pair of sharp, bright eyes.

"Tell them we've arrived, but we must hear my wife's voice first," Ren Da said decisively.

His composure seemed to have infected Zhao Hu as well.

Zhao Hu let out a heavy sigh of relief, finally pressed the speakerphone button, and answered the phone.

"Hey! I see your car. You can drop the money down now." A deep male voice came from the phone, concise and calm. It was indeed a new phone number; they'd done their homework. Hmm? They can see us? Did the kidnappers have a vantage point nearby watching us?

Ren Da became wary and looked around the car. Unfortunately, the sticky, drizzling windows made it impossible for him to see his surroundings clearly.

After silently calculating for a moment, he looked at Zhao Hu and nodded slightly. Then he took out his phone and quickly sent a WeChat message to Li Meng, informing her that there might be a high vantage point nearby where the kidnappers were keeping watch.

"Um, I need to hear my wife's voice now." Zhao Hu's voice sounded a little unsure.

There was silence on the other side.

Zhao Hu stared at the phone screen in his hand without saying a word. His slightly trembling lips betrayed his nervousness, and then he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more.

Ren Da reached out and patted Zhao Hu on the shoulder. When Zhao Hu turned around, Ren Da stared into his eyes and gently shook his head.

He understood what Ren Da meant, shut his mouth again, and fell silent.

"...Okay, wait a moment." The reply finally came from the other end.

"boom!"

Then there was a rustling sound, and a woman's voice came from the phone.

"Old Zhao, is that you? Have you come?" The woman on the other end of the line was clearly in a state of extreme tension, her voice hoarse and terrified.

"Wife, it's me! I'm here! Don't be afraid, I'll have them release you right away." Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu immediately recognized his wife Liu Yan's voice and was extremely excited.

"Give them the money quickly! Hurry up! Hurry up... I want to go home, I want to go home... Waaah..." Liu Yan's voice suddenly rang out, like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline, struggling and screaming desperately, her intermittent sobs growing more and more sorrowful.

"boom!"

The female voice was interrupted and then gradually disappeared.

There were two banging sounds, probably from a car door opening and closing, suggesting the hostage is likely inside. It's fine for the kidnapper who threw down the money to exchange phone numbers with the hostage; they're both together, under the bridge!

Ren Da's pupils contracted sharply. He took out his phone and sent another WeChat message: "The kidnappers have a high vantage point; the hostage is under the bridge. You should go down the bridge from a distance and then come over to make your move."

The man interrupted Liu Yan's call and kept urging her, "Okay, you've heard the sound, hurry up and throw the money down."

Ren Da took out his phone with the screen lit up and placed it in front of Zhao Hu. On the screen was a line of text: I need to see someone.

Zhao Hu understood immediately, picked up his phone and shouted into the receiver, "No, I need to see her! Make my wife stand to the side, I have to see her!"

This time the call went smoothly.

Ren Da gave Zhao Hu an OK sign, and then the two of them got out of the car together, stood by the bridge, and craned their necks to look down.

(End of this chapter)