Chapter 605: The vanished prey, an astonishing fart!

The seaman training assessment plan originally scheduled for today has been temporarily cancelled. Under Lin Dongfan's phone guidance, Chen Xiaoyu has already evacuated all crew members aboard the ship.

Only Chen Xiaoyu himself and his paternal uncle Chen Dingchao remain on the ship.

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

Municipal Party Committee Secretary Yu Huacheng and City Bureau Director Liu Minghui personally led a team of criminal investigators aboard the ocean-going fishing vessel Elegant Maiden No. 1, and Chen Xiaoyu stepped forward to give a brief report.

Upon learning that Wu Changsheng was trapped in the rest cabin and unable to get out, Yu Huacheng highly praised Chen Xiaoyu's quick wit and bravery, and also complimented Lin Dongfan's discerning eye for talent.

The group, led by Chen Xiaoyu, arrived at the door of the rest cabin.

Liu Minghui stepped forward and touched the cabin door, feeling a hint of icy chill, then turned to ask Chen Xiaoyu and Chen Dingchao: "What's the situation inside now?"

Chen Dingchao shook his head and replied: "I don't know. Wu Changsheng shot and destroyed the surveillance camera, so we've been unable to see inside for a while."

Seeing that Yu Huacheng and Liu Minghui were both looking at him.

It seemed they still wanted to hear more details.

Chen Dingchao added: "Wu Changsheng fired two shots in total—one shot destroyed the camera inside, the other hit the cabin door. I estimate he was trying to blast the door open but failed. After firing those two shots, there was no movement or sound inside. I pressed my ear to the door for Along time and heard nothing."

"He must have frozen solid into an icicle."

The one who responded was Liu Minghui.

Liu Minghui shifted his gaze to Yu Huacheng, and based on Chen Xiaoyu's earlier report, he made a bold speculation: "Secretary Yu, the air conditioning has been on for over two hours; the temperature inside must have dropped to at least minus twenty degrees Celsius, so a person would definitely freeze solid—he's probably already dead."

"Dead?"

Everyone present, without prior agreement, turned their gazes toward Chen Xiaoyu.

Sensing something was off, Chen Dingchao hurried forward to take responsibility: "Leaders, I turned on the air conditioning; it has nothing to do with Xiaoyu. If someone froze to death, arrest me if you must."

"Why did you turn on the air conditioning?" Liu Minghui asked in surprise.

Chen Dingchao mumbled hesitantly: "This… I… I was thinking…" After pondering for a while he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation, he made up nonsense—he was completely unprofessional.

At this moment Chen Xiaoyu stepped forward and said: "I gave the order to turn on the air conditioning."

Once again everyone's attention focused on Chen Xiaoyu, who calmly explained: "Wu Changsheng was carrying a firearm, posing a lethal threat to us. At the time I ordered the air conditioning turned on to weaken his aggressiveness. The main purpose was to ensure the safety of everyone on board."

"You've already locked him in the rest cabin—he can't get out—where does any lethal threat come from?" Liu Minghui, being a criminal investigator by background, questioned with a piercing stare, locking eyes on Chen Xiaoyu.

It was like interrogating a suspect, which made Chen Xiaoyu very unhappy!

Chen Xiaoyu retorted without hesitation: "This is a rest cabin, not a heavily guarded prison. If Wu Changsheng bursts out, what would we use to resist? Are we supposed to block his gunfire with our heads?"

A simple question left Liu Minghui speechless.

Really unexpected—this nineteen-year-old, who looks like a big-breasted empty-headed vase, not only has a sharp mind but also talks back with biting wit…

Just as Liu Minghui was pondering how to regain face, Yu Huacheng shot him a white-eye glance.

In silence it seemed to say: "I called you here to chase the fugitive, not to interrogate the reporter! What the hell are you doing? You deserve to be talked back to!"

The contempt from the leadership, Liu Minghui instantly understood.

Liu Minghui collected himself, confidently made a judgment: "A human body can survive at most one hour in a minus twenty degree environment. Secretary Yu, just open the door. The person is already dead, so there's no danger inside."

"For now, the exact situation inside cannot be confirmed, but we still need to guard against whatever we should."

Having already been looked down upon by Lin Dongfan over the phone earlier today, Yu Huacheng didn't want to be scorned again; he thought that caution ensures a smooth voyage, and there must be no further mishaps.

Yu Huacheng immediately ordered the on-site criminal investigators: "Draw your sidearms and stay on high alert! Once the door opens, if there is any movement or resistance inside, shoot to kill on the spot!"

The four criminal investigators on the scene instantly drew their guns and stood guard, daring not to be the slightest bit careless.

Yu Huacheng turned and instructed Chen Xiaoyu: "Captain Chen, please tell us the cabin door's password, then step aside."

"The password is."

After Chen Xiaoyu reported the password, he voluntarily stepped aside.

At the same time, Liu Minghui, wearing a half‑mocking smile and labeling this string of digits a 'brain‑dead password,' also stepped aside with Yu Huacheng.

Only the four criminal investigators remained in place.

Three held their guns at the ready while one stepped forward to input the password and open the cabin door.

When the final digit was entered, the airtight door popped open with a 'click,' and a blast of frigid air, as if from hell, surged out.

One of the criminal investigators instinctively raised his gun and warned: "Police! Don't move!"

Then he wore a bewildered expression.

The whole group was bewildered; all they saw was that the rest cabin was empty.

On the table sat a half‑cup of red wine frozen into ice cubes, the shattered surveillance camera hanging in the corner of the wall. Although the wires were thin, the camera didn't sway because the wires had frozen stiff.

After one criminal investigator went inside to look around and came out to report: "There's no one in there."

In an instant, Liu Minghui stopped being angry and instead laughed.

Today, having been summoned by Yu Huacheng early in the morning for a meeting, kept busy like a grandson, and finally being scolded head‑to‑toe and receiving a warning penalty.

As I've been saying, the Haishan Police—how could they possibly not even catch a little fishergirl!

In order to regain his lost face, Liu Minghui quickly shifted his gaze to Chen Xiaoyu: "Chen Xiaoyu, filing a false report carries legal liability!"

"No one inside?"

Chen Xiaoyu was also a bit bewildered, hurriedly entering to check the situation.

His paternal uncle Chen Dingchao also went in, pointing at the shattered camera and explaining to Liu Minghui: "Leader, this camera was smashed by Wu Changsheng's gunfire; we certainly didn't file a false report."

Speaking.

Chen Dingchao then picked up a spent cartridge from the floor and showed it to Liu Minghui: "Look, there's a bullet casing. How could we have filed a false report? Wu Changsheng must have escaped through the ventilation shaft."

Upon mentioning the ventilation shaft, everyone simultaneously turned their gazes toward the ceiling.

Liu Minghui craned his neck to observe for a moment, then promptly made another confident judgment: "The screws at the four corners of the ventilation grille are intact—there's no sign of having been moved at all! You're lying…"

"Pffft~~~"

Before Liu Minghui could finish speaking.

Suddenly from the ventilation duct came a foul‑smelling fart, the kind that can turn corners, and it lasted for about two seconds.

In an instant...

Liu Minghui stood there with a black line on his head, stunned in place; his whole body almost turned to stone—damn your mother! Why didn't you fart earlier or later? You had to wait until I finished my conclusion before farting!