Chapter 82
The forensic report revealed that the four victims killed in the bombing in the evidence room were all criminals in other cases scheduled for trial that day. In other words, the real robbers found scapegoats, and their target was indeed the 40 million.
Zhan Hantao delivered the Flying Tigers Operation summary to the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB), hoping it would help them with their investigation. Coincidentally, Pan Zilong was also there. Listening to him and Ah Ben's account, Zhan Hantao learned that Zhuang Zhuohua had already asked Pan Zilong for help, requesting him to use the CIB's resources to find information on the hostages. Several individuals who gave vague and incoherent statements during questioning were designated as key targets for further investigation.
CIB acted swiftly. They had barely left the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) and driven to the High Court when Chong Cheuk-wah called Chan Hon-tao to explain the investigation results from Pan Chi-lung's side. The hostage registration information indeed revealed three individuals who had used firearms. These three individuals could not be reached by phone this morning. Fortunately, following the lead from the lottery tickets left on the deceased's clothing, Chong Cheuk-wah used CCTV footage around the betting station to locate the hotel where the three criminals were staying.
Zhan Hantao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this: "It seems this case will be closed soon, but Ah Hua, there's still a fourth person we haven't found." He remembered the masked man who had come out to negotiate with them, the one who had proclaimed himself righteous and ready to uphold justice. "So it is—"
"Evidence room!"
"Evidence Room".
Both of them thought of this at the same time, and Zhuang Zhuohua continued to ask, "Ah Tao, are you at the High Court right now?"
“Yes,” Zhan Hantao was pleased with their tacit understanding. He quickened his pace and bumped into Zhong Weien, who was also there to investigate the case, right at the entrance of the courtroom on the second floor.
Zhuang Zhuohua was also surprised by her appearance. Hearing the greeting on the other end of the phone, she revealed to Zhan Hantao: "When we went to check the residence of the three kidnappers earlier, we also saw Zhong Weien scouting the hotel. It seems that she is very perceptive. Ah Tao, perhaps you can join forces."
Zhong Wei'en had a distant and unapproachable demeanor; whether they could even exchange a few words with her was uncertain. However, if they shared the same goal, cooperation was not out of the question. Thus, they split into two groups: Zhuang Zhuohua arrested three of the bandits, while Zhan Hantao called Zhong Wei'en along to search the evidence room for the remaining bandit.
The evidence room was severely damaged; the explosion had caused a fire that reduced almost everything to ashes. The electrical wiring was broken, and the room was dark, with only a few rays of light filtering in from the windows. Zhan Hantao scanned the room, finding no place for anyone to hide, and walked straight to a strange panel against the wall. The panel was roughly square, with smoke marks on its surface, clearly hand-cut, though the cuts were not clean. Zhan Hantao's heart skipped a beat. He pushed aside the panel and saw a hole about the size of a person. He and Zhong Wei'en exchanged glances; both of them, seeing the remaining insulation pad and small oxygen cylinder in front of them, thought of the same possibility.
When the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) vehicle arrived at the hotel, Deng Ke and two other thugs were getting into a taxi with their luggage, clearly intending to escape. Zhuang Zhuohua no longer needed to worry about the whereabouts of the fourth thug and immediately decided to remain still, secretly follow them, and then apprehend them all at once. She first notified the Ministry of Transportation to track the taxi's route, and then called Zhan Hantao. Once the location was confirmed, the Special Duties Unit (SDU) would need to be deployed.
Zhan Hantao was currently reviewing the CCTV footage at the High Court entrance. Ben and his team had visited the evidence room earlier and found nothing amiss, indicating the suspect was still hiding inside. There was little need to review the footage now; they could simply follow Zhuang Zhuohua's instructions and head straight towards Tai Po. He assumed Zhong Wei'en would accompany him. As he called out to her, he noticed she had stopped the CCTV feed, zooming in on a man who had been brutally beaten by a cleaner. This man had brushed past Zhan Hantao, who was on the phone at the entrance. Zhan Hantao tried to recall, but the man's demeanor had been too natural, so he hadn't paid much attention and hadn't noticed anything. Zhong Wei'en stared at the screen for a while, then declared confidently, "That's An Tianming."
Xie Jiaxing and Zhang Jiguang were both injured in the operation at the High Court, but one's injury was more serious and required hospitalization, while the other only suffered minor injuries and stayed at Alice's house. Iris, with the experience of someone who had been through it all, watched as the couple was not far from officially moving in together, and she couldn't bear to be a third wheel any longer. Rubbing her goosebumps, she prepared to deliver the next pot of soup.
Xie Jiaxing felt embarrassed that the pregnant woman had made a special trip. His family wasn't around, and he had to rely entirely on himself and the nurses to manage things at the hospital. Iris's sudden appearance made him feel quite flattered. Compared to the intimate scene with Zhang Jiguang, the quietness of Xie Jiaxing's place made her feel she hadn't bought enough. Luckily, she had brought a bouquet of flowers; flowers would at least make her feel less lonely.
Iris instructed Derek to take a vase to fill with water, and as she poured, she said, "Don't worry, I didn't cook it. It was my maid who made it. I guarantee it's made with plenty of ingredients. I haven't mentioned this to Yuan because he's been busy these past few days."
Ah Xing was too busy thanking her to dare make any other requests. He wasn't very good at communicating and was known as "Stone Star" among his friends. But now that she mentioned Zhuang Zhuoyuan, he finally had something to say: "Thank you, Iris. A Yuan and the others just came to see me this morning."
