Chapter 292: Was It Worth It? Saving a Death Row Inmate

This time, the situation had completely reversed.

The criminal was in the open, while the police were hidden in the shadows.

The Priest had no idea where the police were, and although Su Ming and the others still hadn’t pinpointed the Priest’s exact location, they already knew one crucial thing—Sanhe Square was his final destination.

And that was the most important piece of the puzzle.

As long as the Priest followed his original plan and arrived at Sanhe Square to prepare for his ambush on the Ghost, he would be in for a rude awakening. What awaited him there wouldn’t be the Ghost, but a team of police officers who had been lying in wait.

…

At that moment, Lin Tian habitually sniffed his right index finger, fully aware that time was running out. They had to intercept the Priest at Sanhe Square as soon as possible.

Just as he was about to move out, his phone suddenly rang with a sharp, urgent tone.

Frowning slightly in confusion, he pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID.

The next second, a look of surprise and delight spread across his face. He turned to Su Ming and quickly gestured.

“It’s a call from Bureau Chief Gao.”

Hearing that, Su Ming raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, but his expression clearly relaxed a little.

After all, several medical experts had already examined Qiang Wei and confirmed that her life was no longer in danger. Her vital signs were stable.

The only remaining concern was…

If she didn’t wake up within twenty-four hours, there was a high risk she could fall into a vegetative state.

But now, with Gao Chao suddenly calling, and assuming her life was no longer at risk, there was only one likely reason for the call.

Qiang Wei had woken up—and regained consciousness.

Although she was probably still far from full recovery, the fact that she hadn’t lost her memory meant she could still be of great help.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Tian answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Bureau Chief Gao,” he said directly. “What’s the situation on your end? Has Qiang Wei regained consciousness?”

Two seconds later, Gao Chao’s familiar voice came through the speaker.

“Yes, Chief Lin,” he replied. “The female officer assigned to monitor Qiang Wei just informed me—she regained consciousness about five minutes ago.”

“She was extremely agitated at first, but after seeing the tubes in her body, it seemed like something clicked. She calmed down immediately and hasn’t said much since.”

“The doctors are examining her now, but it looks like there’s no major issue.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Tian finally let go of the last bit of worry in his heart. A faint smile appeared on his face as he nodded.

“Bureau Chief Gao,” he said, “looks like we’ve won this fifty-fifty gamble.”

“I’ve also confirmed the Priest’s movements. Once he walks into the trap, we’ll tighten the net. There’s no way he’s getting out.”

“But we’ll need your help with something shortly…”

He paused and turned to Su Ming, giving him a look.

Su Ming understood immediately. He stepped forward, leaned toward the phone, and spoke seriously.

“Bureau Chief Gao,” he said, “we’ll be sending you surveillance footage of the Priest sneaking into Jiahe City. Please show it to Qiang Wei right away to help confirm whether it’s him.”

“If we’re right, the Priest should be wearing one of the human-skin masks Qiang Wei made.”

“That’s also her most critical value right now.”

“Have her describe the facial features of the human-skin masks she made for the Ghost. We need to search the entire city for him.”

“The Ghost only joined the drug trafficking organization less than a year ago. Qiang Wei likely didn’t make many masks for him, and it hasn’t been that long since she did.”

“Since she hasn’t lost her memory, she should still remember the details clearly.”

“Once we get those facial features, we can use the Sky Eye Surveillance system to track the Ghost down. That’s the other urgent matter we need to resolve.”

“Because the Ghost knows something extremely important. Only by capturing him quickly can we extract that information and completely dismantle this drug trafficking organization.”

After giving these instructions, Su Ming stepped back, giving Lin Tian the space again.

Lin Tian leaned in, a rare smile appearing on his face over the past few days, and said warmly, “Bureau Chief Gao, I’m counting on you for these two things.”

“You’re still recovering, and now we’re dragging you into this case. I won’t say much now, but I owe you a drink.”

On the other end, Gao Chao let out a sigh and pretended to be annoyed.

“What are you talking about, Chief Lin?”

“I’ve been lying here for days—I’m practically growing mold.”

“And it’s just a fracture, nothing serious. If the doctors hadn’t stopped me, I’d already be back on the front lines in a wheelchair.”

“Alright, don’t worry. I’ve already had the nurse remove the IV. I’m heading to Qiang Wei’s room now to ask her about those two critical things.”

“Talk later, Chief Lin. I hope I’ll be hearing good news from you soon.”

…

At that moment, in the VIP ward of Liangxi City People’s Hospital…

Gao Chao, fully aware of how important the upcoming operation in Jiahe City was, set his phone aside and let out a heavy breath. He clenched his fists tightly.

As a police officer who had never lost sight of his duty, Gao Chao desperately wanted to be part of the operation to capture the Priest and bring such a brutal criminal to justice himself.

Unfortunately, he knew his injuries weren’t minor. He still needed a wheelchair to move around. There was no way he could join the front lines.

But now, he could still contribute in another way—by helping to dismantle this massive drug trafficking organization.

With that thought in mind, Gao Chao pushed himself up with both hands, enduring the pain in his fractured leg as he forced himself into the wheelchair. He looked toward the officer stationed at the door and called out without hesitation.

“Xiao Zhang.”

“Come help me with the wheelchair. I need to go to Qiang Wei’s room immediately.”

…

Three minutes later.

Gao Chao had already arrived at the door of Qiang Wei’s hospital room.

Just then, the team of specialist doctors who had been checking her condition finished their preliminary examination and were walking out.

Seeing Gao Chao at the door, they nodded politely in greeting.

They were well aware of who Qiang Wei was.

But their job was to save lives. As for everything else, they didn’t ask and didn’t want to know.

Once the doctors had left, Xiao Zhang carefully pushed the wheelchair into the room.

Qiang Wei was fully conscious, but due to the severity of her injuries, she still couldn’t move.

Hearing someone enter, she could only turn her head slightly.

When she saw Gao Chao sitting in the wheelchair, her eyes froze for a moment, then she immediately turned away to stare at the ceiling.

A few seconds later, still looking up, she spoke in a hoarse, weak voice.

“Was it worth it?”

“To save a death row inmate… and end up like this?”