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"Captain Luo," the young man said excitedly after dialing the phone, "we've just pinpointed the next network coordinates, which is the Jinhua Hotel on Shunde Street. According to the hotel receptionist, the room corresponding to the website address is occupied by a young man and a boy around ten years old. When they checked in this morning, the boy was unconscious, and the man claimed to be the boy's uncle, bringing him to the provincial capital for medical treatment. I've also checked the ID used for registration; it belongs to a migrant worker who just lost his wallet and ID this morning."

"It's him, it's him!" Luo Fei couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. Then he glanced nervously toward computer number 33: Mu Jianyun was talking to Eumenides on the other end of the network, and they showed no signs of ending the conversation.

Huang Jieyuan noticed Luo Fei's change, and he immediately left the computer and cautiously walked over to Luo Fei's side.

"Shunde Street..." Luo Fei considered the terrain, but he wasn't very familiar with the roads in the provincial capital. Seeing Huang Jieyuan approaching, he pulled him a few steps away and asked, "Shunde Street, how long does it take to get there from here?"

"Twenty minutes!" Huang Jieyuan glanced nervously at Luo Fei. "What's going on?"

"They're right there! Do you know the way?"

Luo Fei spoke very briefly, but Huang Jieyuan fully understood what he meant.

"We've known each other for decades, how could we not be familiar with each other? I'm going to get the car!" He was anxious to save his son and rushed out the door without waiting for Luo Fei's instructions.

Luo Fei followed them out, and at the same time, he instructed Zeng Rihua on the other end of the phone: "After you arrive at Jinhua Hotel, control the entrance and exit, and don't go inside. I will arrive in about twenty minutes!"

“Understood!” Zeng Rihua replied, “As long as you can keep Eumenides occupied, he won’t be able to escape this time!”

Yes, as long as Eumenides is stalled! Luo Fei glanced back at Mu Jianyun. The latter had already sensed the change in the situation, but she was still calmly dealing with Eumenides. As an expert in psychology, she should be able to control the pace of the conversation well, right?

Huang Jieyuan quickly drove to the internet cafe entrance, and Luo Fei hurriedly got in. This signified that the police's focus had shifted from the internet cafe to the outside. However, Luo Fei also knew that changes in the situation inside the internet cafe would still directly affect the outcome of the external operations, so as the car started moving, he made another call to Yin Jian.

“We’ve tracked down Eumenides’ address and are now encircling him. The security around the internet cafe can be lifted—” he ordered. “Teacher Mu is still communicating with Eumenides online at the internet cafe. I require you to go to the scene to monitor the situation and report back to me as soon as possible. Be careful to keep your distance and not alert the enemy.”

"Understood!" After receiving the order, Yin Jian quickly withdrew from the guard post and headed to the internet cafe. Luo Fei saw this scene from the departing car window and knew that the work at the internet cafe was now complete, so he could devote himself wholeheartedly to the first scene of the direct attack on Eumenides.

Huang Jieyuan was right; decades of experience in the provincial capital had given him an intimate knowledge of the city's streets and alleys. Even though it was rush hour, he skillfully navigated the traffic, always finding less congested routes. When he finally brought Luo Fei to the Jinhua Hotel, the latter glanced at his watch: 6:13 PM—they were even a little ahead of schedule.

The two got out of the car and walked into the hotel lobby. Liu Song immediately came to greet them. Zeng Rihua, on the other hand, lazily lay down on the lobby sofa, looking smug and content: he had successfully completed his mission, and the subsequent arrest work was no longer within his purview.

Luo Fei looked at Liu Song, and before he could ask any questions, the latter began to report: "All the exits of the hotel are under control, including the back windows at the back of the building. We arrived at the scene at 6:02 PM, and I can guarantee that no one has left the hotel since then. In addition, we showed the hotel reception staff a photo of Huang Deyang, and they confirmed that he is the boy from room 212. Although the other man was disguised, his physical characteristics are extremely similar to those of the murderer who killed Han Shaohong."

