Ji Yongtao: Give me your hand. I'll take you out. That's it. There's nothing fun to do anymore.
Chu Jiajun turned her head, opened her eyes wide, and looked at him with a smile.
Chu Jiajun: Brother Yong, I really like school.
He leaned half his body on the counter and breathed a sigh of relief: "Ever since I became Xu Fei, I've started paying attention to certain things. For example, which bus the students take to school, when the spring and autumn outings will take place, and when extracurricular activities will be held."
Chu Jiajun: For example, planting trees in the park, doing field trips—it's almost Chinese New Year, and no one wants to study. I think the school often organizes movie screenings around this time. Yesterday, there were school buses outside the cinema on Huaihai Road, divided by grade and group. I suspect some students will go today as well.
Chu Jiajun smiled: The first time I worked in City A, I used the car that transported students as a cover. I really like the school.
At the entrance of a historic cinema on Huaihai Road, a bus carrying elementary school students was slowly pulling over to the roadside, preparing to drop off the teachers and students. Suddenly, two people stopped the bus, waving their arms, and one of them pointed at the right tire, as if to imply that it had run over something.
The driver opened the car door.
-
Chu Jiajun saw Ji Yongtao retract his hand and grabbed it, but was immediately pushed away by the man.
Chu Jiajun: Why are you angry, Brother Yong? This is not the first time.
Chu Jiajun: Can you give me your hand? Brother Yong...
He placed his hand gently on the counter and hooked his fingers.
Chu Jiajun looked into Ji Yongtao's eyes and said, "Don't you know exactly how far I can go? Don't you know me best?"
The mobile phone on his waist rang. Chu Jiajun put the phone on the counter. In the heavy noise of the communication, the other end could hear the crying of children.
Chu Jiajun: Maybe it was a recording? Who knows. But if I didn't make it out safely, you know what would happen to the people in the car.
Ji Yongtao: I haven't seen them. We won't negotiate for a group of hostages we haven't seen yet.
Chu Jiajun: The news will come soon.
The intercom on Ji Yongtao's waist rang, but the man turned it off.
Chu Jiajun: Just listen, it's okay.
Chu Jiajun: I know you all too well. You wouldn't dare put your children at risk. Brother Yong, no one needs to die. My request is simple: we take the jewelry and leave. No one is allowed to follow us. Once we're out of town, we'll release the children from that car.
Ji Yongtao: With so many people, have you ever calculated how much each person can get?
Chu Jiajun smiled but said nothing. Ji Yongtao understood what he meant.
Ji Yongtao: There were bombs in those two tourist buses, and you had no intention of sharing the loot with them.
Chu Jiajun nodded with an innocent look in his eyes: This is my last chance, why should I care about my reputation in the martial arts world?
Ji Yongtao: You want all the jewelry here? Are you moving it by yourself?
Chu Jiajun shook her head: "I can't take it with me. I just want this emerald necklace and you."
Chu Jiajun's hands were still on the counter.
Chu Jiajun: Will you come with me? If you still consider me your brother, give me your hand.
Ji Yongtao looked at the hand, suddenly raised his fist and hit it hard - the hand remained there, motionless; and the glass counter shattered. Ji Yongtao's hands were covered in blood. He smashed the counter with his fist, took out the bloody emerald, and threw it in Chu Jiajun's face.
Ji Yongtao: I will go with you. If you still regard me as your brother, you should keep your word and release the person after we leave the city.
His eyes sparkled with joy. Then, he picked up the tour guide loudspeaker that his accomplice had discarded and placed it in front of the mobile phone.
After the sound of electricity, the crying of children in the bus echoed throughout the exhibition hall.
Chu Jiajun: Those upstairs, put down your guns and throw them down. Everyone else, go get your jewelry and throw them into that bag.
Ji Yongtao: ...I have nothing much to say to you.
Chu Jiajun: Oh, don't be like that. Everything is easy if you have money.
Ji Yongtao: ...My hand hurts. I put the water cup under the pillar over there. Come with me over there. I want to wash the blood off my hand.
Chu Jiajun didn't suspect anything and followed him towards the decorative columns inside the exhibition hall. After taking a few steps, suddenly, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, a bullet flew from the upper part, just glancing at the corner of his eyebrow.
