In this lifetime, there are few moments more excruciating than this. The bravado Zhou Jianbin boasted at four-thirty in the afternoon was exposed by six-thirty, and now he wished he could just crawl into a hole.
Zhou Jianbin was touted as the brightest young prospect in the city police department, destined for limitless growth. He was also very conceited and arrogant, never placing anyone else in his eyes. His speech was domineering, which is why he spoke as he did that afternoon.
However, in such a short time, the tall claims he had made were directly punctured by others.
Listening to Zhao Chengshuang's words, Zhou Jianbin was incredibly embarrassed yet unable to retaliate. He scratched his head, looked at Ye Qing, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Ye, you must be tired today. Why don't you go back and rest? These criminals will be detained here, I will immediately arrange for professionals to interrogate them.
Rest assured, I will handle this case properly before tomorrow morning. Moreover, I have already sent additional forces to conduct a thorough search around Shicun. Those remaining suspects won't get far; we will soon capture them all. Just relax and leave this side of things to me!"
Ye Qing shook his head and said earnestly, "Director Zhou, sending people to Shicun now is useless. These people are cunning, especially the leader, He Ziqiang. He surely has prepared at least three escape routes for himself; finding him will not be easy. Instead of wasting police resources on Shicun, it would be better to deploy more personnel around the hospital.
I suspect that He Ziqiang will attempt a third action. This person won't give up so easily!"
If it had been any earlier, Zhou Jianbin would have exploded in rage if anyone dared to instruct him. However, at this moment, he readily accepted Ye Qing's advice and immediately instructed, "Quick, quick! Send three squads of officers, divided into three shifts, to be stationed around the hospital. Any suspicious individuals must be immediately interrogated.
Also, distribute He Ziqiang's photo to everyone; he must be captured as soon as he is found, and must not be allowed to escape Shenchuan City!"
"Yes!" Several policemen around him obeyed and left. Zhou Jianbin turned around with a forced smile and said, "Mr. Ye, thank you for your guidance. Rest assured, if He Ziqiang shows up near the hospital, he absolutely will not escape!"
Ye Qing frowned slightly and pondered, then said, "Director Zhou, I still think this is not right!"
"What's wrong? Wasn't it your suggestion to dispatch officers near the hospital?" Zhou Jianbin asked somewhat irritably, but still forced a smile.
"I suggested you station officers near the hospital discreetly, not to openly interrogate everyone in the vicinity. You deployed so many personnel who question anyone they see; first, it disturbs the public, and second, He Ziqiang is not a fool. Seeing this setup, he definitely won't show up, rendering your deployment a waste," Ye Qing replied.
"It would be better to have officers in plain clothes stay hidden, so He Ziqiang won't recognize them as police. That way, he might go to the hospital vicinity to secretly track and prepare for his next plan, giving you guys a chance to catch him!"
Zhou Jianbin furrowed his brows and after a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Mr. Ye, you are absolutely right. I will arrange it now. Rest assured, with my people on it, there will be no problems!"
"Hmph!" Zhao Chengshuang snorted disdainfully.
Furious, Zhou Jianbin, at this moment, really couldn't afford to be arrogant anymore. He turned and left quickly, his face frosty, yet forced to swallow his pride.
Watching Zhou Jianbin's retreating figure, Zhao Chengshuang spit and cursed, "Damn it, I can't stand that bastard. With just that little capability, still considered a star of tomorrow, pah!"
"Actually, this man has some capability, it's just unfortunate that the opponent he faces is quite strong," Ye Qing paused, then said, "He's already lost his composure, and it would be best to replace him now; otherwise, he's likely to make a mistake."
"Don't worry, I'll request a replacement for him from upper management soon. Damn it, if I were directing personally, my cousin wouldn't have received such injuries!" Zhao Chengshuang furiously slammed his wheelchair, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to grimace in pain.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Lin Yashi had just been resuscitated. Although her tongue had barely been reattached, it was uncertain if she would be able to speak again. In other words, it was highly likely she would become mute.
The key members of the Lin family were all gathered in the hospital room. Old Lady Lin, leaning on a walking stick, looked at her daughter covered in wounds, her face streaked with tears, presenting a pitiful sight. The expressions of the other Lin family members were also gloomy, especially Lin Zhen Nan's siblings.
Lin Yashi was their youngest sister, always the most cherished among them; this incident left everyone feeling terrible.
Just then, the hospital room door opened, and Deng Liyang walked in with another person. Representing the city police department, he was there to visit Lin Yashi and also to apologize to the Lin family on behalf of the city police department.
Deng Liyang was famously amicable in Shenchuan City and had good relationships on all fronts. The Lin family members all had a decent relationship with him. Thus, dispatching him at this time was also an attempt by the city police department to negotiate with the Lin family through his influence.
