The station chief immediately sent someone to search for Zhang Bing, but he didn't return right away. When they arrived at the emergency checkpoint, the gate that should have been tightly closed was now wide open. The dark red rust stains on the large iron gate seemed like smug faces of the drug dealers, becoming even darker red in the sunlight, resembling blood. Flower Yan and the others were momentarily blinded by the sight.
At that moment, two groups of Burmese villagers carrying bamboo baskets were seen coming from afar. As soon as they noticed the open gate, they immediately stopped, looking uneasy. Upon inquiry, they revealed that they were trying to take a shortcut through the open gate to leave the checkpoint. They also provided a crucial piece of information: twenty minutes ago, they saw about fifty people with several sacks leaving in the direction of Shiyu County.
This news struck Flower Yan and the others hard. They had truly let the drug dealers slip away right under their noses. The realization was shocking. Once they regained their senses, Wu Lin and Flower Yan immediately called Old Qiao to report the situation. After being scolded severely, Old Qiao demanded that they intercept the drug dealers immediately.
"Wu Lin, you stay here at the station to coordinate. If there's any news about Zhang Bing, inform us right away," Wu Lin requested. "Flower Yan, let's take action immediately."
With that, the chief of the Daku City Police Bureau mobilized the armed police, SWAT teams, riot vehicles, and everything else, while surveillance footage around the border station was reviewed. Finally, they spotted three cars and three trucks heading towards Shiyu County.
Wu Lin drove with Flower Yan in the back seat, preparing to intercept the drug dealers along with other teams. Meanwhile, Cheng Wei, who was involved in this operation due to the seriousness of the drug trafficking in the southern region, was waiting anxiously in the temporary command center. The city party secretary and the chief of police were nervous. The usually talkative individuals were silent, fearing to provoke Cheng Wei, who seemed as stern as a judge.
Recently, Cheng Wei had inquired again about the warrior with clairvoyant abilities, hoping that Old Qiao could send someone to assist in the most critical drug control area in the south. However, Old Qiao curtly replied that the matter was already arranged, instructing Cheng Wei not to inquire further. Upon learning that one of the two personnel sent to assist in drug control was named Wu Lin, a skilled individual, Cheng Wei harbored resentment towards the other new recruit who tagged along. He was particularly displeased and felt a deep sense of grievance.
What made him even more angry was the existence of a mole within the border station, a pioneer in drug control for decades, colluding with the drug dealers. Such an incident tarnished his reputation. "I heard there's a mole in the border station. Have they found the mole yet?" Cheng Wei questioned sharply.
The city party secretary, maintaining composure despite Cheng Wei's furious gaze, glanced at the chief of police, who cursed inwardly but had to maintain a calm demeanor in front of his superior. "We are currently investigating. I believe we will soon apprehend the culprit and restore the cleanliness of the border station."
"You think, you think so much, but why didn't you think about the presence of a mole in the border station, who let five kilograms of drugs slip away?" Cheng Wei scolded the police chief mercilessly, who was usually domineering.
"It's our inadequate work that led to such an exposure. In the future, we will resolutely rebuild discipline within our ranks and nip such incidents in the bud."
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"Alright, you must maintain this attitude in the future. Now, how is the progress in intercepting the drug dealers?" Cheng Wei temporarily spared them, as there were more pressing matters.
After calming down slightly, the city party secretary finally spoke, "Moments ago, the front-line report came in that they have surrounded them, but..."
"What time is it now? Just say it!" The chief of police, seeing even the city party secretary scolded, felt secretly pleased.
"They have intercepted three groups of Burmese fabric merchants, but only one group seems suspicious. The other two groups are apparently participating in a large-scale emerald fabric auction in Shiyu County. It seems they are being quite ruthless."
Meanwhile, Flower Yan found some solace in successfully tracking down the drug dealers. When the heads of the armed police and SWAT teams reported that they had intercepted the three fabric merchant groups heading to Shiyu County, they were all detained.
"Separate the three fabric merchant groups and ensure they are not carrying any firearms or other items. Also, be vigilant against any attempts by the drug dealers to retaliate or kidnap others. We'll take it from here," Wu Lin instructed them.
The two leaders promptly obeyed orders and left. Wu Lin glanced at the three trucks and asked Flower Yan, "Which truck are you going to inspect first? If we can uncover the truth right away, it will minimize the impact on the jadeite fabric auction in Shiyu County."
"I'll do my best. Let's go over there," Flower Yan replied.
Suddenly, Flower Yan's phone rang. It was a call from Hu Er. Hu Er never called her unless it was something urgent. Answering the call, Flower Yan was met with Hu Er's urgent and anxious voice, sounding like a machine gun, "Quick, get down! There's a bomb!"
"What?" Flower Yan found it hard to believe until Hu Er shouted again about the bomb, confirming the seriousness of the situation. Without hesitation, Flower Yan shouted at the more than a hundred armed police and SWAT soldiers, "Get down, there's a bomb! Get down immediately!"
Wu Lin looked at Flower Yan in confusion, but before he could react, Flower Yan grabbed his arm, and they both fell to the ground. In the next moment, a deafening explosion erupted from the jeep parked in the middle, almost deafening everyone. Countless birds around the outskirts flew away in panic, flapping their wings frantically.
Soon after, thick smoke billowed into the air, remaining undispersed even as the wind blew. Countless blackened and unidentified fragments, as well as surrounding soil and sand, seemed endless, falling from the sky like a torrential downpour.
Feeling something warm trickling down her forehead, Flower Yan wiped her hand to find bright red blood. Ignoring it, she and Wu Lin helped each other up, stumbling to confirm if others were safe. Though unwilling to admit it, Flower Yan was already convinced that if they hadn't immediately ducked after her shout, survival would have been almost impossible. The bomb was powerful, and people's reaction time was too short. Many, like Wu Lin, were still in a daze.
During the chaos, three Burmese fabric merchants who had just crawled from the ground quickly sprinted towards a black canvas truck. Wu Lin, about to draw his gun to shoot, felt a sharp pain in his hand, and the pistol fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the three men were only a step away from the truck's door. Flower Yan instinctively drew her waist gun and fired three shots.
In an instant, the three men stopped in their tracks, but before Flower Yan could fire more shots, three more "bangs" were heard, not from a gun, but from the sound of three bodies hitting the ground.
Within a minute, people began to crawl up with dirty faces. Some held down the Burmese merchants beside them, while others began to search for injured or dead individuals. Blood stains appeared everywhere as people moved around.
When the ambulance arrived, the soldiers, who were only slightly injured, had smiles on their faces. After examination, it was confirmed that none of the over a hundred soldiers had died. Most had minor abrasions and scratches, while a few had deeper wounds, but none were debilitating. Moreover, Flower Yan's inspection revealed that most of the fabric in the black canvas truck was fake, concealing drugs in special packaging.
The carefully planned bomb by the drug trafficking group didn't claim the life of a single elite soldier, greatly relieving Cheng Wei and others in the command center.