He was stunned, then realized that it was a sniper.
Almost instantly, he felt the approach of murderous intent.
Like a wild animal smelling its predator, the man immediately sensed the threat and fled behind the pillar. He rarely encountered snipers, but he instinctively found a blind spot and hid in it, like a frightened cat, unable to be lured out.
Chu Jiajun opened his mobile phone and said: Do you really think I don't dare to kill a few people?!
——A bus full of students was hijacked on Huaihai Road. As the bus was heading towards Shanghai-Qingping Highway, the people on board threw papers out of the window to negotiate terms, demanding the release of the robbers from the jewelry exhibition and that no one else be allowed to follow.
These people were all desperate criminals, with murder cases on their backs. Ordinary negotiations would be difficult to convince them. They knew that if they were caught, they would die. Only by listening to Chu Jiajun and taking a chance would they have a chance of success.
The bullet infuriated Chu Jiajun. Being deceived by Ji Yongtao was the source of his anger. Sensing that his emotions were beginning to lose control, Ji Yongtao opened his hands and made a non-threatening gesture: "We can discuss the details alone..."
Chu Jiajun: I have to kill a few people first before you will take it seriously!
Ji Yongtao: That's unnecessary. These kids have no grudge against you, right? You're angry with me, don't take it out on others. Come here...
Chu Jiajun: What do you care about me?! I'm not coming over here! Come over here! Get down on your knees and crawl over here!
Ji Yongtao: Let's talk alone.
Chu Jiajun's voice became hoarse and shrill: I'll count to three, then come here! I won't come!
Following Chu Jiajun's request, he slowly squatted down and softened his tone: "Look, I didn't do anything to you, and I didn't bring anything with me..."
Chu Jiajun brought up old grudges: You shot me with the gun in the car!
Ji Yongtao: I'm not taking anything. You don't have to release the people in that car. I know it's unreasonable, but if you want me to run away with you, you must release them safely in the end.
Chu Jiajun: I won't trust you anymore.
Ji Yongtao's intercom was still ringing, but he didn't answer it. He slowly put the machine on the ground and slid away.
Chu Jiajun: You just want to save them, you don't want to go with me at all.
Ji Yongtao: I have to make sure they are okay first, and then I can go with you with peace of mind, right?
Ji Yongtao: Is that right?
He asked again, and the person opposite nodded slightly.
Ji Yongtao: Then you just listen and tell the people on the bus not to mess around.
Chu Jiajun picked up his mobile phone and was about to speak, but then put it down coldly: "You just care about the people in that car. After you save them, you will turn against me."
Ji Yongtao laughed: Why should I turn against you?
Chu Jiajun: Because you are a good person and you want to catch the bad guys.
Ji Yongtao: Why don't you just stop being a bad person?
Chu Jiajun: I've been one before, and you keep trying to arrest me. That's unfair. You're the one who started it all.
Ji Yongtao: This is not called digging up old scores, this is called the statute of limitations.
Chu Jiajun: No one has taught me this.
At the venue, the jewelry was placed in a snakeskin bag. Chu Jiajun put forward several conditions, asking them to board the tour bus, not allow anyone to follow, and let the school bus leave the city.
As long as there was a car full of hostages, he was confident that no one would dare to act rashly and he could escape as he had done before.
Two buses drove out of the exhibition area one after another, and reporters followed closely. Several people had sacks on their heads when they came out, so it was impossible to determine which bus Chu Jiajun and Ji Yongtao got on.
The security personnel inside the venue also left through the side door. Two of them walked out of the crowd and headed across the street. There was a white truck parked there. Inside, the person in the driver's seat stared at the two people approaching.
He opened the car door and let two people in. Both of them were wearing gray security uniforms, but one was Chu Jiajun and the other was Ji Yongtao.
They were not in those two buses at all.
Chu Jiajun: If we drive in the opposite direction, we will be exposed soon. Let's get out of the city as soon as possible.
Cheng Jiu: You got on the car with a note?!
Cheng Jiu's nephew stood up, his huge body filling the interior of the truck. Chu Jiajun: He's coming with us.
