Chapter 62 The Plan Suddenly Changes
After finishing her conversation with Uncle Dashan, Shen Zhenzhu leaned against the window, staring blankly out the window.
She appeared to be a little girl terrified, and no one knew she was recounting the events leading up to the deaths of the two corpses—
These are three bloody minutes.
The bus ticket seller saw an old man carrying sweet potatoes crossing the national highway. When he saw the bus, he panicked and tried to dodge, but ended up scattering the sweet potatoes everywhere.
The bus driver had no choice but to stop the bus. Instead of honking, he kindly rolled down the window and asked, "Fellow villager, where are you going?"
The old man squatted on the ground picking up sweet potatoes, looking pitiful. Holding the sweet potatoes, he said, "I'm going to Chejia Village. I'm going to be exhausted."
The bus driver said, "Then get on, I'll give you a ride."
Rural buses traveling between villages and counties are accustomed to seeing farmers carrying loads on shoulder poles. A driver, violating passenger transport regulations, kindly stopped the bus on the roadside, opening the door to death...
What awaited him was not only the old man, but also jackals lurking in the bushes, armed with guns and sickles.
Screams erupted from the passengers behind him. The old man pulled a cleaver from his carrying pole and walked toward the driver and ticket seller.
The ticket seller stood up helplessly, propping herself up with her hands and saying, "What are you trying to do? There's a checkpoint ahead, and there are police!"
"Do you think I'm afraid?" The old man brandished his cleaver and charged straight at the ticket seller's face!
"Aaaaaah—" The ticket seller's screams blended into the other screams. Hot blood splattered onto the driver's hand, making him dizzy for a few seconds.
Suddenly, he floored the accelerator, stumbled as he approached the old man with the cleaver, steadied himself, and looked back to see that he had been subdued.
The driver dared not look back, pressing the accelerator flooring. He knew the fishponds of Chejia Village were not far away, and he swerved the steering wheel sharply in that direction!
The ticket seller, lying in the river of blood, reached out and grabbed the old man's leg. The old man, also known as Uncle Dashan, slashed at the ticket seller's shoulder with a knife. He calmly tucked the cleaver into his lower back and pulled out an extremely thin wire.
He hadn't experienced the thrill of killing in a long time.
The driver saw in his rearview mirror that the ticket seller's neck was twisted into a pretzel with wire!
Uncle Dashan threatened, "Stop the car, or I'll kill him!"
The driver didn't react and continued driving the bus headlong towards the fishpond. There were villagers from Chejia Village there; if they plunged in, they might survive. But if they fell into the hands of these robbers, they'd likely suffer a gruesome death!
"Then watch me kill him." Uncle Dashan immediately confirmed the driver's guess. He dragged the ticket seller onto the engine hood and continued to wrap wire around the ticket seller's neck with his rough, thick hands. The ticket seller was covered in blood and wounds, powerless to resist. His eyes were forced out of their sockets, and in his dying moments, he opened his mouth and bit Uncle Dashan's arm!
Uncle Dashan grabbed a cleaver and hacked at his head again and again, until it was a bloody mess and his eyeballs popped out. The carriage was filled with the sweet, pungent smell of gasoline and fresh blood.
The driver saw that many passengers inside the vehicle were tied up, and each bump in the vehicle was accompanied by a chorus of sobs.
"Stop the car!" Uncle Dashan was ruthless and taciturn. He slashed the driver's shoulder blade with his knife, and blood gushed out instantly. The pitiful old man from before was nowhere to be seen; he looked more like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.
"Turn around!" Uncle Dashan yelled, "Or I'll chop you to pieces!"
The driver gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force. He leaned forward in pain, causing the car to accelerate instead of slow down.
The gauges on the dashboard swung in the red zone. He saw a lucky charm his daughter had given him hanging in front of the windshield, with the words "Dad, come home safely" written on the back.
Dad can't come back.
The cleaver rained down on the knuckles of the steering wheel, on the driver's arms and thighs...
