68: Chapter 68 The Moment of Closing the Net!

The next day, 2:30 PM.

Inside the Fanxing Factory campus, the air was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring. All the heavy trucks were ready, waiting for the order to depart.

Lin Hao checked his equipment one last time—bulletproof vest fitted properly, communicator clear.

"Hao Zi." Chen Fan walked over and buckled a black tactical watch onto his wrist. "Real-time positioning, vital signs monitoring, one-touch SOS. The red button is for help, the green button is for recording."

Lin Hao nodded heavily, grinning. "Don't worry, I'll make sure not a single one of the Long family's brats escapes."

On the other side, Liu Dazhu sat in the cab of a heavy truck, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, looking very nervous. He could hear his heart drumming in his ears, and Chen Fan's words echoed in his mind repeatedly: "Come back alive, your wife and child are still waiting for you."

In the control center, the large screen in front of Chen Fan was split into over a dozen frames. The other frames showed surveillance of the three Phantom routes, the positioning of the trucks on the safe route, and signals from the police on the outskirts of the three ambush points confirming that their deployment was complete.

Xiao Zhi's electronic voice reported steadily: [All Phantom vehicle remote control systems are ready. All 12 trucks on the safe route have entered their scheduled departure positions. The police confirm that deployment on the outskirts of Qingniu Ridge, Heishi Beach, and Old Eagles Beak is complete; we can act at any time.]

Chen Fan took a deep breath, his gaze locked on the screen.

Chen Fan nodded; everything was proceeding according to plan.

2:55 PM.

"Depart!" Lin Hao gave the order.

The first Phantom convoy—six heavy trucks—slowly drove out of the factory area, the "Fanxing Technology" logo on the vehicles reflecting a cold, hard light in the sun.

Ten minutes later, the second convoy departed.

Another ten minutes later, the third.

The three convoys, like three silent steel dragons, drove toward the trap Long Zaitian had meticulously prepared.

In the Star of Fortune Control Center, Chen Fan remained calm, though the rhythm of his fingers tapping on the armrest of his chair was just a little faster than usual.

At the same time, in the dense forest 300 meters past a sharp turn on the Qingniu Ridge mountain road.

Scarface crouched behind an old locust tree, the betel nut he was chewing having already lost its flavor. He stared fixedly at the red dots on the tablet in his hand—the signals being transmitted back from the locators on those "inside job" vehicles were rapidly approaching.

"Boss, they're here!" a lackey beside him whispered, his tone filled with nervous excitement.

At the distant curve, six deep red heavy trucks slowly drove into view.

Scarface spat out the betel nut residue, dark red juice splashing onto the grass. He grabbed his walkie-talkie, his voice as raspy as sandpaper on iron. "Target spotted at Qingniu Ridge. Heishi Beach, Old Eagles Beak, keep an eye on your targets. Remember, surround first, then search, and retreat as soon as the goods are loaded! Make it quick!"

Two brief responses came over the walkie-talkie: "Copy that!"

Scarface licked his betel-nut-stained lips, a fierce glint in his eyes. He raised his hand, watching the six vehicles draw closer as they entered the narrowest part of the curve—

Scarface activated the explosive devices. Two of the vehicles let out a "bang" and began to emit thick smoke.

"Move out!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, ten burly men lying in ambush in the forests on both sides suddenly rushed out! Two trucks swerved out from a side road, screeching to a halt across the middle of the road, completely blocking the path!

"Stop! Stop the damn car!"

Ferocious roars echoed through the valley.

However, the expected panicked braking did not occur.

Three heavy trucks almost at the same instant made the exact same reaction—speed decreased steadily, steering was finely adjusted, and a row of hidden nozzles simultaneously popped open on the sides of the vehicles!

"Wail—!"

It wasn't an explosion, but a low, rapid alarm that suddenly blared! The sound had been specially modulated to be sharp and piercing, instantly drowning out all the shouting!

Immediately after—

"Puff! Puff puff puff—!"

Amidst a series of muffled thuds, each nozzle simultaneously sprayed a large amount of thick, colored mist! Red, yellow, blue, green... the pungent smoke, which had a strong dyeing effect, was like exploding paintballs. In less than three seconds, it completely enveloped the entire ambush circle along with all the Long family thugs who had rushed out!

"Cough, cough! What the hell is this?!"

"My eyes! I can't see!"

"My clothes! My clothes are stained!"

The cries of alarm and coughing were instantly swallowed by the smoke. In the multicolored thick fog, only groups of flailing, wretched figures could be seen, their bodies, faces, and hands all covered in bright colors that wouldn't wash off.

Even more terrifyingly for them, the six heavy trucks that were supposed to be captured were now, under the cover of the thick fog, all shifting into reverse and backing up precisely and quickly along the way they had come! Controlled by the remote driving system, the vehicles were calmer and more decisive than the most experienced drivers!