Cheng Jiu: No, why? You can't hide it from me...
Before leaving the exhibition hall, Chu Jiajun changed clothes with Ji Yongtao and two security guards. The other security guards knew about this, and since they were also threatened by the hostage situation inside the exhibition hall, they could not disclose it. However, if they were out of Chu Jiajun's sight and in contact with the police outside, this important information would be known to the police within minutes.
So their cars have to run as fast as possible and as far as they can.
Cheng Jiu: What about the jewelry?! You put all the jewelry in those two cars!
Chu Jiajun glanced at Ji Yongtao: A pile of fake glass.
Cheng Jiu: Huh?!
Chu Jiajun: You knew I was coming, so how could the exhibition hall possibly display something real? Fake glass is easy to come by; you can whip up a decent fake exhibit in a day or two.
Chu Jiajun asked Ji Yongtao: So, where is the authentic one?
——The real focus begins now.
The people on that tour bus were insignificant. They were just carrying two sacks of glass on a trip that would inevitably lead to their capture by the police.
In five minutes, on the unobstructed road, the exhibition hall had been completely left behind and disappeared from view. Chu Jiajun stared at Ji Yongtao seriously: "You know where the real thing is? Tell me."
Ji Yongtao: This is not my business, I don't know.
Chu Jiajun thought for a moment: "Perhaps it's the responsibility of the exhibition organizers? You guys will have negotiated with them when arranging security, right? You can always tell me which hotel they're staying in, right?"
He looked at Ji Yongtao innocently, leaving many things unspoken.
Chu Jiajun took a deep breath and rubbed his face: Brother Yong, I can't bear to do anything to you, but others can.
Chu Jiajun: ...They really are willing to do that. You know how that guy who sneaked into the Magu Processing Village ended up having his face peeled off? It's unnecessary.
Ji Yongtao nodded. "If I tell you about the hotel, you also have to tell me about the school bus." You're manipulating both ends, which is inherently unworkable. Those people are part of your temporary group, and you can't guarantee anything.
Chu Jiajun smiled and said: Don't worry, they are afraid of death too.
If the two tour buses were merely a cover, then the hostage bus, used to ensure the safety of the tour buses, was also a cover. The school bus was discovered at a roadside gas station, its contents brimming with panicked teachers and students tied to their seats. The robbers had vanished long ago.
Ji Yongtao: You came here for me. You want to get the hotel address through me, catch the organizer, and find out where the real thing is hidden?
Ji Yongtao: You can do anything wrong with this brain of yours.
Chu Jiajun's goal was achieved anyway - Ji Yongtao was forced into their car by the hostages. Now even if he knew that the hostages were fine, it was too late and he could no longer escape.
Chu Jiajun breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed the brief peace in the car: "How is your injury? I called you, but they refused to tell me."
Ji Yongtao: He said he was reluctant, but he stabbed three times in one breath.
Ji Yongtao: How many people have you killed? Do you remember?
Chu Jiajun: Do you still have time to take care of them? It's because you always take care of them, take care of the hostages and Mengmeng, that's why you can't catch me.
Cheng Jiu was driving, telling his nephew: If things don't go right, break that guy's neck! - Where are we going now? Is this guy going to tell us or not? What are you guys talking about?!
Chu Jiajun took a deep breath impatiently: "Brother Yong, hurry up and tell me. I have plenty of ways to make you tell me without beating you."
Ji Yongtao: Just kill me. My lungs are damaged, and it'll be hard for me to do strenuous exercise. I'll basically be unable to go on any missions. You've already destroyed me.
Chu Jiajun was dissatisfied: "How can you talk like that?! How did I destroy you? Did I chop off your hands and feet, or rob your house? Are you being reasonable? You're fine, aren't you? I give you money, you have food and drink, and you're not satisfied?"
Chu Jiajun: You like me to be called Xu Fei. After this is over, I can change my name to Xu Fei. Why...you guys talk to him, I can't communicate with him!
Cheng Jiu: How about we find a place to eat first? You two keep an eye on him, I'll go get some food...
Chu Jiajun: I can't eat anymore! I'm so angry!
