What on earth did he mean? Did he simply want to take her as a hostage, or had he already discovered something...
The remaining few were forced back to the warehouse in a huddled group. However, the police had already set up an ambush inside the warehouse in advance. Their aim was to corner Long Tao step by step into the warehouse where the deal was to take place. Only in this way could they catch both the culprit and the evidence.
So, as soon as they reached the warehouse door, someone inside started shooting at them. All the guns were silenced. The bullets hit around the warehouse door, right at their feet, but they didn't actually get hit.
This was both a threat and a hint.
"Miss Cheng, come with me." Long Tao still held her in the same way as before. He was even audacious enough to follow the scenario they had envisioned and walked towards the warehouse where the deal was supposed to take place.
Yan Xia felt even more panicked. Why was Long Tao being so cooperative? Did he already suspect something and swap the goods in advance?
If that was really the case, all their efforts might go to waste this time.
She was also afraid that all her cooperation with the police over such a long time would end up being in vain.
They soon arrived at the warehouse where the deal was originally planned.
At this moment, Yan Xia heard a hissing sound in her earpiece. It seemed that the police were sending her some orders, but because the earpiece had gotten wet, she couldn't hear anything clearly. All she could hear was a jumbled mess of noise.
She was more anxious than anyone at this moment. If the police hadn't pressured Long Tao so much, he wouldn't have thrown her into the water.
Everything was going according to the original plan. When they reached the warehouse, the police who had been lying in ambush both inside and outside the warehouse showed up. Shangguan Yao and the police chief were standing at the door together. There were police officers standing beside them, holding their guns and being extremely vigilant.
Shangguan Yao held a megaphone and shouted at them.
"Long Tao, Cheng Yanxia, you are suspected of multiple trans - national money - laundering cases and have engaged in many grey - industry transactions. Put down your weapons obediently. Confession earns leniency, resistance earns severity!"
The warehouse was filled with messy wooden crates piled up everywhere. The closest crate to Yan Xia was right at her feet. If everything went as planned, these crates should contain the black money that Long Tao and Lu Qianzhou had cooperated to transfer overseas.
They had used the same method for every deal before because this port was privately owned, making it easier to manage than any other place or method.
Long Tao had been standing with his back to the door. Hearing this, he slowly turned around while still holding Yan Xia hostage, facing the people at the door.
The fully - equipped special police officers were on high alert. Yan Xia's hair and clothes were still dripping with sea water, looking extremely disheveled.
Her gaze briefly met Shangguan Yao's and then shifted away. In that instant, she saw a determination and a sense of justice in his eyes that she had never seen before.
It was only at this moment that she truly felt that Shangguan Yao was a qualified and self - disciplined police officer.
Since Long Tao was just holding a gun against Yan Xia's waist and the two were standing very close, and the position of his hand holding the gun was covered by his coat. So it just seemed that the two were standing close to each other, and outsiders couldn't tell that he was actually holding a gun against her.
Long Tao's henchmen were also waiting with bated breath. They didn't act immediately because it wasn't the last moment yet and the matter wasn't over.
"So you've made such a big fuss because you suspect that I've done something shady. Miss Cheng and I have a clean and innocent cooperation. We've never done anything illegal. If you wrongly accuse us like this and later prove that we're innocent, how are you going to make up for it?" The gun that Long Tao had against her waist was pressing harder and harder.
His tone was full of disdain and mocking.
The more Yan Xia thought about it, the more something seemed off. A person like Long Tao would never just walk into a trap and let the police do as they pleased. The only reason he was being so audacious was that he must have made preparations in advance and was sure that nothing would go wrong this time.
"The so - called goods in this warehouse are all evidence of your crimes! If you want evidence, we can show it to you at any time." Shangguan Yao was full of righteousness. "Stop your futile resistance. Accept our investigation obediently and confess as soon as possible. Confession earns leniency."
"Evidence?" Long Tao laughed out loud as if he had heard a really funny joke. He kicked the crate beside his foot. The wooden crate was so heavy that he couldn't even move it. It felt like it was filled with money.
"What evidence could there be? These are all the goods we've purchased normally. I'm just an ordinary businessman. I've never done anything illegal. Miss Cheng, am I right?"
Yan Xia's face was tense. She was afraid that the police still didn't know that she had been taken hostage by Long Tao.
The police chief gave a signal, and a police officer carefully entered the warehouse. He carried away the wooden crate beside Yan Xia's foot and took it to a distance, preparing to open it. As long as the crate was filled with money, Long Tao's crime could be immediately confirmed, and they could catch both the culprit and the evidence.
Just as the police officer was opening the wooden crate, Long Tao suddenly leaned closer to Yan Xia's ear and said with a smile.
"Miss Cheng, do you think that just because you've cooperated so well with the police, this frame - up is a done deal?"
Yan Xia clenched her fists tightly. She was so scared that her hair stood on end.
Sure enough... Long Tao already knew her identity. He had just been playing a game with her. That was why he had never left her side during the whole process today. No matter what, even if it meant sacrificing his own men, he had to take her with him.
Since he already knew her identity, the contents of the wooden crate...
Even though she was extremely scared, Yan Xia still maintained an outward calm. She took a deep breath and said.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Long. I've been whole - heartedly cooperating with you and never had any other intentions. As you can see, it was Lu Qianzhou who betrayed and leaked the information. It has nothing to do with me."
Long Tao laughed softly in her ear: "Miss Cheng is really good at playing her cards. President Lu has given everything for you, yet you're still willing to scheme against him. I've been cooperating with President Lu for many years. He would never bet his future. Betrayal would only do him harm. A smart man like President Lu would surely understand this. But you, why did you have to get involved?"
He watched the police officer opening the wooden crate and said slowly: "We've had so many deals before, and nothing has ever gone wrong. But ever since you joined, strange things have been happening one after another. Actually, if you could have been more patient and endured this time, maybe I would have completely trusted you. But unfortunately, you were too impatient."
Yan Xia had been looking towards the door. Long Tao's words indirectly proved to her that the person on the boat just now wasn't Lu Qianzhou.
That was good. At least his safety was guaranteed.
"Miss Cheng probably doesn't know that a few days ago, someone sent me a message saying that you're a police officer. There were also some photos of you meeting with the cops. But there were also rumors that President Lu had betrayed and cooperated with the police."
Yan Xia closed her eyes in annoyance, feeling an inexplicable sense of humiliation.
"Tell me, who should I believe?"