CH 33

Lin Chen was rendered speechless, but only for a brief moment.

Without any emotion, much less admiration, he reached out to Xing Cong Lian. “Give me the phone.”

As soon as Huang Ze hung up, his phone rang again.

“Huang Ze, I need you to do something. Can you do it?”

Hearing the peaceful voice from the speaker, Huang Ze felt a sense of irony. But after that, he felt strangely reassured. However, being at odds with Lin Chen for so many years, he couldn’t stop his reflex and used a sarcastic tone to speak, “Oh, is Consultant Lin going to start a fire right after taking office?”

Lin Chen’s finger gently rubbed against the phone. After signalling to Xing Cong Lian, Lin Chen walked out of the room.

“Huang Ze, I need you to do one thing.”

Lin Chen’s voice was very low. He paid no heed to Huang Ze’s sarcasm, his voice as steady and calm as ever.

Huang Ze stood in the parking lot, separated from the crowd. Hearing Lin Chen’s key point, he raised his head and looked at the bus driver who he just rescued.

Because Huang Ze kept his head down while talking on the phone, when he suddenly looked up with a gloomy expression, Jiang Zhe immediately noticed that something had happened.

Seeing Huang Ze putting on the Bluetooth earpiece he had just pocketed, Jiang Zhe hurried forward and tugged on Huang Ze’s clothes. “Inspector Huang, when are we going to start the negotiation?”

Looking at Jiang Zhe’s explosive curls, Huang Ze felt an inexplicable sense of disgust. However, he had to endure these feelings because of the media around. “Jiang Zhe, you’re not participating in this case anymore.”

“Inspector Huang, you can’t do this. Lin Chen and Xing Cong Lian are obviously trying to take away the merits!” Although he had already felt Huang Ze’s change in attitude, it was only now, that Jiang Zhe felt nervous.

Huang Ze shrugged off Jiang Zhe’s hand and then walked over to the bus driver. The driver was sitting in a small chair beside the parking lot, drinking hot water while being interviewed by the media.

Seeing that Huang Ze was bent on listening to Lin Chen, Jiang Zhe suddenly raised his voice. “Did you forget what happened the last time Lin Chen was in charge of a negotiation?”

His voice was so loud that not only did he succeed in halting Huang Ze’s footsteps, but also with attracting the attention of the nearby reporters.

Huang Ze turned around, and asked, “Jiang Zhe, don’t you think I’ve heard that too many times already?”

Huang Ze walked up to the driver, patted the two reporters’ interviewing him on the shoulder and motioned them to step away.

The driver raised his head and looked at the man who had just risked his life to save him. However, his eyes didn’t seem that grateful. “Officer, what can I do for you?” he asked.

Huang Ze slightly leaned closer to the middle-aged driver and said, “I just want to inform you that the police have already located the kidnapper. The special forces are on their way and the hostages should be rescued soon. You can rest assured.”

Before Huang Ze finished talking, the driver noticeably became nervous. Even Huang Ze could see the meaning behind the flickering in his eyes.

Lips quivering, the driver asked uneasily after some thought, “What will you do to him?”

“The special force we sent is comprised of the best snipers. Once they catch sight of the kidnapper, they can kill him on the spot!” Huang Ze spoke bluntly, his tone cold.

“Don’t hurt him!” The driver suddenly blurted out at this.

Huang Ze’s sharp gaze glued to the driver’s worried eyes, but he didn’t say anything in response. Standing up straight from his leaning posture, Huang Ze turned around and walked a few steps before pressing down on the earpiece and asked, “You heard that?”

“Loud and clear,” Lin Chen answered. He didn’t immediately hang up the phone, instead saying, “Thank you, Huang Ze.”

Huang Ze thought, ‘What the heck are you thanking me for?’

———

Lin Chen hung up the phone and returned to the room. Unexpectedly, when he arrived, he saw Xing Cong Lian shooting him a meaningful glance. He glanced at the people of the room before his gaze finally fell on the chairman’s face.

“What’s the matter?” Lin Chen asked.

The chairman slapped the desk, “I’m used to the way you guys use your bureaucratic style when doing things, always competing for power and profit. What are you dawdling for? Why haven’t you called the kidnapper yet?”

If there was anyone who worried about this case being concluded unsuccessfully the most, it would be this Mr. Chairman of Hong Jing Highway. After all, he was the main person in charge of the highway, who also delayed the police with their investigation. As of this moment, he was the most anxious out of anyone else involved.

Lin Chen sighed softly, and poured half a cup of hot water from the water dispenser before handing it over to the chairman.

“Please relax,” he said.

Maybe Lin Chen was too calm, or maybe some just had an innate talent for calming the human heart, but the chairman took the paper cup Lin Chen offered on reflex. There was a logo of Hong Jing Highway on the cup and when the chairman looked up again, his tone eased up quite a bit.

“Actually, the kidnapper wanted us to call him. He hopes that after the hostage and the bomb crisis, we will be anxious, thus making it easier for him to manipulate us into agreeing to the conditions he will give.” When Lin Chen went to the sofa, Wang Chao sub-consciously gave him the seat, “But, it’s very important for us to be the ones in control. If, after discovering his message, we make him be on the waiting side, he will feel the same pressure he wanted us to feel.”

