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Jiang He initially wanted to suggest that he drive, but was vetoed by Ding Derun. Ding Derun had spent his entire life repairing and driving cars; the vehicle was like a second wife to him.
Jiang He spoke up, "Based on my experience, as people age, both their physical and mental capacities decline. Even though the law states that driver's licenses are revoked after seventy, I believe that after sixty, people should no longer be driving."
Ding Derun dismissed this notion. "Officer, you must think I'm eager to save my wife and might panic while driving. Don't worry; I've been driving all my life. Even in dangerous situations, I won't make mistakes. Trust me, driving is as easy for me as raising my hand."
Jiang He chose not to argue further, and the two headed toward Dongsen Road.
Ding Derun indeed drove steadily. On the bustling streets, he maneuvered quickly yet safely. It was no wonder that Ding Derun's scamming skills were so adept; it was like an extension of himself.
Half an hour passed swiftly, and Ding Derun had already reached Dongsen Road.
Old Shao and his team were still en route to Baohua Road. To avoid alerting anyone, they hadn’t notified the local police station.
As expected by Old Shao, the kidnapper called at that moment: "Half an hour has passed. Now I’m giving you another half hour to reach Phoenix Road."
Upon hearing this name, Ding Derun exclaimed, "That's impossible! It takes at least an hour to get to Phoenix Road; how can we make it in half an hour? This is unfeasible!"
The kidnapper paid no heed to Ding Derun's protests and continued, "Listen carefully; I’m only giving you half an hour. Don’t try any tricks. From the moment you left the bank, my people have been watching you. There’s a young officer in your car right now, isn’t there?"
"Yes!" Ding Derun replied.
"So don’t even think about pulling any stunts. If you don’t arrive at Phoenix Road in half an hour, your wife's life will be in jeopardy!"
With that, the kidnapper hung up.
Ding Derun looked at Jiang He as he started the car. "Officer, it takes a full hour to get to Phoenix Road under normal conditions without traffic. If I can’t make it in half an hour, my wife will be in danger. So I can't afford to hesitate any longer."
Ding Derun slammed the accelerator down.
As soon as Ding Derun's words fell, Old Shao's voice came through the earpiece: "This is bad; the killer has played us all. The killer isn't afraid of how long the call lasts because they want us to trace the communication location. If that's the case, most of the police will rush to Baohua Road, but Phoenix Road is a three-hour drive from Baohua Road. There's no way we can make it to Phoenix Road in time now."
"What do we do then?" Wang Chao asked.
Old Shao paused for a moment before responding: "Most of the detectives are already on their way to Baohua Road. The killer's tactic of drawing the tiger away from its mountain is clever, but it also indicates that there are definitely more than one person involved. Jiang He, by that time, you might be the only one left. Your main task is to deliver the money to the kidnappers; don't act rashly. Money can be replaced, but lives must be saved."
"Understood," Jiang He replied.
Ding Derun also heard Old Shao's words through the earpiece, and he felt a surge of anxiety. These kidnappers seemed quite formidable, managing to toy with the police so easily. Sweat began to bead on Ding Derun's forehead as he pushed the car to one hundred twenty miles per hour. Driving at that speed in the city was reckless; one misstep could lead to disaster.
A sense of unease gnawed at Ding Derun as he glanced at Jiang He in the passenger seat. Jiang He sat still, his head tilted slightly forward, showing no expression on his face. His calm demeanor eased Ding Derun's worries just a bit.
This was related to Jiang He's outlook on life; his brain quickly processed a fact: there was no way he could get out of the car now, and at such high speed, jumping out would likely result in serious injury or death. With no reliable way to ensure his survival, it was better for him to stay in the car and observe.
An SUV darted through traffic at thirty or forty miles per hour like a cheetah among a flock of sheep. The roar of its engine was a clear signal as Ding Derun maneuvered through the flow of cars, swerving left and right, occasionally slamming on the brakes. If they hadn't both fastened their seatbelts, they would have surely been thrown around.
Just as bystanders began to scream, Ding Derun's car zoomed past them.
However, even with Ding Derun's impressive driving skills, navigating through the bustling streets was challenging due to the sheer number of vehicles and traffic lights. After traveling down one street, sweat dripped from Ding Derun's brow. His car had scraped against others multiple times, leaving both sides of the vehicle dented and deformed.
