Chapter 23: The Contest

Everyone was originally paying attention to Liu Dan's phone, but the ringtone came from Gu Changzheng. Gu Changzheng took out his phone, saw it was an unfamiliar number, and pressed the answer button. A man's voice came out.

"Captain Gu, it's me, Liu Baoshan! How about it? Did you watch the video of Jiang Yuanqi? I know you are with his wife and family. Turn on the speakerphone. I don't like dealing with family members—crying and nagging, I can't stand it! So, I'll have to trouble Captain Gu!"

After Liu Baoshan identified himself, Gu Changzheng had already turned on the speakerphone, and the technical team immediately started tracking.

Gu Changzheng said: "We already know your demands! 50 million is not a small amount! Give us some time to prepare. Three hours is too urgent! We will have the 50 million in cash ready by 12:00 tomorrow morning. You are not allowed to harm the hostage!"

"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!" Although they couldn't see the other party, everyone present seemed to see a person laughing so hard they were bent over on the other end of the phone.

"Oh! You're killing me! Why should you bargain with me? Because you are Captain Gu? Haha! I don't have time to talk nonsense with you! Three hours! To be exact, two hours and fifty-five minutes! 50 million in cash! Not a cent less! It must be old bills! Do you understand? One minute late, one cent less! Just wait to collect Boss Jiang's corpse! Right, let me remind you again, Captain Gu, don't think about playing any tricks! I don't like these petty tricks, otherwise, the consequences will be very serious! Hahahaha..."

"Beep, beep, beep!" The other party hung up the phone!

Liu Dan stood up nervously, looking at Gu Changzheng anxiously: "Captain Gu, what should we do? Let's hurry up and raise the money! Old Jiang can't have anything happen to him! If something happens to him, the sky will fall on our family!" As she spoke, she couldn't help but tear up.

Gu Changzheng looked at the phone in his hand, somewhat distracted: This Liu Baoshan doesn't play by the rules at all! He actually called him directly to demand a ransom?! Is he a madman? Or is there something wrong with his brain?

He glanced at the technical team. The technical team officer shook his head gently. He knew the time was too short. They hadn't been able to locate the other party, and the other party had already hung up. It seemed this Liu Baoshan had strong counter-reconnaissance capabilities and was also very familiar with police investigation methods.

Gu Changzheng felt that he had no initiative at all! He was being led by the nose by the other party! He had weighed the tracker he originally planned to hide in the money box again and again, and finally decided to give it up—the hostage's life safety was above everything else!

"This son of a bitch!" he cursed in his heart! Suddenly, he saw Luo Fei walking over with a grim expression, leaning in to whisper: "Captain Gu, Zhang Hongyu has been found, but the person is already, already gone!"

"What!" Gu Changzheng felt his heart jump violently! He naturally knew what Luo Fei meant by "gone"! But he didn't expect that someone would dare to attack a police officer! This was something he had never experienced in his 20 years of police work!

"How did it happen?"

"At his home in the Fenglinyuan complex, he was stabbed twice, both fatal! One stab in the heart, one stab in the neck. The person was gone right then." Luo Fei said softly, his face full of grief and indignation. Although he wasn't close to Zhang Hongyu, the bandit dared to kill a cop and steal a gun, and the method was cruel! As a colleague, as a people's police officer, the anger in his heart could no longer be suppressed!

"Besides Liu Baoshan, who else was the bandit who killed the cop and stole the gun?" Gu Changzheng couldn't care about anger and sadness. He asked calmly. According to the scene and public reports, Liu Baoshan had at least one helper. He wanted to know how many people were present when Zhang Hongyu was murdered.

Luo Fei replied: "Captain Gu, the traces at the scene reflect that there were only Zhang Hongyu and one other person. There was no third person. Moreover, there were no signs of a fierce struggle at the scene. The other party acted cleanly and neatly! Zhang Hongyu was stabbed twice before he could react."

"Oh?" Gu Changzheng frowned! He didn't expect this Liu Baoshan to have such high combat power; he could kill a well-trained young police officer in an instant!

This is a ruthless demon with no bottom line! After hearing the news of Zhang Hongyu's sacrifice, Gu Changzheng doubted whether Jiang Yuanqi was still alive. Otherwise, why would Liu Baoshan go to the trouble of taking a video and sending it over, instead of letting Jiang Yuanqi speak directly on the phone? Now they must advance on multiple fronts! On one hand, prepare the cash; on the other hand, hurry up and investigate. As long as they find Liu Baoshan's hideout, he was confident he could make Liu Baoshan unable to escape!

Time passed minute by minute. Liu Dan worked all night to mobilize all family members and company employees to collect cash from various places. Gu Changzheng also reported to his superiors immediately. With the coordination of the Municipal Committee, the Zizhen Branch of the People's Bank of China provided strong support and quickly adjusted the cash. Finally, the 50 million in cash was raised within the time specified by Liu Baoshan!

At 11:59 PM on July 5th, Gu Changzheng's phone rang again! He stabilized his mind, waited for the ringtone to ring three times, pressed the answer button, and turned on the speakerphone. Liu Baoshan's voice came from the phone: "Captain Gu, is the 50 million ready?"

Gu Changzheng said in an unquestionable tone: "The money is ready, but I want to see Jiang Yuanqi!"

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment: "What? Do you suspect I tore up the ticket? Hahaha! Don't worry! Such a wealthy god of wealth, how could I bear to kill him! Captain Gu, don't worry, as long as the money is in place, I won't move a finger of the hostage! You immediately prepare 17 26-inch suitcases, then use an Iveco and the cash to drive to the Jiangbei Dock in the Shadao District! You have 30 minutes! If the money isn't there in 30 minutes, I'll kill!"

"No!" Gu Changzheng suddenly shouted: "I must verify that Jiang Yuanqi is still alive! Otherwise, the transaction is canceled!"

There was another silence on the phone. Gu Changzheng stared at the phone, fine beads of sweat already appearing on his forehead! He was gambling, gambling that Jiang Yuanqi was still alive! It was also to make the other party believe that he had already prepared the 50 million in cash.

After ten seconds, Liu Baoshan's arrogant laughter came from the phone: "Hahahaha! Captain Gu, don't be excited! I'll let Boss Jiang talk to you! Boss Jiang, come, tell Captain Gu you are still alive!"

Then a "rip" sound came from the phone, followed immediately by Jiang Yuanqi's voice: "Captain Gu, this is Jiang Yuanqi. I am fine, I am not injured. Where is my wife? Let me talk to her for a few words..."

"Alright!" The phone was obviously taken away from Jiang Yuanqi by Liu Baoshan: "How about it? Captain Gu, are you relieved now? 30 minutes, the countdown starts now. No waiting after the time is up!"

The busy signal came, and the other party hung up the phone again!

"Captain Gu, the other party changed the number again, still couldn't track it..."

"Alright, I know. Luo Fei, hurry up and take people to buy 17 26-inch suitcases. Be fast!"

Luo Fei took the order and took people to prepare. Gu Changzheng was thinking about how to determine the other party's location. Suddenly! A flash of inspiration hit him, and he shouted: "There is a way to try!" ===== CHAPTER 24 =====