So, the reward for information changed to a requirement that the person had come to City A from out of town in the past six months to live with relatives, had never been seen before, had no formal work or job, lived a secluded life, and didn't communicate with outsiders. Relatives were asked to avoid discussing this "distant cousin" with neighbors...
There were also reports, but they were also quickly ruled out.
Ji Yongtao: Will he be bolder and more high-profile, and instead of just living in a rented place, contract the store himself and use it as his residence?
Ji Yongtao: This store is most likely a butcher shop, fruit store, cold drink station, restaurant... a place with a cold storage.
Li Yu: I added these places during my visits. Generally, they contracted stores and lived in them. For those newly opened stores with little business, the boss and a few employees all lived in them.
Ji Yongtao: There is another hidden danger: internal cover-up.
The conference room fell silent for a moment, and even Li Yu didn't speak immediately.
Ji Yongtao: One of the bodies was confirmed to be Chen Weimin's. Chen Weimin had "disappeared" from the guesthouse at the time, but had actually been murdered by this person.
Li Yu called a halt because if he continued, the problem would become very serious.
Who would kill Chen Weimin?
If they were to break into a guesthouse and steal, why would they go after the impoverished Chen Weimin? This was a very precise ambush, and the only suspect was Chu Jiajun.
So, how did Chu Jiajun know that Chen Weimin was coming?
This news came too quickly. Chen Weimin arrived today and died today. He not only knew Chen Weimin was coming, but also knew when he would arrive and where he would stay...
——There is a traitor.
The only possibility is that there is a traitor.
This traitor secretly informed Chu Jiajun immediately after Chen Weimin arrived, with the intention of preventing the portrait artist from completing the portrait of Chu Jiajun.
How did Chu Jiajun bribe the "inside mole"? With money. Who needs money, and who has suddenly become wealthy recently...
No one in the conference room was stupid. Many of them looked at Liu Weide, who was sitting next to Ji Yongtao, with suspicion.
There are rumors that Liu Weide is going to go into business.
——Where does the capital come from?
With a muffled thud, Liu Weide pushed his chair away and stood up, his face flushed red as he rushed out of the meeting room without a word. Ji Yongtao chased after him: "It wasn't you, everyone believed you."
Liu Weide: I don't believe it!
Liu Weide: I...I'm planning to go into the adult entertainment industry for my daughter! I borrowed all my capital from my father-in-law! I know this is unfair to my brothers, but what should I do? A pack of her special milk powder costs dozens of yuan. Who can afford it?
Ji Yongtao: No one said it was you...
Liu Weide opened his hand, his voice rising: "Ji Yongtao, your brother is the suspect! A college student who's always slacking off, do you think I don't know what he did in the nightclub?! The disciplinary team is almost spreading this story, and it's already spread throughout the company! How did you get free for over 30,000 yuan worth of alcohol?! What's his background? What's your background?!
In the Huizi Building, more and more people gathered under the eaves, listening to the roar in confusion.
Liu Weide pointed his finger at the sky and said: If I am a traitor, I will be struck by lightning!
At this moment, faint thunder could be heard in the gloomy sky.
Most of the people in this building, due to their positions, are staunch atheists. This coincidence was so strange, coupled with Liu Weide's hoarse voice, it exuded a sense of chilling.
After a moment, Liu Weide put his hand down dejectedly. A messenger ran upstairs, seemingly wanting to pass something to him, but seeing the atmosphere, he didn't dare to speak.
Liu Weide: What's the matter…
Receptionist: Captain Liu, your home phone number... seems to be the hospital's...
Liu Weide nodded silently and went downstairs. He had received a call from home: his daughter had fallen ill again, and his wife and mother-in-law were both at the hospital awaiting a report.
-
Chu Jiajun emerged from the Ai Ya River. It was summer, and many people were swimming in the river. There were few people at the drain because it was too smelly.
Twenty-seven minutes and thirty-nine seconds.
Assuming they can access the underground drainage channel inside the new exhibition hall, this is the time they will need to evacuate.
The underground drainage entrance of the exhibition hall was on the South Hall side, through a manhole. He arranged for Fang Ping to drive to meet him, but the car was just a cover.
Even if it is a room screen, it is just a cover.
He washed himself in clean water, grabbed a shirt and pants that had been discarded in the shallows, and put them on. On his way back to the Aiyahe community, Chu Jiajun ran into Liu Weide, who was returning with his wife, holding their daughter in his arms.