The chairman was embarrassed. “Sorry, I was a bit anxious. But even if he’s like me right now, it’s not good. What if he becomes too anxious and hurts the children?”

Lin Chen’s eyes drooped. He unlocked his phone screen and looked at the time and battery. “First of all, I will wait until he speaks and second, he won’t.”

Lin Chen’s tone was very light and he didn’t comment on this matter any further. Pressing the number he had already memorized on the dial, he turned to the technician on his side.

Wang Chao taught Lin Chen how to activate the phone recording function. After testing the tracking and positioning system again, he handed a pair of earphones to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen nodded, then gave one of the earphones to Xing Cong Lian.

The earphones cord wasn’t long, so Lin Chen had to lean close to Xing Cong Lian while placing the microphone close to his lips. For convenience, Xing Cong Lian had to turn his head to the side and stick close to Lin Chen.

Warm exhales brushed his face from the side, with a clean smell of peppermint and tobacco. Lin Chen stabilized his breath and pressed the call button.

Toot…Toot…

The dial tone rang five times before the call was connected.

Silence commenced from the earphones and outside of it, before a light and slow breathing sound was heard.

Lin Chen didn’t speak. He was waiting.

The kidnapper had to talk first.

The kidnapper’s voice was gentle and polite, like a young nobleman from a good background, without a shred of the violent temperament befitting of a kidnapper.

He said, “Mr. Jiang, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

Xing Cong Lian’s eyes widened and he turned to Lin Chen, his gaze incredulous. He suddenly understood why Lin Chen waited for the kidnapper to speak first. People become anxious while waiting, and that mood easily led to mistakes being made.

Lin Chen’s breathing wasn’t disturbed at all. He didn’t seem to mind the form of address the kidnapper blurted out, and neither admitted nor denied it. He just gripped the microphone tighter and softly smiled. His voice was very light and peaceful. “Hello.”

From the other end of the call, a chuckle was heard. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

“I had to get ready before talking to you.” Lin Chen resolved the young man’s doubt in a simple manner, talking as if this was a simple daily conversation. 

“How’d that Sugus taste?”, the boy asked with a smile.

“Before I could taste it, that Sugus was already packed and sent to the evidence desk,” Lin Chen replied, smiling as well.

“That’s a great pity. I personally think that lemon Sugus tastes amazing. You should give them a try.”

“That’s a good idea.” Lin Chen gently coiled the microphone cord around his finger, then continued. “It’s a bit cold now. Have you all had lunch yet?”

“Haha, we just ate the snacks the children bought.” The boy laughed, then added,  “Mr. Jiang, you actually want to ask where we are right now, don’t you?”

“Would it be convenient for you to tell me?” Lin Chen paid no mind to the light provocation and instead, followed the topic and replied just as casually.

“Eh, when negotiating with kidnappers, don’t you guys have a tracking system ready? If you use basic triangulation, you should find where I am right now, yes?”

At this, Lin Chen turned to Xing Cong Lian who was already in front of the computer. Then, as if he had just seen a ghost, he moved the screen towards Lin Chen for him to see. The screen displayed that the tracking red dot had already stabilized and clearly showed that the kidnapper was in the hidden reed field beside the Hong Jing Highway.

Even Lin Chen was slightly surprised, but before he could speak, a soft voice like cotton candy was heard from the other end of the call. The girl seemed to be reciting something. Her voice stumbled here and there, but her tone was serious and clear. “Uncle, I hope you can bring the result to me in 90 minutes.”

The tender voice made a round in Lin Chen’s ears. It was so sweet that delicate threads of sweetness could be spun from it. Lin Chen coiled the microphone’s cord around his finger again. He didn’t ask for what the girl meant by “result”, instead choosing to move closer to the microphone and saying in a light voice, “Let’s make a deal.”

“What deal?”

“I will bring you what you want, but you need to make sure that the children are safe, please.” Lin Chen’s voice was serious and the smile on his lips had disappeared.

“Mr. Jiang seems confident in the plan you have in mind?” A slight jeer came from the earphones.

“Not really.” Lin Chen said frankly with his back straight. “I just think…”

“What do you think?” The boy seemed to find this funny and couldn’t help but ask.

“I think you are living in great pain. But those who have a conscience and moral bottom line are bound to live lives more painful than others.”

The boy on the other end of the call didn’t seem to expect such an answer. He was quiet for a while before saying, “Mr. Jiang, I feel like I’m going to view you with a different perspective.” As if to calm down, the boy seemed to have torn open a wrapping and stuffed the candy into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, “I’ll see you in 90 minutes then. Please bring those journalist friends along, ah.”

After that, he casually hung up the phone. Lin Chen seemed to have heard a kiss sound coming from the other end before the call disconnected.

“Mr. Jiang, Jiang Zhe?” Xing Cong Lian took off the earphone. His slender knuckles tapped on the desk. “No wonder there’s so many journalists here today.”

“They were probably being used.” Lin Chen moved his hand to the still warm paper cup and sighed softly. “What a clever boy.”