"Stop them! Don't let them get away!" Scarface covered his eyes and roared at the top of his lungs, though he himself was coughing violently from inhaling too much of the dyeing gas, tears and snot streaming down his face.

However, it was already too late.

Almost at the same moment the Phantom convoy began to reverse, on the outskirts of the ambush circle, piercing police sirens flooded in from all directions like a tide!

"Freeze! Police!"

"Drop your weapons! Hands behind your head!"

"You are surrounded!"

Fully armed SWAT officers rushed out from various preset assault positions, their muzzles cold and imposing, instantly controlling all exits. The two off-road vehicles blocking the road were immediately blocked in by police cars, unable to move.

The thick, colored smoke now served as the best beacon for the police—wherever the colors were most vibrant and the figures most chaotic, that was the target!

Scarface looked at his subordinates, each covered in "makeup" and coughing so hard they couldn't stand straight, then looked at the Star of Fortune heavy trucks in the distance, looming at the edge of the smoke, unharmed and even beginning to reverse in an orderly fashion. His mind went blank with a loud "boom."

It was a trap!

They hadn't hijacked the goods, they hadn't caught anyone, and instead, his group of ten had been surrounded like dumplings, all while wearing a full set of indelible evidence!

He suddenly remembered Long Zaitian's words, "If the job isn't done, don't bother coming back," and he instantly felt a chill run through his body.

---

Heishi Beach canyon, at the same time.

Lin Hao sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the narrowing valley path ahead. Liu Dazhu gripped the steering wheel tightly, his breathing a bit hurried.

"Don't be nervous," Lin Hao patted his shoulder. "Just follow what we rehearsed."

Just as he finished speaking, several burly men holding machetes suddenly rushed out from the mountain walls on both sides! A large truck blocked the way ahead!

"They're here!" Lin Hao's eyes sharpened; he was even a little excited.

Xiao Zhi had already taken over the vehicle system via automated control.

Almost simultaneously, their heavy truck and the two Phantom vehicles behind them sprayed out colored smoke! The piercing alarm echoed through the canyon!

The thick smoke filled the air instantly. The opposition clearly hadn't expected this move and was immediately thrown into chaos.

The vehicles began to reverse.

But just then, a third truck suddenly rushed out, heading straight for them! The opposition was clearly acting out of desperation!

"Sit tight!" Xiao Zhi's prompt came through!

"Boom!"

The reinforced front bumper of the specialized heavy truck slammed hard into the side of the off-road vehicle, actually knocking it sideways several meters! The heavy truck only shook slightly; its front bumper was dented, but overall, it was undamaged.

"Awesome!" Lin Hao couldn't help but shout.

Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the six vehicles quickly backed out of the canyon. Meanwhile, on the outskirts, the sound of police sirens drew closer.

Lin Hao looked at the smoke-filled canyon through the monitor and gave a cold laugh. "Time to close the net."

---

Old Eagles Beak tunnel, the situation was similar.

When the ambushers rushed out, the six Phantom vehicles simultaneously released colored smoke and alarms. Inside the enclosed space of the tunnel, the smoke's effect was doubled, and the opposition almost instantly lost their combat effectiveness. The Phantom vehicles calmly backed out of the tunnel and completed the handover with the police outside.

---

5:40 PM, Star of Fortune Control Center.

Lin Hao's excited voice came through the communicator: "Fan Zi! All three spots have been secured! Ten caught at Qingniu Ridge, nine at Heishi Beach, and eight at Old Eagles Beak—a total of twenty-seven people, six vehicles, and a pile of weapons! That grandson Scarface tried to run but was tackled to the ground by a cop. Now he's covered in colored paint, looking like a palette!"

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath, his tense nerves finally relaxing.

"What about our people?"

"Unharmed!" Lin Hao laughed. "Aside from some scraped paint, nothing happened to the Phantom vehicles. Dazhu was shaking a bit earlier, but now he's happy as can be, saying he's never had such a thrill in his life."

Chen Fan smiled as well. "Tell him to go straight to the hospital to be with his wife after the delivery. Give him three days off."

"You got it!" Lin Hao responded. "By the way, about the real goods..."

Chen Fan looked at another screen—the five trucks on the safe route had all driven out of the Magic City urban area and were now traveling smoothly on the highway. The green dots were moving steadily toward the various member enterprises of the Spark Alliance.

"Everything is going smoothly," Chen Fan said. "They should all arrive in another three hours."

He turned off the communication, stood up, and walked to the window. The sun was setting, and the sky was filled with a brilliant sunset.

This round, they had won.

Not only were the goods delivered safely, but they had also turned the tables, chopping off the Long family's outstretched claws, skin and flesh included. With twenty-seven people, it would be enough for the police to dig up quite a bit.