Chapter Sixty-Four: The Charging White Tiger

Zhang Mufeng was the first to discover Pan Lun’s whereabouts. Through surveillance footage, he realized Pan Lun had headed toward Mingcheng Airport. He immediately relayed this information to Haifeng. Upon hearing it, Haifeng hurriedly said to Zhang Mufeng, “Call all our team members over right away. We’re going to Mingcheng Airport. Move quickly!”

Haifeng was convinced that someone had tipped off Pan Lun, and that this informant was likely to help Pan Lun forge a new identity. If Pan Lun managed to leave the country, it would be nearly impossible to track him down again. More importantly, Haifeng had a vague sense that Pan Lun was being used by others. If he escaped, there was a real risk he’d be silenced before they could reach him. That made it imperative to find him before he left.

Although Mingcheng Airport was built by Ming City, it was actually closer to Mingnan than to Ming City itself, making it the perfect escape route for Pan Lun. So Haifeng took both the White Tiger division and the backup team and rushed to Mingcheng Airport.

Upon arrival, they immediately joined forces with the airport police, whom they had contacted beforehand, to begin a thorough, systematic search. By the time they reached the airport, three international flights had already departed—bound for Annan, Eagleland, and Fusang.

At this moment, Haifeng had no confidence that he would see Pan Lun. He suspected Pan Lun might have already left the country, but he continued to make every effort, driven by sheer determination. Though a staunch atheist, Haifeng now found himself wishing for a god to help him encounter Pan Lun, hoping fortune would allow him to intercept Pan Lun before he crossed the border.

Every member of the team was tense, anxiety weighing heavily in their hearts as they combed the airport. Half an hour passed with no results. Just as they were about to give up, a voice rang out behind Haifeng: “You must be Haifeng. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Haifeng turned and saw the face he most longed to see—Pan Lun, his expression calm and composed.

Pan Lun said quietly, “Actually, I’d already boarded the plane, but at the last moment I got off. I know I can’t escape this time—and I don’t want to. Do your duty.”

Haifeng studied Pan Lun, searching for any sign of emotion—fear, panic, anger—but there was nothing. He simply stood there, gazing steadily at Haifeng.

Haifeng took out his radio and notified the others that Pan Lun had been found, then stood motionless, locked in a silent exchange of glances with Pan Lun. Haifeng was burning with questions: Why had Pan Lun chosen not to flee? Would he confess his crimes or resist? Was there someone else behind him? But for now, Haifeng said nothing, simply holding Pan Lun’s gaze.

Soon, the others arrived, and Pan Lun was escorted to a police car. Thus, the mastermind of the gambling empire, the eldest son of the Pan Group, had finally fallen into the hands of the law.

Sitting in the car, Pan Lun glanced at the silent Haifeng and couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you curious why I didn’t run?”

Haifeng replied, “If you want to talk, you will. If you don’t, there’s no point in my asking.”

Pan Lun chuckled. “Now I realize you’re actually quite interesting. That nickname ‘Ghost’s Bane’ really suits you.”

He looked down, drawing a deep breath before continuing, “I still have family here. If I left, I’d have nothing—just a life on the run.”

Haifeng asked, “Why did you get involved with online gambling? Do you realize how many families you destroyed with your gambling site?”

Pan Lun smiled faintly. “If gamblers didn’t ruin their families, would they become wealthy instead? That’s just their fate. Even if I hadn’t run the site, someone else would have.”

Haifeng pressed, “Your Pan Group is massive. Did you really need to make money from gambling? Were you short of money?”

Pan Lun gave a bitter laugh. “The Pan Group? Sure, it’s huge. Everyone thinks it’s a money maker, but who’d guess the biggest private enterprise in Mingnan is just an empty shell?”

“Since I took over, the Pan Group hasn’t made money at all. The coal industry’s been in decline for years, the number of people needing to be paid off just keeps growing, and now there’s all this emphasis on environmental protection. Where’s the profit in that? The operation’s massive, but with so many people to feed, there’s nothing left over.”

