Chapter 260: The Capture Operation
Chapter 260: The Capture Operation
The assignment given to Chen Chuan by the Handling Bureau was merely an assessment, and they didn't solely rely on him to ensure the capture of Xiong Jianyi. Simultaneously, they dispatched a small team, which was the originally planned capture team.
This team had been keeping an eye on Xiong Jianyi ever since they received the news of his imminent return to Great Shun.
However, the team members were not pleased with the decision to include a newcomer in this operation, as it was customary for the Handling Bureau. No one wanted to encounter such a situation because a newcomer meant inexperience, unreliability, and too many uncertainties.
Over the years, the students supported by the Handling Bureau had rarely shown exceptional performance from the start. It wasn't due to a lack of ability but rather because many of them valued their safety and wouldn't recklessly rush into danger.
This was a smart choice, but it didn't earn them high praise.
When the news broke, many team members complained that they would have to babysit again, but their captain, Li Fusheng, skillfully calmed them down.
"Captain Li!"
A team member hurried over and handed Li Fusheng a telegram, saying, "We've received a message that Xiong Jianyi will be traveling on the Palace Family's 'Treasure Ship' cruise to Ji Yang Harbor."
"The Palace Family?"
Captain Li's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "How did Xiong Jianyi end up on the Palace Family's ship?"
He glanced at the telegram, which indicated that Xiong Jianyi's ferry, the Load Will Ferry, had encountered a malfunction midway through its journey. All passengers had to drift at sea and send out distress signals.
The closest vessel to them happened to be the Palace Family's 'Treasure Ship' cruise, which took everyone on board and headed towards the harbor. The Palace Family also seemed to be altering their original itinerary to Wei Nandao and had sent out a telegram in advance to discuss business with the Bank Shore Corporation.
Based on the timing, they would arrive the next morning.
After reading the telegram, Captain Li immediately instructed, "Get the Palace Family's navigation charts."
Soon after, a route map was transmitted to his Boundary Vessel. From this map, it was evident that the Palace Family's cruise ship was indeed passing through that area at that time, and it seemed like a mere coincidence.
He couldn't help but recall the background of the Palace Family. In the old days, the Palace Family was the royal family chosen by the various islands, and during the Great Shun Empire, they had even been granted a ceremonial title. After the establishment of the Great Shun Republic, they had proactively approached the government, maintaining their high reputation among the various islands.
Furthermore, the Palace Family held shares in numerous companies, weaving an extensive network of connections and wielding significant influence.
However, the owner of this cruise ship, Palace Zhan Yi, was not the heir of this generation but merely a prominent member of the family. He often represented the Palace Family in visits to various countries and business negotiations with other companies.
The Palace Family also held considerable influence in the Dewy District of Central City. Since Xiong Jianyi was heading to Central City in Ji Yang, there was a high possibility that he would use the Palace Family's influence to cover for himself, making the situation more complicated, especially with the Palace Family planning to discuss business with the Bank Shore Corporation.
A team member below asked, "Captain Li, what should we do?"
After some thought, Captain Li replied, "For now, we'll stick to the original plan."
The team members were delighted and high-fived each other.
They thought it was simple; why bother with the intricacies? It was just a big family from an island nation. Would Great Shun care about their face? We're here to apprehend a criminal; what does it have to do with you? I'll capture him as I see fit. Oh, and if I offend you, whose fault is it for bringing a criminal along?
Captain Li, however, considered more. He felt that this matter seemed a bit more complicated than it appeared, and he wouldn't disrupt his plans until he had a clear understanding of the situation.
In the Mystic Palace Tower dormitory, Chen Chuan was making his preparations step by step.
On the second day, at 10 p.m., Ni Xixi contacted him and informed him, "We've received news that the tourists on the Load Will Ferry have been transferred to the Palace Family's cruise ship. The situation might change."
"The Palace Family?"
Ni Xixi explained the background of the Palace Family and added, "Based on Xiong Jianyi's past, he's brutal and cunning. Since he's on the Palace Family's ship, he'll likely blend in with the Palace Family's group to cover for himself."
Chen Chuan asked, "I have a question. Since he's a wanted criminal in Great Shun, and the Palace Family is the royal family of the islands, shouldn't there be no connection between them? Why didn't we inform the Palace Family in advance and ask them to stay away from this matter?)
"Hmm, how should I put it..." Ni Xixi thought for a moment and said, "Apprehending a fighter criminal is our Handling Bureau's business, but dealing with the Palace Family is the External Affairs Bureau's responsibility.
"We need to go through the External Affairs Bureau to deal with the Palace Family, and it might not go as we wish. In the Handling Bureau's eyes, Xiong Jianyi is a vicious wanted criminal, but to the External Affairs Bureau, it might be a trivial matter not worth worrying about. They might even blame us for meddling and ask us to stop the operation.
"But... is this really just a trivial matter?"
Chen Chuan slowly replied, "No, it's not."
He had reviewed the case file. After Xiong Jianyi committed the crime, there were initial suspicions that he might have Functional Disorder Syndrome.
However, further investigation revealed otherwise. In his room, there were over a dozen dissected and reassembled skeletons arranged in a fixed shape. Religious symbols were carved on them, suggesting a possible ancient and bloody ritual popular on the islands, clearly indicating a cult-like behavior.
And this was just what they knew; there might be even more unknown details.
"Yes, it's not. Brother Chen, can you bring this person to justice tomorrow? It's up to your actions. The bureau's opinion is to execute him on the spot; we don't need him alive, or he might still have a chance to survive."
Chen Chuan understood. If they let such a person go through the legal process, he might really survive and even have a high chance of escaping punishment. He slowly said, "I'll do my best."
