Chapter 29: Capture

The situation is truly terrible now; actors have turned into real criminals.

When Hang Jie hired the actors, didn’t he consider that such a scenario might unfold? Money blinds people.

To willingly hand his son over to others, this father is truly something else.

Qin Qing: “What are you planning to do next?”

“Hang Jie, that scoundrel, confessed that he doesn’t know the specific identities of the criminals. His mistress found them and just gave him their contact information for him to reach out,” Lin Feng said, gritting his teeth in anger. “Sister Chen is currently investigating his mistress.”

Their direction is correct; the criminals are indeed closely related to Hang Jie’s mistress.

However… Hang Jie is truly too careless. With his intelligence, he still wants to extort money from his ex-wife and even dares to learn from others to commit kidnapping?

Lin Feng sat down, pointing to an untouched plate of soy sauce fried rice: “Still eating?”

Qin Qing shook her head. He picked up the plate and shoveled the food into his mouth: “The important thing now is to find the child. After those scoundrels sent the text message, they threw away the SIM card, so the technical team can’t locate them… Hmm, this fried rice looks dark, but it’s quite tasty.”

“What about the surveillance footage? Have you checked them one by one from where the child disappeared?”

Despite asking, she knew the police wouldn’t overlook such an obvious clue. It must be that this clue was cut off or interfered with.

Sure enough, Lin Feng cursed again: “The kidnappers transported the child away in a suitcase after picking him up. They probably disguised themselves and put him in a car to take him out. Coincidentally, the surveillance cameras near the parking lot were broken and under repair, which gave them an opportunity. They are currently checking the surrounding surveillance footage one by one, but this takes time.”

Time… The most crucial thing in rescuing hostages is time.

Lin Feng asked, “What about your end?”

Qin Qing held nothing back, stating directly: “I can roughly sense the child’s direction, but I don’t know the distance or the exact location.”

Lin Feng gulped down an entire can of soda, the can creaking as he squeezed it.

His gaze lingered on Qin Qing, as if he had finally made a decision. He stood up: “Sister Chen is in charge here. I’ll take two people, and you come with me.”

“And Liu Simin.”

Lin Feng rejected without thinking: “No, she’s involved, and her emotions are unstable, which could mess things up. Too many people also make it inconvenient to act.”

“But I need to sense the child’s location through Liu Simin. There’s a blood link between them. If he’s far from his mother, I can’t do anything.”

Lin Feng: “…”

Lin Feng: “Does metaphysics have a logic, damn it?”

Qin Qing pretended not to hear the swear words.

She retorted ungraciously: “Everything has its logic.”

Lin Feng had an expression that said, “I’ve been enlightened.”

“I need to go discuss with Sister Chen.”

Liu Simin already knew what her husband had done. She didn’t understand why all this happened and went to question him.

When Qin Qing arrived, Hang Jie was hysterically accusing her of various crimes.

Perhaps realizing that punishment for his confession was unavoidable, Hang Jie’s expression was extremely frantic, throwing all sorts of malicious words and accusations at Liu Simin.

“All of this is your fault, you forced me into this, you, you heartless and domineering woman. If anything happens to our son, do you think it’s my fault? No, it’s your fault, you are the biggest culprit.

“Ten years! I’ve been with you for ten years, how did you treat me? Yes, you gave me a not-so-small position in the company, but what’s the use of that? Your employees, your friends, what did they call me behind my back, do you know? They called me Liu Simin’s husband.

“What kind of husband? How did I, a grown man, become your possession? I had to get money from you, I had to humble myself and coax you, go shopping with you, eat with you. I’m not your nanny!”

Liu Simin was incredulous: “Is that how you see our relationship and life? I just thought that with time, our feelings faded. I never expected you to think this way? Is this why you found a mistress outside? Yes, I know you have a woman outside, that’s why I proposed divorce. Since we couldn’t go on, it’s better to part amicably, not to mention the love we once shared. But why did you involve our son? He’s your son too.”

Hang Jie: “Watch your mouth. What mistress? Nana loves me, and I love her. You’re the third party in our relationship.”

“You love her? She loves you?” Liu Simin sounded like she heard something hilarious. “If you weren’t squandering my money, would she be with you?”

“Hmph, I won’t argue with a pathetic woman like you who doesn’t understand love.”

Liu Simin: “I don’t understand love? Okay, even if people gossip, don’t you have a conscience? Honestly, haven’t I been good to you?”

“You still have the nerve to say that? You’re good to me? You made me sign a prenuptial agreement? You’re good to me and only gave me one house, one car, and a seven-figure deposit when we divorced? That’s like giving alms to a beggar. Since you wouldn’t give it, I had to find a way to get it myself.”

At this point, everyone present cast a look of disdain at Hang Jie.

Liu Simin’s eyes were indifferent, looking at her legal husband as if he were a dead object. She sneered, “Your way is at the cost of harming your own son? I was truly blind before, deceived by your rotten tricks. Before marrying me, you were just a small employee earning a few thousand yuan a month. In just ten years, you have a house, a car, and savings. What’s more, you even cheated during our marriage, Hang Jie, I’ve been more than benevolent to you.”

