Chapter 924: Chapter 924

In the following days, Shenchuan City was unusually quiet for two full days. During this time, the busiest people were undoubtedly the local police led by Zhao Chengshuang, who were working tirelessly to track down the mercenaries and solve this case as quickly as possible.

Ou Keren's Xiangjiang Police team, like the Shenchuan City Police, was also searching for these mercenaries. However, over the past two days, they hadn't uncovered any clues. Even the leads they had from the earlier food delivery incidents had disappeared suddenly, which was extremely unusual.

On the evening of the third day, the police suddenly received a report from a farmer in the northern suburb, claiming to have discovered a group of suspicious individuals in the mountainous forest area there. The farmer stumbled upon them by chance and observed their secretive, untrustworthy behavior, raising many questions about who they were.

The primary reason the farmer decided to call the police was the shocking discovery that these individuals were carrying guns and other weapons. Terrified by this, he immediately made the report.

Upon hearing this report, Zhao Chengshuang was almost certain that these people must be the mercenaries. Without hesitation, he ordered his team to prepare an operation to apprehend them. However, to play it safe, Zhao Chengshuang first called Ye Qing to consult him.

Ye Qing, who had been busy at the orphanage for the past two days since Wu Yian was hospitalized, had been taking care of all the orphanage matters himself. After listening to Zhao Chengshuang explain the situation, Ye Qing fell silent for a moment before replying in a serious tone, "Don't go!"

"Why not?" Zhao Chengshuang asked, surprised. "This is a great opportunity. If my team is well-prepared, we can wipe them out completely!"

Ye Qing said, "Do you think a group of well-trained mercenaries would be discovered by a farmer without being aware of it?"

"Huh?" Zhao Chengshuang froze for a moment before slapping his thigh. "You're right! That group of mercenaries has considerable combat skills. There's no way they would carelessly let a farmer spot them without noticing. This must be an intentional move to lure us into a trap. Thanks for reminding me, or else we might have fallen for their scheme!"

Ye Qing continued, "The mercenaries are trying every trick to bait us. Don't react to any information about them. Let their patience wear thin, and they'll come out looking for us. That's when we'll catch them!"

"Exactly! You and I are on the same page!" Zhao Chengshuang nodded. "Alright, we'll follow your advice!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Chengshuang turned to his team, who were awaiting instructions, and said, "Tell everyone there's no need to go. Just pretend this incident never happened. Oh, and notify the local station to bring that farmer to the bureau for questioning. Verify whether he might have been bribed by those people!"

The officers didn't have any objections and promptly left to carry out his orders. Zhao Chengshuang leaned back in his office chair, casually sipping tea as he reviewed the materials on his desk. However, he hadn't been seated for five minutes when several Xiangjiang officers stormed into his office.

Leading the group was Zheng Tianbao, who had accompanied Ou Keren to Shenchuan. As soon as he entered, he addressed Zhao Chengshuang bluntly: "Director Zhao, I just heard that your police team found clues about the mercenaries. Yet, not only did you fail to notify us, but you also didn't send anyone to intercept them. Care to explain?"

"Those aren't clues; they're bait meant to lure us into their trap!" Zhao Chengshuang replied with a laugh. "If we had sent people there, we wouldn't have caught them, and worse, we might've fallen into their ambush. That's why I didn't notify you."

"How are you so certain that the mercenaries are trying to lure us?" Zheng Tianbao pressed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Zhao Chengshuang gestured. "Those mercenaries are highly skilled. How could a regular farmer spot them without them noticing? Think about it—doesn't that sound suspicious?"

The Xiangjiang officers exchanged glances, while Zheng Tianbao furrowed his brows and said, "So you decided not to send anyone, and instead just sit here doing nothing?"

"That's not fair!" Zhao Chengshuang shot back. "I'm actively tracking them; Shenchuan City Police have been far from idle!"

Zheng Tianbao cut in: "You've found leads on their whereabouts, yet you still didn't pursue them. Then what's the point of this so-called pursuit?"

"Well…" Zhao Chengshuang opened his mouth but hesitated. "If we know it's a trap, why would we walk right into it?"

"But you haven't even examined the situation! How can you be sure it's a trap?" countered Zheng Tianbao. "It's possible the mercenaries simply slipped up and were spotted by the farmer. That's plausible too, isn't it?"

