Chapter 104 Mandala 24
Donglan Municipal Bureau Command Center.
Over the weekend, all the criminal police received the information and rushed to the city police station to work overtime.
The command room was soon filled with people, all with serious expressions.
Some people were hurriedly looking up information, while other police officers were responsible for communication.
The entire city was mobilized by this emergency. To ensure the safety of the minibus, all intersections near the road were closed.
What Principal Meng said in the car was broadcast live through Luo Siwei's mobile phone, and then transmitted to this side through Chi Li's mobile phone. Director Chen frowned after listening to all this, and then he sighed.
Ni Xiang had the most case information, and the printer kept humming as she sorted out all the relevant information.
Vice Principal Meng is 45 years old and her name is Meng Lanshan. Her father Meng Hong was once a small boss in Donglan, and Shao Xiayue was the nanny of the Meng family.
After going bankrupt, Meng Hong committed suicide, leaving behind his wife and children. Instead, it was Shao Xiayue who funded Meng Lanshan to complete her normal schooling.
After Meng Lanshan graduated, she never married.
Throughout her years of teaching, she has been conscientious and dedicated, nurturing her students wholeheartedly. Meng Lanshan has been a teacher for over twenty years and has been recognized numerous times as an outstanding teacher at the municipal level. Many of her students have been accepted into prestigious universities.
Later, when No. 3 Middle School became a private institution, she was recruited by the current principal, Liang. She is now in charge of the school's administrative and teaching duties, as well as its daily management. She is the second-in-command at No. 3 Middle School.
Meng Lanshan had arranged the entire autumn outing, and she was also responsible for contacting the bus company. The other buses were arranged by the bus company, but this minibus was rented separately, and the driver was also arranged separately.
The driver, Liu Minglang, 55, was a long-distance driver. According to his profile, he was terminally ill and his family was heavily in debt. He had recently seen a large sum of money appear in his account, suggesting he was hired.
Shortly after getting in the car, Meng Lanshan turned off her cell phone.
Liu Minglang could not be contacted either.
Meng Lanshan informed the class teachers individually which students from each class would take this minibus. She said that they were randomly selected from the students, and the class teachers did not notice anything unusual.
Director Chen asked someone to compare the list of students on the bus with the list of students the police already had, and it was basically the same, except for the few students who had found replacements in advance.
The school teachers have questioned the three students. The leading student, named Li Shuo, said that on the way here, he noticed that Principal Meng and the driver looked strange, and he felt guilty because he had used the APP before, so he asked his classmates to change cars.
After understanding the basic situation, Director Chen asked, "How are the operations of the nearby branches going?"
Deputy Director Pei reported, "The intersection has been closed. They tried to place a roadblock, but before they could do it, a minibus rushed through."
Director Chen asked, "Did anyone follow the car or try to intercept it?"
Deputy Director Pei said, "A police car from the precinct disguised itself as a pedestrian and tried to approach. The driver opened the window and said..."
Director Chen asked, "What did you say?"
Deputy Director Pei then reported, "The driver said he recognized it was a police car and threatened to ram it if it dared to follow him again, killing everyone involved." He paused, then added, "The precinct pulled the car back out of the way to avoid angering the driver. The leaders there are worried they won't be able to take responsibility if something goes wrong."
Director Chen said, "Then follow from a distance and don't get too close. Where are Chi Li and the others?"
Captain Yu looked at the electronic map and said, "We still have a few minutes to catch up."
The first drone to set off has arrived, hovering in the sky and taking some aerial photos.
The road was clear, with only the bus moving along. However, because it was night, the drone's camera had limited visibility. The vegetation ahead was dense, and the branches and leaves along the way obscured the view, making it difficult for the drone to track.
Guo Zhengyao simulated the minibus's route on the map. He looked at it for a while and frowned, saying, "If the bus goes any further, it might be heading into the mountains."
"What are they doing in the mountains?" Huo Cunsheng frowned. "It's easier to intercept them at the foot of the mountain, but once they're in the mountains, we can't get close, which makes it even more dangerous."
While they were talking, the minibus passed another intersection. Captain Yu studied the topographic map and said, "Go further along this mountain road, and the end is Lanxing Dam..."
Upon hearing this news, Director Chen asked, "What's the construction situation over there?"
Deputy Director Pei frowned. "The first phase of the project is complete, but the second phase hasn't started yet. The road isn't connected, it's a dead end."
The dam has not been completed yet, and once the car reaches the dam, there is no way to go.
In other words, if the car continues driving, there are only two possible outcomes.
One result is that it rushes onto the road above the dam, breaks through the guardrail, falls from a height of dozens of meters, and flips into the deep water.
Another option is to use a tunnel under the dam, where vehicles could collide with the dam itself. If the unfinished dam were to fail, the problem would be even more serious.
