Chapter 607: Wu the Great Secret Escapes Death

At noon twelve o'clock, the deck of Elegant Maiden No. 1 had already been baked hot by the scorching sun.

Yu Huacheng, who had been sent to the hospital, had already undergone surgery.

The doctor said the injury was not serious, merely a bullet hole in the scapula; after the bullet was removed, a few days of rest in the hospital would allow discharge.

The manhunt on the ship continued, with Liu Minghui leading and directing the team.

Liu Minghui deployed over a hundred police officers onto the ship, stationing them at each vent outlet of the ventilation ducts, maintaining a standoff of only encircling, not attacking, throughout.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie crackled with urgent static: "Political Commissar Liu, gunfire in the engine room!"

"How many shots?"

Liu Minghui immediately perked up.

"Three shots, coming from the duct. We returned fire three times, but there was still no movement. Probably didn't hit Wu Changsheng." the officer reported.

Liu Minghui calmly gave the order: "Continue to dead-guard the vent outlets, strictly follow Secretary Yu's instructions, besiege and cut off supplies! Without firing a single shot or bullet, we can wear him down to death."

"Received."

Every compartment on the ship is a vent outlet.

The police teams stationed at each point, upon hearing Liu Minghui's order, all perked up with twelvefold concentration; their focus was no less than that of a tabby cat staring at a mouse hole.

However, Wu Changsheng was never one to sit and wait for death.

Wu Changsheng, crawling in the ventilation duct, had just fired those three shots at the motor location, disabling the ventilation system; the high-speed spinning metal fan blades soon stopped turning.

Now he was using the folding Swiss Army knife he carried to unscrew the motor's screws.

Although turning them was strenuous.

But the strong will to survive was there; even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of survival, Wu Changsheng would not easily give up……

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon.

Lin Dongfan, Peng Tianhua of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and Chen Shaokang of the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Corps, among others, arrived at the scene.

As soon as everyone boarded the deck, they were startled by the dense police presence on the ship.

To capture a single Wu Changsheng, they had actually mobilized the entire city's police force.

They were surrounded like an iron barrel!

In Haishan's history, this was undoubtedly an unprecedented, earth-shaking incident that even Municipal Party Committee Secretary Yu Huacheng ended up hospitalized.

Liu Minghui jogged over to meet Lin Dongfan: "Director Lin, you've finally come. Wu Changsheng is still trapped in the duct; escape is definitely impossible."

Lin Dongfan asked, "How serious is Secretary Yu's injury?"

Liu Minghui quickly added: "The surgery is already done. The hospital says there's no major issue; a few days of rest and he can be discharged."

"Good, everyone must stay highly alert; absolutely no more injuries must occur."

Lin Dongfan was saying this when he saw Chen Xiaoyu emerge from the cabin—a nineteen‑year‑old beauty who truly resembled the sexy shipgirls from anime, with a ponytail and a proud chest.

Just one more glance would make you bleed from the nose.

Really deadly!

You can't avoid it; she already came over smiling: "Older brother Fan, you're here."

"Mm."

Lin Dongfan nodded, striving to maintain a solemn demeanor; in this public setting, it really wasn't appropriate to be overly familiar with Xiaoyu.

Lin Dongfan was preparing to go inside the cabin to check the specific situation.

Chen Dingchao suddenly came over to report to Xiaoyu: "Xiaoyu, the ship has a problem—the ventilation system and Stormproof Door No. 1 are both showing fault alarms."

Lin Dongfan furrowed his brow slightly.

Chen Xiaoyu patiently explained and analyzed: "It's the protective door of the Sea Valve, mainly to prevent seawater and debris from rushing in through the vent; normally it's locked shut. If the system shows a fault, it's likely been forcibly opened. I suspect Wu Changsheng may have already crawled from the ventilation duct into the Sea Valve compartment."

Hearing this, Liu Minghui was shocked: "Impossible! All exits…"

He had only spoken half the sentence when he saw Lin Dongfan's sharp gaze fixed on him; Liu Minghui choked back, not daring to continue.

