50 The Plot

The sudden interruption in communication made Kang Shuwei instinctively hold his breath.

Bang!

Hearing the abrupt sound that appeared, Kang Shuwei widened his eyes.

The delight in his eyes was evident!

Although he didn't know the source of this strange muffled noise that had suddenly emerged, he was well aware that Li Xuan was no ordinary individual; he tended to take unconventional routes. The more counterintuitive, the more likely it was really Li Xuan!

In the moments after this unexpected sound, the other officers on the scene seemed to suddenly react.

"Squat down!"

"Cover your head!"

"What are you doing?"

"Show your ticket!"

Upon hearing this voice, a faint smile curved Kang Shuwei's lips. But before he could say anything, the smile on his face froze.

He distinctly heard a clear "beep."

It was the sound that played when an identity card was being scanned.

When did Li Xuan get an ID card?

Just as he was pondering this, a hoarse male voice came from the other side, "I just stole some things. Do you really need to do this?"

"I'm surrendering myself, surrendering!"

"I stole things, but I absolutely haven't harmed anyone! I put the stolen ID cards and bank cards in the lost and found."

The curve at the corner of Kang Shuwei's mouth immediately disappeared.

Was it not Li Xuan?

What kind of trick was this by Li Xuan?

He couldn't hold back anymore and asked, "Is it Li Xuan or not?"

"Confirm his appearance!"

After a moment of pause, a voice came through the walkie-talkie, "No, absolutely not. Captain Kang, the height, age, and appearance don't match."

Kang Shuwei gritted his teeth.

The walkie-talkie switched to another frequency, and Kang Shuwei could no longer hear what was happening on the other side.

It's not Li Xuan!

Where is he, then?!

Soon, it was already 11:30 AM.

The pressure from the Jinling Railway Bureau was becoming overwhelming.

After all, the Jinling Railway was one of the major transportation hubs in the entire southeastern region.

It wasn't just about the large number of passengers; they also handled mineral transportation and agricultural products. Every minute and second of stagnation translated into high-priced losses.

Furthermore, the shutdown of Jinling affected not only Jinling itself, but also the transportation routes of nearby cities, which could be disrupted due to the congestion at Jinling Station.

At 11:35 AM, Song Jingwei received a call from the director of the railway bureau.

Looking at the caller ID displaying a name, Song Jingwei turned his head and glanced at Kang Shuwei, who was gritting his teeth beside him, then answered the call.

"I'm Song Jingwei."

A roar came through the phone on the other end.

"Why haven't you caught the person yet? Frankly, I even doubt whether the suspect you're after is even in the station."

"You don't have evidence or surveillance footage. Are you merely relying on deductions?"

His words left Song Jingwei speechless.

He wanted to argue, but there was nothing he could explain.

Silence lingered for a while, and Song Jingwei remained silent throughout. The result came through the phone, "You can continue the search if you want, but all trains must be put into operation!"

Beep beep beep...

As soon as he finished speaking, the busy tone sounded.

Song Jingwei's expression turned grim, and Kang Shuwei's became even worse.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Is Li Xuan really at the train station?"

Upon hearing this inquiry, Kang Shuwei opened his mouth, but no words came out.

At this point, he had completely lost confidence.

Even if Li Xuan had been in the station, not finding him for such a long time might mean he had boarded a train and left Jinling.

But why couldn't they locate him?

This didn't make sense!

Kang Shuwei had studied Li Xuan's behavioral patterns for a whole month.

He was well aware that Li Xuan was a very composed and meticulously planned individual.

Given a plan, he wouldn't deviate from it, especially considering Li Xuan had no idea they were onto him!

The station's announcement sounded again.

"Dear passengers, thank you for your support and trust in our station. The temporary inspection is complete, and the new train schedule has been posted. Please proceed to the ticket gates and board the train according to the information displayed on the schedule..."

This announcement darkened Song Jingwei's expression even further.

"Kang Shuwei!"

Song Jingwei's voice forcefully pulled Kang Shuwei out of his thoughts.

Kang Shuwei's voice sounded somewhat despondent, "Director Song."

"Give me a clear answer. Can you still catch Li Xuan?"

Although he was reluctant to admit it, now that the trains were back in operation, the likelihood of catching Li Xuan had diminished significantly.

Kang Shuwei opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but he knew that his explanations were too hollow and ineffective at this point. He shook his head.

Seeing his shake his head, Song Jingwei's expression worsened.

"You..."

"Sigh."

He let out a heavy sigh, swung his arm in frustration, and walked away from Kang Shuwei.

It was exactly noon.

All officers withdrew from the waiting area, marking the end of the two-hour lockdown.

Kang Shuwei was left alone, and Song Jingwei also moved away while speaking on his phone.

The square in front of the train station returned to its bustling state, yet Kang Shuwei remained standing in the same spot, looking somewhat dazed.

He hadn't rested much in the past few days, and due to the confrontation with Li Xuan, he had remained in an excited state.

With this large-scale operation's failure, he stood there feeling his mind go blank.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Li Xuan, what method did you use?"

"How is this even possible?"

He couldn't fathom how Li Xuan had managed to escape the station.

"Could he not have come to Jinling Station?"

"Was his plan never to come to the train station at all?"

After everything had concluded, he began to reflect on the scenes he had experienced during those four hours.

But he couldn't find any inconsistencies because there was no reason for Li Xuan not to come to Jinling Station.

He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes.

The noon sun penetrated his eyelids, causing his eyeballs to feel a bit warm.

He recalled everything that had happened on the 20th of this month.

From receiving the search warrant from Song Jingwei at 8 in the morning, to heading to the Aerospace University, and then to the road to Jinling Station at 10:15.

Suddenly, a small detail popped into Kang Shuwei's mind.

"Hard drive."

"Map."

"..."

This time, Kang Shuwei finally grasped the beam of light.

With a furrowed brow, countless clues and details converged in his mind.

The scenes from within the Aerospace University, the papers on the desk in the special investigation unit's office, all came together in an instant!

Kang Shuwei opened his eyes, and this time, there was a touch of admiration and a tinge of regret in his gaze.

Although he stood amidst a crowd, he felt as if there was no one around.

Kang Shuwei lowered his head, shook it with a bitter smile.

"Impressive."

"Very impressive!"

"What a grand scheme!"