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墨書 Inktalez
Captain Ma quickly led the three of them to Ding Derun's home. As soon as he pressed the doorbell, the door swung open.
Jiang He looked at the elderly man standing before him. The old man was dressed in pajamas and appeared to have just woken up. However, Jiang He could tell from the speed at which the door had opened that the old man had likely not slept at all that night. It would take several minutes to get from the bedroom to the door, yet this old man had opened it almost instantly, indicating that he had been waiting for the police to arrive.
Old Shao felt a pang of sympathy for the haggard-looking elder. He was about the same age as Ding Derun, a time in life that should be spent enjoying peace and comfort, yet here he was, suddenly faced with such a calamity—a true misfortune.
Seeing the police had arrived, Ding Derun hurriedly welcomed them into his home.
Ding Derun was flustered and said, "Officer, what should I do? The kidnappers have taken my wife! My partner has a heart condition; if she has an episode, those kidnappers surely won't help her! I haven't even heard her voice; they wouldn't… they wouldn't have already..."
Ding Derun's words were not without reason. Many kidnappers would kill first and demand ransom later; this was not just an empty threat.
Old Shao grasped Ding Derun's hand and said, "Don't worry, brother. In a little while, the bank will open. You don’t need to be anxious. We’ve already informed the bank; any money withdrawn will have special markings. Just hand over the money to those kidnappers, and once it flows back into the bank, we will trace it back to them."
Tears welled in Ding Derun's eyes as he replied, "That's good to hear. Money is not an issue; as long as I can get my wife back, I don’t mind losing four hundred thousand."
Old Shao patted Ding Derun's hand and said, "Your love for your wife is truly admirable. Rest assured, with such deep affection, she will surely turn misfortune into fortune. We will do everything we can to rescue her."
Upon hearing this, Captain Ma let out a cold snort.
Old Shao naturally heard Captain Ma’s disdainful sound but chose not to question it immediately; instead, he kept it in mind.
Ding Derun held Old Shao's hand tightly as he recounted the hardships he and his wife had faced over the years, tears streaming down his face—a sight that was truly heartbreaking. Old Shao could see that Ding Derun had genuine feelings for his wife; it was clear that his emotions were sincere.
Their conversation continued until dawn broke; it was time to get the money.
Ding Derun took his car keys and prepared to drive alone. Seeing that Ding Derun was too distraught, Old Shao suggested that Jiang He accompany him. Now that driving licenses were only revoked after turning seventy, and having been a mechanic all his life, Ding Derun was quite skilled behind the wheel—truly a steady driver.
On their way to the bank, Ding Derun chatted with Jiang He about the struggles he and his wife faced when they were younger. He urged Jiang He to ensure his wife’s safety. If it were anyone else, Ding Derun might have worn them out with his pleas; however, Jiang He listened patiently and responded in kind—an exchange of concern between them.
Old Shao did not ride in Ding Derun's car because he wanted to ask Understand something.
Captain Ma was driving behind Ding Derun's car. Old Shao glanced at the vehicle ahead and asked Captain Ma, "Ma, back at Ding Derun's house, when we were discussing the relationship between Ding Derun and his wife, you scoffed with a hint of disdain. I noticed you didn't even look at Ding Derun when you went inside. What's that about?"
Captain Ma hadn't expected his sigh to be heard by Old Shao. He didn't hide it and replied, "Old Shao, you're not from around here, so you don't know what kind of person Ding Derun is. But we, as police officers, are quite familiar with what Ding Derun is all about."
Old Shao noted that Captain Ma used the term "thing." If "thing" were to refer to a person, it would certainly carry a derogatory connotation. It seemed that Captain Ma had no good feelings toward Ding Derun.
"What do you mean by that?" Old Shao asked.
Captain Ma explained, "About five years ago, there was an incident where the Traffic Police Team handed over two individuals to the Criminal Investigation Team. It turned out there had been a car accident, and neither party would back down, leading to a verbal dispute that escalated into a fight. Thus, a civil dispute became a criminal case, and one of those involved was Ding Derun."
"Ding Derun was the driver who hit someone; however, the other driver wasn't hit. The Traffic Police Team reviewed the surveillance footage and found that it was unclear whether an actual collision occurred. So both parties had their reasons. In the end, to settle things peacefully, the driver paid Ding Derun ten thousand yuan. We thought that would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, Ding Derun became a regular visitor at the Public Security Bureau."
Captain Ma shook his head helplessly at this point.
"A regular visitor?" Old Shao was intrigued.
"Yes," Captain Ma continued. "From then on, every so often we'd see Ding Derun again. Each time it was the same story: his car hit him; the other driver didn’t hit him; yet somehow every accident happened in places where the surveillance footage was unclear. These incidents either led to lawsuits or private settlements, and each time Ding Derun managed to get thousands or even tens of thousands in compensation."
