The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 73 Tan... didn't go there at all!

"Cuff him and take him away!"

Cheng Jing breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a little comforted after suppressing her emotions for so long.

After all, this time, the young man's risky strategy had worked remarkably well. He hadn't come away empty-handed at all; if he could pry even a little information out of these five fish, the case would definitely make progress.

Special police officers moved forward, working in pairs, and quickly subdued them, handcuffing them, searching them, and putting black hoods on their heads. They found knives, batons, stun guns, and several encrypted communication devices on them.

Cheng Jing watched coldly, quickly assessing the situation in her mind.

They were well-equipped, but lacked standard firearms, behaving like "kidnappers."

Their target is clearly Cheng Tan; the question is whether to capture him alive or silence him.

Judging from the attacker's action of trying to draw a weapon, there is a high probability that he would kill if necessary.

Who sent them?

Cheng Jing walked towards the five captured attackers. She crouched down and ripped off the hood of one of them.

An ordinary-looking face was revealed.

"Who sent you?" Cheng Jing asked sternly.

The man gave her a cold look, as if she were a stone, and remained silent.

Cheng Jing wasn't surprised. These kinds of people are tough nuts to crack; it's very difficult to get them to talk using conventional interrogation methods.

She stood up and instructed the police captain beside her, "Transport them separately, detain them in solitary confinement, and conduct surprise interrogations back at the station. Focus on investigating their communication devices, sources of funding, and social connections. I need to know where their roots are."

"Yes, Captain Cheng!"

This is not a place to linger; let's go back first! She pointed again.

The special police nodded and escorted "Cheng Tan" into a police van with dark tinted windows.

The crowd was dispersed, and the police cordon was extended further. The remaining technicians began to examine the alley and surrounding area, looking for any clues they might have missed.

Cheng Jing walked to the police van, opened the door, and ducked inside.

The car interior wasn't very spacious. Chen Ming had already removed the black hood that was making it difficult for him to breathe and was vigorously wiping the dirt off his face with a pack of wet wipes. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cheng Jing come in.

"Captain Cheng," he lowered his voice, his face full of complaint, "next time... if there's another 'switcheroo,' 'street running,' and 'gun to the head' extravagant package like this, could you... give me a script beforehand? Even just an outline! My heart was practically leaping out of my throat just now, being kicked around like a football by that kid!" He paused, then asked curiously, "And, that kid Cheng Tan... did you really just let him run around like that by himself? He didn't even bring his phone!"

Cheng Jing closed the car door, shutting out the sounds of the on-site investigation outside.

She didn't answer Chen Ming immediately. First, she carefully checked the inside of the car to make sure there were no abnormal electronic devices or listening devices before sitting down on the simple seat opposite Chen Ming, her expression even more serious.

"He didn't go to get what I prepared," Cheng Jing suddenly said, her voice very low.

"What?" Chen Ming stopped wiping his face.

"My people have been keeping an eye on the handover point under the garage ventilation shaft." Cheng Jing's eyes were somewhat unfocused. "We just received news that the items are untouched, the seals are intact, and there are no signs of them being touched. Cheng Tan... didn't go there at all."

Chen Ming's brows furrowed deeply: "He didn't go? Where could he have gone? He had nothing on him except my old police uniform! No money, no identification! In broad daylight, where could a 'fugitive suspect' hide?"

"So, either he has a backup plan we don't know about, or..." Cheng Jing paused, "His current situation might be more dangerous than we imagined. The other side not only sent these five overt 'Type A' agents, but they likely also have 'eyes' and 'spies' we haven't discovered. Cheng Tan understands the threat he faces better than we do; his nightmares and experiences have given him an almost instinctive intuition for danger. His last-minute change of plans must mean he sensed something. Something from someone else, or something from within our ranks..."

Chen Ming gasped: "Inside? Captain Cheng, you mean among our people..."

"I have no evidence," Cheng Jing interrupted him. "It's just a worst-case scenario deduction. Yang Hong's attitude, Jin Xiaohao's overly 'smooth' confession, the sudden takeover of on-site command last night... all of these indicate that a force is trying to control the situation. Cheng Tan, as the most crucial and unstable 'variable,' is naturally a target that all parties want to control or eliminate. It's reasonable to some extent that he doesn't trust anyone, including us."

"Then what do we do? Should we send people to look for him? He shouldn't have gone far!" Chen Ming said anxiously.

"No." Cheng Jing shook her head. "The show can't stop here. At least on the surface, 'Cheng Tan' has been arrested and is being escorted back to the Municipal Bureau. This 'fact' must be confirmed, and everyone watching must see and believe it. So..."

She looked at Chen Ming apologetically, "You'll have to keep acting from now on. You can only 'remove your makeup' once we arrive at the Municipal Bureau and complete the handover."

Chen Ming looked at Cheng Jing, opened his mouth, and finally let out a bitter laugh. "What good would it do if I said no? From the first day I partnered with you, I knew this would happen sooner or later." He moved his wrists, which were numb from being handcuffed for too long, and picked up the black hood again, but didn't put it on immediately. "Captain Cheng, I have just one question—will things really be 'not peaceful' on the way to the prison?"

Cheng Jing's eyes instantly turned icy. "Definitely. They've gone to such lengths to set this up; they won't let 'Cheng Tan' be taken back for interrogation so easily. Those five were the obvious targets; there are likely more hidden ones along the way. Our convoy is the biggest target. Your task is to be the bullseye, to lure out the hidden arrows..."

Chen Ming took a deep breath, said nothing more, put the black hood back on his head, adjusted his breathing, and instantly switched back to the panicked and uneasy "Cheng Tan" state.

Cheng Jing gave him a deep look, then opened the car door and got out.

"Ready to depart! Escort the convoy and return to the city bureau along the planned route! Maintain distance between the vehicles in front and behind, and keep a close watch!" She regained her usual composure over the walkie-talkie.

The convoy of three police cars slowly started moving and drove away from the single apartment.

Cheng Jing sat in the passenger seat of the lead car, looking at the convoy behind her through the rearview mirror, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on her knees.

She was thinking, and she was waiting.

The convoy drove smoothly through two blocks and turned onto the relatively wide Jianghuai Road. Traffic gradually increased in the morning, and sunlight shone through gaps in the clouds, making everything appear peaceful and serene.

The walkie-talkie crackled with the routine report from the escorting personnel in the following vehicle: "Everything is normal, no unusual following vehicles have been detected."

Cheng Jing hummed in agreement, her gaze sweeping over the tall buildings on either side. The calmer the surface, the more likely a storm is brewing.

Ahead, as the convoy gradually entered the "Jianghuai Road Second Tunnel"—

"Report, the vehicle is about to enter the second tunnel on Jianghuai Road, everything is going smoothly..." The routine report from the escorting special police officer in the following vehicle was interrupted before he could finish!

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar came from the direction of the tunnel entrance ahead!