Chapter 262 - 256: Reporting Ping’an
Peng Yueji’s brain hadn’t reacted yet, but hearing Jiang Li’s shout and the name "Kun Sha," he hurriedly lunged forward and grabbed the rope. Wasn’t Kun Sha executed by firing squad? The matter was so big that even they out at sea knew the news; they had even celebrated.
The next second, a bloody Kun Sha was hauled up. Jiang Li quickly cut the rope, glancing him over as she stood up. His legs were mangled and broken, but unfortunately, his hands were mostly fine.
"It really is Kun Sha. He actually escaped!" Peng Yueji’s tone was filled with resentment, and he couldn’t help but kick the man twice. No one didn’t hate a heinous criminal like him.
"Do you have a doctor on your ship? Have them take a look; don’t let him die," Jiang Li reminded them, looking to the side. The people from the passenger ship had already been brought onto the patrol boat.
Soon, military medics brought a stretcher and carried Kun Sha away for treatment. Jiang Li looked out at the boundless ocean and followed them onto Peng Yueji’s ship.
"Jiang Li, Miss Jiang, are you a SWAT officer?" Peng Yueji looked at her curiously. Her martial skills were too good, but she lacked restraint—she seemed like one, yet not quite.
"No. My younger brother trained before, and I learned a few moves from him. Excuse me, do you have a charger here? My phone is dead, and I’d like to charge it."
"Yes, yes, I’ll get it for you." Peng Yueji hurriedly turned to grab a charger, mulling over her words. He thought, "She only learned a few moves and is already this formidable. Her brother is younger than her... Could their family have been in the military for generations!" His eyes showed a bit more respect and admiration.
Jiang Li reorganized the items in her bag. The blood on her knife had already been wiped clean. Peng Yueji brought the charger and sat next to her, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.
Jiang Li plugged in her phone and tilted her head. "Is there something you want to say?"
"Ahem, our captain wants to see you, but you can go over after you’ve rested.
"The captain also said that today’s incident was sudden, but don’t be so impulsive next time.
"She said those people have no humanity. If they get angered, their stress response might end up hurting the hostages."
Jiang Li blinked and looked at him. "How old are you this year?"
Peng Yueji’s dry face instantly flushed with embarrassment. "I’ll be twenty-two soon."
Jiang Li nodded. Still young. No wonder he was such a captain’s boy.
"Oh, I’m twenty-five. My brother is younger than you, nearly nineteen. Both of them should be almost nineteen," Jiang Li recalled as she spoke. They rarely celebrated birthdays, so her guess was probably right.
"Ah?" Peng Yueji looked at her, his jaw dropping. He thought, "He’s already that formidable at nineteen!"
"Mhm." As soon as Jiang Li turned on her phone, it froze. Countless messages flooded in from all over. She had to first post on her Moments: [Safe and sound, don’t worry!]
The next second, Lu Xingye’s call came in.
"Hello? I’m fine. I’m out at sea right now and ran into a maritime patrol. Everything is fine."
Lu Xingye breathed a sigh of relief. "Mhm, it’s good that you’re fine. When do you plan to come back?"
Jiang Li couldn’t help but smile. "I thought your first sentence would be telling me to hurry back."
Lu Xingye looked at the red dot on his computer screen and couldn’t help but reach out to touch it. "I wouldn’t. You have your own things you want to do. If you need any help, you can contact me anytime." Although he wasn’t capable enough yet, he would do his utmost to help her.
"Thank you, Lu Xingye. It’s really great that you’re okay," Jiang Li said on the phone, turning her head to look outside. Peng Yueji tactfully got up and left to busy himself.
Lu Xingye thought of what Wu Ming had said, feeling a wave of guilt. "I’m sorry, I didn’t intentionally hide it from you and make you worry.
"After climbing out of the river, I went back to B City. Later, based on your reminder, I discovered some overlooked clues.
"Then I found the person behind Tan Qing."
Jiang Li looked up. "Was it Zhang Hongzhi?"
The corners of Lu Xingye’s mouth curled up. "Yes, it was him."
Jiang Li thought back. Then everything made sense. Back then, it was also Zhang Hongzhi who had leaked the information to Shi Xingchao. Coupled with some of the things he had said when he called her into his office, and secondly, he had been too impatient this time. Actually, the most important point was that he had smoked that night. Her inner judgment had gradually become clear, but following up on it was delayed later on. Fortunately, Lu Xingye had helped clean up the mess.
"Zhang Hongzhi was originally someone from the scam compound. Later, he wanted to break away but didn’t dare.
"Then you appeared. He wanted to use your hands to clean his slate without offending anyone, while also keeping his career prosperous.
"It’s a pity he still failed in the end."
Jiang Li took a deep breath. "If he really hadn’t made any moves after the Shi Xingchao incident, probably no one would have suspected him."
"Because he was still one step short, he and Kun Sha used each other, hoping to use this to get a promotion."
In truth, Jiang Li had brought them too many surprises. She handled cases too quickly and rose through the ranks too fast, which made it easy for people to lose their original intentions. If Zhang Hongzhi had waited a little longer, he might have been able to get promoted smoothly and safely. Unfortunately, he was too anxious, and thanks to his impatience, he exposed his flaws.
"Let’s not talk about this anymore. You stay safe, and I’ll help keep an eye on things back home for you," Lu Xingye hurriedly changed the subject.
"Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ll come back as soon as possible. Also, please keep an eye on the psychiatric hospital. Wu Ming and the others are calling me, so I’ll hang up first to let them know I’m safe." Thinking of that woman, Jiang Li couldn’t help but mention it. Some things would have to wait until she got back to be dealt with.
"Alright." Lu Xingye looked at the case files regarding Zhang Hongzhi in front of him. He would also provide a satisfactory answer and ensure the man rotted in prison.
Jiang Li hung up and then called Wu Ming, predictably receiving a scolding. On the other end of the line, there was also the chattering and noisy arguing of Yu Huannian and Miao Anji.
"Jiang Li, are you alright? Captain Cui said if you need any help, you can call him. The phone number is..."
"Jiang Li, you went out without me again!! Am I not even as important as a scorpion?!"
Jiang Li tilted her head and picked her ear. "I’m fine. I just charged my phone, and the signal here isn’t very good."
"Then you must report to us that you’re safe every single day. We’ll wait for you at home," Wu Ming instructed, pushing away the two noisy people next to her.
"Jiang Li..."
Wu Ming bared her teeth and roared, "Miao Anji, don’t you have your own phone?"
"I couldn’t get through! Do you think I care? Hmph!"
Listening to their words of concern, Jiang Li’s heart warmed. "Okay."
"Jiang Li, you must come back safe and sound, otherwise I’ll stick pins in a voodoo doll of you!"
"Alright, alright, stick pins in a voodoo doll. It’s getting late. Don’t worry about me, get some rest early."
Jiang Li comforted them for a good while. Only after her repeated reassurances did the people on the other end reluctantly hang up. She was also extremely exhausted, so she draped her coat over herself, leaned back, and fell asleep.
The next day at dawn, Jiang Li followed Peng Yueji to meet his captain—a female navy officer with short hair, a tough posture, and calm, sharp features, exuding a heroic spirit.
"Hello, I’m Fu Lan."
"Hello, Jiang Li."
Fu Lan looked at the calm and composed woman in front of her. Hearing her name, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she asked with some uncertainty, "Are you... Jiang Li from C City? The Jiang Li who solved a series of bizarre cases?"