[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-chasing-the-criminal-case":3,"chapter-chasing-the-criminal-case-chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-59":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},2328827,4554,"Chapter 59","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-59",59,"\u003Cp>The vast living room fell silent as the ringing phone paused everything!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young technician glanced at the caller ID, his mouth dropping open in shock, lips moving soundlessly—he’d forgotten the call wasn’t connected yet, terrified the kidnapper might hear others in the room, so he dared not make a single sound!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun instantly understood his intent, pulled Wu Yuhe over, and signaled him to answer the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuhe reacted just as quickly—he realized the kidnapper might have called back!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lunged forward, snatched the receiver, and blurted: “Hello!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! I’ll say this one last time! The person is unharmed—for tonight at 9:30, pack the money into a black backpack and leave it beneath the fourth pine tree to the left of the main gate of No. 3 Middle School. You must be there exactly at 9:30—not a second early, not a second late! Remember! Once I get the money, Wang Heshan will appear there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he slammed the phone down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Wu rushed over and said: “Chief Gao, our guys have reached Erlang Alley—they’re almost at the phone booth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun shot him a glance, silently praying the kidnapper wouldn’t slip away—he knew this kidnapper was extremely cunning, and he’d chosen 9:30 p.m. precisely because it was when students finished evening self-study at No. 3 Middle School!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. 3 Middle School was the most prestigious high school in Zizhen City; it was said that getting in meant you’d already put one foot into a top-tier university. Its annual college admission rate above 90% had firmly secured its position as the city’s number one high school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gao Jianjun couldn’t figure out one thing: from the kidnapper’s voice, it was clearly a muscular man in his thirties—how could he possibly blend in among a crowd of teenage students without standing out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The update from Erlang Alley only deepened Gao Jianjun’s frustration. For a moment, he even felt regret—regret volunteering to lead the Wang Heshan kidnapping case. But the thought vanished instantly: top investigators from the municipal bureau and the Jiangdong and Jiangnan branches had all been assigned to the “Exorcist” task force—he was one of its deputy leaders. Now was the time to shoulder the organization’s burden; how could he waver over such a challenge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He straightened his posture and ordered: “Notify all outer surveillance teams—move immediately to the vicinity of No. 3 Middle School. Do not reveal your identities. Secure every position with direct sight of the school gate. Xiao Wu, you’re responsible for Wu Yuhe’s safety—during the exchange, your eyes must never leave him. Understood?” Then he had the technician pull up the few surveillance camera locations near the school and a map of the area. After a moment of thought, he continued giving detailed instructions to the on-site detective squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. 3 Middle School was a school every parent in Zizhen City looked up to—it was said that if you got in, you’d already secured your place in a top university. Its consistent annual college admission rate above 90% had cemented its status as the city’s top high school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just after 9 p.m., several food carts arrived punctually at the school gates. Most vendors were laid-off factory workers from the city, selling simple snacks and gathering near the school during the brief period after evening self-study to earn a few extra yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, there was one extra stall—he’d brought a three-wheeled agricultural truck, its large cargo bed holding a white iron box nearly the same size as the bed itself, resembling a counter, topped with breads and cakes. The vendor was a slightly overweight young man; perhaps because he was new, he said nothing and set up his stall far from the gate, beneath a pine tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun and the undercover officers had learned from outside the school that food vendors regularly appeared each night. One officer suggested quietly clearing them away, but Gao Jianjun rejected it—doing so would alert the kidnapper and likely cause him to cancel the exchange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet there was a major complication: the school couldn’t confirm whether the vendors were regulars—meaning an unfamiliar face could appear, adding too much uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the exchange was imminent. He ordered the undercover officers to monitor every entrance to No. 3 Middle School, while Xiao Wu and three other officers spread out around Wu Yuhe, ready to apprehend the person who came to take the bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time crawled forward second by second. The hidden officers felt these thirty minutes dragged endlessly—each second weighed like a sledgehammer striking their hearts. The air itself grew thick, suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong! Dong! Dong!” The sudden bell signaling dismissal sliced through the heavy silence. No sooner had it ended than the quiet campus erupted into chaos! The food vendors snapped to attention, each one tensing like soldiers preparing for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, the school gates swung open, and students poured out like a flood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun immediately radioed: “All teams, watch every entrance! Xiao Wu, keep a safe distance from Wu Yuhe—never let him out of your sight!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, his eyes swept over every person like a hawk soaring high above—groups of students hurrying out in uniform, eager vendors, school guards at the gate, teachers maintaining order—all seemed perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a strange feeling flashed through Gao Jianjun’s mind—within this seemingly normal scene, something felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuhe had placed the backpack beneath the fourth pine tree the moment the bell rang, now watching it from nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun watched hundreds of students in identical uniforms exiting the school—some stopped to buy snacks from the vendors. But the overweight man at the edge of the crowd didn’t seem to care whether any students approached—he looked tense instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lightning bolt struck Gao Jianjun’s mind—this man was suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, he radioed: “Xiao Wu! The cake vendor is suspicious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Wu, a seasoned detective, understood at once. He signaled the three officers beside him, stepped forward to shield Wu Yuhe with his body, gestured for him to retreat, then subtly formed a circle around the vendor without drawing attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cake vendor was He Jian, the man who’d slipped away in Erlang Alley—his heart pounded with excitement, his nostrils filled with the lingering scent of Alan, a fragrance like a stimulant flooding his body with dopamine. As a girl with a ponytail, wearing No. 3 Middle School’s uniform and carrying a black backpack, passed behind him, he suddenly broke into a manic smile, bent down, and with a loud “clang,” a side door opened on the iron box—he pulled out a man whose mouth was gagged and hands bound behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>",1104,"2026-06-20T19:35:30.807Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6cc1ad479bb308d3fef4c3e121cfda40a614afbcb58dbe1b4109c01a0fb529b8","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-60","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-58",276,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchasing-the-criminal-case-cover.jpg"]