Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 735 All Roads Lead to Success

Zhang Yang sat by the window, her eyes vacant and lifeless. The coffee cup in her hand was forgotten on the table, the cold drink seemingly reflecting her state of mind.

At this moment, Zhang Yang no longer displayed the decisive and efficient style of a journalist.

The claims of being the most outspoken reporter in Dongzhou, or the reporter who best distinguishes right from wrong under the lens, are all empty words.

In the face of truly ruthless thugs who wield power, nothing matters.

The sneer and sarcasm were the last vestiges of dignity she could maintain, but in other people's eyes, this dignity she had painstakingly built up was worthless.

Zhang Yang, who kept his head down and remained silent, did not say anything more, but for the second time on the same day, he felt somewhat lonely.

At this moment, recalling my conversation with Chen Shu at the Japanese restaurant some time ago, and remembering my righteous words when I spoke up for the people, I suddenly felt that I was very ridiculous and naive.

In this world, justice cannot be upheld simply by passion and enthusiasm.

Ultimately, I had oversimplified things.

In his recollection, Zhang Yang suddenly remembered something and quickly picked up the phone she had thrown on the ground to look through it. He saw that familiar figure in the popular videos.

Zhang Yang was initially stunned, but after figuring out the cause and effect of the matter, his expression became strange. He wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. After holding back for a few seconds, he finally burst out laughing.

"Hundreds of thousands in donations! How did you come up with such a ruthless idea?" Zhang Yang suddenly became happy, his peach blossom eyes curving into crescents. He threw himself onto the big bed and murmured, "But it all hurts him. He gets scolded and beaten. You really are ruthless."

After laughing, Zhang Yang felt much better and decided to stop deliberately avoiding the situation. At the same time, he had a new idea in mind.

She took out her phone and contacted Chen Shu, telling him from beginning to end about her request for help—Lin Yu being trapped in the KK Park—and Li Xia's plan to take hostages in exchange for one person's life, hoping to get useful information from Officer Chen Shu.

Chen Shu didn't have a better solution for Lin Yu, who was already trapped in the park. However, after hearing about Li Xia's situation, he nervously asked Zhang Yang to send him the video of Li Xia's brother being beaten via WeChat.

A moment later, a deep voice came from the other side.

“Yangyang, although you are on a video call, it is very likely that what you think is a real-time video has actually been tampered with by fraudsters using technical means.”

"Tampering? Why would they tamper with the video? There's no need for that."

According to Li Xia, he made one compensation payment, but instead of releasing the person, he sold them to another company?

"Yes, that's the situation."

"You should be prepared to lose both your money and your loved ones. Hmm, I just noticed that in the video, Li Xia's brother couldn't give the correct answers to the specific words or questions Li Xia asked him to; he just kept begging for mercy and talking incoherently."

"What is this?" Zhang Yang felt inexplicably nervous.

After a pause, Chen Shu took a deep breath and said, word by word, "What you saw was most likely a pre-recorded video, and it's hard to say what the people actually looked like."

That was actually quite a euphemism. In essence, as a frontline police officer with extremely rich experience in handling cases, Chen Shu had essentially given Li Xia's brother a death sentence. Zhang Yang opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Chen Shu continued to persuade him, "Yangyang, I'll say it again. I don't really believe that with the current nationwide anti-fraud campaign, anyone can actually be 'tricked' into going to Myanmar. People who go there now know from the beginning what kind of work they're doing. These people are just acting out of wishful thinking, believing they can make money there and get away unscathed."

Listening to Chen Shu's nagging, Zhang Yang did not refute it. Just as Li Xia had said before, his brother went there 100% voluntarily.

Over the phone, Chen Shu continued to describe the harsh reality: "This kind of person is essentially useless in every sense. I suggest giving up on the rescue plan, otherwise it will drag the whole family down. The 300,000 yuan compensation is a slightly lower amount that the other party deliberately chose. Because at this amount, most families can afford to try, but if they don't release the person after paying the money, then they basically won't get them back."

"Sending money won't stop those people from torturing the piglets; it will only make them intensify their extortion, because they know you can't bear to see your loved ones suffer and will most likely continue to send money. They have no regard for honesty or rules; all they care about is profit and how much more money they can squeeze out of the piglets they have."

"You need to understand that if you pay money and the person keeps getting resold, it becomes a bottomless pit. The family has to keep paying to bail them out, then reselling them to bail them out again, and then paying more to bail them out. If you get even deeper into this mess, all the relatives and friends you've lent money to will get hurt. Your parents can cry for a while, but you still have your older brother. Time heals all wounds, and everyone has to take responsibility for their choices."

Later on, given Zhang Yang's previous temperament, she would definitely have retorted, calling him a cold-blooded animal, unworthy of being a police officer, and selfish. However, after seeing Chen Shu's self-humiliation to save a seriously ill mother and daughter on Douyin, she also realized her own problem.

Chen Shuchun has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She thinks things through first, using the harshest words as a prelude to allow both parties to prepare for the worst before taking concrete actions to solve the problem.

She, however, only knows how to talk big, just like what that CEO Cao said.

"If you're so capable, go find them in Myanmar yourself!"

Afterwards, Zhang Yang called Li Xia and told him about Chen Shu's analysis. In short, his brother was likely dead, and he advised him that since the person was already dead, he shouldn't do anything foolish like taking hostages. People who are alive still have to live their lives.

After a long silence, the other end replied with a single sentence.

"We have to give it a try. The 300,000 yuan didn't just save a useless younger brother; it saved the bond between the older brother and the younger brother."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang did not hesitate any longer and immediately began packing his luggage, preparing to go to KM City in Yunnan Province the next day, and then transfer to the border.

Meanwhile, something happened that was both reasonable and unexpected.

Li Xia trusted Zhang Yang's police friend's judgment, so he abandoned his plan to take hostages in Anxi in exchange for one person, and decided to go to Myanmar with Zhang Yang.

Even if he dies, we must bring him back to our hometown.

This was Li Xia's reply after being rejected by Zhang Yang, making it hard for him to refuse her again.

After learning that Officer Chen Shu was also at this station, photographer Xiao Zhao naturally chose to follow her all the way—no, to protect her—and also try to persuade his stubborn older sister.

It's best to avoid getting involved in things you shouldn't.

Why bother.

(End of this chapter)