Today he had already been slapped in the face several times.

If the "impossible" turned into "possible," the joke would blow up big—Lin Dongfan's piercing glare could stare him to death.

Seeing Liu Minghui shut up on his own, Lin Dongfan's gaze softened a bit: "When did you last confirm Wu Changsheng's position?"

"At one o'clock in the afternoon, there was gunfire at the engine room location."

Liu Minghui's voice grew smaller, his back chilled with tension; when he had earlier listened to his subordinate's report, he hadn't thought much, assuming Wu Changsheng was merely making a routine counterattack.

Now thinking about it, the situation seemed not so simple.

Those few shots from Wu Changsheng were likely aimed at the core components of the ventilation system; he was opening a survival passage for himself.

Careless—damn it! One slip and you lose the game.

Liu Minghui hurriedly told Lin Dongfan: "Director Lin, please stay calm; I'll go investigate the pursuit plan now…"

"No need!"

Lin Dongfan coldly cut off Liu Minghui's words.

He then directed Section Chief Chen of the Provincial Department: "Section Chief Chen, immediately send people into the ventilation duct to ascertain the exact situation inside."

"Okay."

Chen Shaokang nodded, turned and called over a accompanying officer, ordering him to immediately carry out Lin Dongfan's order.

Lin Dongfan, accompanied by Chen Xiaoyu and others, walked toward the edge of the deck.

He looked out over the vast, surging sea.

Elegant Maiden No. 1 differs from small fishing boats; its draft is deep, so it cannot go into shallow waters. Although it is described as "moored ashore," it is actually over a hundred meters from the true shore, requiring a ferry to board.

In other words, Elegant Maiden No. 1 is anchored in deep water.

Lin Dongfan asked Xiaoyu: "Can a normal adult male swim over a hundred meters?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaoyu instantly understood Lin Dongfan's worry; it was nothing more than concern that Wu Changsheng had already passed through the Stormproof Door, left the cabin, and fled ashore.

Chen Xiaoyu replied helplessly: "Someone who truly knows how to swim can swim over a hundred meters with no problem at all. Wu Changsheng is from Haishan; he grew up by the sea since childhood, so his swimming ability shouldn't be worse than mine."

「!!! 」

This heart-wrenching "swimming info" drilled into his ears, making Lin Dongfan frown with worry, his two delicate sword-brows almost twisting into a knot.

Lin Dongfan carefully observed the situation on the sea surface.

This wavy, surly sea really gives no face—there are actually two shoes floating on the sea surface! Over a hundred meters from the shore, there are actually shoes drifting!

"Liu Minghui, get over here!" Lin Dongfan roared angrily.

Liu Minghui only felt a chill down his spine, and, steeling himself, took two steps forward: "Director Lin, what are your orders?"

"The cabin—gunfire started at one p. m., and it's already past three! In that over-two-hour span, your performance has been quite outstanding!" Lin Dongfan stared at the two shoes on the sea surface: "Want to make a bet? I'm betting Wu Changsheng has already escaped the cabin! Whoever loses resigns in disgrace."

「!!! 」

Liu Minghui wiped a cold sweat, his voice timid as he replied: "Director Lin, I was also following Secretary Yu's orders—just surround, don't attack."

"When Secretary Yu left, it wasn't raining, and he said we didn't need umbrellas."

Lin Dongfan turned his head to stare at Liu Minghui, his tone growing increasingly indifferent: "After he left, the sky suddenly split with a bolt of lightning! The rain poured down—are you also not supposed to use an umbrella?!"

This time Liu Minghui understood—Lin Dongfan was scolding him for blindly following orders without being flexible.

Liu Minghui lowered his head in shame: "Director Lin, your criticism is deserved; I reflect, I self-examine. I also bet that Wu Changsheng has already escaped the cabin, firmly standing with you on the same line, unshakable."

That sudden flattery caught Lin Dongfan off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless.