Highway Interception
At the highway entrance in the early morning, the air still carried the chill of the night, mixed with the warmth of car exhaust, creating a sticky, stagnant feeling.
Four blue and white police cars, like four silent reefs, were parked steadily on the emergency lane. The police lights were not on, but their silent authority already permeated the air. Seven or eight police officers stood seemingly casually beside the cars, fully equipped, with sharp eyes, their positions subtly blocking the entrance to the auxiliary road leading to the tollbooth ramp.
A gray sedan and two black SUVs—this convoy of three vehicles without license plates—were abruptly stopped just inches from the highway entrance by this unexpected turn of events.
Captain Wang stood in front of the gray sedan, his face ashen. In front of him stood Police Inspector Zhang, slightly taller and with an upright posture, his face bearing an unquestionable composure honed by years of frontline experience. The two were two steps apart, yet the air between them felt tense, as if it were about to break.
"Officer Zhang," Captain Wang's voice was laced with anger, his finger pointing to the arrest warrant in Police Inspector Zhang's hand, "Our paperwork is complete! The case filing decision, the arrest warrant, the cooperation letter—we have everything we need! We're handling this cross-provincial case according to procedure! What do you mean by stopping him like this?"
Police Inspector Zhang carefully folded the arrest warrant and handed it back to Captain Wang, his movements unhurried. "Captain Wang, I've reviewed the paperwork; it's complete." His tone remained calm, even polite. "But as you know, taking someone out of our city, especially a suspect involved in economic crimes, requires our city bureau to verify the situation and follow necessary procedures. Right now, we have a case that requires Lin Feng's cooperation, so he cannot leave S City for the time being."
"Your case?" Captain Wang raised his voice. "What case? When was it filed? What are the details? I need to see the paperwork now!"
"Specific details of the case are not convenient to disclose at this time," Police Inspector Zhang replied deftly. "However, I can tell you that the case involves a key enterprise in our city, the situation is quite sensitive, and it meets the criteria for an urgent investigation. Captain Wang, it's all for the sake of our work, so please understand each other. You can send a formal letter of assistance according to procedure, and we will fully cooperate."
"Understand? How am I supposed to understand?" Captain Wang took a half-step forward, almost touching Police Inspector Zhang. "We came all the way from N Province, caught him red-handed, all the paperwork was in order, and we were about to take him back. And now you're telling me you have a case too? What a coincidence! Officer Zhang, we're all in this for a living, stop playing these games! This man is being taken away today!"
His voice attracted the attention of several local police officers nearby. Their eyes all turned to him, and although they did not take any further action, the silent pressure instantly increased.
Police Inspector Zhang's expression finally showed a subtle change, a cold hardness that said, "I've already given you plenty of face, but don't take it for granted." "Captain Wang, watch your words. I've said it before, we have our case, our procedures. I'm not discussing this with you, I'm officially informing you: Lin Feng, you can't take him away today."
He paused, his gaze sweeping past Captain Wang to the blurry figure in the back seat of the gray sedan, his voice clear and firm. "Please cooperate with our work and let Lin Feng out of the car. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to take necessary measures."
"You!" Captain Wang was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed. He had been working in economic crime investigation for many years, and this was not the first time he had handled a case across provinces. He had encountered local protectionism and shirking responsibility, as well as trouble caused by incomplete procedures. But this was the first time he had ever been stopped at the last moment by the local police with such a tough stance, even though the procedures were complete and the person was under control!
This is not "cooperating with an investigation," this is outright robbery!
He whirled around, strode back to the gray sedan, flung open the back door, and barked, "Lin Feng! Get out!"
The two plainclothes officers inside the car immediately looked at Captain Wang, then at Police Inspector Zhang and the others who were waiting outside, and were momentarily at a loss.
Lin Feng sat in the middle, still expressionless. He raised his handcuffed hands as a gesture, then bent down and slowly crawled out of the car.
The morning sunlight was a bit too bright, so he squinted to adjust his eyes. His hands were cuffed in front of him, which made it a little difficult for him to move, but he stood very steadily.
Police Inspector Zhang's gaze immediately fell on him, quickly scanning him over, especially lingering for a moment on the handcuffs on his wrists, before gesturing to a policeman next to him.
The policeman immediately stepped forward, but instead of unlocking the handcuffs, he stood to the side and behind Lin Feng, subtly separating him from the two plainclothes officers from N Province.
