[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-chasing-the-criminal-case":3,"chapter-chasing-the-criminal-case-chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-245":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Chasing the Criminal Case",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2329013,4554,"Chapter 245: Confrontation","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-245",245,"\u003Cp>Lin Xiaoxue was surprised, but genuinely pleased—she hadn’t seen her in a long time since leaving that place. Though it was a bit late, the food at the “Maniu BBQ” where they’d arranged to meet was delicious, and her stomach was growling, so she turned the car around and headed toward the Maniu BBQ at the intersection of Jiangjin Avenue and Qianjin Road!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes later, the neon sign of the BBQ spot was visible in the distance; Lin Xiaoxue twisted the throttle of her electric scooter, and the vehicle sped forward...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun and Ye Lin, unable to reach Lin Xiaoxue, returned to the Meidelong Supermarket, entered the surveillance room, revealed their identities, and immediately pulled up the footage. When they saw Lin Xiaoxue ride away in the opposite direction of her home after answering a call, they immediately reported the situation to Gu Changzheng, then drove off in the direction she had taken to track her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng immediately deployed personnel, retrieved surveillance footage from all major roads Lin Xiaoxue might have taken, and pulled her call records...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Sun and Ye Lin, driving around searching, headed down Qianjin Road and suddenly spotted a crowd ahead. They stopped the car and walked toward them; as they approached, they heard the group murmuring in panic: “Oh my god, that kid’s brutal! What did that girl do to him to get treated like this?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No kidding! That guy’s face is covered in scars—so terrifying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, let’s get the hell away from here—I think that kid’s mentally unstable...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, their hearts sank like iron weights dropped into a river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun quickly stopped one of them and asked: “Brother, what are you talking about? What do you mean ‘brutal’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man he stopped was a middle-aged guy in his forties, reeking of alcohol and grilled meat. He sized Sun up and said: “Who the hell are you? Listen—I’m telling you, don’t go over there. There’s a scar-faced kid at Maniu BBQ holding a young girl hostage—it’s horrifying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Ye Lin cried out: “What does the girl look like? What does the scar-faced guy look like? What’s he done to her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrage of questions left the man stunned. Then Sun pulled out his police badge: “We’re police officers. Where’s this Maniu BBQ?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the man could answer, someone behind him shouted: “Hey! Real cops?! You got here fast! Quick—it’s just 500 meters ahead, past this bend, you’ll see the sign! That scar-faced guy smells like medicine—he’s slicing the girl with a knife!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two exchanged a glance and sprinted without hesitation toward the direction he pointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on their description, they believed it was almost certainly Zhang Shaodong. Right now, they didn’t care why he’d chosen to commit violence in broad daylight—they just wanted to get there and save Lin Xiaoxue!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They covered the 500 meters in under two minutes. The red neon sign of Maniu BBQ glowed unnervingly in the night. Sun arrived slightly ahead and saw only scattered plates, leftover food, and overturned bottles. In the center of the dining hall, a man in a gray hoodie sat calmly in a chair, his face hidden beneath the shadow of his wide hood. Before him, a young girl lay trembling between his legs, her face caked in blood. In his right hand, he held a slender, gleaming knife—blade as thin as a cicada’s wing—pressed against her carotid artery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun instantly recognized the girl on the ground as Lin Xiaoxue. He drew his sidearm and shouted: “Zhang Shaodong! You’re trapped! Drop your weapon, put your hands on your head, and get on the ground!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than the hoodie-wearer let out a grotesque laugh—raspy, grating, like fingernails scraping iron. After the laugh, he pulled his hood back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ye Lin, who arrived at the scene a step too late! As soon as she stepped into the hall, she saw Zhang Xiaodong remove his hat—suddenly before her eyes appeared a head that could not be called human, filling her with intense revulsion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ye Lin, who had just arrived. The moment she stepped into the hall, she saw Zhang Shaodong revealing his face—and the thing staring back at her wasn’t human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His scalp was bald, crisscrossed with deep, blood-red scars. His eyes, devoid of eyelids, stared blankly. His nose was a grotesque depression. Snake-like scars crawled from his face down his neck. Though his body was hidden under clothing, the horror of his face made it easy to imagine what lay beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lin’s scream seemed to enrage Zhang Shaodong. The knife at Lin Xiaoxue’s neck suddenly moved. A flash of steel—and a heart-wrenching shriek tore through the air: “Ahhhh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wet *plop*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knife had plunged into Lin Xiaoxue’s left eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Sun and Ye Lin shouted in unison; Xiao Sun swiftly chambered a round in his sidearm and aimed at the monster across from him, but the monster seized Lin Xiaoxue and dragged her in front of itself, shrieking: “Come on! Shoot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhang Xiaodong’s small knife now pressed against Lin Xiaoxue’s carotid artery, Xiao Sun instantly calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun and Ye Lin roared in unison. Sun quickly chambered a round, aimed at the monster, and prepared to fire—when the monster grabbed Lin Xiaoxue and shoved her in front of himself, screaming: “Go ahead! Shoot me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhang Shaodong’s knife return to Lin Xiaoxue’s carotid artery, Sun forced himself to calm down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Ye Lin, signaling her not to act. His mind raced: According to the fleeing diners he’d met two minutes ago, the BBQ owner had called police only five or six minutes ago. Even the nearest patrol unit, after receiving the alert, would take at least ten to fifteen minutes to arrive. Gu’s team was probably en route too—but they’d still need five or six minutes to get here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shaodong was too smart. There was no clean shot. Now, the only option was to buy time—and not provoke him further, or he’d hurt the hostage again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Making up his mind, Sun gritted his teeth and swallowed hard. He slowly raised his empty left hand: “Stop hurting her. I promise—I won’t shoot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he took a deep breath and tentatively said, “Let’s talk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Glglglg!” Zhang Shaodong’s laugh was cold and hollow. “Who the hell are you? Do you think you can meet my demands? Can you even decide anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun hurriedly replied: “I’m with the Municipal Public Security Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Unit. State your demands—I’ll contact our superiors immediately. But I need to know what you want!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[35] “Hah! You’re just a lowly cop with big talk! Listen up! Get someone important to talk to me—or I can’t guarantee how long her blood will keep flowing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[36] These words struck exactly at Sun’s deepest fear: Lin Xiaoxue had passed out from excruciating pain, yet her blood continued to pour out without pause...\u003C\u002Fp>",1152,"2026-06-20T19:35:31.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4f256efd0155f66da29689b7d71f8b4ea5ed8ff24629607e8911193b97b0debf","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-246","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-244",276,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchasing-the-criminal-case-cover.jpg"]