The steering wheel was slippery with blood, but the driver kept his eyes glued to the road ahead. His palm slipped off the steering wheel; he tried to put it back on several times, but failed. Finally, he looked down and saw his hand—just bare wrist bones.
The roar of the engine was replaced by a sharp scream in his ears. The driver's vision blurred, and blood gushed from head to toe. The cold cleaver slid along his spine, and his calves were taut as steel bars on the accelerator.
His vision began to blur, and his lips moved as he murmured his daughter's name. Before his last breath, he looked at the old man he had kindly helped, who pulled the cleaver back from his back and disgustedly wiped the splattered blood and entrails off his ticket seller's coat.
The bus slowly came to a stop. The driver opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't pronounce his daughter's name.
"Really tough." Uncle Dashan grinned menacingly, swinging his cleaver and smashing it repeatedly at the driver's head: "This is the kind of killing that's fun."
***
The second transaction took place at the Xincun gas station.
Lu Kuishan and Li Hu got off the bus first, each with a gun, and searched the gas station. After confirming there were no ambushes, they gestured in the direction of the bus.
The five hostages stepped off the vehicle with trepidation, their expressions of relief at being free drawing envy from the other hostages on board.
Zhao Guoqiang remained in the driver's seat, starting the bus, ready to deal with any sudden dangerous situations.
Li Hu discovered twenty stacked gold bars next to fuel tank number three at a location designated by the police.
He took a bite, saw the teeth marks left, and beckoned to Lu Kuishan. Lu Kuishan pointed his gun at the hostages, his bloodthirsty gaze making the hostages who had just gotten off the car tense, fearing that he would kill them after taking the gold.
He had little interest in gold; he preferred the thrill of killing. He carefully observed the gas station surrounded by meadows, ready to use any slight movement as a signal to massacre the hostages.
After confirming the authenticity of the gold, Li Hu handed it to Zhao Guoqiang: "They are quite sensible. There is no stamp on the gold bar, and the purity is acceptable. Be careful."
Zhao Guoqiang took the gold and silently stuffed the bag under the driver's seat. He glanced back at the remaining dozen or so hostages, then turned back to grip the steering wheel tightly, staring warily ahead.
Gold, gasoline, and water were all loaded onto the vehicle. Lu Kuishan put down the last bucket of mineral water, smelled the stench of urine in the vehicle, walked to the middle, and said, "Everyone get out and pee! I'll chop anyone who pees on the vehicle to pieces!"
Li Hu did not agree with the other hostages getting out of the car, but he glanced back and nodded: "Take turns getting out to pee. We have two guns here. If you want to run, you can see if your legs are faster than your bullets."
This wasn't the first time they got out of the car to urinate. The remaining hostages, in groups of three or four, crouched down behind the bushes under the gun barrels.
When it was the last row's turn, Chen Zhenzhu helped the woman and her daughter get off the bus, and Uncle Dashan also got off.
She felt a dangerous gaze fixed on the back of her head; for the first time, Shen Zhenzhu entrusted her life to the gun barrel of a robber.
Their group consisted of old people, sick people, and weak people. Lu Kuishan found it too troublesome to keep an eye on them, so he put his gun away.
Uncle Dashan whispered behind them, "Should we run?"
The woman stopped in her tracks and began to tremble.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly said, "I won't run, they're watching with guns."
Uncle Dashan chuckled briefly: "Just kidding. Don't be too nervous. I reckon they won't attack us; they'll trade us for gold."
Chen Zhenzhu shrank her neck and said, "Then I'm not afraid anymore."
Uncle Dashan nodded and said, "I'll go over there."
The gas station was flat and spacious, offering no opportunity to hide. After the rain stopped, a damp smell lingered in the air.
After Lu Kuishan got into the car, Zhao Guoqiang got out. He checked each fuel tank and discovered that the police had emptied all the fuel tanks at the gas station!
They managed to do this even while preparing the gold! If they had come any faster, they might have gotten more gasoline, enough for them to drive all the way to their destination, the bay!
There's nothing we can do about it. Zhao Guoqiang thought to himself, since we came along the fastest route from the east, the gas station probably didn't have much fuel left.
