Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 17 Breaking Free from Thinking
Highway service areas are best known for their food, which is of average taste but priced much higher than market prices.

The two-person team from Zhongshan Police Station finished their meal at a highway service area, tidied up briefly, and prepared to leave the restaurant, board their vehicle, and continue their journey.

Before leaving, Zhu Chaoran didn't forget to run to the snack street and buy several bags of snacks: zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), wheat cakes, sausages, and so on.

"Hehe, it'll probably be going on until midnight if nothing unexpected happens. We don't fight unprepared battles." Zhu Chaoran was quite confident in his preparations for food. "Brother Shu, I've prepared some for you too."

He picked up the two bags in his right hand, waved them in front of Chen Shu a few times, and looked smug.

Chen Shu was a little speechless, but he was used to it. He sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and casually asked, "Fatty, how's the car going now?"

"Well, basically no problem, it's just that I haven't really tried flooring the accelerator yet. I'm afraid that if I do have to, I won't be used to it," Zhu Chaoran said honestly, scratching his head.

"Try it when we start moving," Chen Shu said, pointing to a red button covered by a transparent plastic cover below the center console screen, and smiled.

"This is the nitrogen start button. The safe duration is ten seconds. You can try it out later too."

"Brother Shu, can I not listen to you this time?" Zhu Chaoran was dumbfounded and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

Zhu Chaoran has loved cars since he was a child. Before he joined the police station as an auxiliary police officer, he used to race cars with others for a period of time.

He's a well-known figure in the industry, nicknamed "Fatty the Dead." Although the nickname isn't very flattering, the "Fatty the Dead" in that nickname means fearless in the eyes of those in the circle.

Zhu Chaoran's racing ability is evident and beyond doubt after dozens of races.

But he himself knew perfectly well that, regardless of whether he lived or died, in terms of sheer ruthlessness in the face of adversity, he was far inferior to Chen Shu.

Although Chen Shu doesn't drive much and his driving skills are only average, perhaps slightly better than the average person, Zhu Chaoran still gets chills whenever he recalls the fierce way Chen Shu chased after him in his rickety Santana.

That car chase ended with the Santana crashing head-on into Zhu Chaoran's Mustang.

Zhu Chaoran, who was huddled in his seat, watched in horror as Chen Shu staggered to his car, forcefully pulled open the door, and, with blood streaming down his head, mocked him from above: "Fatty, are you dead yet?"

At that time, Zhu Chaoran was incredibly lucky and emerged unharmed, without a single scratch. Almost half a year has passed, but every time he thinks about it, he still breaks out in a cold sweat.

After Chen Shu finished explaining the nitrogen matter, he signaled Zhu Chaoran to continue on his way.

"Brother Shu, why do you want to modify cars?" Zhu Chaoran, who had been completely confused by Chen Shu, suddenly realized, "I don't think you're a car enthusiast."

Chen Shu didn't even lift his eyelids: "It's all because we raced before the New Year, you forced me to do it."

After he finished speaking, he fell silent and fell into deep thought.

Nearly 48 hours had passed since Chen Shu estimated the time of the incident. Based on the itinerary records provided by the highway company, the kidnappers estimated that they had been driving almost continuously during those 48 hours, except for necessary meals and bathroom breaks.

Such a long-term, cross-regional operation would cause their mental stress to rise exponentially, until it reaches a relative critical point and they can't hold on any longer! Therefore, this trip to Tingmadian Station in Hexi Province must be the last time they change locations.

Chen Shu made up his mind.

The police and criminals, who had never met, should have reached a consensus on this point.

The fact that the kidnappers went to such lengths—spending dozens of hours taking a roundabout route across cities and provinces—to conduct the transaction far from the crime scene suggests they had considered the worst-case scenario.

They must have assumed the possibility that the police from the crime scene would follow the hostages' families, so they devised a plan to force others to leave the area, thus losing their advantages in local geographical familiarity, personnel mobilization, and intelligence gathering.

In this way, by taking advantage of the hostages, they can force the other side to make a series of concessions, and then when the other side's conditions are weakened to the limit, they can step forward and fight back.

Yes, only then did they dare to step forward and fight back with all their might.

(End of this chapter)