Chapter 133 - 118: Arrest! Swallowing a Bullet

The most important part of a sting operation is the bait. The second is the spread of information.

No matter how perfectly you set the trap, it’s all for nothing if the killer doesn’t take the bait and act as planned.

But Zhaozhou City was a special case.

It’s a county-level city, so it covers a very small area. If they narrowed down the places the killer might instinctively visit, then even just putting up flyers asking people to identify a body would be enough to get the information to him.

But...

Who would do all this?

After Li Jianye said this, Xu Huo and Qian Hua instinctively turned to look at him.

Li Jianye’s expression darkened, and before he could say anything, he heard them speak.

"Captain Li, I really don’t have any experience in this area." Qian Hua gave an awkward smile.

"I’m not very old, Captain Li. I can’t handle this level of pressure," Xu Huo said impassively.

Li Jianye: ?

The corner of Li Jianye’s eye twitched. He instinctively recalled that time in Jiangsan City, when Xu Huo had been laughing and joking inside the Corpse Repository.

But he didn’t press the issue.

He clenched his teeth.

"Fine!"

"Any suggestions?"

Xu Huo thought for a moment, then said:

"Don’t be too thorough with the search in certain areas."

"Our goal is to lure him out, to get him to show up at the crematorium—not to stop him from appearing altogether!"

"Got it!"

...

...

To spread the information, it first needed to circulate broadly and quickly.

First, Li Jianye had people make numerous flyers about identifying the body, then had them plastered across every street and alley in a short amount of time.

Was this enough?

Of course not.

There was too much left to chance.

So, he thought of another method, one with a higher priority than the flyers.

Namely, broadcasting it so he could hear it directly!

The target had no car or personal vehicle. With wanted notices posted on buses, taxis, and coaches, his travel was restricted. Plus, he couldn’t have much money on him.

His movements were, in effect, completely locked down, meaning he couldn’t have gone far.

He calculated the time and distance the target could have traveled. Then, in the few likely locations within that radius, he put the public announcement speakers to use.

These were the iron horn speakers common in towns and villages, typically mounted on utility poles for public broadcasts. The sound was deafening, instantly covering nearly half the district.

Only then did they proceed with the rest of their plan.

Soon, a massive information campaign about identifying the body began to spread out from the vicinity of Sun Yang’s home.

...

「The 29th, 5:30 PM」

There was no sign of Liu Bo near Cheng Yang or among the other survivors.

Body identification notices and wanted posters were posted in taxis, buses, and other forms of public transport.

The notice wasn’t just a piece of paper.

Bus drivers announced it verbally to boarding passengers at every stop, ensuring the information spread quickly.

However...

There were still no leads.

...

「10:30 PM」

Officers were in position and the police were on high alert, but no useful leads had come in.

Both sides remained silent, neither one making the first move.

The provincial department forwarded a portion of their confidential file on Liu Bo to Xu Huo.

Xu Huo was silent for a long time after reading it.

At the same time, the higher-ups sent over an advisor.

...

「The 30th, 4:00 AM」

Xu Huo went to the hospital.

Inside, Sun Yang had not woken up. Nearly twenty-four hours had passed since she arrived for treatment, but she was still in a coma.

The anesthesiologist started to panic.

But based on her body’s reactions, it wasn’t related to the anesthesia.

After an examination, the doctor guessed it might be related to intense emotional trauma. ’Was this Liu Bo’s doing?’ Xu Huo wondered.

...

「12:30 PM」

Information about the case had saturated the area. Even people who couldn’t care less about the body had heard something about it.

But there was still no sign of activity near the crematorium.

...

That same day, the 30th, marked two full days since the information had been put out.

Just when it seemed that, like the past two days, there would be no new information and no unusual activity...

「1:30 AM」

Inside the dark, frigid, and unnervingly cold crematorium morgue.

A sound broke the silence.

"TING... CLANG~"

The sound was incredibly sharp, like a small canister being tossed into the morgue. It cut through the silent air, creating a discordant feeling, as if something had just rolled inside.

They found out what it was a second later.

"HISS!"

A thick white mist suddenly erupted, and in just two or three seconds, the entire morgue was enveloped.

Visibility dropped to near zero!

"Smoke grenade!?"

"Target spotted! Repeat, target spotted!"

"It’s laced! It’s tear gas!"

As the voices rang out, the next second, from among the dozen or so neatly arranged coffins in the morgue...

More than ten figures dressed in burial shrouds leaped up!

They were dressed in dark blue burial shrouds embroidered with copper coins, their faces painted with ghastly, corpse-like makeup. As they sprang up, they smoothly retrieved guns from within the coffins.

"Team One, pull back from the smoke zone and secure the perimeter! Don’t let a single fly escape!"

"Team Two, gear up as you pull back, then sweep the crematorium interior. Move in three-man cells, no one goes alone!"

"The target may be inside the morgue. Stay vigilant as you pull back."

"Whatever you do, don’t get into close-quarters combat. Keep your distance!"

"There are no hostages. Don’t try to be a hero. Your life comes first."

The commands came through the radio, crisp and unhesitating.

A standing order was already in place: no one was to open fire without a confirmed target, to avoid friendly fire.

The officers who received the new orders had grim expressions. Though the irritating smoke made their eyes red, bloodshot, and tear-streaked, their movements were completely unhindered.

They exited quickly and in an organized fashion. One team immediately moved to surround the crematorium, while the other began donning gas masks.