Chapter 26: A Lead on Su Chen?! The Expert Task Force Deploys with Lightning Speed!

Upon hearing Chen Qiming’s words, Nanno Takeshi and Aoyama Okamasa exchanged a look.

They simultaneously leaned forward to peer at the computer screen.

Director Chen Qiming watched their expressions shift from relaxed to bewildered, then to grave, and finally to blank... He suddenly felt a surge of gratitude toward the young man named Su Chen.

Twenty minutes later, the video concluded.

The two guests from the Land of Sakura slumped back into their chairs, lost in silence.

Is this something a normal person is even capable of?!

"Reality is, indeed, far more magical than fiction..."

Aoyama Okamasa stepped forward and bowed to Chen Qiming:

"My apologies for being rash earlier. My judgment was short-sighted. I am truly sorry."

***

Meanwhile, the live broadcast switched to the Expert Team's office.

"Ha! Ha! Truly a rival worthy of me."

Duan Yu, his eyes rimmed with dark circles, had his hands flying across the keyboard.

He stared at the dazzling, chaotic screen, his mouth twitching slightly. Despite the cool room temperature, his back was already soaked in sweat.

Yet, the firewall opposite him showed no signs of being breached.

Qin Ming stood behind him, carefully choosing his words:

"Officer Duan... how is the progress going?"

Duan Yu didn't even turn his head.

"The opponent's firewall is constantly patching its own vulnerabilities. I suspect that master hacker is also sitting right in front of a computer, playing this game of chess with me."

"I think I’ve successfully pinned him down. You all need to seize this opportunity to deal with the other members of the criminal group."

Qin Ming and Bai Su: "..."

*It really feels like Officer Duan is getting a bit carried away,* they thought.

"Is it possible—just hypothetically—that some programs are capable of self-diagnosis and automatic patching?"

Bai Su attempted to steer him with a subtle hint.

However, Duan Yu completely missed the point.

He paused for half a second, deep in thought:

"Such cases exist, of course. But for a program to maintain self-diagnosis while under my high-intensity assault? No one in the world is capable of writing such code."

He paused, then corrected himself:

"No, there is one person who could do it, but he has been rotting in a U.S. prison for several years now."

*It seems Officer Duan is thinking of his old rival again...* Bai Su mused to herself.

That defeat ten years ago seemed to have left a deep psychological shadow on Duan Yu.

Oblivious to the situation, Officer Duan had no idea that his screen was being flooded with comments.

[Officer Duan, take a break. It's painful just watching you...]

[So the code Su Chen wrote off the cuff is actually that strong? I really underestimated him.]

[It’s just strange. How does he have so many absurd skills? Any one of these, if picked out, would be top-tier, right?]

***

[By the way, didn't Officer Duan’s two subordinates go to track the kidnapped girl’s phone signal? I wonder if there’s any result.]

[Right, now that you mention it, I remember. Officer Duan authorized those other two cyber-police officers to use the police's "black tech" earlier.]

[Have to say, having cyber-police is really convenient.]

Pinpointing a mobile phone signal was one of the cyber-police's "black tech" tools.

It could directly locate a specific phone with meter-level precision. Many fugitive criminals had been captured this way.

This technology was not used lightly and could only be deployed for major criminal cases.

Not long after this comment appeared, the door to the Expert Team's office was pushed open, and the two cyber-police officers entered quickly.

"We’ve locked onto the location!"

One of the young officers, around twenty years old, held a data printout, his tone full of joy.

After searching for so long, they finally had a concrete lead on the perpetrator.

"Right now, the girl’s phone signal is at 251 Nanning Road in this district, where there is an unfinished building."

"The kidnapped girl has likely been moved there by the culprit."

As soon as these words were spoken, the comment section exploded.

[Holy crap, isn't that where Su Chen is?!]

[When the stream switched earlier, Su Chen left his home and went to that unfinished building. Is he about to be caught by the Expert Team?!]

[It's very likely. The Expert Team is moving too fast. Su Chen is only one person; he can’t be in two places at once.]

[This is bad. At the Expert Team's speed, they can get there in five minutes. Su Chen is going to fall for it!]

[Can the camera switch to Su Chen? What is that guy doing right now?!]

[Damn it, Su Chen, run! Your location is exposed!]

Back in the Expert Team's lab, everyone was invigorated by the news. Finally, they had caught up to the time gap!

"We’re heading over now. As fast as possible!"

Forensic expert Qin Ming said excitedly to Bai Su:

"Call up all available police forces and surround that unfinished building!"

Bai Su nodded quickly.

Before long, the entire backup force for the Expert Team was called into the office.

Although it was already 11:00 PM, the police officers were still full of energy.

Pulling all-nighters for cases was routine for them.

However, even with the hope of solving the case so close at hand, the Expert Team employed a double-insurance strategy.

Duan Yu remained in the office, continuing to attempt to breach the firewall and locate the culprit's computer.

Meanwhile, experts Qin Ming and Bai Su each led a team of officers, driving at full speed toward the unfinished building where the phone signal originated.

[I have to say, the police's technology is just broken. It really gave me a deep understanding of modern criminal investigation. After watching this, I have absolutely no desire to commit a crime!]

[Su Chen's advantage of the time gap he spent so long building up has just been wiped out by a signal tracker!]

[This show is so thrilling. You never know how the situation will reverse in the next step. The side that holds the upper hand can suddenly fall into a disadvantage!]

[Su Chen, take action! Don't get caught so easily!]

***

[Exactly! If you get caught, what are we supposed to watch?!]

During the time the netizens were posting these comments, four police cars had already reached the base of the unfinished building. To maintain stealth, they did not use their sirens; everything was done in silence.

They intended to catch the culprit off guard!

"Have you pinpointed the floor?"

Forensic expert Qin Ming followed behind several experienced criminal investigators, carrying his toolkit.

A tall, sturdy man turned his head and whispered:

"It's on the sixth floor of this building."

Hearing this, Qin Ming spoke in a low voice to Bai Su beside him:

"There are two stairwells in this building. Let’s split up and block his escape routes."

"Agreed. I’ll take the other side."

Bai Su nodded, and then led half of the force away.

The two teams split up with clear objectives, advancing rapidly toward the upper floors.

Second floor.

Third floor.

Fourth floor.

Fifth floor.

The audience watching this on the stream felt their hearts rise to their throats.

[Ahhh, I'm almost too scared to watch!]

[But if you don't watch, won't you regret it? This is the biggest climax of the fugitive chase so far!]

[Doing this in the middle of the night, you're really not letting us sleep!]

[My palms are sweating. What is Su Chen going to do?!]

At the same time, Duan Yu and Bai Su’s teams had already ascended the stairs to the sixth floor.

They exchanged a few words over their walkie-talkies.

Then, they stormed onto the sixth-floor platform of the unfinished building simultaneously!

"Don't move! You—"

Qin Ming shouted, but before he could finish his sentence, he froze.

There was no one on the floor.

Only a mobile phone lay on the ground, emitting a faint, cold light in the darkness.

And where the phone's light illuminated the floor:

There sat a large, black plastic bag!

Half of a piece of raw meat was leaking out from within!

Qin Ming’s expression turned grim in an instant.