Chapter 317: Ghost Sent Back to the Criminal Investigation Brigade, the Challenge of Cross-Border Pursuit

Jiahe City, Yangliu Criminal Investigation Division.

Several police vehicles had already returned to the precinct one after another, preparing to immediately coordinate the next steps of the operation.

Back in the conference room filled with evidence and materials related to the Lan Cai’er case, Chen Sheng wore an expression that was hard to describe—somewhere between relief and deep reflection.

He had spent over half a year chasing this killer, and finally, today, the suspect was in custody. What’s more, the arrest had unraveled a string of major cases connected to it.

The reasons and details behind Lan Cai’er’s murder were now clearly the most critical pieces of information they needed.

…

Inside the conference room.

Liu Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a heavy sigh, speaking with lingering emotion.

“Lucky break, honestly.”

“That Black killer had a clear target. All his attention was on Ghost, and he didn’t turn his gun on the civilians.”

“In the end, Ghost only suffered a minor injury. Nothing serious. If things had gone differently, the public backlash could’ve been unimaginable.”

“But I have to say this.”

“Airport security really dropped the ball. How could they let a killer like that bring a gun into the country? Clearly, our defensive measures still aren’t enough.”

“If Gray Wolf had brought a rifle instead of a handgun, things could’ve been much worse. Even if we had arrived in time, Ghost probably wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

It was obvious.

Even though Gray Wolf’s shooting hadn’t harmed any civilians, the entire situation left everyone with a lingering sense of dread.

If Gray Wolf had turned his gun on the crowd instead, in a packed and enclosed venue like the Circus Hall, the consequences would’ve been catastrophic.

Standing nearby, Chen Sheng nodded in agreement and picked up the thread of conversation.

“Yeah, it really was luck.”

“Just now, officers from the Criminal Investigation Technology Section were looking into that Black killer’s background.”

“They found that his flight had landed quite a while ago. Logically, he should’ve headed straight to the Lingling Circus Theater.”

“But along the way… he ended up wasting nearly an hour.”

“Later, the officers checked the airport surveillance footage in detail and discovered that the killer had been taken for a ride—literally. A taxi driver drove him around the Fourth Ring Road several times.”

“That unexpected detour gave us just enough time to intervene before things got worse. We were able to stop the assassination attempt before it turned fatal.”

“This time… even luck was on our side.”

The fact that a professional killer flown in from the United States had his mission derailed by a taxi driver taking a long route was so absurd that Su Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In all his countless simulations, he’d rarely encountered something like this. He couldn’t tell if the Black assassin was just unlucky, or if Ghost was simply blessed to have survived a few days longer.

However—

This incident also made one thing very clear to Su Ming. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a hint of insight:

“They had to send a killer all the way from the United States.”

“That alone tells us… K doesn’t have many cards left to play.”

“Other than Priest, the remaining three members of the group have most likely been abandoned by K. It seems K has no intention of helping them escape any further.”

“So capturing those three shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Not to mention, we’ve got facial recognition data from Qiang Wei, and Ghost definitely knows more detailed information about the three of them.”

“But what worries me more is that K has probably already fled abroad.”

“Sending out Priest as the final trump card, and even getting The Organization in the United States to dispatch a killer, all just to ensure Ghost’s silence and keep Lan Cai’er’s secret buried.”

“From that alone, it’s clear that even if K were still in Dragon Country, without someone like Priest to support him, he’d be powerless. Most likely, he’s already slipped back into the United States to avoid being captured.”

Standing beside him, Lin Tian sniffed the lingering tobacco on his fingers and spoke with a grim tone.

“If K’s back in the United States, then our only option is a cross-border pursuit.”

“Countries like Thailand or Myanmar might still be open to negotiation, but the United States? That’s a whole different story. The chances of them letting us extradite K are slim to none.”

“If they were that cooperative, all the rich criminals who fled to the U.S. with stolen money would’ve been sent back long ago.”

At that moment, everyone in the room fell into a heavy silence, a mix of helplessness and frustration hanging in the air.

K was the root of this drug trafficking organization. If they couldn’t cut out the root, then even if K didn’t dare return to Dragon Country to continue his large-scale criminal operations, he would still remain a thorn in their side—a constant reminder of the one that got away.

Seeing the gloom on everyone’s faces, Liu Yang tried to lighten the mood a little and said,

“Even if we can’t catch K…”

“But this time, the Special Task Force really pulled it off. In just a few short days, they took down a drug trafficking organization that spanned dozens of cities, and managed to apprehend so many of its core members.”

“If this achievement is reported to the higher-ups, it’ll definitely be considered a major accomplishment.”

“Plus, the critical intel that Ghost uncovered—if you look at the big picture, it already represents a significant…”

Before he could finish, Chen Sheng’s phone rang sharply from his pocket, cutting off Liu Yang mid-sentence.

He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.

Chen Sheng’s expression turned sharp in an instant. Without a moment’s hesitation, he answered and began speaking.

A few seconds later, he ended the call and looked around at the others, eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke.

“Ghost’s condition is now under control.”

“His right arm won’t be usable for a while, but the blood loss wasn’t too severe. Aside from a graze on his lower back, there are no other major injuries.”

“According to the doctor, as long as he receives regular anti-inflammatory treatment, there’s no risk to his life. He doesn’t need to be hospitalized for recovery, though it might slow the healing process.”

“So the officers who accompanied him are already on their way back to HQ with Ghost, who’s still hooked up to an IV…”