"Very good," Luo Fei praised, his tone calm, but his heart was churning. Just a minute ago, he had checked with Yin Jian about the situation in the internet cafe: Mu Jianyun was still talking to Eumenides. This meant that the murderer the police were so desperately searching for was now trapped in the jar!

The next rather tricky problem is how to successfully capture this trapped fish.

Everyone knows Eumenides' strength and ruthlessness, especially since he has an innocent child in his hands this time.

Liu Song suggested, "Perhaps we should have the waiter trick us into opening the door, then rush in the instant Eumenides opens it, and use our numbers to subdue him in a flash."

Luo Fei immediately dismissed his idea: "The police have used this trick too many times. Eumenides will definitely not fall for it."

Huang Jieyuan nodded silently in agreement with Luo Fei's assessment, then asked anxiously, "What should we do then?"

Luo Fei pondered for a moment, then made up his mind and said, "Let's use the simplest method. Bring the electronic access cards, and we'll coordinate as a group. While inserting the cards to open the electronic access control, have the two strongest officers kick open the inner latch of the door, and then we'll rush in to arrest them."

“Yes,” Huang Jieyuan agreed, “This method is the most direct and sudden. To deal with a cunning guy like Eumenides, simplicity, directness, and suddenness are the most effective!”

"I can kick the door open by myself," Liu Song said confidently. "But just to be on the safe side, I'll arrange for a strong SWAT officer to help me kick the door open. We can definitely kick it open in one go!"

"Okay. I'll be in charge of opening the electronic access control. You all follow my instructions!" After giving a brief order, Luo Fei led the team upstairs and quickly made their way to the door of room 212. The team dispersed according to the pre-arranged formation: Luo Fei crouched at the door with the electronic access card, Liu Song and another SWAT team member stepped back to make room for a sprint, and the others hid against the wall on both sides of the door.

There was no time to lose; every minute of delay increased the likelihood of unforeseen changes. Seeing everyone was ready, Luo Fei raised his left hand, paused briefly in mid-air, and then suddenly waved it down to signal the start. Liu Song and his companion immediately charged forward with all their might, kicking the door of room 212 with incredible speed and force. Just before their feet touched the door, Luo Fei inserted the electronic access card in his right hand into the access control slot. With a soft "beep," the green light illuminated.

The soft "beep" was immediately drowned out by a loud "bang"—the effect of Liu Song and his companion's flying kick. The door swung open and slammed against the wall with undiminished momentum. Luo Fei, Liu Song, Huang Jieyuan, and the other officers rushed into the room in an instant, raising their fully armed guns as if facing a formidable enemy, but finding no target to attack.

The layout of the room seemed so familiar to Luo Fei, because it was the same scene he had seen in an online video not long ago.

On the large bed in the middle of the room, the boy was still blindfolded and bound, just like in the video. He was clearly frightened by the sound of the door being slammed, and was trembling involuntarily. Huang Jieyuan shouted, "Son!" and rushed forward with a mixture of heartache and joy, pulling the boy on the bed into his arms.

On the desk at the foot of the bed, a computer used for chatting was still on, and the video window on the screen even flashed with Mu Jianyun's image. Undoubtedly, this was where Eumenides was chatting online with the police.

However, the chair in front of the computer was empty.

Liu Song quickly checked the bathroom, wardrobe, and even under the bed—all possible hiding places—but found nothing. He could only look up at Luo Fei with a helpless gaze.

Zeng Rihua also entered the room. Seeing the scene, he shook his head in disappointment and said with a wry smile, "Hey, it seems we're still a step too late."

Just then, Luo Fei's phone vibrated. It was a call from Yin Jian. Luo Fei answered with a grim face, and his assistant's voice quickly came through the receiver: "Eumenides ended the chat; he might have escaped!"

This was already an obvious fact. Luo Fei tried his best to suppress his anger and demanded, "Why wasn't this reported in time?!"

The young man paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then explained, "It just ended, just a dozen seconds ago!"

