Chapter 107: Moving to Capture Zhou Shirui—Everyone, Don’t Move!

After a long series of deductions, all efforts had finally paid off. The newly uncovered identity of Zhou Shirui had pushed him into a corner with nowhere left to escape.

As soon as news of Zhou Shirui’s latest whereabouts came in, Lin Tian immediately rushed behind the police tech officer and gave an unquestionable order.

“Pull up the last footage of Zhou Jack—no, Zhou Shirui. Show it to me now.”

The moment he finished speaking, the tech officer quickly retrieved surveillance footage showing Zhou Shirui entering the Huaihai Art Museum in Magic City.

“Chief Lin,” the officer reported, “this is the last recorded sighting of Zhou Shirui on surveillance.”

“I’m currently monitoring the live feed, and I can confirm that after entering the Huaihai Art Museum, Zhou Shirui has yet to come out.”

“Additionally,” he continued, “I just checked—the museum is hosting a Luban Award Exhibition today. Zhou Shirui’s new identity, Zhou Jack, happens to be one of the invited guests.”

Lin Tian nodded slightly, resting a hand on the chair back as he leaned forward to carefully examine the footage. He pointed at the figure in the center of the screen.

“Zoom in on this person.”

“When dealing with criminals like him, we must ensure absolute precision. We cannot give him another chance to escape.”

Without hesitation, the tech officer zoomed in on the surveillance footage.

After scrutinizing it for a moment, Lin Tian clenched his fist and pressed it against the table. He then turned to Su Ming and affirmed, “Xiao Ming, we can be certain—Zhou Shirui is inside the Huaihai Art Museum.”

“Heh… looks like Zhou Shirui really thought his Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell trick would fool us. He even had the leisure to participate in an exhibition.”

Xu Changsheng, still monitoring the live feed, became visibly excited upon hearing this.

“Master!” he exclaimed. “I’ll leave the studio right now and head straight to the museum. We have to catch Zhou Shirui before he slips away—”

Before Xu Changsheng could finish, Su Ming interrupted, his reasoning meticulous.

“No, Sheng-ge,” he countered. “The museum is too far from your location. It’s more efficient for us to deploy from the task force instead.”

“Besides, even though we now know that Zhou Jack is actually Zhou Shirui, we still need solid evidence to prove it.”

“For years, Zhou Shirui has meticulously constructed the identity of Zhou Jack. It’s a complete identity with a respectable social standing and extensive connections.”

“The most critical point is…” Su Ming paused before emphasizing, “Zhou Jack’s record is clean. There is no criminal history attached to this identity. I suspect that even the other members of the drug cartel don’t know about it.”

“Even if we detain him for a drug test, we must find irrefutable proof that links Zhou Jack and Zhou Shirui.”

“Drug use alone isn’t a capital offense. But murder and large-scale drug trafficking are.”

“That’s why—To prevent Zhou Shirui from clinging to his fake identity and refusing to confess to his crimes, Sheng-ge, your task is crucial. You need to collect DNA or fingerprints from his studio.”

“These are unique identifiers that plastic surgery can’t change. We need them to silence any public doubt and use them in court to deliver the justice long overdue.”

Lin Tian nodded approvingly at Su Ming’s reasoning, secretly impressed by his sharp analytical skills.

Indeed, as Su Ming pointed out, aside from drug test results, Zhou Jack’s identity was completely clean.

In the art world, using drugs for “inspiration” wasn’t uncommon. Many artists engaged in it—it was just that not all were caught.

If Zhou Shirui refused to break and admit his true identity, things could get very complicated.

Drug use alone wouldn’t be enough to put him on death row.

Therefore, they needed to gather crucial evidence as soon as possible. The moment DNA or fingerprint comparisons were placed in front of Zhou Shirui, his psychological defenses would crumble.

Without hesitation, Lin Tian turned back to Xu Changsheng and instructed,

“A’Sheng, follow Xiao Ming’s plan. Your task is to collect DNA and fingerprint evidence from Zhou Shirui’s studio. Meanwhile, I’ll personally lead the team for his arrest.”

“That’s it. When searching for evidence, be meticulous—don’t overlook even the tiniest trace!”

Seeing that both Lin Tian and Su Ming had insisted he stay behind to collect evidence, Xu Changsheng nodded, saluted through the video feed, and vowed,

“Understood! I will complete the mission and not miss a single clue!”

With that, the crucial video call ended.

Seizing the moment, Su Ming pulled up the Huaihai Art Museum’s internal layout and the Luban Award Exhibition schedule.

Pointing at the museum’s location on the screen, he turned to Lin Tian.

“Chief Lin,” he reported, “I checked the museum layout. The building has three floors. The first and second floors contain various art pieces—paintings, sculptures, and paper cuttings.”

“The third floor, however, is a large lecture hall used for conferences and competitions.”

“The Luban Award ceremony and other major art awards are held there.”

“That means—The Luban Award Exhibition is highly likely taking place on the third floor.”

“If that’s the case, then right now, that floor is filled with leading sculptors, top artists, and major media outlets.”

“Given Zhou Shirui’s extreme tendencies, these people could become his hostages.”

“Furthermore,” Su Ming added, “the Huaihai Art Museum is the tallest building in the area, making it impossible for snipers to provide support. The difficulty of the arrest operation will be significantly higher.”

Wang Hu, listening from the side, immediately suggested, “Ming-ge, if that’s the case, then the exhibition might not be the best time to apprehend him.”

“What if we wait until it ends, when he’s no longer surrounded by people—”

Before Wang Hu could finish, Lin Tian shook his head.

“No.”

“With an event of this scale, the exhibition will be followed by banquets, workshops, and networking sessions.”

“That means at least two days will pass. If we delay, the cartel leader who hacked our surveillance system will definitely take action.”

“We must capture Zhou Shirui immediately to prevent complications.”

Su Ming agreed.

He rubbed his fingers together in thought before proposing a solution.

“Chief Lin, given our need for a swift capture, I’ve identified a key moment we can exploit.”

“The Luban Award Exhibition is hosted by the National Sculptors Association and takes place every three years.”

“At each event, eleven young sculptors take turns presenting an award-winning piece, analyzing its highlights, and sharing insights.”

“In other words, it’s an artistic and technical seminar.”

“Zhou Shirui—under the name Zhou Jack—is one of the eleven presenters.”

“And the work he’s presenting is…”

“The Bandaged Girl sculpture—the very piece that won him a Luban Award.”

“Sheng-ge couldn’t find it in his studio because the association borrowed it for this event.”

“That gives us a perfect window of opportunity.”

“When Zhou Shirui takes the stage to present his piece, he’ll be alone—no hostages.”

Lin Tian was momentarily stunned before sucking in a cold breath.

He marveled at Su Ming’s astounding investigative instincts and razor-sharp thinking.

Just moments ago, they were worrying about the complexities of the operation. And now, Su Ming had presented the perfect solution.

Without hesitation, Lin Tian made the call.

“Tech team, maintain remote surveillance on the museum. If Zhou Shirui moves or does anything unusual, notify me immediately.”

“Xiao Ming, you’re coming with me. We’ll lead the arrest team ourselves—this time, we’re bringing Zhou Shirui in!”

Then, Lin Tian suddenly remembered something and turned to Su Ming with a meaningful look.

“Oh, and Xiao Ming—”

“You’re officially cleared to carry a firearm now. Go to the armory and pick up a Type 92 handgun.”

“This time, we must be armed—Zhou Shirui is too dangerous.”

—

With five police cars and five SWAT armored vehicles forming a convoy, the operation to capture Zhou Shirui was officially underway.