Haifeng asked, “If there’s no profit, why keep running it? How do you afford so many homes, so much land, all those affairs with starlets? A casual gift for them costs tens of thousands—how can you be so extravagant if you’re losing money?”

Pan Lun replied, “True, a dying camel’s still bigger than a horse. It’s not completely unprofitable. I can’t just shut down the losing businesses. We did make a lot of money in earlier years, spent it like water, thinking the family had a money tree—never imagined we’d end up here.”

“Now that the money’s gone, I’m scared to cut back on spending. If the banks notice the group’s profits are down, they’ll pull their loans. If that happens, a chain reaction could destroy the whole Pan Group.”

Haifeng challenged, “Do you think your Pan Group deserves to exist? How many evil deeds have you committed? How many competitors have you injured or crippled? How much environmental damage have you caused in Mingnan? How many illnesses and debts have you inflicted on families? Do you think the banks are right to fund your crimes?”

Pan Lun laughed. “Our country’s rich—why shouldn’t I get a cut? Which bank executive hasn’t taken my money? Of course they help me. ‘For a general’s glory, a thousand bones must wither’—casualties are inevitable in business. Who cares if a few people get hurt?”

“And environmental pollution? It wasn’t just me. Everyone did it back then. Those who got sick were insignificant nobodies—who cared? Only a small-time cop like you cares about such people. I never thought I’d fall into your hands.”

He paused, then continued, “I do regret opening the gambling site. If not for that, I wouldn’t have caught your attention, would I? Or did you have your eye on me even before?”

Haifeng replied, “The net of justice is vast and fine-meshed, letting nothing escape. I’m a police officer—if you commit crimes, you will be caught. Justice may be delayed, but it’s never absent.”

Pan Lun had wanted to know whether Haifeng had targeted him for the gambling operation or because of Xu Wei and the others. But Haifeng’s answer gave him nothing. Still, Pan Lun no longer cared so much about the answer.

He smiled. “Is delayed justice still justice? I wish you had noticed me sooner—then there wouldn’t have been a gambling site, maybe not even a Pan Group. I could have been a small businessman, honestly making a living, happily with my family—none of this disaster.”

Haifeng responded, “It was your boundless greed that ruined you, and not just you, but hundreds and thousands of families.”

Pan Lun choked up, sighing, “Yes, one can’t be too greedy. Once desire grows, there’s no turning back. Good and evil always reap their due. Being caught by you must be my retribution. I’ll cooperate fully, confess all my crimes—no more running. Whatever comes, I accept.”

Haifeng fell silent, and the car lapsed into quiet once more.

At the same moment, Yan Maoqing informed Tang Xin and Yan Donglou that Pan Lun hadn’t fled to Annan as expected but had been taken away by Haifeng.

Tang Xin was baffled. She asked Yan Maoqing, “You just watched Haifeng take Pan Lun away? Didn’t I tell you we can’t leave any witnesses?”

Yan Maoqing glanced at Yan Donglou and replied, “Boss, didn’t you tell me to deal with Pan Lun in Annan? So when I saw him board the plane, I let my guard down. By the time I realized he’d gotten off the plane, Haifeng’s team was already there—no time to act.”

Tang Xin pressed, “What now? Pan Lun’s in Haifeng’s hands—what if he exposes us?”

Yan Maoqing reassured her, “Don’t worry. I’ve already sent people to find Pan Lun’s wife and child. As long as we have his family, he won’t dare to talk.”

Tang Xin looked at him. “Are you sure Pan Lun will keep quiet? If he talks, we’re in trouble!”

Yan Maoqing shot back, “What else can we do? I watched him board the plane, then somehow he got off just as Haifeng arrived. We had no chance—he left with Haifeng.”

Yan Donglou said, “Arrange for Pan Lun’s wife and child to be brought over immediately. Everything else can wait.”

