Chapter 437: The Sacrifice of Deputy Director Yan

Hearing gunshots from the classroom, Lin Qiupu shouted into the radio, “Deputy Director Yan! Deputy Director Yan!” but received no response.

A row of SWAT officers crouched outside the classroom immediately kicked the door open and rushed in. Another round of intense gunfire erupted, followed by a long, dreadful silence. Lin Qiupu, eyes wide in disbelief, saw the SWAT team retreating. He ordered his men, “Move in!”

Entering the classroom, they found SWAT officers carrying out the wounded student for emergency care. One SWAT captain shook his head at Lin Qiupu, “Too late.”

The classroom was in chaos. The back wall was riddled with bullet holes. Wang Xu lay in a pool of blood, clutching a gun, his pupils already dilated.

Deputy Director Yan slumped on the teacher’s desk, shot three times in the torso. Lin Qiupu grabbed him, shaking vigorously, “Deputy Director Yan! Mr. Yan!” But there was no response. Yan’s head slumped to the side, his body going limp.

The officers on the scene were stricken with grief. The situation, which had seemed under control, had taken a sudden, tragic turn.

Confirming that Deputy Director Yan had no pulse, Lin Qiupu, tears welling in his eyes, said, “Let’s clean up.”

Two body bags were carried out of the classroom. Teachers and students gathered around, either crying or anxiously asking what had happened. Lin Qiupu could only shake his head in helplessness.

He looked at the evidence bag containing the gun—the fifth gun recovered, but at a terrible cost.

Back at the station, Lin Qiupu sat in his office, head in his hands, overwhelmed with despair. He couldn’t understand how things had gone so wrong. He sat there brooding until sunset, then went to the archives.

Looking through the file of Wang Xu’s father, Wang Dahai, he realized that years ago, Wang Dahai had stabbed a store clerk during a robbery, then taken three hostages. The injured clerk died on the way to the hospital. However, the negotiator on the scene, trying to calm Wang Dahai, had lied, saying the clerk was out of danger. When Wang Dahai surrendered, he was arrested for murder.

The negotiator’s signature on the file was Yan Zheng’s. Wang Xu must have heard the story from his father in prison. So when Deputy Director Yan lied about Liu Dong’s condition, it triggered Wang Xu’s rage.

This tragedy seemed like a cruel twist of fate, an inevitability born from Yan’s ruthless negotiation tactics. But with Yan dead, all Lin Qiupu felt was sorrow.

While the task force mourned, Chen Shi’s team made a breakthrough. They had captured Luo Zuyu and got him to confess.

After wrapping up Luo Zuyu’s case by 10 PM, Lin Qiupu called the three officers to his office, praised them, and then discussed the current case. Chen Shi asked, “How’s the gun distribution case going?”

Lin Qiupu shook his head dejectedly, “Not well. Three people are dead, and one officer has fallen in the line of duty. We’ve only recovered five guns. Can you join us now? We need your help.”

Chen Shi replied, “I’d like to review the progress so far.”

Lin Qiupu tossed a file onto the table, “Go through it quickly. We need to be ready for anything.”

At home, Chen Shi drank while reviewing the case file. He couldn’t help but marvel at the cunning of the perpetrator in selecting their targets. He wondered about the source of the perpetrator’s information.

Despite his disappointment that this wasn’t a homicide case, Chen Shi couldn’t ignore that Lin Qiupu was in a tough spot and felt obliged to help.

Exhausted, Chen Shi fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, waking at 7 AM to find Tao Yueyue had made breakfast and left him toast and juice. Chen Shi said, “You’re becoming more considerate.”

“Uncle Chen, what’s that on the table?”

“A case.”

“I read it while you were asleep. Are people really receiving guns in the mail?”

“Yes, so be careful out there.”

Tao Yueyue pouted, “Why didn’t I get a gun?”

“You little rascal, what would you do with a gun?”

“If I got one, you’d have one less to find.”

“Thanks for the thought!” Chen Shi laughed. “I’m heading out. It’s too hot today; stay inside and watch TV or play on the computer.”

“Come back alive!”

On the way to the station, Chen Shi called Sun Zhen, asking him to track Zhou Tianan’s recent movements and see if the five gun recipients shared any common online activity.

Chen Shi felt that searching blindly was too passive and decided to focus on the source.

At the station, Lin Qiupu was holding a task force meeting, “Yesterday’s tragedy has dealt a huge blow to us. Deputy Director Yan’s sacrifice is fresh in our minds, but I must stress the importance of caution. In any situation involving a gunman, everyone must wear bulletproof vests! I repeat, bulletproof vests must be worn! We cannot afford to lose another officer!”

After the meeting, Chen Shi remarked to Lin Dongxue, “I reviewed yesterday’s records. That Yan guy practically got himself killed.”

“Don’t say that,” Lin Dongxue whispered. “He was my brother’s teacher. He’s very upset.”

“I know, I know. Just saying… What’s our plan now?”

“We wait for a call.”

“This is so inefficient!”

“What else can we do? The teams are divided like this. The third team is checking black market deals, and we handle emergencies.”

The whole morning was spent on standby. Ordinary cases were handled by local precincts. The task force focused solely on the gun distribution case.

Bored, Chen Shi played a matching game on Lin Dongxue’s computer. “If being a cop is this easy, I should’ve joined.”

“Just wait. When something happens, you’ll be plenty busy.”

“I hope something happens soon. I’m dying of boredom.” Chen Shi spoke to the phone on the desk, “How about ringing in three seconds? One, two, three…”

Nothing happened. Lin Dongxue teased, “You think you’re a god?”

Just then, the phone rang. Lin Dongxue answered and her expression changed, “A hostage situation downtown. Everyone, put on your vests.”

Xu Xiaodong asked, “A bank or a convenience store?”

Lin Dongxue replied, “Lin Qiupu said it’s a hotpot restaurant.”