Chapter 8

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Without mentioning Ning Xiaofan's meticulous exploration of every line in the black box, at this moment, the square outside the mall had gathered quite a number of police officers. At first glance, there were probably hundreds of them, including uniformed police, plainclothes police, and even nearly a hundred fully armed SWAT officers in olive green uniforms.

In the temporary command center set up with simple tents in the southern part of the square, the beautiful bureau chief, Su Mei, stood in front of a row of display screens. On her left, right, and behind her stood several police officers with ranks on their shoulders, including the head of the major case team, Old Chen, and the head of the criminal investigation team, Chief Chen.

There were a total of eight display screens, but they were all filled with static, clearly indicating that the connection to the mall's surveillance cameras had not been established.

Su Mei glanced at her watch; the five minutes she had specified had already passed, and the second hand had moved more than ten seconds.

"Old Zhao, what's going on? Why isn't it connected yet?" Su Mei frowned and turned to look at the head of the major case team standing not far away.

Old Zhao's heart tightened, and he was about to answer when a female police officer sitting in front of the display screens suddenly said, "It's connected!"

It's connected! Su Mei and Old Zhao's eyes lit up, and they hurriedly looked at the display screens. The static on the screens had disappeared, replaced by a slightly shaky image. After a few shakes, the image stabilized and became clear.

A total of six surveillance cameras were installed in the front hall of the mall, allowing the situation in the front hall to be observed from different angles. Ignoring the camera at the main entrance, the scene in the front hall was fully displayed before Su Mei and the other police officers.

Coincidentally, one of the cameras was directly facing the T-shaped runway. Although it was a bit far, they could still see a young woman sitting on a chair in the center of the runway.

After receiving the alarm and arriving at the scene, the first thing the police did was to cordon off a safe area, followed by investigations and interviews. By this point, Su Mei and the police on the scene had already learned from the information they had gathered that the hostage was the popular singer Tang Chuyi.

As a super star, the goddess in the hearts of countless otakus and losers, the impact of her being taken hostage was extremely severe and shocking! Moreover, the information they had gathered also included a suspected bomb with an explosion range of about 300 square meters!

Although it was only suspected, no one dared to believe it was a prank!

What does an explosion range of 300 square meters mean? It exceeds the explosive power of the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing! An explosion range of 300 square meters, the extent of the powerful shock wave's spread is unknown. Not only that, if the load-bearing columns on the ground floor were destroyed by the explosion, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just like the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, where only the upper part of the building was hit by the plane, the resulting explosion caused the entire building to collapse. With this precedent, the United Mall has nine floors, and it is unlikely to withstand such a large explosion!

Singer, bomb, jewelry! These three elements combined would absolutely shock the nation, shock Asia, and even shock the world! At this moment, outside the police cordon in the square, more than 200 journalists had gathered. Most of them had participated in the jewelry exhibition and had just escaped from the mall, while the rest had rushed to the scene upon receiving the news!

With the journalists gathered, various cameras and video cameras were all aimed at the mall's entrance. The news of Tang Chuyi being taken hostage by a bomb had already spread rapidly on the internet, the most advanced medium of information...

"Hey, Chief Su, look, there seems to be something under the hostage's feet!" Old Zhao suddenly pointed at the surveillance image and said.

Su Mei replied, "I see it. Xiao Wu, can you zoom in a bit?"

Xiao Wu, the female police officer sitting in front of the display screens, responded and, after a few taps on the keyboard, the image on one of the screens began to change.

The image zoomed in and enlarged, becoming very clear. Su Mei and the police on the scene could now see that someone was lying on their back under the chair, with their shoulders and head hidden from view, but their chest and lower body were exposed, and Tang Chuyi's bare feet were stepping on the person's chest.

What's going on? Wasn't it said that there was only one hostage in the front hall? How did another person appear?

Su Mei and the police on the scene exchanged puzzled looks. Through the display screens, they could observe the clothing of the person lying under the chair. The person was wearing a long-sleeved casual jacket, slightly faded light blue jeans, and a pair of dark brown casual shoes.

From the clothing, it appeared to be a relatively young man.

Who is that person? What is he doing? Why is he lying under the hostage's chair? What is he doing under the chair? Could it be...

The image from the surveillance screen gave a strange and eerie feeling. Su Mei and the others were full of questions. As a police officer, Su Mei and the police on the scene all had a thought: Could that mysterious young man be the criminal suspect who is using the bomb to threaten the hostage!