Shen Zhenzhu saw Uncle Dashan walk around the meadow, seemingly heading towards the back of the bus, with Li Hu watching him from a short distance away.
Apart from Shen Zhenzhu and the mother and daughter, all the hostages were in the car, and they couldn't see what Uncle Dashan was doing behind the car.
Uncle Dashan thought no one would notice him as he went to the back of the car, and was waiting for Li Hu to come and explain things when suddenly a soft voice rang out: "Uncle Dashan, what are you doing?"
Uncle Dashan was startled and almost shouted, "What are you doing?!"
Shen Zhenzhu raised her hands high and squatted on the ground to show that she was very honest, trembling all over as she said, "I...I'm scared."
"Don't come over if you're scared." Uncle Dashan said, suppressing his temper, "Go over there, I need to pee."
He took a few steps away, then turned around and saw the little girl following him again, seemingly unafraid of death. Behind her was Li Hu's gun, so it was easy for her to be accidentally shot!
"Don't follow me."
"But I'm scared," Chen Zhenzhu said, trembling. "Uncle Dashan, you're my pillar of strength."
"If you're scared, wait until I've finished peeing!" Uncle Dashan was speechless. Why was he always staring at him, even when he was peeing? He was turning into a fool!
He winked at Li Hu, signaling him to stop shooting! He knew Li Hu's skill level all too well.
Shen Zhenzhu turned her body around like a quail, raised her hands high and hid behind Uncle Dashan, trying to prevent him from communicating with Li Hu.
On the bus, although she didn't understand why Uncle Dashan wanted to develop an alliance, it was definitely not a good thing. But after seeing the scene of Uncle Dashan brutally murdering the driver and ticket seller through her eyes, she guessed that he was the mastermind of the criminal group, and she made up her mind to prevent Uncle Dashan from having any contact with Li Hu and the others.
Shen Zhenzhu firmly believes that Uncle Dashan's undercover mission as a hostage has a crucial reason, which is why he will not easily kill his ally and expose his identity.
Uncle Dashan was furious. This wasn't a place to stay. Luckily, Li Hu shouted, "Get over there! Get far away!"
Startled, Chen Zhenzhu quickly got up and walked towards the mother and daughter. As she walked, she kept looking back at Uncle Dashan, her reluctant expression like that of a pure and innocent leech.
Li Hu was worried that Shen Zhenzhu might do something unexpected again, so he simply pointed his gun at her from a distance.
Shen Zhenzhu found the agreed-upon location of the "signal point," which was exactly in the direction he had pointed out to her.
She spotted a white stone in the weeds, squatted down pretending to urinate, and flipped it over to see the words "Four robbers, Man" written on it in English.
There were four robbers, all male.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly made a checkmark with a stone, wrote a few words, and then stood up abruptly. To prevent the robbers from discovering and reading the code, she and Gu Yanzheng agreed to use English.
Uncle Dashan quickly finished relieving himself by the roadside, pulled up his pants, and turned around sharply. Sure enough, he saw a pair of big, bright eyes staring at him!
What the hell is wrong with this?!
He angrily grabbed Chen Zhenzhu's arm and put her on the bus: "Why are you following me!"
Shen Zhenzhu thought to herself, "Of course I know. I'm not asking you to give them advice."
Uncle Dashan's sudden roar startled the hostages in the back. The older woman from the village whispered, "What...what's going on?"
Uncle Dashan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. She almost caused trouble."
Shen Zhenzhu nodded and said, "Yes, I'm so scared. I have to follow Uncle Dashan wherever I go."
The woman from the countryside said understandingly, "Me too."
Uncle Dashan: "......"
In the second transaction, the robbers obtained gold, a limited amount of gasoline and water, and Shen Zhenzhu received information about the "fourth person." Li Hu, however, did not receive any further instructions and simply followed the plan set up by Uncle Dashan, contacting the police in ten minutes.
If there were any major incidents, he knew that Uncle Dashan would give an emergency signal, so everything would proceed secretly in a quiet and tense atmosphere.
