The Hunter's Path: Starting as a constable, ascend to the Old Ones.

Chapter 131 I Have a Road at School (Part 2)

"What?"

All the police officers were stunned, never expecting Lu Ming to pull out a school map so casually.

"Ah Ming, where did you get this school map?"

Chen Jiaju was completely bewildered. He had been with Lu Ming the whole time and had no idea where Lu Ming had gotten his hands on the information.

Others looked over with equal curiosity.

"When the Political Department's first raid on the abandoned factory failed, resulting in the death of a clerk who was infiltrating the Adam Smith International School, the Director had already ordered me to send people to collect and draw up a floor plan of the school, just in case."

Lu Ming subtly attributed the credit to the director.

It's pointless for him to take this credit now; he might as well give it to the director to do him a favor.

"Me?"

The director was taken aback for a moment.

The leader praised, "Raymond, I never imagined you were so farsighted, anticipating today's events as soon as the terrorists first emerged."

"The last time it was the Grand Hotel, the Central Police Station also issued an early warning. Chief Inspector Lam really knows how to anticipate the enemy's moves, always managing to predict the criminals' next plan. It's just a pity—"

The speaker glanced at Peter Lee, seemingly unintentionally. Both kidnappings were due to the incompetence of the Political Department, which allowed the criminals to take advantage of the situation and put their police force in a difficult position.

The chief chuckled, "I just like to think from the perspective of a criminal, it's nothing to brag about." After saying that, he glanced at Lu Ming secretly, his eyes questioning.

Lu Ming smiled slightly, concealing his merits and fame.

Uncle Biao glanced at the director, then at Lu Ming, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Cough!

As Peter Lee's backer, Paul, though he wished he could shoot Lee the good-for-nothing, had to step forward to interrupt the accusations and save face for the political department. He coughed twice and said, "Now is not the time to assign blame. Our main goal is to save lives. Everyone, speak freely and say whatever you think."

"In my opinion, we can deploy helicopters to allow the Flying Tigers to make a rapid descent and assault from the air."

"They're holding hostages. If they force their way in, the terrorists might kill themselves and the hostages. How are we supposed to explain that to the public?"

"The terrorists are demanding the release of their organization's leader. Could we use this as leverage to negotiate with them?"

"Negotiations? Their leader isn't in our hands right now, so what bargaining chips do we have? Are you suggesting we contact the British government and ask them to release him? Do you think that's even possible?"

A group of senior executives offered a variety of proposals, but without exception, they were all rejected.

Hearing their argument, the police chief was immediately exasperated. He gestured to stop their conversation and turned his gaze to the chief. "Raymond, since you anticipated this kidnapping, you must have had a plan as well. Tell me, how should we rescue them?"

Facing the expectant gazes of the crowd, the director coughed lightly and said without changing his expression, "Ah Ming, what are your thoughts?" Lu Ming had anticipated this, so he must have had a contingency plan.

He had great faith in Lu Ming's abilities.

"Yes, sir!"

Lu Mingqing cleared his throat and said directly, "To be honest, I have a route on campus. It's a bit risky, but if used properly, it can be used to rescue the hostages."

"What road?"

All the police chiefs' eyes lit up.

"There is an air-raid shelter located on the hill behind the school, which leads directly to the basement of the teaching building. The air-raid shelter is closed all year round and few people know about it. I think this group of terrorists would not have noticed this air-raid shelter in their haste."

Lu Ming pointed to a corner of the school's floor plan, indicating that there was a secret passage leading in and out of the area.

His words greatly excited the entire police leadership. "Does that mean we can use this passage to force our way in?"

"A direct assault would be easy, but the problem is how to rescue people?"

Lu Ming's question silenced everyone. They had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding the question of how to rescue the hostages intact.

Perhaps, in their subconscious, it was impossible to rescue the hostages from the terrorists intact.

Someone will always have to sacrifice.

This is not about them boosting the morale of others while diminishing their own.

When negotiations fail and the hostages are held in the hands of terrorists, any exchange of fire will inevitably involve innocent hostages.

If you keep thinking about rescuing all the hostages safely, you'll only add to your mental burden and make yourself feel constrained.

Paul said slowly, "Sometimes, you can't ask for too much." As a representative of the British government, he only hoped to deal with this group of terrorists as soon as possible and save face for the British government.

The man's face was grim. His son was in the hands of the thugs, and naturally he wanted to rescue him, but—

He sighed inwardly. As the head of the police force, he had to set an example and had never mentioned his son in meetings, only whispering about it to the commissioner in secret.

"Actually, I think we can start negotiations with the terrorists to attract their attention, and then we can sneak into the school through the air-raid shelter to rescue the hostages. As long as the hostages escape safely, then we can arrange for the Flying Tigers and the SWAT team to launch a direct assault."

Lu Ming briefly explained his plan.

As they listened to Lu Ming's plan, they couldn't help but think about it. Following the plan would indeed give them a chance to save lives, but the risks were also there.

After all, they were completely in the dark about the situation inside and couldn't be sure if any unexpected events might occur.

The officer frowned and looked at the director. "Raymond, you are now the on-site commander. Everything is up to you." The implication was that whether or not to adopt this plan depended entirely on his opinion.

The director felt a chill run down his spine; making the decision meant taking responsibility upon himself.

If anything goes wrong, he'll have to take the blame.

Of course, if the hostages are successfully rescued, then his contribution will be equally significant.

He struggled internally, glanced at Lu Ming, and recalled the various miracles Lu Ming had created in the past, which finally made him decide to take a gamble.

All in!

Thinking about this, he suddenly calmed down and said decisively, "Boss, I think this plan is feasible."

The leader said in a deep voice, "Since you've made your decision, we'll leave the rest to you. We won't interfere with any of your decisions."

0

Upon hearing this, the senior police officers present exchanged glances, their gazes towards the chief somewhat complicated. Whether Raymond could rise to prominence depended on this kidnapping case.

If he succeeds, Iguodala and Paul will ensure his career goes smoothly.

If they fail, they take the blame upon themselves, either by being demoted to a low-level government office to retire or by resigning.

Lu Ming was surprised that the director trusted him so much, putting his future on his shoulders, and a warm feeling rose in his heart.

Of course, Lu Ming would not tell the director that his current predicament was actually orchestrated by him, with the aim of pushing him to the top and protecting him in Hong Kong.