NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 95-1
Betrayal
The mans voice, originally warm and clear, became deep and hoarse through the voice changer, chilling to the bone.
Your first mission is to get that USB flash drive with the audio file on it. Oh, and remember, dont tell anyone.
I know youre a well-connected criminal investigator, but He paused slightly, lowering his voice, the end of his sentence lilting upwards.
If you call the police, youll never see your dear family again.
Song Yuhang stood outside the restroom in the hallway, breathing heavily, her eyes flashing with fury.
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What exactly do you want?
Not much. The man sighed deeply: I just want to play a game with Captain Song.
To ensure no interruptions, walk forward ten steps. Theres a green trash can in the corridor, toss your phone into it. After you get the USB, I will contact you again.
Oh, and one more thing. The man glanced at his wristwatch: You have less than half an hour. After that, Ill start giving electric shocks again.
Im also curious how much shock such a little kid can withstand. Oh, I havent told you yet, but the voltage will increase gradually.
Or, if you dont want to play this game, thats fine too. Its just that such a cute kid will be deactivated, tsk tsk tsk, such a pity.
Song Yuhang roared with fury, Stop it!!!
Listening to the roar on the other end and her violent gasps for air, the man hung up the phone with satisfaction, gesturing to start driving.
A chilly breeze swept through the empty airport. Not far in her line of sight, a green trash can stood silently.
Song Yuhang felt as if she was trapped inside an invisible glass dome with nowhere to hide. The surveillance cameras above and the CCTV in the corridors seemed like pairs of pitch-black and venomous eyes, scrutinizing her every move incessantly.
She felt a mix of shock, fear, and apprehension, standing frozen in place, clutching her phone and trembling. Those eyes, usually so calm, were now filled with panic.
She had countless moments where she wanted to call back to the precinct for help, to have all her colleagues come together to aid her searchtheres strength in numbers.
She also had countless moments where she wanted to turn back to find Lin Yan, to tell her about the threats.
But the kidnapper had said, Anyone.
Anyone.
Her Adams apple moved up and down, she could only swallow this bitter pill alone.
She couldnt gamble with the lives of Xiaowei and Ji Jingxing.
And her mother, just thinking about her tightened her already anxious heart even more.
Her, who disappeared along with Xiaowei, most likely faced grim prospects.
At that moment, the cry of someones child in the airport pierced the air, sharply cutting through her eardrums and stabbing deep into her heart.
No longer hesitating, Song Yuhang wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, took long strides away, rapidly typed a line of text, hit the send button, and then tossed her phone into the trash can.
As she ran through the central hall of the airport, she glanced sideways at the spot where they had just been sitting, now empty.
The boarding announcement had already been made; they must have left by then. Song Yuhangs heart skipped a beat, and it was as if she sighed in relief, yet her eyes became slightly moist.
Lin Yan, Im sorry.
She silently recited, heading straight for the parking lot.
With three minutes remaining before boarding.
Song Yuhang still hadnt arrived, and Lin Yan knew that something must have gone awry.
Go ahead, someone will meet you there. Ive arranged for a local guide.
Duan Cheng kept looking back: Sister Lin
With a stern shout, Lin Yan barked, Get lost, thats an order!
Having said that, she herself disappeared into the surging crowd without a backward glance.
The three of them lined up for the security check.
Sir, please show your ID.
Sir? Sir? The staff member called out several times, Duan Cheng numbly pulled out his ID card from his wallet.
Just as the security officer was about to take it, Duan Cheng, as if suddenly coming to his senses, snatched it back. Turning around, their eyes met, and the other two nodded, their eyes sparkling with the same resolve.
He shoved his backpack into the hands of the security officer and bolted off, Sorry, Im leaving this with you for a moment.
Lin Yan had checked the coffee shop and knocked on each door of the womens restroom, but still found nothing.
She turned on her mobile phone, and only one sentence lit up the screen: Im sorry.
The message was signed by Song Yuhang.
Lin Yan bit her lower lip hard, her eyes stinging with acidity. Im sorry, sorry your mother!
She turned around and threw a hard punch against the wall, startling the passersby.
Fang Xin ran over from afar, his words tripping over themselves, Lin Sister Lin, Old Zheng Old Zheng said he can check the surveillance.
Lin Yans lips curled into a cold sneer, No need to bother with that. Just take your police badges and head straight for the airport control room.
Police.
While Lin Yan verbally identified as police, her actions were entirely thuggish, kicking the door open and shoving her police badge into the airport workers face. When he didnt move aside, she pushed him away with one hand.
Behind her, several others also flashed their police badges to bolster Lin Yans presence, wearing a stern and righteous expression on their faces, yet feeling a bundle of nerves on the inside.
Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment, on official duty to investigate a case. Move aside, we need to access the surveillance.
It was the same little leader that Lin Yan had pushed aside earlier who scrambled up again, trying to snatch their badges for a closer look.
Each badge had a police number and position on it.
Duan Cheng coughed loudly, prompting everyone to swiftly put their badges away again.
Leading the group, Lin Yan walked straight up to the large screen. Seeing that the operator hadnt yet risen, she grabbed the individual by the collar and yanked them to their feet.
A man about 1.7 meters tall was treated like a small chicken as he was hustled to the side.
Old Zheng, over here.
Zheng Chengrui nodded, made his way over, and sat down to begin rewinding the surveillance footage.
The control room staff exchanged glances, silent as if they were facing a bitter winter.
No one could ascertain their identities for certain. After all, they operated under the name of the City Public Security Bureau, and the woman leading them possessed extraordinary skills and an unusually striking appearance, exuding an air of stern execution. For the moment, no one dared to step forward and interfere.
Duan Cheng propped himself on his chair and whispered, Old Zheng, hurry it up, will you? You guys have legitimate IDs; mines a fake. Once security gets here, not even wings would help us fly away.
