Chapter 447: The Trap Plan

The echo of the gunshot still reverberated inside the bus as the mocking laughter of Mrs. Yuan came through the phone. “Fei, you’ll pay for everything you’ve done today. I wanted a divorce long ago, but he refused. Do you know why? Because he knows he’s no longer a rich kid and can’t enjoy life without me. He relies on me but still complains about not living with dignity. Now he’s using this to make a scene?”

Fei pointed the smoking gun at the phone, shouting, “You transferred all the assets! Even if we divorced, I wouldn’t get much. You bloodsucker! You enjoy life while I drink and play games at home without any dignity!”

“Fei, listen. A man without dignity has only himself to blame. Without me, what kind of life would you have? If you want to kill and set fires, go ahead. That way, I can finally get rid of you. Once you’re in jail, I’ll never visit you, considering you dead!”

Lin Qiupu urgently said over the radio, “Hang up! She’s provoking him!”

Chen Shi raised his voice, “Your wife isn’t wrong. If you put down the gun, we can still resolve this properly. If you kill someone, you’ll only lose more… Mrs. Yuan, if your husband puts down the gun, will you hire the best lawyer for him? His life is on the line now!”

There was a long silence on the phone before Mrs. Yuan replied, “Fei, listen to the police. Put down the gun, and I’ll get you a lawyer and help with bail.”

Fei started to cry, tears streaming down his face.

Mrs. Yuan continued, “Be good, and I’ll buy you that car you’ve always wanted. Before you go to jail, I’ll even let you visit a prostitute.”

“I… I’m a man without any dignity…”

“Isn’t that Maserati you’ve always wanted nice? Imagine driving it around with a club girl. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Fei sobbed as he sank to his knees, dropping the gun. Chen Shi seized the opportunity to grab the weapon and said into the radio, “Threat neutralized!”

Laughter echoed from the phone, “Fei, just go die already!” before the call ended.

“You lied to me! You lied to me!” Fei lunged for the phone as if it were his wife. A few young men quickly stood up, pinning him to the ground and kicking him in frustration.

Chen Shi yelled, “Stop! Do you want to go to jail?”

The police arrested Fei, who wept like a child as he sat in the police car, “I’d rather be dead than live like this…”

Chen Shi tried to comfort him, “Living poorly is still better than dying. Many people would envy your easy lifestyle.”

Fei cried even harder at this, and Chen Shi said, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? Want me to get you a fast food meal?”

Fei, still crying, nodded, “I want cola and fried chicken.”

Chen Shi sent Xu Xiaodong to a nearby fast food joint. Fei sat in the car, handcuffed, crying as he ate. Lin Dongxue, watching, muttered, “He’s like a giant baby!”

“Haha, at least it ended peacefully…”

Outside, a group of police officers ran towards the bus. It seemed another situation had arisen. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got out to inquire and found out a fight had broken out in the bus.

It turned out that several of the male employees involved with Mrs. Yuan had girlfriends who also worked at the company. They had just learned about the affairs and were confronting their boyfriends. The police managed to calm things down, but the betrayed women broke up with their boyfriends on the spot and stormed off, leaving their bruised and battered exes to reflect on their actions.

Chen Shi looked at the bus and remarked, “A green bus, truly eco-friendly!”

Lin Dongxue jabbed him, “Don’t you dare behave like that.”

“Lesson learned! Lesson learned!” Chen Shi laughed.

Back at the station, Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi into his office. “The man who hijacked the bus wasn’t on our list.”

“Really?”

“We’ve been checking. We found two people from the photos, but they knew nothing about the guns. They didn’t seem to be lying.”

“So the photos were fake…”

Chen Shi thought, Zhou Tiannan wasn’t so stupid as to leave evidence at home. He must have anticipated their methods and prepared fake photos to mislead them. This cunningness confirmed his involvement, but cunningness alone wasn’t enough for a conviction.

Lin Qiupu sighed, “Zhou Tiannan is indeed sly. According to our intel, he has no apparent flaws.”

“We’ve been busy for nothing… By the way, those paparazzi always seem to get to the scene quickly. I want to run a test to see if they’re eavesdropping on police radio or if they have a list.”

“How will you test it?”

“Simple. We’ll stage a fake incident.”

“Now?”

“Now. Winter Snow and I will go stake it out.”

“You’re full of ideas.”

Lin Qiupu called the dispatch center to arrange a fake call. An internal line notified everyone of a hostage situation on Liyang Road. Police officers, mid-meal, rushed out to respond. Chen Shi said, “It’s fake. It’s to lure out the paparazzi. You guys keep eating. Winter Snow and I will handle it.”

Lin Dongxue laughed, “Only I get dragged into this. I haven’t even finished my meal!”

“Take your food with you!”

“No, let’s go. I could use less food anyway.”

They got into a police car as the radio broadcast the fake code and location. They arrived at the scene and waited, but the paparazzi didn’t show up. Chen Shi said, “This confirms it. They have a list.”

“But those guys are slick. They won’t admit it. Even if they have a list, how do they know when something will happen?”

“You’re right. I didn’t consider that. They must stake out potential sites in advance… Check where that red car is now!”

“It’ll take a lot of manpower. We can’t do it alone. I’ll inform Lin Qiupu.”

Lin Dongxue informed Lin Qiupu, who replied, “We’re stretched too thin. We can’t allocate resources to this. If we fail to find them and another incident happens, who’s responsible?”

Chen Shi took the phone, “If we get the list, we can prevent future incidents. Isn’t that worth it?”

Lin Qiupu paused. “I’m in charge of this case. I can’t take that risk. But I have a compromise: next time the paparazzi show up, follow them to find the other gunmen.”

“That means waiting for another incident.”

“It’s the safest option.”

Chen Shi sighed, “Fine.”