Yan Maoqing left at once to handle the arrangements.

Tang Xin turned to Yan Donglou. “Do we really have to kidnap them? Haifeng will investigate if they suddenly disappear.”

Yan Donglou replied, “It’s actually safer this way. They’ll think Pan Lun’s family fled out of guilt, which benefits us.”

Tang Xin suggested, “But kidnapping is serious. Maybe we should check with Boss Xu first?”

Yan Donglou looked displeased. He’d never liked Tang Xin, thinking she was just a pretty face meant to be Xu Wei’s new lover. To his irritation, Xu Wei trusted her and gave her real responsibilities.

What annoyed Yan Donglou even more was that this seemingly delicate woman had succeeded in a series of ventures, threatening his position as second-in-command. Seeing Tang Xin’s operations unravel one after another, Yan Donglou was personally delighted, enjoying Haifeng’s team dismantling her network.

But he knew Pan Lun was different. He alone knew of Xu Wei’s existence—if something happened, not only Tang Xin but he himself would be implicated. That’s why Yan Donglou agreed to cooperate with Tang Xin.

He said, “You know Boss’s schedule—he won’t answer our calls during work hours, and he hates to be disturbed. If we wait until tonight, it’ll be too late. There’s no time—we must act now!”

Tang Xin hesitated, “But kidnapping—?”

Yan Donglou sneered, “Relax, it’s my arrangement. It has nothing to do with you, Miss Tang—no need to worry about being implicated!”

Tang Xin replied, “I’m not worried about that. I just think it’s risky. Even if you kidnap his family, Pan Lun won’t know they’re in our hands—he might talk anyway.”

Yan Donglou said, “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get the message to him.”

Tang Xin asked uneasily, “Will that work?”

Yan Donglou looked at her disdainfully. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility. For now, you’d better deal with any financial links between you and Pan Lun. Don’t let Haifeng’s team trace the money back to you.”

Tang Xin nodded. “Understood. I’ll do as you say.”

Not long after, Pan Lun was taken by Haifeng to the Ming City police headquarters. With this, Pan Lun’s entire group had been apprehended, and the White Tiger team could finally breathe a sigh of relief. They gathered, awaiting Pan Lun’s interrogation. Haifeng called Liu Zhiyang to report to Qiu Zhiyong.

At that moment, Xu Wei had already learned that Pan Lun had been captured. He called Tang Xin, demanding, “What happened? How did Pan Lun get caught?”

Tang Xin explained, “He got off the plane at the last moment and left with Haifeng. I was going to tell you after work.”

“There’s something else: Yan Donglou has already sent Yan Maoqing to arrange the kidnapping of Pan Lun’s wife and child. I tried to get him to wait for your return, but he wouldn’t listen. He claims he can let Pan Lun know his family is in our hands. There’s still time to stop them—what do you want to do?”

Xu Wei thought for a moment before replying, “Go with Yan Donglou’s plan. Don’t worry about it. Quickly clear up any dealings with Pan Lun and his people. Make sure Haifeng’s team can’t trace anything to you.”

Tang Xin said, “Don’t worry, I know what to do.”

Xu Wei added, “Have your subordinates handle things. You and Yan Donglou wait for me at your place—I’ll be there soon.”

It was the first time Xu Wei had called her during work hours, the first time she’d seen him so anxious. She realized this was no ordinary crisis. “Understood, I’ll notify Yan Donglou immediately.”

Meanwhile, the White Tiger team watched Pan Lun in silence. Seated in the interrogation chair, he no longer had his former aura. Head bowed, he said nothing, apparently deep in thought, occasionally gritting his teeth.

The team finally felt the weight of their efforts lift—the culprit had been caught, and elation filled the room.

Yet amid this celebratory mood, Zhang Mufeng felt a sense of unease as he studied Pan Lun. Something wasn’t right, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. He simply kept his eyes on Pan Lun, waiting for Haifeng’s return.