Cheng Jiu: So he pissed you off so much, why are you keeping him around? Kill him, and then go catch someone who knows his address!
Chu Jiajun: This is your eldest brother's family affair, what right do you, the younger brother, have to have a say?!
Cheng Jiu: Still calling me "big brother"? What do you have now? No money, no gun, you—
Before he could finish his words, there was a slight bang, and a gun was pointed at him. It was the gun that was found on the security guard.
Chu Jiajun opened his eyes wide and said softly: Be careful with your words.
He looked at Ji Yongtao with that look again: Brother Yong, let me tell you this. If you don't tell me for a minute, I'll open the car window and kill someone on the road. That would be fun, right?
After a round trip, the car returned to the city center.
The guests entering and leaving this guesthouse all looked well-dressed. This was where the organizer, a Chinese employee of a Japanese jewelry company, was staying. They were usually very careful to arrange accommodations at such a high-end hotel.
Brown and pure white marble serve as the main tones of the lobby, and the clean and spacious layout makes this place completely different from the guesthouse.
The car stopped in front of the hotel. Cheng Jiu wanted to get out, but Chu Jiajun stopped him: Go forward, at least three blocks.
Chu Jiajun: First, find out how many people are in the room. Once you find out, get back in the car. If there's only one person, drive to the hotel entrance and make up a pretext to lure them out. If there are multiple people in the room, go with two people, control them with guns, and kill them after you find out.
The two men who had robbed the school bus had also returned to the city and were rushing to join them, making the van suddenly crowded. Finally, one of the two men went to investigate the room. He was ordinary but decent-looking, and the least noticeable of the group.
To prevent Ji Yongtao from making any noise in the car, his hands and feet were tied and his eyes were blindfolded.
The others waited in the car for news. About fifteen minutes later, the person who went came back and said that the man lived alone.
As planned, Cheng Jiu drove the car to the hotel. There were few people outside. The car stopped, and the man had just opened the door and jumped out when Chu Jiajun suddenly said, "Drive! Let's go!"
Cheng Jiu: What...
Chu Jiajun: Let's drive away!
——At the same time Cheng Jiu stepped on the accelerator, several "scattered" guests outside the hotel drew their guns and pointed them at the truck, and someone jumped out from behind the bushes; the originally smooth hotel corridor was blocked by two cars in front and behind, but Chu Jiajun reacted too quickly, and before the road could be blocked by the cars, the truck reversed and knocked away the car behind it, rushing back to the road.
Through the rearview mirror, I could see that the person who got out of the car wanted to resist, but was immediately shot to death.
Chu Jiajun felt something was amiss because there were so few people at the hotel entrance. Not only were there fewer people than when he'd just passed by, but looking into the lobby, the front desk was also empty. Clearly, someone had anticipated this and quickly evacuated the hotel's residents, replacing them with plainclothes officers and intercepting vehicles.
Police cars kept appearing behind the speeding truck. Inside the car, Chu Jiajun stared at Ji Yongtao.
Chu Jiajun: That's right… That's right… I knew you would replace the gems with fake glass, and you also knew what I was going for…
Chu Jiajun: Did you arrange everything in advance? You even pretended to be reluctant to tell me about the hotel...
Ji Yongtao said nothing. He heard the sound of a gun being loaded, and realized what was going on—but Chu Jiajun opened the car window the next second, intending to shoot the passersby outside. Ji Yongtao threw himself at him with all his might, and in the speeding truck, they both lost their balance and fell to the ground. He tried to continue to hold Chu Jiajun back, but Cheng Jiu's nephew pulled him up from the ground and, with terrifying brute force, forced Ji Yongtao's head into the ground.
His consciousness gradually faded. Police sirens, gunshots, the smell of blood, Chu Jiajun's screams... Ji Yongtao collapsed there, feeling incredibly relaxed. A slow smile played across his lips.
The truck barely shook off a wave of pursuers and sped towards the road out of the city.
When he woke up again, he could feel Chu Jiajun sitting opposite him.
There were no more sirens or city noises. The truck must have already left the city.
There were three other robbers in the car, arguing fiercely about what to do next. Some said to kill Ji Yongtao, while others said to take him hostage.