On the third day, Bai Cheng received Fang Chong’s confirmation that the plan had been approved. Fang Chong added that they hoped Bai Cheng could play the role of the hostage being held by the fake Crocodile.
“Why me?” Bai Cheng asked. “Wouldn’t it be more effective if someone from the police station played the part?”
“Miss Bai, I think you might underestimate your place in Captain Luo’s heart. We’ve been through thick and thin with him for years, and as observers, we see things more clearly than you and Luo Tian might.”
Bai Cheng was momentarily stunned. She didn’t fully understand Fang Chong’s meaning. She had never seriously considered her relationship with Luo Tian. In her mind, she and Luo Tian were two people with similar wounds, which naturally made them lower their guards with each other. Their souls had effortlessly grown closer, and they had even become a trusted part of each other’s lives—a special connection.
But beyond that, Bai Cheng hadn’t thought much further.
Seeing her silence, Fang Chong said, “Trust me, you being the hostage will be far more effective than any of us.”
Bai Cheng didn’t argue further.
A few days later, at Bai Cheng’s house, Wei Tong used makeup to create fake bruises, wounds, and slap marks on Bai Cheng’s face and neck. At the same time, Ling Xiang’s actor friend, Kang He, spent three hours getting special effects makeup done to resemble Crocodile. Once the makeup was finished, Bai Cheng thought it looked quite convincing. In a dimly lit environment, with Kang He wearing a mask and hat, even Luo Tian might not be able to tell the difference on camera.
Once everything was ready, the four of them headed to the abandoned building Fang Chong had mentioned. They went up to the second floor, into a deserted room.
Kang He pulled out a black cloth and covered Bai Cheng’s eyes. Before tying her up, he said, “Miss Bai, to make this convincing, I’ll have to tie you up tightly. Please bear with it.”
“It’s fine. You can even treat me like a real criminal. The more realistic, the better.”
“The thing is, fooling a police officer isn’t easy. If I don’t tie you up tight enough, it’ll give us away, so I’ll need to be a bit rough.”
Kang He looped the rope around Bai Cheng a dozen times, tying her tightly to the chair. Finally, he followed Fang Chong’s instructions and made two fisherman’s knots around her wrists.
Kang He signaled to Lin Fei that everything was ready. Lin Fei adjusted the camera slightly and gave him an “OK” gesture.
“Are you ready?” Kang He asked.
“Yes,” Bai Cheng nodded.
Kang He slowly tipped the chair over, but Bai Cheng protested, “A criminal wouldn’t be this gentle. Luo Tian is a cop. If you don’t act rough, he’ll see through the whole act, and all of our efforts will be for nothing.”
“Apologies, Miss Bai. I’ll use more force.”
Kang He straightened the chair again, then stood in front of Bai Cheng with his back to the camera. He raised his hand and delivered a hard slap across Bai Cheng’s face, knocking her and the chair to the ground. Bai Cheng felt her right cheek scrape against the rough floor, and her head hit the ground hard. Her vision went dark, her head spun, and for a moment, she couldn’t open her eyes.
Behind the camera, Lin Fei instinctively moved forward to help Bai Cheng but was stopped by Wei Tong. Kang He then walked to the back of the chair, grabbed Bai Cheng’s bound hands, and dragged her closer to the camera, turning her 180 degrees. Her back now faced the camera, revealing the ropes tied around her wrists and the makeup-made red marks that looked like rope burns.
Kang He walked up to the camera, tapped it provocatively a few times, then returned to Bai Cheng’s side. He squatted down and pressed the muzzle of a gun to Bai Cheng’s head, making a mock shooting gesture at the camera.
Wei Tong, standing behind the camera, gave Kang He an “OK” sign, signaling the end of the recording.
As soon as the camera was off, Kang He immediately put down the gun and untied Bai Cheng. Lin Fei rushed over with a first-aid kit, helping Bai Cheng up and cleaning her wounds.
“Let’s check the footage,” Bai Cheng said as she struggled to stand. Just as she got up, a wave of dizziness hit her, and Lin Fei had to support her to keep her from falling.
The three of them gathered around the camera to review the footage they had just shot.