When he met Chu Jiajun, his eyes were a little evasive. Perhaps because of his misconduct during the day, he felt a little guilty about accusing "Xu Fei".
Ji Yongtao just came back and saw Liu Weide. He hurried over and said, "Old Liu, Old Liu! Everyone trusts you!"
Liu Weide said nothing and walked into the elevator with his wife and daughter.
After dinner, Ji Yongtao looked for something at home.
Ji Yongtao: There is a set of TV series videotapes that you haven't watched yet. Do you remember where you put it?
Ji Yongtao: I found it... Xiaofei, take this, and the watermelon at the door, and bring it to Lao Liu. There's also a barrel of oil and a bag of marshmallows...
Chu Jiajun tried to pick up the things Ji Yongtao mentioned with his arms, but it was a bit difficult.
He staggered towards the door, and the watermelon fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
-
Two people were picking watermelons in front of a fruit stall along the river bank.
Ji Yongtao: Do you know how to pick? Pick the ones with a sandy flesh.
Chu Jiajun: What if he likes crispy food?
Ji Yongtao: He said his daughter likes the sandy ones.
Chu Jiajun: I like it too. Let me tell you how to choose.
Ji Yongtao glanced at him. Every time Chu Jiajun ate watermelon, he would only dig out the sweetest part in the middle.
Passing by a movie theater, I saw that the poster of "Gunshots on Coal Hill" was being taken down and replaced by a new romance film.
Ji Yongtao doesn't like watching romance movies: There are no movies to watch this month.
Chu Jiajun recalled watching the film "Gunshots on Coal Hill," where the murderer's mother rushed out at the end, knelt in front of the crowd, and begged everyone to spare her child. Chu Jiajun cried watching that.
Chu Jiajun: Brother Yong, did you really not feel anything after watching that last part? That part...
Ji Yongtao: Huh? She gave birth to the child but didn't raise him, so why are you so moved by her?
Ji Yongtao: Whether it's funny or not, if I take care of my children myself, it won't be like this.
Chu Jiajun: ...How should we manage it?
Ji Yongtao: What's wrong with you?
Ji Yongtao touched his forehead and patted it twice like he was patting a watermelon.
Chu Jiajun: What would you do if I committed a crime?
Ji Yongtao laughed: You are not doing anything wrong. As a student, what could you do wrong?
Chu Jiajun: ...What if that day ever comes?
Ji Yongtao made a gun gesture with his hand, with his finger against his forehead: I will kill you.
Ji Yongtao walked back along the river bank holding the watermelon. After taking a few steps, he found that Chu Jiajun was still there, motionless.
The dim light from the fruit stall slanted down on his side, and his eyes watched Ji Yongtao walk away, with an unspeakable despair flashing in them.
Chu Jiajun: What if?
Ji Yongtao: There is no such thing as an emergency.
Chu Jiajun: What if?
She looked at Ji Yongtao, trying to dig a crack in the man's eyes.
Ji Yongtao said, you won't.
Chu Jiajun said, if one day someone tells you that I have committed a crime, will you let them arrest me?
The cigarette was almost finished. Ji Yongtao shook off the ashes, smiled and sighed.
Ji Yongtao: No. I will take you away.
Chu Jiajun's eyes lit up: Really?
Ji Yongtao: Really. I'll take you and run, somewhere they can't catch you. Because I believe it's not you, you've been wrongly accused. We'll go back once they find the real culprit.
Chu Jiajun: What if they arrest me?
Ji Yongtao: ...
He was silent for a long time until the cigarette burned out; Ji Yongtao threw away the cigarette butt and took his hand.
Ji Yongtao: Then I will save you. I don't want anything else, but I will save you.
Ji Yongtao held his hand and walked over to the Love River. Ji Yongtao laughed at him: "Why are you crying? What's there to cry about?"
Ji Yongtao: You are Xiaofei. I will definitely give up everything for you.
Ji Yongtao: Stop crying. What's on your mind that makes you cry so sadly?
Ji Yongtao: You have a father and a mother, a school to go to, a home, and a dog at home waiting for you to walk. Why are you crying?
Ji Yongtao: After I send Liu Weide some comfort food, let's go out for a walk with the dog. Dafei has gained weight again, so we need a longer walk.
-
Three days before the gold exhibition, a simulated portrait of "Chu Jiajun" was released.