Most drivers were oblivious to what had happened as Ding Derun sped away. To reach Phoenix Street within half an hour was pushing his limits. Yet Jiang He noticed that Ding Derun's driving skills were far superior to his own; at least he couldn't drive this fast without causing an accident.
A large intersection loomed ahead, and just as the traffic light turned red for north-south traffic, vehicles heading east-west began to move forward.
Ding Derun glanced at Jiang He, the speed of the car unwavering as he shouted, "Just two more traffic lights until Phoenix Street. We only have a few minutes left, so hold on tight; I'm going to push through."
Ahead, cars had already stopped at the red light, but Ding Derun could not afford to wait any longer. He veered directly into the bicycle lane, startling pedestrians who scrambled to avoid him. Many jumped from their bikes in panic, and several appeared to be injured. The east-west traffic had already started moving; in less than three minutes, Ding Derun would reach the intersection.
Jiang He spoke up, "Ding Derun, I now have an eighty percent chance of believing that the kidnappers won't time it so precisely. We're the only ones racing down this road. If they sent someone to follow us, their car would have to be going at least one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour, but where are they? The kidnappers are just playing with us. If you keep this up, you're going to endanger others."
Old Shao chimed in, "That's right; Jiang He's analysis is spot on. Older brother, you need to stop the car quickly, or you'll cause someone else's death!"
But at that moment, Ding Derun was beyond caring. He ripped off his earpiece and shouted loudly as he slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
In less than a minute, Ding Derun's car crashed into the chaotic flow of traffic. His disregard for the traffic lights threw all normal vehicles into disarray; some slammed on their brakes, others hurriedly swerved, and some didn't even have time to react. In an instant, a series of collisions erupted at the intersection as dozens of cars collided.
Ding Derun was trembling all over. Due to his high speed and the other vehicles trying to dodge him, his car slammed into the rear of two cars before nearly losing control. At that moment, he stomped hard on the brakes while gripping the steering wheel tightly.
After skidding several times, Ding Derun managed to regain control of the vehicle and drove straight down another street.
Jiang He looked back and saw that dozens of cars had crashed together at the intersection; many were even overturned. The chaos was overwhelming, and it was impossible to know how many people might be injured or killed.
Yet as Ding Derun continued onward, he burst into laughter. This was a laugh of relief for surviving a near-death experience, but to everyone else listening, it felt unbearable. The detectives understood what had happened through Jiang He's earpiece, leaving them feeling disheartened.
No wonder the detectives held such disdain for Ding Derun; in his eyes, only his family's lives mattered while others' lives were worthless. Ding Derun charged ahead without a care for those in the cars behind him—some might very well die because of his recklessness.
Old Shao calmly spoke into his earpiece, "Immediately call 10 and dispatch nearby traffic police officers. Make sure to send plenty of ambulances."
Then came a message directed at Ding Derun: "Ding Derun, we will save your partner, but you won't escape punishment. Once this is over, you will go to jail."
Ding Derun pulled off his headphones at that moment, so he naturally couldn't hear the words. Jiang He relayed Old Shao's message to Ding Derun.
However, Ding Derun had already disregarded everything else. "I don't care about anything anymore; ahead is Phoenix Street, and all I want is to save my wife."
Jiang He looked at Ding Derun, whose eyes were red. His teeth were chattering as he spoke, but it wasn't fear; rather, there was a kind of uncontainable excitement.
Ahead was Phoenix Street.
Jiang He wouldn't harm anyone, let alone kill. Although he couldn't feel sadness, he could easily see that Ding Derun's actions would likely hurt many people, and some might even die.
Jiang He asked, "Everything in the world is the same; after all, we are all human. Are you willing to disregard others' lives just to save your partner? I understand the situation clearly; I have an eighty percent chance of believing that the kidnappers are playing with us. Yet you still want to take risks that could endanger so many lives."
After a moment, Ding Derun replied, "I know. I can't think about that anymore. Besides, this is what the kidnappers want me to do. Even if someone dies, those lives should be counted against the kidnappers, not me."
Hearing Ding Derun's words, Jiang He responded, "What if the kidnappers want you to kill someone?"
They had already arrived at Phoenix Street.
Ding Derun looked at Jiang He but didn't say anything. At that moment, his phone rang.
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