Hang Jie stammered.

Liu Simin finally said, “Just a reminder, your so-called true love, Nana, has already run away.”

“Impossible, Nana is already pregnant with our baby. You, a woman like a stone, wouldn’t understand the feelings between us.

“You dare to mention Nana repeatedly, why don’t you look at yourself? How many men have you been with outside that I don’t know about? You take a male secretary out, drink with a group of men at dinner parties. You’re a woman, doing such big business, who would believe you haven’t slept with a few men? And this Liang Jinguo next to you, what kind of damn friend is he? Could it be that Liu Xingchen’s surname is actually Liang?”

Liu Simin couldn’t bear it anymore, walked over, and slapped Hang Jie several times.

The police officers present waited until she finished hitting him, and when it seemed she wasn’t going to hit him anymore, they coolly intervened: “No fighting allowed in the police station.”

Liu Simin didn’t want to look at the man again and strode away with Liang Jinguo.

Qin Qing leaned over and looked at the System Panel above Hang Jie’s head, clicking her tongue.

Lin Feng: “New lead?”

Qin Qing shook her head: “Whether that Nana is really pregnant is uncertain, and even if she is, the child won’t be Hang Jie’s.”

For people who are about to have a direct bloodline born, the color of their System Panel is green, ranging from light green to dark green. But Hang Jie’s System Panel only had a gray color, representing disaster.

Lin Feng rubbed his chin, slowly pondering: “Perhaps this is also a clue. That Nana is pregnant and still involved in crime. Maybe the father of her child is one of the kidnappers. I’ll go find Sister Chen; this clue can’t be overlooked either.”

Lin Feng’s discussion with Chen Deyu is unknown, but she eventually agreed for Liu Simin to join Lin Feng’s team.

Liu Simin’s phone was equipped with police devices, allowing calls and messages to be monitored and located by the police station.

Chen Deyu saw Lin Feng off to the car, leaning into the window to instruct: “I’ll continue the investigation here. If you find anything, call for backup immediately.”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Feng floored the accelerator and sped off.

Two police officers, Liu Simin, and Qin Qing, filled the car perfectly.

Qin Qing kept staring at the directional arrow on Liu Simin’s System Panel: “It’s been heading south, no change in direction yet.”

Lin Feng directly put the siren on the car roof, driving unimpeded all the way.

Half an hour later, Qin Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Xingchen’s exact location was displayed, indicating their distance was now less than 50km.

Qin Qing didn’t state the exact location at first, still guiding by direction, just more clearly than before.

Lin Feng seemed to notice, glanced at her in passing, and said nothing.

At about 5 kilometers away, Qin Qing told Lin Feng to turn off the siren.

“It’s very close now.”

Their car drove into an unfinished villa area.

Qin Qing: “It’s in there.”

“How many people? What’s their weapon and equipment like?” Lin Feng asked very smoothly.

“Are you taking me for a deity or a scout? I can’t calculate that.”

Lin Feng pulled over, using the car’s internal equipment to call: “Calling headquarters, we’ve received intelligence that the kidnappers are holding the hostage in the South Suburb Fishing Bay area. Scale unknown, weapons and equipment unknown. Over.”

“Headquarters received.” It was Chen Deyu’s voice. “We’ve already requested support from nearby relevant detachments.”

Liu Simin knew her son was ahead and tried to open the door to get out, but was stopped by a police officer.

Lin Feng pointed to the officer holding Liu Simin: “You stay here and take care of the two of them, and wait for backup. Xiao Fang and I will go in and check the situation.”

Qin Qing pulled him back: “I’m coming too.”

“No.”

“I can sense Liu Xingchen’s exact location. Taking me will make your efforts twice as effective.”

After thinking for a moment, Lin Feng pulled out a hard vest and a helmet from the trunk for Qin Qing.

“Put on this ‘turtle shell’ and follow my instructions once inside.”

The “turtle shell” Lin Feng mentioned was very heavy. Qin Qing guessed it was probably the legendary bulletproof vest.

The three advanced along the wall. On the way, Lin Feng suddenly let out a short, meaningful laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Qin Qing asked in a low voice.

Lin Feng suppressed his voice: “I’m thinking, if the criminals are really inside, how should I write my case report? If I write it truthfully, will the leader think I’m the mastermind behind the kidnapping, otherwise how would I know the kidnappers are here?”

“Just like you suspected me before?” Qin Qing actually felt relieved, probably a kind of schadenfreude that this oily-haired Lin also has his day. Suppressing a laugh, she said, “You have no motive.”

Lin Feng guided them forward: “How can I not? Entrapment, faking performance.”

Qin Qing: “…”

They stopped in front of a pile of construction debris. Qin Qing pointed to the unfinished villa ahead, open on all four sides, and mouthed to Lin Feng: “It’s in this building, probably in the southwest corner.”

“Which floor?”

“Uncertain.”