"Now everyone understands that Ding Derun is a professional scammer. No one can possibly be hit by cars every time they go out. Yet he continues this behavior despite knowing he’s scamming people. Legally, there's nothing we can do about it; most drivers prefer to settle quietly rather than get involved with an elderly man like him. We can only condemn him morally, but he shamelessly carries on regardless."
Xu Yiman spoke up, "Can't he be arrested?"
Captain Ma shook his head. "He always chooses locations where it's hard to see clearly what happened. Even if we gather evidence, he'd be out in fifteen days and continue his antics. Moreover, these cases have already reached the Public Security Bureau; I believe most drivers choose to settle directly without us knowing about many others."
Captain Ma pointed at Ding Derun's car. "Look at his vehicle; it's worth over two hundred thousand yuan. He used to work in a repair shop earning three thousand a month and now has no pension after retirement. Yet he has managed to buy two apartments in Jingzhong City and has four hundred thousand in the bank. If that's not scamming, then what else could it be? That's why I have such disdain for this man."
Hearing Captain Ma's words, Old Shao suddenly realized how much Captain Ma looked down on Ding Derun.
Old Shao sighed; humans were such a species. One might love their family dearly, yet that didn't necessarily make them a good person.
"That four hundred thousand isn't his money," Xu Yiman said. "No wonder he doesn't feel any pain over it. But his partner hasn't done anything wrong."
Captain Ma scoffed, "Do you really think his partner wouldn't ask where all that money came from when she saw him bringing it home? If it were me, I would think they are both in the same boat. How could they live together and not know? That's absolutely impossible. The reason she didn't stop him is that she enjoys the benefits of the money."
Old Shao shook his head. "Regardless, that's not a reason for the kidnappers to take someone hostage."
As they spoke, they arrived at the nearest bank.
Since they had made an appointment earlier, Ding Derun quickly withdrew the four hundred thousand and placed it in a backpack.
Now, all they had to do was wait for the kidnappers' call.
Old Shao instructed, "Captain Ma, you go back to City Bureau and coordinate with Wang Chao to arrange the criminal police team's actions. Have Wang Chao bring a few officers to follow our car. Once you return, let Guan Deng prepare to send us texts at any moment to confirm the kidnappers' communication location. Xu Yiman, you'll ride with me; Jiang He, you take a car with Ding Derun."
"Understood."
Everything was set in motion.
At ten in the morning, they sat in the car waiting for the kidnappers' call. Everyone wore headphones; Guan Deng had already connected their signals so that when the kidnappers called, they would all be able to hear what was said.
Finally, Ding Derun's phone rang.
He swallowed hard and glanced at Jiang He, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
"Answer it." Old Shao conveyed the command through the headset.
Ding Derun nodded and picked up the call. "Hello, this is Ding Derun. Please don't harm my old partner."
"Have you withdrawn the four hundred thousand?" the kidnapper asked.
"I have," Ding Derun hurriedly replied.
"Have the police been notified?" the kidnapper pressed on.
"They have, they have," Ding Derun spoke quickly.
Old Shao urged, "Try to delay. Don't answer so fast; at least buy a minute."
The kidnapper asked again, "Has the special task force arrived?"
"What do you mean by your special task force?" Ding Derun, having heard Old Shao's words, deliberately circled around the question. "Anyway, the police are already here."
"Is there someone named Shaoshilin? Has he arrived?" the kidnapper inquired.
Old Shao interjected, "Tell him you need to ask something and wait ten seconds before answering."
Ding Derun understood that Old Shao was stalling for time. He felt conflicted inside, fearing that the kidnapper would see through his tactics. However, after Ding Derun finished speaking, the kidnapper did not show any particular reaction.
After a dozen seconds, Ding Derun finally said, "Yes, it's the special task force led by Elder Shaoshilin."
"Very good," the kidnapper chuckled. "Now take the money to Dongsen Road. It should take half an hour from the bank to Dongsen Road if there's no traffic. I'll call you again in half an hour."
Ding Derun glanced at Jiang He and asked, "What should we do?"
Jiang He replied, "Let's head to Dongsen Road."
At the same time, Old Shao inquired, "Have you located the signal?"
This question was directed at Guan Deng.
Guan Deng hesitated to speak and instead sent a text message: "The signal is not coming from Dongsen Road; it’s actually on Baohua Road."
Baohua Road was a good hour and a half away from Dongsen Road. It seemed the kidnapper was trying to lead Ding Derun on a wild goose chase. Old Shao could almost predict that when Ding Derun arrived at Dongsen Road, the kidnapper would provide another address. This was a clever way to throw off the police, but what the kidnapper didn’t realize was that Guan Deng had already pinpointed the signal location in less than a minute.
Old Shao spoke up, "Jiang He, you head to Dongsen Road. Wang Chao, take your plainclothes team and set up an ambush at Baohua Road. The final transaction location is likely to be on Baohua Road."
The game had truly begun.
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