Chapter 14: A Walking Bounty
’Wait, that’s not right...’
’Who the hell is buddies with you?’
’A dog would run a mile from you if it saw these pictures, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.’
Scrolling with the mouse wheel, he browsed through the photos the foreigner had sent him, his eyes involuntarily widening.
Chen Mo stared at the screen. At a glance, it was filled with high-definition photos of large surface vessels from various angles.
The pictures seemed to have been taken from a great distance, but the lens must have been top-notch, as the clarity was exceptionally high.
Moreover, he discovered a crucial piece of information from some of the photos: the location where they were taken.
Modu’s Jianan Shipyard.
He even spotted the large vessel, the Virgin, in the photos—a ship he had seen on the news!
Both the shipyard and these vessels were highly classified, veritable strategic assets of the nation at sea.
’Why would the foreigner upstairs take pictures of these things?’
’What’s his goal?’
’Who is he, really?’
"Could he be a walking 500,000 yuan bounty?"
Chen Mo couldn’t help but speculate. Otherwise, there was no explanation for why the foreigner would risk taking these photos.
"So this is the luck that comes after misfortune?"
Then, Chen Mo recalled the *ding* sound that had echoed in his mind when his upstairs neighbor’s apartment had leaked water.
He hadn’t known what "luck after misfortune" meant back then.
He never expected it to unfold like this.
"But this 500,000-yuan bounty doesn’t seem too bright, messing up and sending the photos to the wrong person?"
Chen Mo suspected the man had definitely made a mistake when sending the pictures.
But if the guy hadn’t sent the wrong pictures, he wouldn’t have been able to catch this Big Fish.
"Another 500,000 yuan coming my way. Sweet!"
Gleefully, Chen Mo picked up his phone and dialed Xiaofeng’s number.
She had personally delivered a commendation banner to him, so it was only fair he return the favor by giving her credit for this.
"Hello? Mr. Chen, hasn’t the foreigner sent you the photos yet?"
Xiaofeng answered the phone, assuming it was about the photos.
And indeed, Chen Mo was calling her about photos.
"Officer Feng, it looks like you might have to work overtime again."
Chen Mo started with a joke.
"What do you mean?" Xiaofeng was clueless.
"Is it a good time for a video call? I have something to show you. It’s explosive."
Chen Mo figured a video call would be better; the visuals were more direct.
Some things didn’t need to be said. One look at the screen and you’d understand.
"Okay, call me."
Soon, the video call connected.
Chen Mo aimed his phone’s camera at his laptop screen.
"The foreigner sent me photos this morning, but he must’ve had a brain fart and sent them to the wrong person. Take a look at these."
"All the photos are here. I haven’t saved or forwarded a single one."
Chen Mo briefly explained the situation, emphasizing that he hadn’t saved or forwarded them.
This sentence was very important!
Xiaofeng didn’t reply. Her attention was completely captivated by the classified photos on the video feed.
A full two and a half minutes passed before Xiaofeng snapped out of the shock the photos had given her.
"Mr. Chen, thank you very much for this information. I’ll report it to my superiors immediately."
"Please keep a close watch on any movement upstairs. If he tries to leave, do your best to stall him, but only if you can guarantee your own safety."
"If you can’t stop him, contact me immediately."
Xiaofeng finally understood what Chen Mo had meant at the beginning about her having to work overtime again.
But if all this was real, she would gladly work overtime.
’This is a huge case.’
After hanging up, Xiaofeng immediately reported to her superiors.
Her superiors were also stunned after hearing the report and immediately dispatched a team, which sped toward Chen Mo’s home.
Chen Mo also kept a close eye on the apartment upstairs and found everything to be normal.
’Normally, if you realized you sent photos to the wrong person, wouldn’t you bolt immediately instead of just staying home and waiting for doom?’
"Could it be that the foreigner still hasn’t realized he sent the photos to the wrong person?"
Chen Mo wondered. Otherwise, how could he be so calm?
’It’s better if he hasn’t noticed. That way I won’t have to risk my neck trying to stop him if he makes a run for it.’
’Why take risks when you can make money the easy way?’
A few minutes later, Chen Mo received a call from Xiaofeng. The team had arrived.
They had already sealed off the entire building.
"He’s still at home. It seems like he doesn’t know he sent the wrong photos yet."
Chen Mo reported the situation.
"Okay, stay inside from now on. We’re preparing to breach the door."
Xiaofeng told Chen Mo not to come out, so as not to startle him.
For a case with such solid evidence, there was no need for any fancy tricks to get him to open the door.
Just brute-forcing their way in would do the job.
A group of police officers surrounded the foreigner’s door, some carrying breaching tools.
At the leader’s command, they began to breach the door.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!..."
From downstairs, Chen Mo heard only a few thunderous crashes against the door before it was broken open.
Immediately after, a flurry of chaotic, noisy footsteps echoed from the floor above.
Everyone in the building was startled, but the team had already assigned officers to patiently explain the situation to the residents.
A few minutes later, Chen Mo watched through his peephole as the foreigner was escorted away.
Others carried out several computer towers and many documents.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK..."
Just then, Xiaofeng knocked on his door.
When he opened the door, he saw Xiaofeng, unable to hide her excitement and joy.
"Mr. Chen, thank you so much for your report this time."
Xiaofeng smiled and thanked Chen Mo, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Chen Mo could have just called the police directly, but he chose to notify her first.
By letting her report it to her superiors, she would receive significant credit once the case was closed.
Chen Mo waved his hand. ’Greatness needs no explanation.’
"Congratulations. It looks like you’re in for another big reward and another commendation banner."
Xiaofeng subtly hinted.
They had just found a lot of things upstairs; the computer and camera were full of classified photos.
There were also some documents related to other matters.
In short, based on this evidence, they could preliminarily determine that the man was indeed a walking 500,000-yuan bounty.
And since Chen Mo was the one who reported him, the 500,000-yuan reward would naturally go to Chen Mo.
Although Chen Mo was already prepared for it, he still felt a thrill of excitement upon actually hearing that he was about to bag another 500,000-yuan reward.
500,000 yuan!
That was no small sum.
Someone with an annual salary of 100,000 would have to slave away for five whole years without spending a dime to save that much.
And all he did was make a phone call. This was money earned way too easily.
Still, if this money came through, his bank balance would break one million.
He would officially break into seven figures.
His bank account balance was about to become even more of a cold, hard figure.
"Can three commendation banners be fused into a two-star banner?"
Chen Mo was in a great mood and joked with Xiaofeng.
"A two-star banner is probably not possible, but I can help you apply to be a ’Modu Model Citizen for Courageous Acts’."
Xiaofeng thought about it seriously before giving him an answer.
Being a ’Model Citizen for Courageous Acts’—having that ’buff’—came with benefits for residency points, medical care, schooling, and more.
"Then, thank you so much."
Chen Mo was slightly taken aback, then quickly expressed his thanks.
He had only been speaking offhandedly; he never expected her to actually take it to heart for him.
Whether it succeeded or not, she was at least making an effort for him, and he had to remember that kindness.