"In the morning? Didn't he say he was going to train?" Iris asked in surprise. "Could it be that a whole group of them came to see you?"
“Yes,” Xie Jiaxing nodded with a smile, “Team A brought the new trainees running over.”
This is a very humane training method. Iris recalled her experience of running to lose weight, constantly running around the training field, where every step felt like it was taking her life.
On her way from Alice's house, Iris stopped by an old shop in the neighborhood and bought some Chinese and Western pastries. She opened one half and brought it up for Xie Jiaxing as a snack. She guessed that boys generally didn't like sweets, so she chose more common, mild flavors. Sure enough, A-Xing took one and closed the box. Seeing that Iris noticed him, he hurriedly explained, "It's not that it's not good, it's just that I thought my godmother would like it, so I wanted to bring it to her when I visit her at the nursing home so she could try it too."
Iris laughed: "By the time you go to see her, it will be too late. You just eat yours. At worst, I'll write down the address of the bakery for you, and you can go buy from it yourself in the future. There are also dessert shops and such, so feel free to ask if you need anything."
Xie Jiaxing's eyes lit up; he seemed genuinely filial to his godmother. Iris, who had no idea such a person existed, casually gossiped, "I've never heard you had a godmother."
Xie Jiaxing paused slightly before answering, "She is the mother of my best brother who I grew up with. Now she is the only one left in his family, so I have to do my best to take care of her."
Ah Xing's childhood friend, who must have been around the same age as him, passed away so young. Iris thought of Fu Zai, the policeman who died on his first patrol, and his parents whose hair turned white overnight, and sighed. Her emotions then shifted to Xie Jiaxing's godmother: "Ah Xing, if you don't mind, could you tell me the name and address of the nursing home where your godmother lives? ULO has a dedicated charity fund, and I can get someone to include this nursing home in our welfare distribution list. That way, someone will visit the nursing home every month, the elderly will have visitors, and they'll have new things to see, so they won't be so lonely."
“Iris, I…” Ah Xing was so happy he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to use more beautiful and pleasant words to express his gratitude, but he was really bad at speaking and couldn’t utter a single word after trying for a long time.
Iris smiled and waved to him, then sat down on a nearby chair to rest. "If you don't have anything to say, just say thank you. You don't need to do anything else. I am a Flying Tiger family member, so I have to be aware of that. I'm glad that I can be of use in logistics."
So Xie Jiaxing said to her with his most sincere attitude, "Thank you!"
Iris then realized how adorable he was.
As the two chatted, Derek returned with a vase of freshly arranged flowers. As he put the vase down, he turned on the television. "I just heard the news reporting on the arrest of a Supreme Court criminal when I passed by another ward," he said.
"So fast?" Iris was surprised. She had predicted that Chong Cheuk-wah would be able to finish this big case before leaving Hong Kong, but she did not expect her sister to be able to exceed expectations.
When reporters arrived at the scene after receiving the news, the confrontation between the criminals and the Flying Tigers had reached a fever pitch. The terrain of the Tai Po container yard was not suitable for them to film from a distance, so the photographers had to find another high vantage point and use telephoto lenses to peer inside. Outsiders could only see a truck carrying a container moving slowly, unaware that it was loaded with high explosives. Iris, seeing the SDU's vehicle moving around in the yard, was quite anxious: "Why are the attack teams all at low positions? It's too easy for them to be wiped out in one fell swoop."
With Zhan Hantao present, Xie Jiaxing trusted all the plans. He thought for a moment and comforted Iris: "Don't worry, Ayuan is definitely at the top."
Speaking of this, Iris recalled Ah Yuen's observer. Previously, Qiu Junxuan had always assisted him, sometimes switching to Jianren or Longpo. But within a few months, everyone was injured or reassigned, leaving the sniper team in a state of flux. Although Guo Dewei, who was said to be quite capable, joined later, Inspector Liang commented that currently only Zhuang Zhuoyuan could truly lead the team. In the long run, this wasn't a good thing.
“Ah Yuan will be the next The One.” Xie Jiaxing clearly admired Zhuang Zhuoyuan’s marksmanship, but he didn’t understand Iris’s worries. Iris’s gloom didn’t dissipate after hearing his words, but she felt honored by the praise for her husband, and her eyes lit up. Of course, she had to agree: “I believe so too, and I think my husband will be Only One.” She hadn’t forgotten that Inspector Zhuang still owed her a pair of five-cent coin rings pierced by the same bullet. So, she hoped that a promising newcomer would emerge, so that her husband’s burden would be lighter.
“Your husband must have done something right.” Derek pointed to the TV. In the video, the delivery truck that had been moving forward stopped. Judging from the previous stalemate between the Flying Tigers and the bandits, it must have been Zhuang Zhuoyuan who fired the key shot.
Iris couldn't discern much from the blurry footage, but since Derek said so, she was willing to believe that Zhuang Zhuoyuan had fired that shot. Her love-struck self immediately kicked in, and she began praising without hesitation: "My husband is the most handsome!"
Derek also went crazy: "Zhuangzi, that's awesome!"
Sure enough, Derek saw Xie Jiaxing's surprised and embarrassed expression from the hospital bed. Taking advantage of Iris's inattention, Derek pointed at her people and then shrugged at Xie Jiaxing, the meaning couldn't be clearer—if you can't beat them, join them. These days, money isn't easy to earn.
Iris occasionally feels the urge to issue a warning about deducting her salary.
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