Everyone felt the seriousness of the situation.
The leaders in the command room began to discuss the current difficult situation.
“Is there any other way to force a stop?”
"This road has a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other. If the minibus doesn't slow down, stopping it would be extremely dangerous and could result in serious casualties among the students."
"How about using a tire puncture device?"
"A punctured tire could cause the vehicle to lose control and fall off the cliff."
“Is it feasible for SWAT to seize the car?”
"It's quite dangerous, and that's only if the SWAT police can catch up. The SWAT car is still some distance away."
"With only the teacher and the driver as the hostage, is it possible that the students in the car could resist?"
"The situation is unclear at the moment and we don't know if they were carrying any other weapons."
Director Chen said, "Don't use force unless it's absolutely necessary. We should find a way to contact the people in the car and try to have a conversation." He asked someone to call Chi Li's cell phone, "Captain Chi, where are you?"
Chi Li's voice came: "It will probably take a few minutes to catch up."
The old director looked serious and asked, "Why do you think Meng Lanshan did this?" The situation was urgent, but Director Chen believed that the root cause of the matter must be found. Only then could the situation be resolved.
Chi Li analyzed: "Besides the reasons for Shao Xiayue's death, other motives may be the collapse of her faith. Also, I think someone may have deliberately leaked the students' words and information to her, and she was misled and brainwashed. Simply put, as a teacher, Meng Lanshan could not accept that her students were murderous villains."
After a pause, Chi Li continued, "Meng Lanshan is not like ordinary kidnappers who would ask for ransom or have certain demands, so conventional methods may not be applicable. She must have a clear purpose and plan, which is to take those students to die there."
Director Chen said, "We just discussed this. We suspect this car's destination is Lanxing Dam. We must prevent it from crashing into the dam. Do you have any better ideas?"
Chi Li said: "In the early stages of the work, Luo Siwei and Principal Meng had contact. I suggest that Captain Luo and Principal Meng have a dialogue first to see if they can convince Meng Lanshan to try to stop the car."
This is the cheapest approach currently available.
Although Luo Siwei is not a negotiation expert, she has many years of interrogation experience and understands the situation best, making her the best choice to try to persuade Meng Lanshan.
Director Chen weighed the options for a moment and said, "Approve the operation. Be sure to pay attention to Meng Lanshan's emotions and don't anger her. I hope you can succeed."
Chi Li hung up the phone with Director Chen and looked back at Luo Siwei: "Are you ready?"
Luo Siwei nodded calmly.
She took a deep breath and typed, "Can you give my phone to Principal Meng? I want to talk to her."
The minibus crossed the mountain road like a shot arrow and rushed into the darkness.
In the car, Yu Tingting, who was sitting in the back seat, suddenly stood up.
She raised her phone high and summoned her courage to speak loudly, "Principal Meng, Captain Luo from the Municipal Bureau wants to speak to you."
Meng Lanshan's emotions had just calmed down when she was stunned, then frowned and looked at Yu Tingting.
Seeing that Meng Lanshan didn't say anything, Yu Tingting held up her cell phone, pushed away the shivering little fat boy beside her, came to Meng Lanshan, and looked straight into her eyes.
Meng Lanshan knew this girl. She was a student council member in Class 6 and a well-behaved student in the eyes of her teachers. She had good grades, was obedient, and usually kept to herself. She didn't post much on the app.
Meng Lanshan had never thought that Yu Tingting would be involved in this matter and do something hurtful.
The Captain Luo that Yu Tingting mentioned was probably the female police officer who had been stationed at the school a few days ago. She remembered that Yu Tingting was the first student Luo Siwei had found who had installed the Whisper app.
Some of the students had cell phones, and Meng Lanshan had already thought someone might secretly call the police. It seemed that Yu Tingting had already contacted the police.
Meng Lanshan originally didn't want to answer the call, but she had a good impression of Tingting and Luo Siwei. Looking at the phone in front of her, she was moved by the courage of the girl in front of her, and also wanted to hear what Luo Siwei wanted to say to her.
Meng Lanshan put the phone to her ear and said "Hello".
Luo Siwei's voice came from the other side: "Principal Meng, I hope you can listen to me patiently for a few words. The police have been handling this case recently and are also looking for the identities of those children. We are all working hard to investigate this case."
"First of all, I'm deeply sorry for Shao Xiayue's death. The children in the car did make a very serious mistake. But they did it because of the guidance of the Whisper app. The police are already investigating the people behind the scenes. I think the culprits should be punished more than them. These students are important witnesses for the police and hold key information. Please trust the police and hand them over to us."
Luo Siwei first agreed with Meng Lanshan's behavior on the surface, comforted her, and then slowly analyzed the situation and gave her a more reasonable way to deal with it.
Her calm voice reached Meng Lanshan's ears through the phone, awakening a bit of her rationality.