Because of the lack of witnesses, Ji Yongtao agreed to use Xu Fei's photo as a reference. But when the portrait came out, everyone in the office burst into laughter.
Li Yu: Hey, are you looking for a fight? I told you to use his brother as a reference, but I didn't tell you to actually draw him!
Li Yu: How about, Xiao Ji, you put the interests of the country above your own and arrest the college students, and then we can get away with it?
Ji Yongtao: Then the provincial government sent people to interrogate me, asking, "How did you learn how to rob a bank?" "I looked it up in the library."
Ji Yongtao pressed the thumbtack on the map. Next to the exhibition hall map, there was a black and white map.
It doesn't seem to be a city road, but an older underground design.
-
Just as Chu Jiajun had expected, before the weekend exhibition, the main road was blocked by iron fences, leaving only one lane for traffic, and vehicles passed through in turn.
Starting Saturday, visitors will need tickets and identification, as well as security checks. By Friday, security will be complete, and the road will be closed at 4 p.m., with a motorcade escorting the exhibits into the venue.
Chu Jiajun even brought his lunch box and visited the exhibition hall several times. The exhibition hall was cleared inside and outside, and Ji Yongtao led the team to count the steps on the map.
Ji Yongtao had dinner with him outside by the flower bed. The exhibits were going to be put on display tonight, and there was a midnight shift.
Chu Jiajun: What time will you be back? I recorded a TV series, can you wait for me to watch it?
Ji Yongtao: No need to wait.
That means that at least before three in the morning, everyone is in the same team.
Chu Jiajun had no intention of engaging in direct conflict with them. The entire city's police force was gathered at the Golden Exhibition, and a head-on confrontation was unwinnable.
- Sneak in during the shift change, kill the guards in the exhibition hall in a way that won't attract attention from outsiders, and retreat through the sewers with the spoils. Keep the gold in there and sell it after the storm has died down.
Trucks brought boxes of exhibits into the exhibition hall. Chen Xiaohu also arrived, disguised as a shoe repairman, sitting across the street. Chu Jiajun caught a glimpse of him from afar and pretended to walk past him nonchalantly.
He extended a finger and placed it against his lips, seemingly just touching them.
"first step".
-
——At 3:30 in the morning, the alarm sounded.
Liu Weide led his men from the dispatch vehicle into the exhibition hall. They heard gunshots and that someone had sneaked into the hall and attacked the guards on duty.
-
Fang Ping: We will set off at 3:15 and meet in the museum at 3:30, right?
Chu Jiajun: Yes, not even a minute late. At 3:15, go in through the trash can alley—there's only one group watching over there, so while they're not paying attention, sneak in decisively.
Chu Jiajun: Chen Xiaohu and I are taking the Skylight Road. It's too risky for all three of us to take the same road. I'll give you the simplest one, so don't let me down.
He gave Fang Ping a set of guns and a Molotov cocktail. Before everyone went their separate ways, Chu Jiajun treated them to a barbecue at a Western restaurant.
Chu Jiajun: This is the "signal." If you encounter resistance, light this Molotov cocktail. Xiaohu and I will come to support you.
Fang Ping had no doubts. Or rather, he saw no reason to doubt. Chu Jiajun's plans were always like this: crazy and bizarre, yet they always brought them to a safe landing.
He sneaked into the exhibition hall at 3:15 and arrived at the main exhibition hall at 3:30. The alarm sounded immediately and all the guns were pointed in the direction where he appeared.
After the screen retracted into the passage, he took out the Molotov cocktail from his bag, lit it, and raised it—
Suddenly, he heard a sound.
Very light, very subtle, with a slight vibration.
It's like when I was a kid, pouring boiling water into a glass bottle, and the moment before the glass shatters...
A slight sound.
-
The intruder was holding a submachine gun, wearing a black face mask, had a ponytail, and was thin.
Liu Weide saw the man holding up a Molotov cocktail, ready to throw it at them, but the next second, the ignited bottle shattered.
The highly concentrated alcohol was immediately poured over the man, and the burning gauze on the bottle mouth became a source of fire, instantly engulfing the man in flames. But before he could raise the bottle, the first wave of gunfire had already hit his body. He only let out a few terrifying howls before falling to the ground with burns and gunshot wounds.
Chu Jiajun was very confident in the Molotov cocktail.
By tampering with glass bottles, he had killed several of his adoptive father's men who disliked him.