After the bus had driven some distance, Gu Yanzheng came over by car from a short distance away. He put down his binoculars, went to the signal point, and climbed over the rock. There, clearly written, was the message "Next to me" from Shen Zhenzhu, along with a half-eaten bag of bread.
Gu Yanzheng tightened his grip on the stone, then quickly took out his walkie-talkie and said, "Quickly draw a sketch of the middle-aged or elderly man who was next to Lao Shen and verify his information. Also, check the fingerprints on the bread bag and verify them."
Liu's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "The robbers just contacted us and want to trade the remaining eighty catties of gold at the same time tomorrow at noon. They said this is the last time they'll do it."
Without hesitation, Gu Yanzheng replied, "Okay, I understand."
He looked into the distance with a worried expression and asked Director Liu, "How's the situation at the provincial department next door?"
Director Liu said, "We are still in communication."
Gu Yanzheng said, "Old Shen is still in the car. We can't let them make any rash moves. Everything is under control. Please cooperate with our work."
Director Liu sighed and said, "Then I'll have Director Tu contact the provincial department next door. My word doesn't carry much weight."
The mobile bus is about to cross the twelfth province, which means it will be out of Gu Yanzheng's control. The provincial department of Hedong Province will arrange for members of the special task force to follow up. The subsequent outcome is beyond Gu Yanzheng's control.
Gu Yanzheng returned to the command center, where Tian Yongfeng came over with a worried look on his face and said, "We can't come up with eighty catties of gold all at once. The banks don't have that much reserve. They've all been used to exchange for foreign exchange."
"It's nothing." Gu Yanzheng took out his mobile phone and dialed.
Tian Yongfeng said anxiously, "How can it be nothing? What will happen to your Deputy Captain Shen if we don't hand over eighty catties of gold to them?"
“It’s not worth the rush for this little bit of gold,” Gu Yanzheng said. “I’ve already had it delivered from the mine, and it will arrive soon.”
***
"The portrait comparison is complete." Park Heung-sung entered from outside and found that all the members of the task force were looking at him. His face was ashen as he placed the criminal information he had found on the conference table.
Tian Yongfeng got up anxiously to get the materials, and said unhappily, "You didn't even send them out."
Park Heung-sung sat down next to Gu Yanzheng, his voice tense: "There's no need to look at the materials anymore. The other party's name is 'Qiu Baoshan'."
The scene seemed to freeze, the name "Qiu Baoshan" ringing in everyone's ears. Every new police officer knew his name.
Because he was one of the top ten Class A wanted criminals in the country.
Twenty years ago, he committed three massacres of entire families, and then used homemade ammunition to kill six unsuspecting police officers and eleven hostages before fleeing. Afterward, he committed eight more crimes independently, leaving more than twenty lives on his hands. No one who passed through his hands survived.
The name "Qiu Baoshan" has become a thorn in the side of countless public security officers; he is a human butcher who walks through towns and cities.
Because his crimes were mostly serious murders, committed with brutal methods, and he had been imprisoned once, the statute of limitations of twenty years was broken, and a nationwide red notice was issued for his arrest. He will spend the rest of his life being pursued by the law.
Twenty years ago, he didn't leave behind a clear portrait, but he did leave behind multiple fingerprints at the scene. No one could have imagined that, twenty years later, fingerprints would become crucial evidence in solving a murder case.
Park Heung-sung said with emotion, "Old Gu, this time it's all thanks to your fingerprint system for recording 'Qiu Baoshan's' fingerprints, otherwise we wouldn't have found him so quickly."
Gu Yanzheng said, "I have recorded the fingerprints of every major fugitive wanted nationwide. As long as someone commits a crime in Liancheng and leaves a fingerprint, we can identify them. When the national fingerprint system is interconnected, our investigations will be much clearer and faster."
“If anyone in the bureau objects to the fingerprint system again, I’ll be the first to speak up for you. Saying it’s ‘a waste of manpower and resources’ is just ‘saving costs and increasing efficiency’,” Park Heung-sung said. “But how did you communicate with your deputy captain? He knew to check fingerprints as soon as he saw bread.”