Just suspecting is useless. Su Mei was well aware of the severity of the situation. Now that they had obtained the situation in the front hall and the hostage from the surveillance images, as the bureau chief and the first temporary head of the command center, she had to take emergency measures before the city or provincial leaders arrived!

Su Mei turned to look at Old Zhao from the major case team: "Old Zhao, immediately organize people to review all the surveillance footage from today and see if you can find anything, especially the suspect lying under the chair!"

"Understood!"

"Chief Chen."

"Here! Chief, please give your instructions!" Chief Chen of the criminal investigation team quickly rushed to Su Mei, standing straight and tall, looking quite professional.

This guy is just a bit too talkative! Su Mei glared at him angrily: "Go and compile all the information we have gathered, paying special attention to whether the man in the surveillance footage is mentioned! Be thorough, and if you miss anything, write your resignation letter yourself!"

"Understood, Chief, I guarantee I won't write a resignation letter!" Chief Chen's voice was loud and his response smooth, but he always gave an impression of being a bit careless.

Su Mei didn't bother to glare at him again and scanned the group of police officers, saying, "Where are the SWAT team members? Speak up if you're here."

"Chief Su, I'm here."

With that, a middle-aged man with dark skin, a short and stocky build, and fully armed in SWAT gear, poked his head out from behind a police officer.

Su Mei frowned again: "Captain Liu, what are you hiding behind? Come to the front!"

Captain Liu, the SWAT team leader, moved quickly, darting to the front through the gaps between the police officers. Standing in front of Su Mei, he smiled awkwardly: "Chief Su, I wasn't hiding. I'm just a bit short, so I was blocked by the others. Chief Su, you are generous, you won't blame me, right?"

"Being short, you should stand at the front even more..."

Su Mei had intended to scold the SWAT team leader, but seeing his awkward smile and his indifferent attitude, she shook her head and couldn't continue. She knew that her subordinates, whether from the criminal investigation team or the SWAT team, were all the same. They were all capable, but their conduct was terrible, free, scattered, and rebellious, with thick skin. They were police officers in uniform, but thugs out of uniform!

Since she didn't want to scold him anymore, Su Mei pointed to the display screen somewhat helplessly: "First, look at the situation in the hall. Observe carefully. You have three minutes to come up with a plan. Once the bomb disposal experts arrive, ensure their safety and find a way to rescue the hostage unharmed!

"Understood!"

Captain Liu turned to look at the display screen. After just a few seconds, he loudly said, "Report to Chief Su, one hostage who cannot move freely and one suspect have been identified."

"Nonsense! Do you think I can't see that!"

"Report to Chief Su, I'm not being nonsensical. I have confidence that I can shoot the suspect in the head when he comes out from under the chair. Chief Su, do you want him dead or alive?"

Su Mei's eyes flashed with annoyance, almost wanting to kick him: "Captain Liu, you've already said it's a suspect. If it's a suspect, it's just a suspect. Shooting him in the head, how can you even say that!"

"Report to Chief Su, from the surveillance footage, I can't think of any other person unrelated to the case staying at the scene, nor can I find any reason. Moreover, the person is under the chair where the hostage is sitting. Therefore, my judgment is that the person under the chair is the criminal who placed the bomb and threatened the hostage! In extraordinary circumstances, extraordinary measures must be taken. To avoid the greatest loss, shooting him in the head is the best choice!"

Captain Liu's words were not without reason. As a highly aggressive SWAT team member, his primary goal was to eliminate all possible life-threatening suspicious targets. Whether it was a disregard for human life was not within his consideration. Of course, everything still had to follow the orders of his superiors, and he could only make suggestions that were advantageous to him!

Su Mei had not failed to consider Captain Liu's words. The young man under the chair was too strange and mysterious. His purpose was unclear, and the information received indicated that the bomb was placed in that chair, meaning that the mysterious man might be tampering with the bomb.

"Is there no other way besides shooting him? For example, using a tranquilizer gun?"

"It can be tranquilized, but after the criminal is shot, it takes a few seconds for the tranquilizer to take effect. Those few seconds are enough for the criminal to detonate the bomb!

Captain Liu referred to the person as a criminal, and his eyes flashed with a hint of something indescribable, as if he was very eager to put the mysterious man under the chair to death!

However, Su Mei only listened to half of his words. As the bureau chief, she had her own judgment and would not easily believe one-sided information. Even though the mysterious man in the surveillance footage was suspicious, she would not easily label him as a criminal, let alone order his execution!