Yes, Lü Qingqing dared not fire.
If she had dared to fire, she would have drawn her gun just now.
As mentioned before, Yiren Lane was a busy area in Chongqing, with a constant stream of people and shops and residences lining both sides. Any stray bullet could cause innocent casualties.
Of course, her biggest mistake was misjudging that Chen Xi had no gun.
Chen Xi, on the other hand, understood Lü Qingqing's psychology perfectly. He held his gun in one hand and slowly retreated with both feet.
After retreating to a safe distance, he vanished.
"Qingqing." Cai Xiaojuan was also very frustrated. The two of them, working together, had let that person escape.
"Xiaojuan, thank you." Chen Xi had already fled, and Lü Qingqing needed to find Ouyang Wen quickly to discuss a countermeasure. "I'll go to the Criminal Investigation Department first to report today's events."
"Alright, hurry!" Cai Xiaojuan was very pleased to hear this. Although they hadn't captured the suspect, they had saved the hostage, which was considered doing their best.
As long as Lü Qingqing mentioned her name to the city bureau leaders, even if it didn't bring any tangible benefits, it would at least make her known.
Chen Xi knew he had been exposed when he encountered Lü Qingqing's ambush during his mission. Tong Meng also soon received notification from Ouyang Wen, and the entire team was mobilized to search for Chen Xi.
At this moment, Tong Meng was both nervous and excited. She knew that everything was proceeding in the direction she had planned.
As expected, Uncle Lian sent people to pick her up that evening.
Tong Meng even took extra care to wash and spent a long time fussing with her makeup at the vanity.
"Miss Tong, you don't need to put so much effort in tonight. Uncle Lian just wants to chat with you." The men who came to pick up Tong Meng couldn't stand it any longer.
Tong Meng smiled charmingly, "What do you young men know? Don't men and women just chat and chat until they get along?"
Tong Meng did this because she had known Uncle Lian would come looking for her.
After all, the Criminal Investigation Department was trying to apprehend Chen Xi, so Uncle Lian would surely want to inquire about the situation.
Under normal circumstances, Tong Meng had only met Chen Xi at Uncle Lian's house, but she wouldn't know his name. Therefore, she couldn't possibly know that the person the Criminal Investigation Department was looking for was connected to Uncle Lian.
As long as Tong Meng behaved as usual at this time, no one would become suspicious.
After carefully applying her makeup, Tong Meng pouted seductively and sat close to Uncle Lian as soon as she saw him.
"Mengmeng, I heard you were searching for someone throughout the city today." Uncle Lian lit a cigar, appearing as if they were having a casual chat.
Tong Meng sneered inwardly. Indeed, this old man was here to probe her for information. She just didn't know if he suspected her.
"Uncle Lian's news is truly well-informed. I have no secrets from you." Tong Meng draped her arms over Uncle Lian's shoulders, exuding a seductive allure.
"What is the name of the person you are looking for? And why are you looking for him?" Uncle Lian removed Tong Meng's hands and asked.
Seeing Uncle Lian suddenly become so serious, Tong Meng also adopted a serious expression. "Uncle Lian, are you asking about the case?"
Seeing Uncle Lian not answer, Tong Meng quickly sat up straight, displaying the image of a submissive woman to the fullest. "His name is Chen Xi. I heard he's a human trafficker, and he's particularly arrogant. Apparently, he might have a gun."
"Chen Xi? What does this Chen Xi look like?"
Hearing Uncle Lian's words, Tong Meng couldn't help but curse "old fox" in her mind. How could Uncle Lian not know that this Chen Xi was the same Chen Xi who had been to his house? He was asking this to see if Tong Meng had realized that Chen Xi was the person who had visited his home before.
"Square face, short hair." Chen Xi said, "I only heard the description; the team doesn't have his photo."
Uncle Lian nodded, exhaling a smoke ring. "No, you have seen him."
Seeing Tong Meng's surprised expression, "Right in this room."
Tong Meng was startled at first, then her eyes widened. "Could he be one of Uncle Lian's men?"
Uncle Lian nodded.
Tong Meng seemed to still be in shock, her eyes wide. "Oh my, then Uncle Lian, please think of a solution. If he's really your man, and if he does anything shady outside..."
Tong Meng trailed off, but Uncle Lian understood her meaning.
"Don't worry, his actions have nothing to do with me." Uncle Lian seemed unconcerned.
Tong Meng was speechless.
This old fox was really good at distancing himself.
"How did you find him?" Uncle Lian continued to ask.
Tong Meng's heart rejoiced; they were finally getting to the point.
"Ah, don't mention it. We were just helping the Special Operations Team. I heard that a police officer from the Special Operations Team named Lü Qingqing had a confrontation with him in Yiren Lane. They've probably been investigating him for a long time."
Investigating him for a long time. Uncle Lian fell into a brief silence. If the Special Operations Team had been watching Chen Xi for a long time, they might have already uncovered his connection with Chen Xi.
"You go down first, wash yourself clean, and I'll come to you later." Uncle Lian chuckled and pinched Tong Meng's backside.
Tong Meng smiled back, thinking Uncle Lian still had questions to ask, but he suddenly changed direction.
Tong Meng didn't hesitate. She knew she couldn't listen to the conversation in this room any longer.
After Tong Meng went into the room, Uncle Lian looked at his subordinates. "Did she show any abnormality?"
"Reporting to Master Lian, when we went to pick up Miss Tong, she was still focused on putting on makeup to see you. It seems she didn't expect you to ask her about Chen Xi."
Uncle Lian agreed with his subordinate's assessment. "Then it seems Lü Qingqing discovering Chen Xi was just a coincidence."
...
Tong Meng, returning to her room alone, paced leisurely.
She looked at the paintings on the wall, her fingertips brushing across the leather back of the chair. Tong Meng's smiling eyes gradually turned cold, and her hands clenched tighter. The opportune moment to kill had arrived.
She stood by the window. The air outside was so fresh that she couldn't help but place a fancy candle on the windowsill.
"Master, there are two police officers at the door, asking to assist you with an investigation," Aunt Li reported as she entered.
Police?
Uncle Lian's lips twitched. They had found him this quickly.
"Master Lian, you go first. We'll block them for you." The two subordinates were, it must be said, quite loyal.
"You cannot show yourselves now. Leave through the back door."
"But Master Lian..."
"They are just asking me to assist with an investigation. If you two go out now, it will only make things more suspicious."
With that, Uncle Lian prepared to welcome the two police officers himself, while his subordinates quickly departed the room.
"Hahaha, may I ask what departments the two officers are from? And what case are you investigating? If there's anything Lian can assist with, I will not refuse." Uncle Lian's smile was that of a law-abiding citizen.
"We don't need to explain our department to you. You just need to come with us and assist us in the investigation." The man in police uniform spoke in a very stern tone, completely unmoved by Lian's proactive cooperation.
Upon hearing this, Uncle Lian's expression immediately darkened. Judging by the other party's attitude, the situation seemed more complicated than he had anticipated. Could they have already apprehended Chen Xi? Impossible. If Chen Xi were in trouble, it would not be so quiet on my end?
"Who is your superior?" Uncle Lian pondered, deciding to first find someone to gauge the situation. If there were indeed problems, he could then notify his master to bail him out.
"Do you think you can just see the superior of our Special Operations Team?" One of them stepped forward, suddenly drew a gun, and pointed it at Uncle Lian's abdomen. "Come with me!"
Uncle Lian's eyes narrowed. Heh, he had encountered a fake Li Kui.