"A tacit understanding." Gu Yanzheng finished speaking and lowered his head to open Qiu Baoshan's file.
Lu Ye found a chance to speak and excitedly rubbed his palms together, saying, "It's all thanks to Sister Pearl's sharp mind that she knew to take fingerprints to confirm the identity of the fourth person."
Tian Yongfeng couldn't help but say, "She's really capable. When did she discover Qiu Baoshan's identity?"
Gu Yanzheng looked up and said, "This bread was the first one to be traded to the robbers. She should have noticed that Qiu Baoshan was acting strangely when she first got into the car, but I don't know exactly how she found out."
Based on his subjective judgment and understanding of Shen Zhenzhu, if she thought the uncle next to her was alright, she wouldn't have kept this cream-filled bread until now.
However, these words cannot be said openly, as it would damage the shining image established by junior cadres.
The emotions that had just been relaxed after Shen Zhenzhu learned of the existence of the fourth person were once again brought to the limit after she realized that the fourth person was Qiu Baoshan.
Six of his police colleagues were killed in a bombing at his hands; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a blood feud.
As they were talking, Director Liu, who had been waiting, arrived at the command center with a displeased expression. Opportunities to see someone with such an expression were rare.
Behind him, Deputy Director Chen was still instructing his assistant: "No matter what they do, we not only know their identities but have also successfully infiltrated an excellent police officer. They must coordinate with us on any arrangements they make. How can we let them take the initiative!"
Gu Yanzheng put down his pen and said in an unfriendly tone, "Does the Hedong Provincial Department still insist on jurisdiction over its own area?"
Lu Ye had been lying in ambush near the gas station and was unaware of this. Zhou Chuanxi, sitting behind him, whispered, "The provincial department next door is unwilling to coordinate with us. They are used to handling cases in a decisive and swift manner, and this time they plan to use their own methods to solve the case."
Lu Ye said angrily, "We've already come this far. The final golden exchange location is very conducive to a coordinated arrest operation. After all this preparation, what are they planning to do at the last minute!"
"Keep your voice down." Zhou Chuanxi didn't say anything.
Instead, Wang Bo said to them, "What else can we do? This is a major case that goes straight to the Central District Public Security Bureau. We failed to make the arrests in eleven provinces, but they were arrested as soon as we entered their jurisdiction. Do you think the Public Security Bureau will think of them, and how they will think of us?"
Lu Ye gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound: "Didn't they know that Sister Pearl was upstairs?"
Wang Bo remained silent this time as well.
Lu Ye clenched his fists so tightly that it was hard to tell who he wanted to punch.
After finishing his conversation with Director Liu, Gu Yanzheng decided to personally go to the provincial department to meet with Director Tu. If possible, he wanted to discuss the arrest plan with the Hebei Provincial Department.
He understood that there was no room for negotiation when facing Qiu Baoshan, and his executioner's blade never hesitated to fall.
Just then, Director Liu received a phone call. He, who was usually as stern as a Buddha, almost shattered the table!
"Hedong has prepared eighty catties of gold and made contact with the robbers. The transaction is expected to take place twenty kilometers south of their provincial border!" Director Liu then revealed another piece of news that left everyone present speechless: "The gold is gold-plated, and the inside is brass!"
"Who?" Deputy Director Chen roared, "Who gave them the audacity! Didn't the robbers realize it was fake gold?!"
Knowing the whole story, Director Liu's assistant whispered, "We hired a robbery expert from Hong Kong; it must have been his idea."
"Nonsense! How dare outsiders interfere in our own territory?" Director Liu made a quick decision: "All members of the special task force should rush over there immediately. I will contact Director Tu to try to coordinate the work."
He turned around to hand over his work to Gu Yanzheng, but was suddenly struck by the terrifying aura emanating from Gu Yanzheng.
He hesitated before speaking, "You...you come with me to the provincial department."
Gu Yanzheng stood up expressionlessly: "Yes."
***
Shen Zhenzhu knew the location of each transaction before she even got on the vehicle.