“It looks pretty convincing,” Lin Fei said. “We’ll have the tech team at the station use AI to swap Kang He’s eyes with Crocodile’s. That’ll make it even harder to tell.”
After filming, the four of them returned to Bai Cheng’s house. On the way, Bai Cheng called Fang Chong, arranging to meet at her place. Fang Chong and the others joined them shortly after.
Lin Fei handed the camera to Fang Chong. Fang Chong, along with Da Liu and their tech specialist, Chu Heng, watched the “kidnapping video.”
“The body shape is pretty spot on, but Kang He’s eyes still don’t have that murderous look of a real killer,” Fang Chong said, handing the camera to Chu Heng. “Try using AI to swap Kang He’s eyes with Crocodile’s.”
“Got it,” Chu Heng replied, taking the camera. He uploaded the video to his computer and extracted a clip of Crocodile from a hotel surveillance camera. Using AI, he replaced Kang He’s eyes with Crocodile’s, then played the edited video for Fang Chong and the others.
“That’s uncanny. It’s just like the real Crocodile. Seeing those eyes makes me want to jump into the screen and beat him to death,” Da Liu exclaimed.
Fang Chong nodded. “It looks pretty realistic. Plus, with Luo Tian being emotionally involved, this should be enough to fool him. Tomorrow, Chu Heng will anonymously send this video to the police department’s public inbox. Luo Tian will definitely pick up on the clues we left and find this abandoned building.”
The next day, a loud noise echoed from Luo Tian’s office as he slammed his palm on the desk, followed by his angry roar: “Bastard!”
Luo Tian stormed over to Fang Chong’s office and shouted through the door, “Old Fang, get Da Liu and the others to the conference room for a meeting!”
In the meeting room, Luo Tian’s face was grim, his eyes burning with rage.
“Did anyone else get this email?”
The officers exchanged glances. “No.”
“That bastard only sent it to me. Chu Heng, can you track the sender’s IP?”
Chu Heng typed on his laptop for a moment before replying, “The email was sent through a proxy server. I can’t trace the IP.”
Luo Tian turned his back to the group, scratching his head in frustration, like an ant on a hot stove.
“The location in the video looks like an abandoned building. Start checking all the unfinished and illegal buildings in Ancheng,” Luo Tian said, his eyes fixed on the video.
“Captain, we’ve identified 15 unfinished buildings and nearly 100 illegal structures across Ancheng. Should we start searching them all now?”
“Wait,” Luo Tian said as he paused the video, zooming in on a collapsed wall where the concrete had chipped away, exposing a rusty rebar grid. There was also a patch of white residue on the upper part of the wall. “Look closely. Doesn’t the rusted rebar and white residue seem strange?”
“Strange? How so? It just looks a bit rusty,” Da Liu said.
“No, this is a sign of inferior sea sand used in the concrete mix. Sea sand contains chloride, which corrodes the rebar, causing the wall to leach white residue, known as ‘concrete cancer.’ Focus on buildings that used substandard sea sand. That’s where Bai Cheng is being held.”
A few minutes later, Da Li reported, “Captain, we’ve identified three buildings in Ancheng that used substandard sea sand: Wanfu Garden in the east, Yu Yuan Villas in the west, and Fangli Jingyuan in the east suburbs. Should we split up and start searching now?”
“Yes, split into three teams. I’ll take one team to Yu Yuan Villas. Fang Chong, you take another, and Da Liu, Da Li, you split up and search the remaining locations. Once the target is confirmed, notify the others—don’t act rashly.”
“I’ll go with you. Let Da Liu and Da Li each take a team. I don’t feel safe letting you go after Crocodile alone,” Fang Chong suggested.
“That’s exactly why you can’t come with me. I don’t want you taking a bullet for me again. I’m not looking to owe you another life debt.”
“You’re choosing Yu Yuan Villas. Do you think that’s the most likely location?”
“Yeah. While Wanfu Garden is abandoned, there’s a newly developed scenic area nearby, so it’s still fairly crowded. It’s unlikely the criminals would pick that spot. Yu Yuan Villas is closer to National Highway 586, which makes it easier for them to escape.”
“Alright, if you’re set on going, then be careful. If you really do run into Crocodile, don’t act impulsively. Stay in contact with us.”
“I know.”
