Chapter 23 The Heavens' Net is Vast and Wide, Yet Misses Nothing 2_1

At this moment, Xiang Shengrong, whom Shen Wenzheng and his team couldn't find anywhere, was hiding in the home of his mistress, nestled in a remote mountain ravine.

His mistress, named Lin Meimei, started as a hair washer in a high-end salon. Because she was beautiful, Xiang Shengrong took a liking to her.

Though Xiang Shengrong was a bit older, he was generous with his money, just like his son, both lecherous and extravagant with their wealth.

The inexperienced Lin Meimei, freshly from the mountains, fell quickly for his financial onslaught and boarded his "ship of thieves."

Lately, Xiang Shengrong had a feeling that trouble was brewing, which is why he had his son kidnap Cheng Xuetong to threaten Director Cheng, hoping to destroy evidence and take out Director Cheng, the commander. If necessary, he was ready to also eliminate Shen Wenzheng, the captain in charge of the investigation, in order to be completely out of danger.

But unexpectedly, Director Cheng was too clever to get in the car with his daughter.

Not only did he fail to kill him, but instead, the resolute Director Cheng perished together with his son in a mutual destruction.

Xiang Shengrong was heartbroken over his only son's death, but his own life was even more precious to him.

Initially, he had planned to flee the country with his wife, but Xiang Shengrong was a smart man; he knew that as soon as his son ran into trouble, the public security bureau would come after him immediately.

That's why, as soon as he learned of his son's death, he had Lin Meimei take him to her home village to hide out, avoiding the rendezvous with his wife and daughter, which allowed him to escape this predicament.

Xiang Shengrong had been hiding in this backwater for seven days, living in constant unease, each day feeling like an eternity.

He had Lin Meimei go out every day to gather information. Learning that his family and company were now controlled by the public security, Xiang Shengrong became even more frightened.

He felt that this disaster was one he would unlikely escape.

He had kept his relationship with Lin Meimei quite secret, but he also knew that, sooner or later, the police would uncover the link between him and Lin Meimei.

He needed to make haste and figure out a way to leave.

Xiang Shengrong had Lin Meimei contact an underworld contact named Brother Wu, offering 200,000 for their help to get him out of Suzhou.

Two hundred thousand in the late eighties was equivalent to five or six million in later times, and without hesitation, Brother Wu agreed immediately.

The eighth day.

At eleven o'clock at night, a black sedan arrived in the countryside and picked up Xiang Shengrong and Lin Meimei.

Meanwhile, Shen Wenzheng and his squad never slackened in their pursuit of Xiang Shengrong.

Upon receiving a tip from an undercover informant in the underground network that they would attempt to leave tonight by boat through the Suzhou port, Shen Wenzheng immediately dispatched his team to set up a stakeout around the Suzhou port docks, ready to arrest them at any moment.

Shen Wenzheng and his men lay in wait, and just before midnight, they saw a black sedan drive onto the docks.

Shen Wenzheng, holding binoculars, watched Xiang Shengrong and Lin Meimei get out of the car and follow a man called Brother Wu towards a cargo ship docked at the pier, headed directly for Hong Kong.

As soon as Shen Wenzheng saw Xiang Shengrong board the ship, he gave the command, "Move in!"

Dozens of detectives, swift as jaguars, charged towards the cargo ship.

"Freeze!"

"Get down!"

"Stop right there!"

While others contained the bystanders, Shen Wenzheng led a team directly towards Brother Wu and Xiang Shengrong.

Upon seeing the police arrive, Brother Wu and Xiang Shengrong instantly fled in different directions.

Brother Wu was quickly subdued by several national policemen.

Xiang Shengrong and Lin Meimei were also cornered at the bow by Shen Wenzheng and his men.

Shen Wenzheng and the other national policemen drew their pistols and pointed them directly at Xiang Shengrong, "Raise your hands! Get down on the ground!"

Seeing he had no way out, Xiang Shengrong simply pulled out a grenade and yanked Lin Meimei, who was beside him, to shield himself.

Amid Lin Meimei's screams, Xiang Shengrong hooked his arm around her neck and clutched the grenade in his hand, his other hand hooked on the grenade's pin, ready to blow everyone up at the slightest provocation.

He smirked at Shen Wenzheng triumphantly, "Come on! If you have the guts, come for me, and we can all die together! Dragging down a few of you with me, I won't die wronged!"

Ironically, this tactic of Xiang Shengrong's was something he had learned from Director Cheng.

When he had set out tonight, he had a bad feeling and thought he might be caught, so he gave Brother Wu some money to get him a gun and a few grenades, leading up to this moment.

Lin Meimei looked at Shen Wenzheng and the others with a face full of fear and screamed loudly, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! Wuu wuu wuu, I don't want to die, please, let us go! I don't want to die, wuu wuu wuu..."

Shen Wenzheng remained impassive but secretly signaled for Liang Jun, who had retired from the military as a sniper and joined the force, to find the best position, ready to snipe Xiang Shengrong at any moment.

For a beast so full of evil deeds, if the evidence was conclusive and they couldn't take him alive, then they would simply eliminate him!

As time dragged on, Xiang Shengrong's face became covered with more and more cold sweat, which rolled down continuously.

Lin Meimei had cried herself hoarse, scared to the point of shaking and even wetting herself, leaving a puddle on the ground, looking like she could faint at any time.

Now Shen Wenzheng actually hoped she would faint quickly; otherwise, with the cunning Xiang Shengrong always hiding behind her and not showing his head, they really had no way to deal with him.

The question now was where Xiang Shengrong's psychological bottom line was. How long could he last in this gun-loaded environment?

The moment his mental fortitude faltered, they would have their chance.

Shen Wenzheng planned to wear him down slowly, waiting for the moment his vigilance weakened, then he or Liang Jun would have the opportunity to take Xiang Shengrong down with a precise shot.

Xiang Shengrong clearly guessed Shen Wenzheng and their intentions.

Looking at Shen Wenzheng and the national policemen, Xiang Shengrong suddenly gained a fierce courage.

He pulled the pin on the grenade and forcefully pushed Lin Meimei away, then charged straight at Shen Wenzheng and his men.

Shen Wenzheng and the national policemen directly aimed at Xiang Shengrong and pulled the trigger, "Bang bang bang bang bang..."

Xiang Shengrong was shot but still staggered toward them resolutely.

In that critical, perilous moment, Shen Wenzheng roared to his comrades, "Retreat! Everyone back off! I'll stop him!"

After saying that, Shen Wenzheng charged towards Xiang Shengrong, grabbed him, and with a strong leap, jumped into the sea.

"Boom——"

After a loud explosion, water splashed everywhere, and blood flew into the air.

All the national policemen rushed to the side of the boat, yelling into the sea with a gut-wrenching intensity, "Captain, captain, captain..."

Not long ago, Director Cheng had sacrificed himself in such a tragic manner.

Was the team leader Shen, who they regarded as a godlike detective, going to suffer the same tragic fate as Director Cheng?