On February 3rd, a luxurious cruise ship arrived at Ji Yang Harbor with a team of 120 people. Among them were 39 members of the Palace Clan, while the rest were drivers and security personnel.
After passing through the checkpoint, the group boarded vehicles that had arrived to pick them up and headed towards the Ferris Wheel Corporation's base in the Dewy District.
Palace Zhan Yi, not yet thirty years old, had a healthy, wheatish complexion. Although he wasn't a pure fighter, members of his prominent family were required to undergo martial arts training, so he exuded a spirited aura.
At that moment, he asked, "Is the person still here?"
The manager by his side respectfully replied, "He's in the seventh car from the back. Our people are with him, and it's unlikely that Great Shun won't notice. However, we've also informed the Foreign Affairs Bureau."
Palace Zhan Yi inquired, "Has his recent behavior been normal?"
"Yes, but when he was leaving the harbor, a member of the Heaven Forgive Gang approached him. We checked, and that person is his senior martial brother, Wei Wusheng."
Palace Zhan Yi nodded. After a while, he briefly instructed, "Arrange it properly, don't make any mistakes."
The manager respectfully acknowledged.
At the same time, in a section of the road leading from Ji Yang District to the Dewy District, Chen Chuan had already arrived at a three-story house by the roadside. This was a location arranged by the Handling Bureau.
The Handling Bureau had confirmed that Xiong Jianyi would be leaving the harbor together with the Palace Clan's motorcade, so they set up an obstacle at other intersections, forcing the motorcade to pass through this particular route. This section of the road had several turns, and the motorcade would have to slow down when passing through, which would present the perfect opportunity.
Chen Chuan checked his surroundings and contacted Ni Xi Xi, saying, "I've arrived at the designated location."
Ni Xi Xi replied, "Their motorcade is less than ten kilometers away. In at most twenty minutes, you'll be able to see them. The technicians have confirmed that the person is likely in the seventh car from the back, but there are still two security personnel and an accompanying person in the car. How do you plan to handle it?"
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and asked, "Will I have to pay for any vehicle damage?"
Ni Xi Xi burst into giggles. One could imagine her laughing so hard that she was leaning back and forth in the Boundary Vessel. Her sense of humor was indeed quite low, but she quickly composed herself and said, "It's already good enough that we're not pursuing them for hiding a wanted criminal. Do they want us to compensate for the car as well? Let them dream. As long as we deal with the person, the rest is just a verbal dispute with the Foreign Affairs Bureau, which isn't our concern."
Chen Chuan said, "Then I won't have any problems."
"Alright, Chen, it's up to you now."
After ending the call with her, Chen Chuan immediately contacted Wu Bei, "Brother Wu, how's it going on your end?"
Wu Bei replied, "It's great to have access to a public boundary point. I have a clear view from here. The motorcade is heading towards you, and it'll take... sixteen minutes to reach your location."
"There might be some interference from a skilled technician on their team, but it won't be easy for them to borrow the boundary point. This time, I'm the host, and I'm not intimidated by them."
Chen Chuan could hear the excitement in his voice, which was a good sign. He checked the items he was carrying and waited for about ten minutes. Soon, a long motorcade appeared in his line of sight.
In the nearest outpost of the Handling Bureau, Captain Li was monitoring the motorcade's progress through the Boundary Vessel. From the moment the group disembarked from the cruise ship until now, they had been under constant surveillance by the technicians.
Initially, the technicians' support was limited, but when the matter suddenly involved the Palace Clan, the Bureau temporarily enhanced their technical support. However, they were only responsible for surveillance and wouldn't do much else.
As they were about to reach the designated section of the road, Captain Li contacted all the squad members, "Are you all ready?" All the members immediately responded with vigorous voices.
Captain Li nodded, his expression serious. This situation was more complex, and if Chen Chuan's capture didn't go smoothly, his team would immediately step in.
He stared at the motorcade in the light screen, but as they gradually approached the capture location, the Boundary Vessel suddenly went dark, and the surrounding members erupted in curses.
"What's going on?" Captain Li immediately exited the Boundary Vessel.
"Captain Li," the technician immediately reported, "We're experiencing field interference."
Captain Li's expression changed. This wasn't during a foreign affairs meeting, so how could the Palace Clan use field interference within the Central City area? This was a blatant violation of the regulations.
"Something's wrong, immediately have Chen Chuan..." He suddenly realized that the Boundary Vessel couldn't transmit messages and quickly instructed, "Zhao Heng, take a team to the front to support Chen Chuan. Hurry!"
"Yes, sir!"
A burly team member immediately responded and led his team out.
Captain Li stared at the direction of the intersection, feeling a bit uneasy. He hoped that nothing would go wrong...
At the same time, at Chen Chuan's location, the Boundary Vessel suddenly dimmed, and his connection with Wu Bei was abruptly cut off. Not only with Wu Bei, but all communication with the outside world was lost.
He immediately realized that it was field interference.
If there was interference, it meant that the opposing side might already be aware of their actions. Even if they didn't know, the deliberate interference indicated that they were prepared. Should they still continue with the mission?
He looked at the motorcade approaching from the opposite direction. According to the Handling Bureau's emergency regulations for field agents... he held the Snow Lady Saber in his hand.
The first vehicle passed by, followed quickly by the second and third...
He slowly drew the blade out a little. Under the premise that the enforcer had not received any prior notice or emergency notification... the fourth, fifth, and sixth vehicles passed by.
So... it was time to execute the predetermined plan!
He abruptly drew the scabbard to the side, and as the blade left the sheath, he lunged forward, leaping down from the balcony with the long sword raised in both hands, and slashed down towards the vehicle below!
(End of Chapter)
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