The city police department leaders were well aware that, at this time, no matter who came, they would have to face the wrath of the Lin family. Sending someone familiar with the Lin family was naturally the best approach.
Deng Liyang was also coming reluctantly; he knew the magnitude of the issue. Lin Yashi was the kindest and most gentle woman in the Lin family, deeply loved and respected by all. With such an incident occurring to her, how could any member of the Lin family not be enraged?
"Deng Liyang!" Standing near the doorway, Lin Fuyuan was the first to see Deng Liyang and immediately furrowed his brows, saying, "What are you doing here?"
Lin Fuyuan shared a good relationship with Deng Liyang; his direct use of Deng Liyang's full name showed just how angry he really was.
"Boss Lin, Old Lady Lin, all friends of the Lin family," Deng Liyang said awkwardly, smiling at the crowd. "I am here on behalf of the city bureau to check on Miss Lin. May I know how Miss Lin is doing now?"
"Hmph, did the city bureau send you to see if my sister is dead yet?" a woman coldly responded; she was Lin Yaqing, Lin Yashi's sister.
"That's not it..." Deng Liyang awkwardly waved his hand, saying, "The city bureau takes this matter very seriously. A special team was formed immediately after the hostage situation this morning. We truly regret that such a thing happened. Thus, I am here, on behalf of the city bureau, to express our deep apologies to Miss Lin and all the friends of the Lin family!"
Deng Liyang said this and then deeply bowed three times to the crowd, his attitude very sincere.
Lin Yaqing angrily said, "Bowing? Is bowing useful? Can bowing cure my sister? If bowing could cure her, I would go to your bureau right now and bow to each one of you. Would that work?"
Deng Liyang, extremely embarrassed, said, "Miss Lin, the city bureau really has done its best. Today, we deployed half of our police force for this case, fully investigating the matter. Moreover, the case was solved, and the hostage was rescued in less than twelve hours after the incident took place, which is quite fast!"
Lin Yaqing angrily said, "What use is speed? My sister is in this condition. Is it enough for you to say that was fast? You..."
"Enough!" Finally, the always silent Lin Zhen Nan suddenly turned his head.
Lin Yaqing looked at Lin Zhen Nan and said, "Brother, Yashi is so young. With what happened to her... her life is ruined..."
As she spoke, Lin Yaqing couldn't hold back her tears. The faces of the Lin family members all looked very displeased, each person's mood very heavy.
Lin Zhen Nan turned his head to look at Deng Liyang and gravely said, "I had Ye Qing help investigate the case, and he proposed the best plan and the locations where the person might be hidden. My question is, why didn't the city bureau accept his advice and wasted so much time, resulting in such severe injuries to my sister?
Is the city bureau neglecting its duties, or is it stubbornly arrogant, refusing to listen to others' advice, leading to this outcome?"
"That's right, what do you have to say about that!" Lin Yaqing immediately followed up, "I heard that Ye Qing had suggested three possible hiding spots. Instead of sending someone to look, you went ahead and arrested Ye Qing. To save someone, he even had to cross your blockade. He was trying to rescue people, yet he had to compete with your policemen.
Were you really trying to save my sister, or were you trying to harm her?"
"Director Deng, can you explain this to us?" Lin Fuyuan asked coldly.
"What is the city bureau good for? Why would they appoint such an incompetent person to lead this case?"
"No, I'm going to file a complaint with the provincial office. I want you all held fully accountable!"
The Lin family members were all shouting loudly, each person very indignant, and now even their relationship with Deng Liyang didn't matter.
As Deng Liyang faced the crowd's accusations, he was extremely helpless. Finally, as the voices gradually quieted down, he softly coughed, glanced over at Old Lady Lin, and in a low voice said, "Everyone, I understand your feelings. But the city bureau has its arrangements. Zhou Jianbin is very experienced in this area, and we've reviewed his deployment; there were no technical errors.
About the matter with Ye Qing, I have an explanation."
Deng Liyang paused, and then said, "Actually, it's not that we don't trust Ye Qing, but rather, it's the Lin family that doesn't trust him. He was accused of colluding with the kidnappers, mainly by your family. Zhou Jianbin was assigned by the city bureau to investigate this case, and he had to consider all opinions.
As long as it wasn't confirmed whether Ye Qing was suspicious, of course, he couldn't involve Ye Qing too deeply. Moreover, handling the case, we also had to consider the feelings of the Lin family members. You identified Ye Qing as problematic, so of course, we couldn't cooperate with Ye Qing further. Otherwise, if something bigger happened, we wouldn't be able to bear that responsibility!"
Old Lady Lin, who had been sitting by the bed, couldn't help standing up, turned her head, and glared at Deng Liyang, angrily saying, "Are you saying that it's our Lin family's fault now?"