It was obvious that these people had learned that their gang had been taken down because of Wang Liming. They had tracked down Li Ying and kidnapped her.
They then forced her to reveal information about Lu Zheng and Lin Wan. Li Ying, true to her police family background, stayed calm under pressure and managed to transmit key details using Morse code during the phone call.
From the moment she heard that they planned to wait until Lu Zheng and Lin Wan were captured, then kill all three together as revenge, Li Ying felt no fear at all.
After all, she knew Lin Wan’s skills very well. She also knew what the two of them had done at Old John’s manor in Europe.
Even elite agents would stand no chance against them, let alone a handful of drug traffickers.
So, when the kidnappers pressed her for details, she immediately gave up Lin Wan.
When she heard their plan to capture Lu Zheng and Lin Wan, sink all three at sea, then smuggle themselves to Japan, Li Ying looked at the four men as if they were already dead.
“Boss, this one’s not bad, and that Lin Wan is even fitter. Before we sink them, why not have some fun with them?” one of the men asked.
The man who had spoken to Lin Wan on the phone was a cold-looking middle-aged man. His eyes were bloodshot now, but he still shot a sharp glance at the speaker. “Do you honestly think the police here are useless? That they wouldn’t find the bodies?”
“I…”
“Once we’re in Japan, Kabukicho is full of women for you. Tonight is just about revenge.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Bloody idiots.”
The middle-aged man swore, grabbed a fistful of Li Ying’s hair, and yanked. She grimaced in pain. “Second brother was a fool too, bringing that Wang Liming to the club.”
Another man shifted uncomfortably. “Wang Liming said he had a police girlfriend whose father was high up. He thought if we got her involved, she could be our protection. Second brother got carried away…”
“Bloody idiots, all of you.” The middle-aged man tugged harder on Li Ying’s hair. “The more you do, the more mistakes you make.”
He flung her aside, walked to the window, lit a cigarette, and stared silently at the dark entrance to the port area.
“The boat’s been arranged?”
“Yes, it’s waiting at the dock.”
The middle-aged man nodded. “We grab those two, then leave. We can sink them on the way.”
…
The criminals had given them one hour, but Lu Zheng and Lin Wan arrived much sooner.
Fifteen minutes later, the pair had already slipped through the east gate of the port area, melted into the shadows, and moved quickly towards the target.
They had played the fake-kidnapping game once before in Europe. There was no need to repeat it. This time, they would go straight in, rescue Li Ying, and take down the criminals.
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan approached from the side, ignoring the cameras. They moved like elite parkour athletes, using trees and structures to vault effortlessly over the high port wall, then headed lightly and directly towards Huikai Building.
On the way, Lu Zheng scanned the area and said, speechlessly, “They’re still in the same room. I thought they’d set traps at the door or ambush us in the car park.”
Lin Wan shook her head. “They’re just drug dealers, not mercenaries. And it’s only been fifteen minutes.”
“Still too sloppy. No advance preparation at all?” Lu Zheng shook his head. “How do they even have the nerve to invite us over? You’re Interpol, after all.”
“The thing is, very little is known about Interpol action teams. On the surface, Interpol is just an…”
…
“Intelligence organisation.”
The middle-aged man clutched his phone, staring coldly at the port entrance, then turned to Li Ying. “And arrogant with it. How capable can they really be?”
Li Ying shook her head, as if wanting to speak.
“This place is remote. Regular police can’t get close quickly, and the maritime police won’t have time to respond. We’ll have plenty of time to get away.
Take her, pack up, and get ready to move. We’ll set the ambush in the car park first, then take them all to the boat.”
The moment the words left his mouth…
Bang!
The door was kicked open. Lu Zheng and Lin Wan burst in, moving like lightning.
Lu Zheng kicked the man at the door squarely in the chest, sending him flying into the wall. He hit hard, paused for a second, then slid slowly to the floor.
Lin Wan delivered a knife-hand strike that fractured the second man’s wrist. As his gun clattered to the ground, she followed with a punch to his stomach.
He doubled over, clutching his belly, and dropped.
The third man, panicked, fumbled for his gun and raised it, only to find Lu Zheng already gripping his wrist, forcing the barrel towards the ceiling. A palm strike to the neck followed.
Pa!
A soft sound, and the third man’s eyes rolled back as he crumpled.
The middle-aged man stood stunned, then spun around, one hand reaching for his gun, the other lunging for Li Ying to use as a shield.
His gun hand was instantly clamped in an iron grip; he could not move, and the pistol stayed jammed in his waistband.
His other hand froze twenty centimetres from Li Ying, stopped by a heavy hand on his shoulder that rooted him to the spot.
His pupils contracted, his heart pounded, and he struggled instinctively. The next instant, his body was lifted and slammed backwards.
Bang!
He hit the tiled floor hard, pain exploding through his body. He was not sure if anything was broken.
Lu Zheng took the pistol from the man’s waistband, spun it once with practiced ease, then tossed it onto the table.
“That’s it?”
Lu Zheng looked around, unimpressed. “Fifteen minutes since the call, and you set no traps, posted no lookouts, prepared no escape route. Do you have any professional pride as criminals? You’ve left me with no sense of achievement.”
Lin Wan ripped the tape from Li Ying’s mouth. Li Ying winced but still managed to speak. “They do have guns. They were just about to head to the car park to ambush you and take you to the boat.”
“They’re not worried about police blocking the exit?”
“They’ve got a speedboat ready,” Li Ying said. “It’s meant to rendezvous with a cargo ship offshore.”
“A cargo ship?” Lin Wan’s eyes brightened. She smiled at Li Ying. “Looks like another big entry on your merit record.”
Li Ying shook her head. “This one’s too big. I can’t take it. It’s yours.”
A cargo ship meant they might trace the chain upwards and uncover evidence against the suppliers.
If it turned into a major transnational case, the reward would be substantial. A third-class merit was almost guaranteed.
Neither Lin Wan nor Li Ying cared much about credit for a small-time drug gang. But for a case of this scale, Li Ying’s principles would not let her claim merit that was not hers.
Lin Wan laughed. “All right, all right. But without you, they might have got away. We’ll share it.”