"Not a chance!" Zhao Chengshuang dismissed the idea outright. "All this is based on Ye Qing's analysis. Ye Qing used to be in the Special Forces—he's seen this type of situation countless times. A well-trained task force wouldn't make such rookie mistakes!"

"Ah, so this all stems from Ye Qing!" Zheng Tianbao's expression darkened. Since arriving in Shenchuan City, he had harbored disdain for Ye Qing. He was irked because he admired Ou Keren, but she seemed only to have eyes for Ye Qing. To him, Ye Qing was an adversary. No matter how capable Ye Qing was, Zheng Tianbao found everything he did infuriating. This matter was no different; hearing that Ye Qing had analyzed the situation only heightened his dissatisfaction.

"Exactly, Ye Qing said so!" Zhao Chengshuang affirmed. "Those mercenaries have suffered several setbacks at Ye Qing's hands. He's exceptionally adept at dealing with them."

"Hmph, if that guy named Ye is so competent, you Shenchuan City Police don't even need a force anymore—he can protect the entire city by himself!" sneered Zheng Tianbao.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Zhao Chengshuang flared up, barely restraining himself. If not for the fact that these officers were guests from Xiangjiang, he would've lost his temper.

"That's just how I talk!" snapped Zheng Tianbao. "Director Zhao, if you're offended, feel free to file a complaint against me!" He waved his hand toward his team. "Let's leave! If we keep working with these people, we'll never catch those mercenaries in this lifetime!"

With that, the Xiangjiang officers followed Zheng Tianbao out, leaving Zhao Chengshuang fuming and glaring but ultimately powerless. After all, the Xiangjiang team wasn't under his jurisdiction. Moreover, higher-ups had stressed maintaining good ties with the Xiangjiang Police, so there was no way he could afford to lash out at them.

Outside, Zheng Tianbao stormed out of the police bureau with his team. Once inside their vehicle, one officer looked at him and asked, "Bao, should we call the captain and have her handle this issue?"

Ou Keren was undergoing a follow-up hospital visit today and hadn't been present. If she had been around, Zheng Tianbao and Zhao Chengshuang wouldn't have had the chance to clash.

"No need!" Zheng Tianbao waved dismissively, his tone sharp. "The captain completely trusts Ye Qing's judgment. If she hears about this, she'll probably think we're in the wrong."

"Then… what now?" The team turned to Zheng Tianbao.

After a long pause, he replied grimly, "Something's off about all this. I suspect that Zhao Chengshuang has other motives!"

"What motives?" The officers stared at him in surprise.

"If they received information, there's no reason why no one would check out the site. Yet, Zhao Chengshuang is sitting idly, refusing to inform us…" Zheng Tianbao scanned their faces, stating firmly, "I suspect that Zhao Chengshuang was lying earlier. He might've already sent people to catch the mercenaries!"

"No way!" One officer said. "Why would he keep us in the dark?"

"Think, you fool!" Zheng Tianbao snapped. "Whether we're involved or not makes a big difference!"

"How so?" More curious glances fell on him.

"Consider this: The case originally belonged to our Xiangjiang Police, with Shenchuan Police merely assisting. But after arriving here, the case shifted—Shenchuan Police took the lead, and we became their support. They outright claimed ownership over the case, and even if the case is solved, the credit will be split 50-50!" Zheng Tianbao explained. "But sharing half the credit isn't enough for them. They want all the recognition. So, they kept us out of the loop. If they capture the mercenaries and solve this case, what credit will we have left? It'll all be theirs!"

The officers looked at each other, nodding in agreement. One murmured darkly, "Damn mainland cops, they're so shameless. This was our case, and now they want all the glory. You can't work with people !"

"Bao, what do we do?" Another asked. "Should we tell the captain to negotiate with the Shenchuan Police?"

"We can't tell the captain!" Zheng Tianbao dismissed this idea immediately. "The captain is close to Ye Qing and completely infatuated with him. With Zhao Chengshuang being Ye Qing's friend, she'd just think we're falsely accusing him. She'd never take our side!"

Frustrated expressions spread among the team. After all, Ou Keren was the pride of Xiangjiang's police force—a celebrated beauty. Seeing her be so close to Ye Qing upon entering the mainland was deeply agitating. It felt as if their own precious treasure was being taken away, and who could stomach that?

"So, what should we do?" An officer pressed urgently. "We can't just let them steal all the glory!"

Zheng Tianbao nodded slowly and resolutely said, "To reclaim the credit, the best move is for us to personally capture those mercenaries!"