Chapter 28: The Heroic Xu Xiaodong

Arriving at the scene, the situation wasn’t as intense as Lin Dongxue and the others had imagined. The criminals were hiding behind a roadside flower bed, while the local police and traffic officers were using a similar flower bed for cover.

Not far away, a Santana car had crashed into a roadside fruit stand.

The arrival of the SWAT team felt like divine intervention to the local police and traffic officers. The burly men quickly began making hand signals, expertly setting up bulletproof shields on the road, advancing their line forward.

“Follow them! Keep up!” Lin Qiupu shouted, as the detectives hid behind the robust SWAT officers, forming a three-pronged encirclement around the criminals.

A SWAT team leader took out a megaphone and announced, “Surrender immediately! You are only armed now and haven’t harmed anyone yet. If you injure anyone or attack the police, your crimes will be compounded. Surrender now for leniency.”

“Don’t push us!” one of the criminals shouted, firing a shot into the air. The gunshot made several detectives flinch, and a few cars approaching from the south screeched to a halt.

The SWAT team leader continued, “Retreat is not an option. I repeat, surrender immediately. If you choose to fight, we will respond in kind. Let’s see if you have more bullets or if our aim is better!”

The criminals remained holed up. Lin Qiupu asked a traffic officer, “What’s the situation?”

“We noticed this car looked suspicious, so we pulled it over. My colleague saw a large box inside filled with cash. The criminals realized they were in trouble, tried to drive off, and ran over my colleague. We chased them here.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“Thankfully, no. My colleague just got scraped up a bit but nothing serious.”

Lin Qiupu nodded and told the SWAT team leader, “These guys are involved in an ongoing criminal case we’re working on. If possible, capture them alive. Try not to kill them.”

The leader nodded, “I’ll do my best to negotiate.”

At that moment, a group of kindergarten children, led by their teacher, appeared at the intersection behind the criminals. Everyone panicked as it was already noon. Lin Qiupu waved urgently, “Get out of here! It’s dangerous!”

“The criminals are moving!” the SWAT leader said. “If they attempt to take hostages, we will shoot.”

“But it will scare the kids!” Lin Dongxue protested.

“We have no choice!” the SWAT leader replied.

The kindergarten teacher screamed in fear, and the children began crying in panic, creating chaos. Behind the flower bed, a criminal seemed poised to rush towards them.

Suddenly, someone broke away from the group. To everyone’s shock, it was Xu Xiaodong. Running towards the children, he shouted, “Get away! Run!”

“Get back here!” Lin Qiupu yelled, as Xu Xiaodong was completely exposed to the criminals’ line of fire.

“Move in!” the SWAT leader commanded. The team raised their shields and charged, flanking the criminals. A burst of gunfire erupted, then everything fell silent.

The first thing everyone did was look around to see if anyone was hit. The children were crouching in fear, with Xu Xiaodong shielding them with his body.

Lin Qiupu quickly moved forward and saw that all four criminals had been subdued, each pinned down by a SWAT officer. He asked, “What happened with the gunfire?”

The SWAT leader replied, “One of them tried to shoot. We hit his arm, and his shot went into the air. No one was hurt.”

“Great!” Lin Qiupu wiped the sweat from his forehead.

With the danger over, the wounded criminal was taken to the hospital while the remaining three were handcuffed and put in a car. Lin Qiupu approached Xu Xiaodong, who was calming the children. He asked the kindergarten teacher, “Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine.”

“Then please leave quickly and be more careful next time.”

“Thank you. Everyone, thank the police officers!”

The children chorused, “Thank you, police officers!” Some of them had been crying but were now laughing and talking as if nothing had happened.

Waving to the kids, Lin Qiupu then turned to Xu Xiaodong, his expression stern. “Who gave you permission to act on your own?”

“I… I…” Xu Xiaodong stammered, “I just acted on impulse.”

His legs were still shaking.

“Do you realize how dangerous that was? Write me a report when we get back!”

“Yes, sir,” Xu Xiaodong replied, dejected.

On the way back, the SWAT officers praised Xu Xiaodong’s bravery. One said, “Our leader commended you. If you hadn’t acted so decisively, things could have gotten much worse.”

Another SWAT officer added, “The leader even asked your name. Have you considered joining the SWAT team?”

Xu Xiaodong blushed and scratched his head, “It was nothing, really. Just a spur of the moment.”

Lin Dongxue nudged him with her elbow and smiled, “Even though you’re getting a reprimand, you’re the hero of this mission!”

Hearing this, Xu Xiaodong’s face lit up, feeling as sweet as if he had just eaten honey.

The criminals’ car was also brought back to the station. When the police opened the trunk, everyone was stunned. Inside was a bloody sack containing a curled-up male corpse. Lin Qiupu immediately recognized him as Da Hu, the loan shark they had been searching for.

Additionally, the car contained a suitcase filled with over ten million yuan in cash—a substantial sum.

Interrogations began immediately, with Lin Qiupu personally overseeing them. Other officers listened from outside. In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu reviewed the suspects’ files and asked one of the criminals, “You all work for Da Hu. Explain the money and the corpse in the car.”

The suspect shook his head vehemently, “It’s not our fault, officer! We’re not involved!”

“Do you expect me to believe that? The body and cash were in your car, and you attacked the police. If that’s not your business, what is?”

The suspect stammered, unwilling to speak. Lin Qiupu slammed the table, “Confess now, and you might get a lighter sentence. I’ll tell you straight: your accomplices are being interrogated in other rooms. If you talk first, you can earn some credit and reduce your sentence. But if you hesitate, you’ll miss your chance.”

This tactic worked. The suspect’s resolve wavered, his eyes flickering, his lips trembling as if he was about to speak.

But ingrained habits of distrust made him hold back.

Lin Qiupu pressed on, “You’re the oldest and most experienced among them. With your boss dead, who are you loyal to now? Think about it!”

The suspect suddenly broke down in tears, “Officer, I’ll tell you everything!”