But Meng Lanshan is still angry and will not give up this matter easily.
Her breathing became rapid. "That's your police business, it has nothing to do with me. Besides, you've already questioned these children, but to no avail. I'm handing them over to you, and you have no way to punish them."
Luo Siwei knew that it would not be easy to convince her, but as long as Meng Lanshan didn't hang up the phone, it meant they still had a chance, so she continued to analyze.
"I think the school and society also bear an unshirkable responsibility for this incident. Our schools usually focus only on teaching, telling students that only studying can change their lives, but neglect moral education. Such a detrimental software was spread in the school, and the teachers were completely unaware, or deliberately turned a blind eye."
"This generation of children lives in the digital age. They'll imitate whatever they see and receive. They absorb the online violence and imitate it. So I don't think you can blame all the problems on them."
"Also, I understand how you feel, but I don't agree with your actions. Even if you and the children died, Shao Xiayue wouldn't be able to come back. Instead, you've turned yourself into a murderer. Do you think Shao Xiayue wants you to kill these children to avenge her? You killed these 27 people, 27 lives. What's the difference between you and these children who despised life and made mistakes?"
Because she was afraid that Meng Lanshan would hang up the phone, Luo Siwei spoke very quickly. She tried her best to make her words clear and used the simplest language and the most powerful arguments to communicate with the murderer.
Luo Siwei's voice was gentle, but her words were sharp. She was trying to control the scale, trying to touch Meng Lanshan's heart without completely angering her.
Luo Siwei hopes that his words can make Meng Lanshan change her mind in a short time.
Meng Lanshan across from her remained silent, so Luo Siwei continued, "Principal Meng, you're a teacher, and it's your responsibility to educate these children. I hope you can anticipate the consequences of your actions. If this car were to crash, and these children died along with you, it would become a horrific tragedy, leaving countless families heartbroken. Beyond that, you can't change anything. You might even be afraid of copycats because the nature of this incident is so egregious that you can't report what happened behind the scenes."
"But if you stop the car and let them go, the children will remember this lesson for the rest of their lives, and the world will be alerted by it, so your actions will be more meaningful. This incident may influence and change thousands of children, letting them know the boundaries of how to behave and what is right and wrong. That way, you can save more people..."
Educate them...
When Meng Lanshan heard this, she turned her gaze and looked at the young men.
Those were a bunch of young faces.
She has been a teacher for so many years. What was the enthusiasm that led her to embark on this path in the beginning?
But is there any point in educating people like them?
Meng Lanshan's gaze was like a pool of stagnant water. Suddenly, her eyes fell on Yu Tingting standing beside her. She thought, maybe there are a few children who can still be saved?
Luo Siwei on the other end of the phone felt that Meng Lanshan was wavering, which meant that her persuasion was effective, so she played the most important card in her hand.
"Also, there were three children in the car who weren't the ones you originally chose. They're innocent. They didn't do anything wrong and didn't even install that app. Are you going to kill innocent people for your so-called justice and revenge? They're only teenagers. What about their parents?"
Meng Lanshan was surprised: "Three people sneaked in?" She looked behind the car and said, "Didn't some of you come in this car?"
The three male students raised their hands tremblingly: "Teacher Meng, we were replaced by our classmates..."
"Teacher, please..."
Time was limited, and even she couldn't remember the names and appearances of all the children. There were indeed three unfamiliar faces. This change was somewhat unexpected for Meng Lanshan.
Luo Siwei pressed the issue, pleading, "Principal Meng, I know you're a good person and you wouldn't hurt innocent people. I beg you, at least stop the car and let us pick up these three children."
This is a delaying tactic.
Their car was approaching the minibus, and Luo Siwei could see the taillights of the minibus about thirty meters ahead of them.
At this time, as long as the other party stops the car, they can find a way to seize the car, or use other methods to rescue people.
Meng Lanshan didn't say anything. She understood that once she stopped the car, it would mean failure and it would be difficult for her to drive it away again.
She made up her mind, hung up the phone, and handed the phone back to Yu Tingting.
Then Meng Lanshan lowered her head without saying a word and stood in the aisle of the car.
The light from the roof shone on her pale face. Although she seemed calm on the surface, Meng Lanshan was struggling fiercely inside.
She had to admit that some of the words the female police officer had said just now touched her heart and woke her up. There were some things she had not considered carefully in her anger.
But now... should we stop the car?
A corner of Donglan.
On this sleepless night for countless people, the man walked through the long corridor and looked out the window.
A full moon hangs in the night sky.
The man raised a smile and chuckled.
Those people on the bus may not know yet that this is a journey to death and there is no turning back.
It's a good night tonight, twenty-nine lives and perhaps more are about to be lost.
Blood, screams, death, that was the hell scene he expected.
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