Liu Weide and the others should have already identified the body, and they would be feeling a kind of uncertain ecstasy—this long-haired man brazenly barging into the venue with several guns was very much like the legendary Chu Jiajun. Ji Yongtao's phone also rang at home. The brigade summoned Ji Yongtao; the most important thing was to confirm whether the deceased was Chu Jiajun.
Liu Weide is easy to fool, but Ji Yongtao might be... a little troublesome.
Just "long hair" and "violent gangster" might not be enough... Fang Ping's face and hands are likely to have been burned, so confirming his identity is difficult.
Chu Jiajun actually had little experience with forensic doctors, so he didn't know that Fang Ping's death-for-hire was impossible to succeed, but from the perspective of delaying the police's decision-making, it was actually of some use.
For example, Liu Wei De had already comforted himself beside the corpse: It's him, it must be him!
Ji Yongtao looked at the unrecognizable corpse, the melted plastic mask still covering its face, completely fused to the skin. "The age difference is... you can't tell from here. We have to wait for the forensic doctor's report on the bones."
Ji Yongtao: Let the forensic doctor first examine the stomach contents to see if there's any human flesh left. Ask the provincial government to borrow someone to see how quickly they can get the bones tested.
——Before the action, Chu Jiajun invited both of them to eat meat.
The identity of this suspected Chu Jiajun could be revealed in a few days. However, the protection of the Golden Exhibition seemed less vigilant than before. If it was Chu Jiajun who died, it would be difficult for his subordinates to plan a detailed plan without their leader.
The gold exhibition went on as usual in the morning, and everything went smoothly. However, the accident happened in the afternoon.
-
The exhibition is about to end at three o'clock in the afternoon.
At this moment, the people still in the exhibition looked up in astonishment. They saw an incredible thing appear outside the floor-to-ceiling window—
Although construction sites and large lifting equipment can be seen everywhere in big cities...
However, a large crane, with its boom extended, was crashing its mechanical arm into the glass windows of the exhibition hall from outside the street. Even if the road was blocked by iron fences, it didn't matter; the crane's mechanical arm could just build a "bridge" across the road.
With a loud bang, the robotic arm shattered the large glass window. The crowd scattered in panic, and the guards aimed their guns at the robotic arm. Entry to the exhibition hall required a body search, and guns and knives were out of the question. So, as they aimed their guns at the robotic arm, they were surprised when two young men wearing peaked caps and masks grabbed the broken glass from the ground, used it as a weapon, and stabbed the two security guards in the back, seizing both guns.
The next second, continuous gunshots rang out in the exhibition hall.
The person operating the crane was found. He was the son of a crane operator at a nearby construction site. Since he started working with his father at a very young age, he was able to control the crane by himself even though he was only fifteen years old.
The child had been bribed in advance, so he only remembered that the man was wearing sunglasses and was taller than him. He looked at Chen Xiaohu's photo for a long time and nodded uncertainly.
The stadium was in shambles. Most of the audience had fled in the chaos, and many had been killed in the shooting. The doors were shut and barricaded with bodies. Inside and outside the stadium, a grotesque scene unfolded—a crane's mechanical arm was stuck in a French window, being slowly and painstakingly withdrawn. Through the French window, one could see blood all over the floor, bodies blocking the door, and looting bandits.
The two men looted the gold items on the counter and then rushed into the men's restroom before the police broke in through the window. During the previous topographic survey, it was found that the normally closed window of the men's restroom could be opened. By going through the window and following the flowerbed, one could sneak directly into Exhibition Hall 2, which was closed today.
The entire convention and exhibition center has three exhibition halls. Hall 1 is used for the Golden Exhibition. Halls 2 and 3 are empty and blocked today. But in fact, the so-called blockade is just a chain pulling the door shut.
Gold is heavy, but as long as they're dumped into the sewer, the plan is practically guaranteed to succeed. Hall 2 leads directly to the pipeline room, which is essentially sealed off from the outside world. Common sense dictates that if you're going to pursue and intercept the enemy, you wouldn't place valuable manpower in such a dead end.
Chu Jiajun and Chen Xiaohu rushed through the deserted building. From the second-floor window, they could see the rapidly increasing police presence below. Chen Xiaohu faltered, his footing slipping. Chu Jiajun grabbed him and, without batting an eyelid, tossed a grenade through the crack in the window. He had brought the grenade in a black kettle, each carrying only one.