Captain Wang followed and stood on the other side of Lin Feng, forming a face-to-face confrontation with Police Inspector Zhang. Lin Feng became the silent focus between the two.
"Officer Zhang," Captain Wang gritted his teeth, enunciating each word clearly, "I'll ask you one last time, are you going to release him or not? If not, I'm calling our superiors right now, and I'm calling your provincial department! I want to see if the rules of S City are above the law!"
Police Inspector Zhang showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he nodded and said, "Please go ahead, Captain Wang. Go ahead and do it. But I also want to remind you that although your procedures for cross-provincial detention are complete, according to Article 246 of the 'Regulations on Procedures for Handling Criminal Cases by Public Security Organs,' when necessary, our cooperating public security organs can send personnel to assist in the execution. They can also decide whether to immediately transfer the case after verifying the facts. Now, we believe it is necessary to verify the facts."
He cited specific clauses in a calm tone, effectively refuting Captain Wang's accusation of "not following the rules."
Captain Wang's chest heaved violently a few times. He stared intently at Police Inspector Zhang, then abruptly pulled out his phone, walked to the side, and began dialing. The call connected quickly, and he lowered his voice, reporting the situation rapidly, his tone filled with frustration and anger.
Police Inspector Zhang ignored him and instead looked at Lin Feng, his tone slightly more relaxed than before, but still official. "Lin Feng, I am Zhang Zhigang from the S City Public Security Bureau xx Branch. We need your cooperation in investigating another case. Please remain in our city temporarily. Any questions?"
Lin Feng met his gaze and calmly shook his head. "No."
His cooperation caused a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of surprise in Zhang Zhigang's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
On the other side, Captain Wang had finished his call, his face even more grim. He walked back, handed the phone to Zhang Zhigang, his tone carrying a forced, suppressed anger and a hint of defiance. "Our leader wants to speak with you."
Zhang Zhigang glanced at him, took the phone, and put it to his ear. "Hello."
The voice on the other end of the phone was quite loud; Captain Wang, and Lin Feng, who were standing nearby, could vaguely hear some stern questioning. The gist of it was emphasizing the legality and urgency of the procedures from N Province, demanding that the S City police release the suspects immediately and cooperate with other units.
Zhang Zhigang listened quietly, and only spoke after the other party finished, his voice not loud but exceptionally clear. "Sir, hello. I am Zhang Zhigang from the S City Bureau xx Branch Security Bureau. I understand the situation. However, Lin Feng is indeed involved in an important case that our city is currently investigating, and we need him to stay and cooperate. We attach great importance to your unit's case and will certainly cooperate fully, but according to procedures, he cannot be taken away at the moment. If you need, we can inform your unit of the relevant case information through formal channels."
He remained neither arrogant nor humble, showing neither fear of contradicting his superiors nor any intention to yield; he simply adhered firmly to the principle that "we have a case and must follow the proper procedures."
The person on the other end of the phone clearly said something else, their tone becoming more stern, even commanding.
Zhang Zhigang's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but his tone remained calm. "Sir, I understand your instructions. However, there are rules for handling cases. Protecting the legitimate rights and interests of local businesses and maintaining the economic order of our city are also our duties. I need to report this matter to our municipal bureau leaders and handle it according to our procedures."
After saying that, he didn't give the other party a chance to continue pressuring him and handed the phone back to Captain Wang: "Captain Wang, I understand your leader's meaning. But my duty is to carry out the orders of my municipal bureau. Now, please cooperate."
Captain Wang took the phone, and as he listened to the busy tone, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He clearly hadn't expected that even after he invoked his connections in the provincial department, a mere police inspector from a branch office would dare to stand up to him so defiantly!
The plainclothes officers he brought also sensed something was wrong and gathered around, standing behind Captain Wang, watching Zhang Zhigang and the police behind him warily. The two sides were evenly matched in numbers, but one side was fighting on foreign soil and had lost the initiative despite having all the necessary paperwork, while the other side was well-rested and had the advantage of being the host. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Lin Feng stood between the two groups of people, his handcuffed hands hanging naturally in front of him, the morning breeze ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead. His gaze calmly swept over Captain Wang's face, which was contorted with anger, then over Zhang Zhigang's steady and resolute profile, and finally landed on the blurry outlines of the highway toll station in the distance.
All I could hear was suppressed arguing and heavy breathing; the air smelled of gasoline and dust.
He knew that this interception had only just begun.
However, the initiative has already shifted from the hands of the visitors from N Province.