"What?" Luo Fei's anger turned into confusion. "A dozen seconds ago?"

Just a few seconds earlier, the police had kicked open the door. Did Eumenides vanish into thin air like steam the moment the police stormed in?

This was almost as absurd as a fairy tale, yet Yin Jian's description was exactly like that: "Yes. As soon as Teacher Mu's call ended, I dialed your cell phone immediately. That Eumenides, he must have just ended the chat, right? He hasn't even closed the chat window yet!"

Luo Fei put down his phone and walked step by step toward his desk. The closer he got to the computer, the heavier his heart became, until finally he stopped dejectedly in front of the computer screen.

"He's gone, long ago..." Luo Fei murmured, picking up a cell phone from his desk. The phone had been placed with the headset connected to the computer; the phone's microphone was pointed at the headset's earpiece, and the earpiece at the computer's microphone.

Luo Fei pulled up the call log on his phone. The most recent call ended a minute ago, and that call lasted for fifty-two minutes.

Liu Song and the others also gathered around, their faces still showing some confusion.

“Eumenides left a long time ago…” Luo Fei showed everyone the information on his phone. “He left more than fifty minutes ago, and then he was chatting with the police through this phone. He only hung up the phone a minute ago when he heard the sound of the door being banged on.”

"More than fifty minutes ago?" Huang Jieyuan interjected while busy untying his son. "That means he left after he ended the call with me?"

Luo Fei nodded. Yes, that was precisely the moment when Huang Jieyuan handed over the right to speak to him.

Zeng Rihua scratched his head awkwardly. He had been excitedly tracking online clues, but almost an hour ago, his efforts had become futile. Frustrated, he couldn't help but ask, "Why did he do that? Since he'd already escaped, why bother pretending to have contact with the police? What was his purpose?"

Luo Fei was also pondering this question, and the answer he came up with was chilling.

“His goal is the same as ours.” Luo Fei’s icy voice carried an ominous undertone. Seeing that the others still didn’t quite understand, he added, “He’s stalling for time.”

Delaying time! A sudden realization dawned on everyone. Indeed, by creating the illusion of a continued call, the police had devoted all their resources to tracing the call network for nearly an hour—this was Eumenides' objective!

But what was the purpose of this delay? Was it to escape safely? If that was all, wouldn't that be making a mountain out of a molehill? Was it a diversionary tactic? That would mean Eumenides had used that hour to reach some target overlooked by the police. What was that target?

As people continued to think along these lines, different people came up with different answers.

"Oh no, the internet cafe! Will he come back to the internet cafe?" Zeng Rihua shouted in alarm. The internet cafe was currently outnumbered, and he was very worried about Mu Jianyun's safety.

Liu Song had different guesses.

“I made it very clear to Officer Yang Lin that he might be under Eumenides’s surveillance starting this afternoon. So he’s been prepared for this for a while and is waiting for his adversary to come to him,” Liu Song said, taking out his phone to contact Yang Lin. Huang Jieyuan, standing beside him, nodded in agreement, clearly believing that Eumenides’s mobilization of the police was to create an opportunity for revenge. Yang Lin was the bait that the police had given to the adversary during their earlier conversation. The adversary left hastily after receiving the bait, which was actually good news for the police.

Luo Fei, however, knew that things weren't as optimistic as they thought. In his heart, an ominous premonition was increasingly gaining the upper hand.

"Retrieve the monitoring signal from that end," he suddenly said to Zeng Rihua.

Zeng Rihua understood what Luo Fei meant, and he quickly manipulated the computer to retrieve the surveillance information sent from the internet cafe.

Curves resembling radio waves appeared before everyone's eyes, including relatively gentle, continuous "hills" as well as suddenly rising, sharp "peaks".

"What exactly is this thing?" Zeng Rihua muttered.

Luo Fei had no time to answer, and continued on his own path.

“Eumenides had Lao Huang identify all the SWAT team members' photos from eighteen years ago one by one, and he opened them on this computer. I need you to find the photos he opened during these time periods.” Luo Fei pointed to several points on the monitoring curve, all of which were very conspicuous “peaks” on the curve. Next to the “peaks” was the time of occurrence recorded by the monitoring program.

