Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 24 The storm is coming
Dark clouds gathered, and the rain was clearly getting heavier. Apart from the distant noise of cars, there was no other sound at the scene.

Ren Da and Zhao Hu, standing on the Dingshan Overpass, stared dumbfounded at everything that had just happened, unable to react in time. Of course, there was nothing for them to do from their position on the bridge.

The sudden flash of white light in the darkness, the loud roar of the engine, and even the fact that the white car could only weave in and out of its lanes during the chase due to an unexpected tire blowout, could not diminish its unstoppable momentum.

The kidnappers, who had been standing under the bridge, openly threatening them with guns, swiftly and decisively escaped in a sports car.

The empty, muddy road and the pattering rain seemed to question whether the previous tense standoff had actually happened.

Even though Ren Da had received information that two police officers would be sneaking in from the east, their unexpected and eye-opening entrance was still quite surprising.

"It's like a movie..." Zhao Hu said in a low voice.

The stark contrast was overwhelming; for a moment, even Ren Da almost mistook it for a large police force rushing over!
The excitement still lingers in my heart.

Zhu Chaoran brought the hostage Liu Yan to the foot of the bridge and began shouting loudly, which brought him back to his senses.

However, the kidnappers who were frightened should not come back. What a bluff... Ren Da thought to himself with certainty as he came to his senses.

"Old Zhao, are you up there?" Liu Yan stood under the bridge, letting the rain slap her face, and anxiously called out towards the bridge.

Zhao Hu clung to the concrete railing with both hands, leaning his body out of the bridge as far as he could, and shouted anxiously, "Wife, it's me! Hurry up and drag that canvas bag down to the bottom of the bridge. It's full of money, so it can't get wet!"

"Okay, okay!" Liu Yan looked in the direction Zhao Hu was pointing and saw that there was indeed a large canvas bag lying on the muddy road. She hurriedly pulled Zhu Chaoran over there.

"Over here, yes, right. Hurry up, hurry up... quickly carry it inside the bridge. Don't let it get wet! Hurry, hurry!"

Zhao Hu leaned on the concrete railing, anxiously directing the two people below as they waded through the muddy path, one step at a time.

"Make sure to store it in a dry place!"

Even though Zhao Hu could no longer see Liu Yan and Zhu Chaoran, who had already reached the bottom of the bridge and were carrying canvas bags, he still didn't forget his original intention and stretched out his body as much as possible, shouting down towards the bottom.

Standing to the side, Ren Da cautiously looked around, and after confirming that all the kidnappers had left and the scene was safe, he prepared to get into his car and leave.

At this moment, Zhao Hu heard the sound of a car door opening. He turned around and saw Ren Da opening the car door and preparing to get in. He hurriedly jumped off the guardrail and ran over.

He reached out and grabbed Ren Da's arm as he opened the door, asking anxiously, "Officer Ren, what's wrong? Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I'm going to assist that car now!" Ren Da nodded and replied confidently.

"What should we do then? What if the kidnappers come back? They have guns!" Seeing Ren Da's determined eyes, Zhao Hu was afraid that he would abandon him. As he spoke, he pulled out one of his hands that was holding Ren Da's arm and made a gun gesture.

"Hmm! Hmm!" Then he forcefully fanned his nostrils, not forgetting to hum twice.

Ren Da gently pressed down on Zhao Hu's large hand that was gripping his forearm and advised, "The other police officers are on their way and will be here soon."

"No, absolutely not. You can't just leave us like this! What if that kidnapper with the gun comes back? Can you take that responsibility?" Zhao Hu said anxiously, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

Ren Da was helpless, although he was quite certain the kidnappers wouldn't be foolish enough to return. But for the police, the safety of people's lives and property was indeed paramount.

He could only stay by the side, settling everyone down. He turned to look behind him and saw the dark, silent, and gloomy mountain, and the winding, jagged dirt road below it, like a giant beast baring its fangs, weighing heavily on his heart.
-
Dark clouds covered the sky, rain continued to fall, and the air was so stuffy that it was hard to breathe.

About 300 meters south of the transaction location demanded by the kidnappers, next to a bridge pier of the Dingshan Overpass.

A lone man sat on the muddy ground, leaning against a bridge pier, his left leg raised and his right leg flat. His solitary figure looked quite forlorn, and upon closer inspection, his right leg, which was flat, seemed to have a shape that defied common sense.

"Ren Da, I think I've broken my leg. I'm staying put and waiting for rescue. Team Leader Zheng and his men are on their way to you. They should be here in a few minutes."

The man spoke in a low voice, talking on the phone with his right hand while forcefully slamming his clenched left fist against the bridge pier behind him.

"Bang bang bang."

In the patter of the rainy night, the sound was quite loud. It was clear the man was seething with anger; otherwise, he wouldn't have started banging on the wall repeatedly while on the phone.

Upon closer inspection, the seated man, with his brows furrowed and eyes tightly closed, letting the water droplets cling to his face without wiping them away, was none other than Li Meng, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Zhengming District Public Security Bureau, who had just led the team to raid the kidnappers' transaction site.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I jumped down the slope without a rope, and I didn't expect to slip and fall into a hole at the bottom."

"There's no way around it, cell phone lights don't go very far, everyone's just groping in the dark. This is more exciting than winning the lottery."

"Yes, yes. It was my fault for being too impatient and not being steady enough. I was supposed to be leading the team, but I ended up dragging everyone down."

"Okay, I understand. What's the situation on your end?"

"Yes, the hostages are safe, that's good. What! How is that possible!"

Li Meng felt as if she had forgotten to breathe for a moment. She sat up straight from the back of the bridge pier, but then her whole body suddenly stiffened.

His eyes, which snapped open suddenly, were filled with disbelief.

"A white car chased after the kidnappers?"

"Is there a possibility of a tire blowout?"

"How can it be!"

"Beep beep..."

The moon hung high in the sky, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the rain seemed to be slowing down. The raindrops that drifted under the overpass seemed like they would stop in the blink of an eye.

Li Meng raised her hand to wipe the rain off her face, then leaned against the bridge pier again, her hand hanging down, holding her phone whose screen had gone dark some time ago after the call ended.

He looked up and thought of his stubborn old classmate.

He curled the corners of his mouth slightly, his eyes regaining their former brilliance, and chuckled, "Hmph, I'm not steady? Compared to you, I'm damn steady!"

With that smile, Li Meng finally let go of the jealousy she had harbored for her old classmate for so many years.

(End of this chapter)