This time, she watched helplessly as the Yunmeng Township Goods Station, which should have been the location of the third transaction, passed by the roadside, and her brows furrowed.
She felt a force pulling the situation, which should have been on the right track, toward the brink of spiraling out of control.
Her eyes glanced at Uncle Dashan, who was resting and rubbing his wrists in his sleep. There were faint calluses on his purplish-red skin.
The calluses blended into the work scars on the back of his hands, making it seem like injuries sustained during labor. However, Chen Zhenzhu had seen a characteristic of escaped convicts in the criminal files—shackle scars.
She didn't know Uncle Dashan's real name, but she knew that these shackle scars were left from long-term labor in prison. Because he was a serious offender, he had been handcuffed for many years, and the daily friction would cause bleeding, broken skin, and calluses.
She knew something was wrong the moment she saw him as she got into the car. After several tests of wits, she realized that Uncle Dashan was very likely a member of the robbers, or even their leader.
After the rain stopped, the roads were muddy and slippery. On the way, Li Hu found a map of Hedong Province at a toll station and was studying it with Zhao Guoqiang.
With nothing else to do, Lu Kuishan was tormenting the hostages around him. Annoyed by the hostages' crying, Li Hu shouted, "Go and distribute the food and drink. We'll be there in four hours. Don't skimp on the food this time."
Shen Zhenzhu understood the meaning behind his words. "This time we don't need to be frugal" proved that food did not need to be stored, which meant that they were about to reach the final destination.
They moved locations?
Lu Kuishan put away his folding fruit knife, looked at the bloody tally marks on the male hostage's arm, and said with a grin, "I'm not playing with you anymore. You can't even play rock-paper-scissors properly. You're a damn good-for-nothing."
He carried the remaining food and distributed it to the back. The remaining dozen or so hostages were starving, including Shen Zhenzhu, who ate even less than the others.
She was so annoyed. She should have just given them the packaging bag! Why did she even give away the cream-filled bread? It seems the situation forced her to make a mistake.
As Lu Kuishan walked along, his tall and imposing figure resembled a small mountain in front of the seated Chen Zhenzhu. He was even a size larger than Lu Ye, and due to his habit of smoking and drinking, he had an unpleasant odor.
He glanced at Uncle Dashan and chuckled strangely.
In his eyes, the few young women in the back row were not dangerous. They were about to reach their final destination. He glanced at Chen Zhenzhu in the back row without any attempt to hide his gaze and said, "Hey young ladies, do you want to come aboard with me and elope?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Dashan's face suddenly changed color.
He coughed violently, which prompted Li Hu, who was in front discussing the escape route, to come over and lean on the back of his chair, saying, "What are you doing?"
Lu Kuishan squeezed past him with a forced smile, muttering under his breath, "I've had enough of you guys for a long time. Once I'm smuggled to Southeast Asia and get a new identity, I'd rather grow marijuana than be with you! Let's make it clear first, you won't shortchange me a single pound of gold!"
"You go to the front first."
Li Hu glanced at the mother and daughter in the back row. The daughter was ill, and the mother was sobbing while holding her, so she probably hadn't been listening to their conversation. The toll collector next to him huddled up in a ball, covering his ears and head, looking cowardly and afraid of being implicated.
Li Hu nodded to Uncle Dashan and made a "four" gesture with his hand, informing him that the transaction would take place in four hours. His adoptive father, Qiu Baoshan, had already made all the arrangements; they just needed to get to the Black Fishing Village where the smuggler was located.
Of the 100 jin of gold they wanted, 50 jin had to go to the smuggler. The smuggler had an insatiable appetite and, knowing they were escaped convicts trying to buy identities to smuggle themselves into the country, demanded an exorbitant price.
The four of them had already agreed that they would keep the profits within the family and kill and rob the gold when they arrived at the destination!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhuzhu the toll collector: I've prepared new identities for you—death row inmates.
***
There's a red envelope! See you tomorrow! [Let me see...]
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[Everything is for the sake of the plot; it does not criticize the public security organs, but respects and admires them. This story is fictional and does not reflect reality.]
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