Such a request was not difficult for Zeng Rihua, who quickly found the relevant information. Several photos of special police officers appeared on the screen, one of which was very familiar to everyone, because it was the bait that the police had set for Eumenides: Yang Lin, the special police team's combat instructor.

But Luo Fei's gaze did not linger on Yang Lin's photo. His finger pointed to another photo, which showed a dark-skinned, thin man with small but piercing eyes.

"Is it him?" He turned to Huang Jieyuan and asked with a serious expression, "Was it him, the sniper from back then?"

"It was him. But... how did you know?" Huang Jieyuan stared in astonishment. He had never told anyone the true identity of that sniper from back then, not even Luo Fei.

“Not only do I know, but more importantly, Eumenides also know.” Luo Fei’s voice grew even lower.

Not only was Huang Jieyuan surprised, but Liu Song, Zeng Rihua, and the others also exchanged bewildered glances. This online exchange between the police and Eumenides was meticulously planned. Even if Eumenides saw through the deception and knew that Yang Lin was not the sniper from back then, how could he possibly know who the real sniper was?

However, Luo Fei easily pointed out the sniper's true identity, which shows that what he just said was by no means an exaggeration!

But why is that?

“He installed a lie detector on computer number 33,” Luo Fei finally began to dispel the confusion in everyone’s minds. “These electrical signals are the brainwave information fed back by the lie detector. Old Huang, no matter how well you act, you can’t fool Eumenides. Because you can control your facial expressions, demeanor, and tone of voice, but you can’t control the tiny fluctuations in your thoughts. Every lie you tell is captured by the lie detector, and all those abnormal brainwaves are sent to Eumenides’ eyes. So, when we were dealing with Eumenides, we thought we were being clever, but in his eyes, we were just as ridiculous as a clown dancing naked.”

"A lie detector?" Huang Jieyuan had been out of the police force for ten years and was unfamiliar with those advanced electronic devices. He shook his head in disbelief. "Is that thing really that powerful?"

“It can detect your brainwaves, meaning it can display your true inner state,” Luo Fei explained. “Everyone’s thinking is more tense when they lie than in a normal state. According to our design, Chen Hao is the bait, and Yang Lin is the sniper. So, during your statement, when you mention Chen Hao, your brainwaves should show a significant peak because it’s a lie; conversely, when you point out Yang Lin, your brainwaves should be very relaxed because you’ve finally told the truth and can feel relieved. But on the EEG Eumenides saw, the situation was exactly the opposite. When you mentioned Chen Hao, your brainwaves were calm and unremarkable, but when you pointed out Yang Lin, there was the most intense fluctuation. This means that Yang Lin is the biggest lie you’ve told. And after you finished acting out Yang Lin’s role, when the photo of this dark-skinned, thin man appeared, your emotions fluctuated significantly again. It’s easy to guess that this person is actually the sniper from back then!”

“Is that so…” Huang Jieyuan roughly understood and murmured, “Then we really can’t fool him.”

Zeng Rihua interjected, "If he wants to detect brainwaves, he'll need an external device, right? Where is that device?"

“The earphones.” Luo Fei sighed softly. “Eumenides modified those earphones; the metal plate used to detect brainwaves is installed inside them.”

"I see... No wonder he specified the location for the call, now I understand everything, I understand everything..."

Luo Fei had no time to chat with Zeng Rihua about his feelings. He anxiously tapped the computer screen with his finger: "Quickly find out this person's information. I need to know where he is right now!"

Without needing explanation, everyone understood the hidden meaning in Luo Fei's words: Eumenides had redeployed police forces because he had set off to find the gunman who shot his father years ago. The police had fallen far behind in this confrontation and now had to catch up quickly to have any chance of tying the score!

The Fate of the Death Sentence (11)

At 4:31 PM, at the Zishan Shooting Club's skeet range in the provincial capital.

