Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 20 Confrontation between the two sides
The Dingshan Overpass is about ten meters above the ground. Not far to the east of the bridge, there is a car parked. From a distance, it can be vaguely seen as a black Toyota Camry.

The car had its high beams on, shining directly down onto the area under the bridge.

Looking back in the direction of the light, a man was standing under the overpass, staring coldly at the spot where Ren Da and Zhao Hu were looking up.

He held his phone in one hand and a flashlight in the other, shining it carelessly across the bridge.

The kidnapper immediately launched into a tirade on the phone: "Damn it! I'll f*** you! Didn't I tell you to come alone? Why did you bring someone with you? Who is he? Is there anyone else in the car?"

Judging from the situation, the kidnapper in the phone call is the man under the bridge.

Following the plan Ren Da had given him, Zhao Hu hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry! This is my cousin, and he came alone. I wouldn't dare come alone! There's so much money; I can't carry it all by myself."

"...Hurry up and throw the money down!" The kidnapper was speechless for a moment, but perhaps because of the money, he didn't pester them any further and just urged them to throw the money down.

"No! I must see my wife!" The rain was pouring down harder and harder. Zhao Hu wiped the rain off his face and shouted at the kidnappers in a rough voice for the first time.

"...Hey, is the ransom in that bag under your cousin's feet?" The kidnapper under the bridge paused for a moment and then asked abruptly.

Hmm? I can see the canvas bags lying on the ground even through this thick concrete railing. It seems their only high point is on the mountain behind me.

In a flash, Ren Da had already made up his mind. He remained facing down the bridge, but subtly moved half a step back, barely concealing his upper body behind the concrete railing.

He took out his phone from his inner pocket and was about to send a WeChat message to Li Meng when he discovered he had an unread message.

"There are two of us who came from the east side of the national highway. It should take about half an hour."

After comparing the message receipt times, Ren Da clenched his right fist and secretly cheered. Then he quickly sent a WeChat message to Li Meng: There is a person on the mountain west of the overpass, a person under the bridge, and a car a hundred meters away on the east side of the bridge with a person inside. The hostage is inside the car.

After sending the message, he quickly put his phone back in his shirt pocket, while Zhao Hu's phone remained silent.

Yes, the high ground is definitely behind me. There are two kidnappers down there now, one in the car, and the other coming to collect the money. This is such a big bag of cash; we can't get it back without carrying it with both hands.
Ren Da's mind raced, and his hands didn't stop either. He picked up a large canvas bag and slammed it against the concrete railing, deliberately leaving most of the bag sticking out of the bridge.

He raised his hand and patted the exposed canvas bag hard.

He then quickly ducked down and approached Zhao Hu, hiding behind the large canvas bag, and whispered, "Have the kidnappers take your wife to that big rock by the roadside, and say that you can see better from there."

Zhao Hu immediately shouted, "Take my wife to the rocks by the roadside so I can see if she's safe! I'll throw the money down then, and you can just come and get it."

"No! Throw the money down right now! Otherwise, you'd better watch out!" This time, the kidnapper didn't take the bait. He pulled out a pistol and fired a shot into the ground.
"Bang!" A gun!

It was too dark for Ren Da and Zhao Hu to see clearly what the bullets were doing on the muddy ground, but the sound of the gunshot was undeniable. The two men on the bridge looked at each other, and Zhao Hu seemed to be considering backing down.

Ren Da's heart skipped a beat. He pressed Zhao Hu's hand, which was resting on the concrete railing, and shouted outwards:

"Brother, look, we're stuck on this bridge, we can't go anywhere. We just want to see how your sister-in-law is doing, is that too much to ask? After all, there's five million in this bag."

Besides, in business, we always believe in cash on delivery. You said yesterday you were professionals, so let's follow the old rules, okay?

Ren spoke calmly and tried to provoke the kidnappers with words, but in his heart he was still a little worried, after all, human life was at stake.

Both sides fell silent.

The kidnapper under the bridge put down his cell phone and pistol, stuffed them into his pocket, raised his head, and stared intently at the canvas bag sticking out of the bridge, without uttering a sound.

The standoff lasted for about one or two minutes before the kidnapper finally gave in, turning and walking towards the black car in the distance, shouting as he went:
"This is the last time. If you dare to utter another word, I'm not doing this business with you!"

Watching the kidnappers walk away, Ren Da stroked his sparse beard and said thoughtfully, "Zhao Hu, after your wife comes out, talk to her a lot. Even if the kidnappers come to the bridge and urge you to throw the money, don't rush. Ask your wife if she's eaten, if she's been hungry these past few days, if she's injured, or anything like that. As for when to throw the money, wait for my signal. If I don't give you a signal, just keep stalling."

"What code? The canvas bag is right in your hand. You can throw it away whenever you want."

"You can order me to throw money; that would seem more reasonable and buy us some more time. The code would be for me to cough twice."

Zhao Hu was a little confused and couldn't react immediately: "Won't that provoke the kidnappers and make them kill my wife?"

"No! The situation is different. The money is right in front of them. As long as they can get the money, the kidnappers are unwilling to take another life on their shoulders." Ren Da raised the corner of his mouth.

Unless the kidnapper is mentally unstable. But based on what we just talked about, the other party seems to be a person with normal thinking.

He watched from a distance as the kidnapper opened the car door, climbed into the back seat, and was probably preparing to pull the hostage out.

Hmm, there should be another kidnapper in the car. I wonder if they're also armed. Maybe we should just let those two policemen secure the hostage; it's better not to act rashly. Let the kidnappers go if they want; we can figure something out later. After all, lives are at stake.
This man, who had been a seasoned warrior in his early years and once held the title of "Tiger of Righteousness" and was renowned throughout Dongzhou, seemed to hesitate and back down at this moment.

(End of this chapter)