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Zheng Chengruis forehead was dotted with a sheen of sweat as he rapidly tapped on the keyboard, scrutinizing the surveillance footage frame by frame.
A woman in a black jacket burst out of the restroom corridor.
Lin Yan shouted, Stop! The screen froze on the instant she flung the phone.
The surveillance videos resolution wasnt very clear; one couldnt make out her facial expressions, but just from that action alone, Lin Yan sensed something was amiss.
Alarm bells went off in her head: Check the parking lot cameras.
Sure enough, the screen switched to the parking lot, a white Audi slowly pulled away.
Damn it, Lin Yan cursed vehemently, spat on the ground, and turned to leave, calling her people on the phone as she walked.
Hey, has Song Yuhang returned to the villa?
After retrieving items from the safe, Song Yuhang hurried downstairs and coincidentally bumped into one of Lin Yans bodyguards at the door.
In the moment their eyes met.
Lin Yan, gritting her teeth, commanded: Stop her!
Fists and kicks flew her way, but Song Yuhang deftly dodged, grabbing the assailant by the collar and hurling him into the flower bed.
Seeing a scuffle break out, the other remaining bodyguards promptly joined the fray.
The people there had often crossed paths, so when she first came in, they didnt stop her.
With eyes reddened, Song Yuhang murmured an apology: Sorry about this.
She kicked the person blocking her way aside, dashed to the car, yanked open the door, and slid in.
As the bodyguard lunged, trying to cling to the car window, she, with eyes blazing, slammed her foot on the gas and zipped away.
The car took a sharp turn on the mountain road, and the bodyguard tumbled to the roadside.
Song Yuhang glanced back; Qingshan Villa getting farther and farther away from her.
Listening to the sounds of the fight and the screeching brakes, Lin Yan was almost gritting her teeth in frustration.
F***, chase her!
They had just started running out when the patrol personnel, armed with stun batons, were already encircling them from a distance.
Under normal circumstances, being questioned would be no big dealwith Lin Yans status and background, there wasnt much she couldnt handle.
But it just had to be now, she couldnt afford to lose even a minute.
They exchanged looks.
Lin Yan barked, Run!
The four of them scattered in different directions, disappearing into the crowd.
Stop! Dont run! the security guards shouted from behind, doggedly in pursuit.
One of them in uniform, running until he was out of breath, leaned on his knees, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and with a sharp eye, suddenly realized why that woman looked so familiar.
Wasnt that Lin Yan, the forensic scientist from Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau?
He whipped out his cellphone, and with one call he was through to the city bureau.
Feng Jianguo was sipping tea and reading the newspaper when he got the report, and he ended up spraying tea all over the table.
What?!
Everythings gone completely haywire.
Master, theres trouble, Butler Lin hurried into the bedroom and whispered a few words into his ear.
The people we sent out last time theyre dead too, the bodies have been found.
Lin Youyuans pupils contracted, and he set down his medicine bowl only to be seized by a violent cough, Stop stop her, dont dont let her go!
As an outsider, or rather, someone who orchestrates the game, he maintained ample clarity and reason. He wasnt like Lin Yan, prone to anger and impulsive to charge ahead without a thought.
Upon hearing the news, his intuition almost immediately told him who the trap was set for.
Alright, understood. Ill start making arrangements.
The butler scurried out.
Lin Youyuan massaged his brow, his mind racing with thoughts: Could it be that another force is involved?
Who could it be?
Or could it be, he, has really returned?
The elder rolled his wheelchair, fumbled to the bedside, and from under the pillow, he drew out his mobile phone, pressing the familiar number.
Miss, the driver had just opened the door when Lin Yan yanked the person out and seated herself behind the wheel. She picked up three people who were rushing toward her at the front intersection and then steered the car onto the airport ramp.
Lin Yan glanced back. Sirens blaring, the police car was in hot pursuit. She clenched her teeth and asked, You all had your faces covered, right?
The several people obediently wore masks and hats in the back seat.
Duan Cheng shook his head, Sister Lin, where do we go to find Captain Song now?
Lin Yan raced down the highway, nearly turning the sports car into a race car, slyly weaving it through dense traffic, creating a considerable gap between them and the police car.
She didnt look back, her expression stoic: After getting off the highway, Ill find a place to drop you off. Everyone go back to your own homes, find your own mothers.
Song Yuhang drove down the mountain, a folder on the passenger seat beside her the material she took from Lin Yans house, the sum of their efforts investigating this case over the past days.
She glanced at it once, forcing her gaze away, then checked her watch. One minute had passed since the agreed upon time, and she couldnt help but punch the steering wheel, breathing heavily.
Ahead, at the crosswalk, there was a mother and daughter crossing the street. She pulled over to the side, her car window aligned with a public telephone booth on the sidewalk.
The phone began to ring urgently, like a death knell, but this was the suburbs vast and sparsely populated.
Besides her car, and the mother and daughter who had just passed by, the road was empty.
Song Yuhang stared fixedly at the public telephone booth, her eyes bloodshot. Suddenly, she flung the car door open and ran over, grabbing the phone fiercely.
Hello? Her voice was hurried and panting, wishing she could tear the kidnapper to pieces.
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First of all, congratulations on completing the first phase of the task. However, youre still a minute late, so, I have to punish her.
How about you take a guess, who shall it be this time? The older one, the younger one, or maybe
He paused for a moment, his intent loaded with meaning.
Song Yuhang gripped the phone receiver and roared, Dont touch my mom, dont lay a finger on them, whatever you have, bring it to me! Come at me!
The man started to laugh. Dont rush, Captain Song, your turn will come soon enough.
Alright, head to the next location now, Ill only say it once. If youre late, they wont have a chance at life.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by