When they came to the road, the scene was not as intense as Lin Dongxue and everyone thought. The gangsters were shrinking behind the flower beds by the roadside. The normal police officers and the traffic police were also hiding behind shrubs and flowers.

Not far from here, a VW Santana had knocked down a fruit stand by the road.

The arrival of the special police force was the same as the arrival of godly soldiers to the traffic control and standard officers. The group of brave men and women who were laughing previously immediately gestured and put up bulletproof shields, pushing the front line forward in an experienced manner.

“Come on! Keep up!” Lin Qiupu waved his men over. The criminal investigation policemen were hiding behind the SWAT team, as if they were forming three lines.

One of the captains of the special police force took out the microphone. “Put down your weapons and surrender. You are only carrying guns presently. You haven’t hurt anyone yet. If you hurt anyone or attack the police, you will be adding to your charges. Disarming yourselves immediately will be met with leniency.”

“Don't force us!” A gangster fired a shot at the sky. The gunshots scared a lot of criminal police officers, shaking them. The cars from the south suddenly stopped.

The SWAT captain continued, “It is impossible for us to retreat. I will repeat it again. Immediately disarm and surrender. If you want to do this the hard way, we will accompany you until the end. Let’s see if you have more bullets or if we have more skill.”

The other party didn't move. Lin Qiupu asked a traffic policeman, “What is the situation?”

“We saw this was car a bit suspicious, and so we stopped it. My colleague saw that there was a big box in the car and asked them to open it. It was full of cash. When the gangsters realized things were getting bad, they suddenly drove off, knocking down my colleague. After some chasing, we got here.”

“Are there any casualties?”

“Fortunately, there aren’t any. My colleague just fell and got some scrapes, but it’s nothing serious.”

Lin Qiupu nodded to the captain, “These people are related to the criminal cases we are currently investigating. If you can, try to take them alive.”

The captain nodded. “I will do my best to negotiate.”

At this time on the road behind the gangsters, out walked a group of kindergarten children led by a teacher. Everyone was shocked, it was already noon. Lin Qiupu rushed over there and waved, “Leave quickly! Danger!”

“Not good, the gangsters have moved!” The SWAT captain alerted. “If they try to take a hostage, we will immediately kill them.”

“It will scare children!” Lin Dongxue cried.

“I can't afford to worry about that!” he SWAT captain harshly stated.

The kindergarten teacher saw this scene and was too scared to scream. The children were screaming like frightened chickens as well. They suddenly became a mess. Behind the flower bed, a gangster was eager to try to take one as a hostage and rushed over.

Right then, there was a man running out of the team. The crowd was shocked. It turned out to be Xu Xiaodong. He ran over to them as he shouted, “Go! Go!”

“Come back!” Lin Qiupu shouted, Xu Xiaodong was completely exposed to the shooting range of the gangsters.

“Forward!” The SWAT captain took the initiative and the task force immediately lifted the shield and rushed over from both sides. Only fierce gunshots could be heard, and then everything came to a calm.

The first thing everyone did was to look around and see if anyone was shot. Not far from the group, the children were all scared to the ground. Xu Xiaodong used his body as a shield for them.

Lin Qiupu stepped forward and saw that all the four gangsters were pressed chest to the ground with their hands behind their backs with a robust SWAT officer pressed on top of each one. He asked, “What were the shots just then?”

The SWAT captain explained, “There was a guy who wanted to shoot, so we shot him in the arm. His shot hit the sky. Nothing happened; no one else was killed or injured.”

“That’s great!” Lin Qiupu wiped cold sweat off his forehead.

After the danger ended, the gangster who was shot was taken to the hospital, and the remaining three were handcuffed and taken to the car. Lin Qiupu went to Xu Xiaodong, who was pacifying the children. Lin Qiupu asked the kindergarten aunty, “Is everyone alright?”

“Everyone’s okay.”

“If you guys are okay, just go, please be careful next time.”

“Thank you, everyone thank the police uncles!”

The children replied in unison, “Thank you police uncles!” Although many children had been scared and cried just then, in the blink of an eye the children could talk and laugh, as if nothing happened.

Lin Qiupu smiled at the children and then turned to Xu Xiaodong, shouting loudly, “Who allowed you to act without permission!”

“I...I...” Xu Xiaodong muttered in protest. “I ran out on impulse.” Xu Xiaodong's legs were still shaking.

“Do you know how dangerous it was?! Go back and write a self-reflection report for me!”

“Understood.” Xu Xiaodong said with a downcast look.

On the returning car, the special police task force greatly appreciated Xu Xiaodong’s brave behaviour and complimented him. One of the officers praised, “Our captain complimented that you were so brave. If you hadn’t acted so decisively, the gangsters would have ran to the children and it would have evolved into a very troublesome hostage situation.”

Another SWAT officer chimed-in, “The captain also asked what your name is, and whether you want to consider joining the SWAT team.”

Xu Xiaodong smiled shyly and scratched his head. “Oh, it was nothing. I’m just a little hot headed.”

Lin Dongxue also nudged Xu Xiaodong with her elbow. She smiled and said, “Although you have been punished, you are definitely the hero of this mission in everyone's heart!”

As soon as he heard this, Xu Xiaodong was delighted to the tips of his brows and felt like he had eaten lots of sweet honey.

The gangster’s car was also driven back to the station. When the police opened the car and looked at it, everyone was shocked. There was a bloody sack in the back compartment. The sack contained a male body that was collapsed into a ball. Lin Qiupu confirmed immediately after he saw the appearance of the deceased. This person was the Big Tiger they had been looking for!

In addition, the suitcase in the car was loaded with a large amount of cash. Upon further inspection, it could be estimated to more than 10 million yuan[1], which was a very large sum.

The interrogation work began immediately. Lin Qiupu personally participated while other police officers stood outside and listened. In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu looked at the criminal records of several people and interrogated one of the criminals, “You are all Big Tiger’s subordinates. Let's talk about it, what is the reason for the money and body in the car?”

The suspect shook his hands in denial for dear life. “Government[2], this is not our business, it’s really not our business!”

“Do you think I will believe you? The body and the cash are in your car. You also openly tried to attack the police. If this isn't your business, what is?”

The other party just muttered and refused to clarify. Enraged, Lin Qiupu slammed on the table, “If you’re honest, you still have the possibility of leniency. I will clearly tell you that your accomplices are currently being interrogated in other rooms. If you are the first to confess, you can be pardoned, and you will be sentenced to a few years less. But if you hesitate, this last line of hope will disappear.”

The gangster’s resolution was wavering. His eyes dashed back and forth, and his lips began to part as if he was about to say something.

However, he was a gang member after all. He was aware of the police's habits in his bones, so this was not enough to sway him.

Lin Qiupu continued to attack his psychological defence, “You are the oldest, you should have more experience than the three. Now, your boss is dead. You have no one else to swear allegiance to. Who are you still fighting for? Think about it carefully!”

Suddenly, the suspect cried out, “Government, I’ll confess everything!”

1. Around $1.4mil. USD.

2. They like to call officers “government” sometimes, because the police force works for the government.