Lin Feng pondered, seemingly thinking of a countermeasure.

The kidnappers were close at hand, the distance definitely less than 50m. Qin Qing remembered the kidnapper’s name she saw on Liu Xingchen’s System Panel.

She sat down on the spot and wrote the name in her notebook.

It really worked!

Through this kidnapper’s log, she successfully uncovered the other kidnappers. To her surprise, all of their Sin Values were not high, only slightly higher than ordinary people. Was it because it was currently attempted harm?

There were three kidnappers in total, all from the same hometown. They used to be workers in this villa area. The one who kidnapped Liu Xingchen currently worked as security at the mall where Liu Xingchen went missing, which is how he knew there was a problem with the parking lot’s surveillance cameras. This led to the kidnapping plan.

Without time to look further, Qin Qing told Lin Feng: “There should be three kidnappers, and they’re all inside.”

The new information made Lin Feng and Xiao Fang exchange glances. Lin Feng said, “Three petty thieves, no need to wait for backup. Xiao Fang and I will go in and check the situation first. As for you, return the way you came. If the situation inside isn’t controlled and they get desperate, encountering you outside could lead them to take you as a new hostage.”

Qin Qing knew the seriousness of the problem. She currently had no self-defense capability, and being there would indeed be a hindrance.

So she slipped away quickly—or so she thought. In reality, she was still carrying Lin Feng’s disliked heavy protective vest, walking back like a turtle. If there were a camera filming her actions at that moment, she would understand why Lin Feng disliked this thing and called it a “turtle shell.”

Halfway, they met several plainclothes officers coming as reinforcements.

Initially, they were on alert, but seeing someone wearing the familiar “turtle shell,” they knew it wasn’t a kidnapper.

One young officer, seeing Qin Qing’s appearance, even smiled.

Qin Qing initially didn’t know what he was smiling about, thinking this young man was not serious at all, laughing at a scene where they were catching criminals.

It wasn’t until she pointed the way for this group of plainclothes officers and returned to Lin Feng’s car. The wide rearview mirror reflected her appearance.

She instantly lost her smile; this vest and her short stature didn’t match!

Liu Simin waited anxiously in front of the car, and upon seeing Qin Qing, she eagerly asked about the situation inside.

“Don’t worry, Liu Xingchen is fine. There are so many police officers there.”

Liu Simin: “Thank you so much this time…”

Qin Qing struggled to take off the “turtle shell,” waving her hand: “Don’t talk about this now. Let’s talk after the child is safely back.”

Liu Simin smiled gratefully.

It seemed like a long time, yet it also seemed like not much time had passed.

Noisy sounds came from the direction the police officers had left, and soon figures appeared.

Lin Feng, holding a child, led the way.

Behind them were several people in handcuffs, hunched over and pushed forward, their faces bruised and swollen.

“Xingchen!” Liu Simin rushed to her child and hugged him tightly.

The kidnappers were urged to squat facing the wall, waiting for the police car to transport prisoners.

Lin Feng handed over the child and walked towards Qin Qing, rubbing his shoulder as he walked.

His cheekbones were bruised reddish-blue, new marks from this operation.

He cursed as usual, like a chatterbox: “These guys have bad character, and they’re surprisingly strong.”

Then he added, “We really caught them here. This report is going to be hard to write.”

Qin Qing: “Isn’t Officer Chen in charge of this case?”

“Yeah, I’m on secondment. That’s Sister Chen’s problem to worry about, hahaha. I’m so used to writing my own case reports that I didn’t react immediately.” Whether he was faking it or not, Lin Feng’s expression instantly relaxed.

He wrapped his arms around his chest and circled Qin Qing: “Master Qin? I really believe now that you can tell fortunes and are some kind of fate master.”

“So you didn’t believe me before? Then why did you follow the direction I pointed?” Qin Qing was so annoyed she laughed.

Lin Feng answered the question very sincerely: “If the kidnappers and hostage weren’t here, then you would be providing false clues to interfere with the case, and I would have another reason to arrest you.”

No, she just couldn’t check people’s logs all the time, and she stepped into another trap?

“Don’t be angry,” Lin Feng nudged her: “I’ll treat you to dinner. There’s a wonton place next to Sister Chen’s team that’s especially delicious… Don’t look down on wontons, that place makes them with real yanpi, they’re expensive. I usually don’t dare to eat there myself. I always make Sister Chen treat me…”

Speaking of Chen Deyu, Lin Feng rubbed his scruffy chin again: “Oh, right. I can make Sister Chen treat both of us, since we helped her out. Ah… in that case, we can demand a big meal, otherwise it would be disrespectful to her. Do you eat crabs? I know a place that makes excellent June Yellow Crabs”

Qin Qing: “…”

With your unkempt, stingy, and sharp-tongued appearance, why hasn’t your Sister Chen kicked you out?

“Oh, right. That Nana probably hasn’t been caught yet. Master Qin, can you calculate?”

Qin Qing turned her head: “I don’t know, I can’t calculate that.”