The sun was gradually setting, dyeing the clouds on the horizon a brilliant orange. The originally dazzling sunlight, after multiple refractions, became exceptionally soft. From a distance, the blazing fireball looked like a huge duck egg yolk, so red it seemed you could squeeze oil out of it.

For skeet shooting, this time of day offers the most ideal lighting. With ample sunlight, you don't have to worry about the harsh sun hurting your eyes. Furthermore, the tranquil and beautiful twilight allows the shooter to enter an optimal shooting state. Imagine this: the black target streaks across the sky, leaving a clear trail before the sunset; if you hit it at this moment, the target shatters, white smoke rises against the orange-red background—what a breathtaking and magnificent scene that would be!

Zhong Jimin longed to hold a hunting rifle in such a setting and have a good time, but such a wish was difficult to fulfill.

A shotgun bullet costs fifteen yuan, and a skeet target costs one hundred yuan—this is the economic cost of skeet shooting. This means that Zhong Jimin's daily wage isn't even enough to cover the cost of one shooting session. Those who can afford this sport are typically wealthy and leisurely hedonists, often young playboys dressed in designer clothes, driving luxury cars, and accompanied by several heavily made-up women. These people can spend an entire day at the shooting range, spending tens of thousands of yuan as easily as Zhong Jimin smoking a cigarette.

They have plenty of money, and it's not money they earned themselves—this is the conclusion Zhong Jimin drew from observing these young people.

However, the shooting skills of these hedonistic young men were truly appalling; hitting the target once out of ten was considered a feat. When such a low-probability event occurred, the women beside the young men would erupt in exaggerated cheers. Zhong Jimin frowned amidst these cheers, disgusted that they were ruining the solemn atmosphere of the shooting range.

Shooting is a serious matter, because behind every bullet lies the potential for either life or death. These were the first words his instructor said to Zhong Jimin during his first shooting lesson with the special police unit twenty years ago, words that have stayed with him for half his life. Later, after becoming a shooting instructor, he always used this phrase as his opening line with his students. Even in a club filled with an entertainment atmosphere, he couldn't shake his deep-seated awe for guns and bullets.

Therefore, he hated the attitude of those people towards shooting games, believing it to be a desecration of bullets. But he was powerless to change anything, because he was just an instructor at the shooting range. In a sense, those people he despised were his bread and butter, and his salary was contained in those randomly fired bullets.

Having spent a long time at the shooting range, Zhong Jimin had developed a special ability: he could tell a person's shooting skill level at a glance as soon as they walked in. It was an indescribable inner quality, but he could definitely tell. To put it simply: an excellent shooter himself gives off the feeling of a gun—solemn yet full of power.

Zhong Jimin rarely misjudged this. So the moment that person appeared on the shooting range, he immediately noticed him.

He was a tall man, dressed in a shooting uniform with his hood pulled up, and wearing large sunglasses. Although his age and appearance were not clear, his straight posture and the force of his gait revealed some of his essential characteristics.

He is a gun, a gun that Zhong Jimin has always hoped to see, a gun that can move!

The gun moved towards the shooting range, as if guided by some kind of telepathy, and it quickly spotted Zhong Jimin. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, sparking a silent tension.

Zhong Jimin felt as if he had been stabbed by something, and involuntarily shuddered. He couldn't imagine how sharp the man's eyes were, that they could radiate such a piercing power even through sunglasses.

The man stopped and turned to wave at a waiter not far away. The waiter immediately approached and listened attentively to the man's instructions. After a brief exchange, the waiter jogged over to where Zhong Jimin was.

"Old Zhong," he greeted excitedly, "you've got business—that customer specifically asked for you to be his sparring partner."

For instructors at shooting ranges, being a private training partner for clients is undoubtedly a cushy job. Not only do they earn a commission on the client's shooting fees, but they also get to experience the thrill of live-fire demonstrations. And when they encounter wealthy young men, they often receive substantial tips. Although Zhong Jimin never looked down on those young men, anything that increased his income was always a good thing.