Chapter 72 The Ghost Car Plays Tricks on the Entire City, Traffic Police Collapse!

"Action!"

Following Chen Jianjun's order, the atmosphere in the entire task force command center instantly shifted from oppressive tension to busyness.

Abandoning the search for the vehicle itself and turning to look for the physical traces it left behind—this order sounded no different from a plot in a science fiction movie, but it was their only hope for now.

"Group One, focus on checking all bridge and tunnel exits on the city's main roads. Pay attention to water accumulation on bridge decks and light changes at tunnel entrances!"

"Group Two, check all glass curtain walls and reflective surfaces of shops along the streets. Do not let any abnormal reflections slip by!"

"Group Three, data team, cross-reference all uploaded reports, mark all suspected trace points on the map with red dots, and find its movement trajectory for me!"

Orders were issued one by one, and everyone began working at high speed. Young cyber police officer Xiao Wang and the technical team he led kept their eyes glued to the screen, which was divided into dozens of small sections. This work was no less difficult than playing the hardest "spot the difference" game in history.

Time ticked by second by second.

"Report! At the west exit of the Huayang Road Viaduct, at two thirteen and thirty-four seconds in the afternoon, a puddle of water splashed up for no reason!"

"Report! At the First Department Store on Jianshe Road, at two fifteen and eight seconds in the afternoon, a blurry reflection flashed across the shop window glass!"

"Report! Zhongshan East Road..."

Anomaly reports that seemed completely unrelated were gathered by the data team. On the huge electronic map, one red dot after another, representing the ghost's footprints, was marked out. Soon, a broken but clearly directed red trajectory line appeared clearly before everyone.

The endpoint of this trajectory line pointed starkly toward the entrance of the Baishui City East Expressway toll station in the east of the city!

"Found it!" Xiao Wang slapped the table excitedly, pointing at the screen and shouting, "Captain Chen, that kid... he really drove that car onto the expressway!"

Everyone in the command center gathered around, looking at that clear trajectory, all feeling a sense of scalp-tingling dread. A nine-year-old child, driving a toy car that could turn invisible, got on the expressway? This plot was even more absurd than a movie.

Chen Jianjun's expression, however, was unprecedentedly grave. He immediately grabbed the phone on the table and made an urgent report to his superiors.

"What? A child driving a car onto the expressway? Nonsense!" The leader on the other end of the phone was clearly shocked by the news.

"The situation is basically verified, and... that vehicle has extremely special performance, possessing the ability to evade conventional surveillance." Chen Jianjun explained in as concise a language as possible.

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment, and then a serious, authoritative command came through: "Old Chen, I don't care if he is Long Dagui's grandson, and don't care what kind of car that is! Right now, he is a nine-year-old child driving alone on the expressway! This is a massive issue! If a child from any ordinary family encounters this situation, we must do everything in our power! The lives and safety of the people are the top priority! I authorize you to immediately mobilize all road police forces of the Municipal Bureau, including traffic police and patrol officers. Act immediately, spare no cost, and ensure you stop the car while guaranteeing the child's safety!"

"Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Chen Jianjun replied loudly.

Hanging up the phone, he felt a wave of emotion. The leader's words had given him reassurance and clarified the true meaning of this operation for everyone in the entire task force.

Orders were passed down layer by layer, and a dragnet aimed at dragon knight no. 1 quickly spread across the expressway leading from Baishui City to the neighboring city.

...

"Attention all units! Attention all units! A black, unplated, child's toy car resembling an off-road vehicle is heading east along the Qinglan Expressway, with a nine-year-old boy inside! Repeat, there is a nine-year-old boy inside! All units, immediately set up deployment. You must intercept it while guaranteeing the child's safety!"

In the radio channel, the dispatcher's urgent voice reached the earpieces of every patrol car and traffic police motorcycle.

For a moment, the police lights along the entire expressway began to flash wildly, and the shrill sound of sirens rang through the sky.

"Received! Team One has entered the expressway and is approaching the area where the target might appear!"

"Received! The roadblock team is setting up the first interception point five kilometers ahead!"

Captain Wang of the Traffic Police Detachment was riding his high-powered police motorcycle, taking the lead. He had been in the industry for twenty years and had handled all sorts of bizarre traffic accidents, but this was the first time the entire city had been mobilized to chase a child's toy car.

'Truly something you only see after living a long time.' He thought speechlessly.

Soon, the forward observation post sent word: "Report! Target sighted! It's just two kilometers ahead of us!"

"Attention all units! Target sighted! Prepare to intercept!" Captain Wang perked up, twisted the throttle, and the police motorcycle's engine let out a roar as he rushed toward the target.

From a distance, he could already see the legendary black car. It was driving unhurriedly in the center of the lane, looking indeed like an oversized toy. At this moment, the black car seemed not to have detected any surveillance equipment, so it had disabled its invisibility.

"Just this?" Captain Wang's mouth twitched, feeling it was a bit of an overreaction.

He was just about to order the police cars on the flanks to flank the target via the walkie-talkie, but just then, a huge expressway gantry appeared ahead, covered in surveillance cameras.

And at the very moment dragon knight no. 1 was about to drive into the shadow under the gantry, an incredible scene occurred.

Under the gaze of Captain Wang and all the pursuing officers, the black car drove into the shadow and never came out the other side. The road surface returned to being empty, as if it had never existed.

"What the f*ck?!"

Captain Wang slammed on the brakes, nearly falling off his motorcycle. He stared blankly at the empty road ahead, his mind buzzing, going completely blank.

"Target... target lost! Repeat, target lost!" His voice transmitted over the radio, carrying a hint of tremor he hadn't even noticed himself.

The entire public channel was instantly flooded with reports filled with shock and confusion, one after another.

"Car One reporting! The target disappeared right before my eyes! I can't see anything anymore!"

"Car Three reporting! Me too! It was just here! What's going on?"

In the command center, Chen Jianjun and everyone else were staring intently at the real-time footage sent back by various units on the big screen, the atmosphere oppressive to the extreme.

A few seconds later, a new voice rang out.

"Car Five reporting! Target spotted behind the gantry! It appeared again! It's in front of us!" This was the interception unit arranged further ahead.

"Chase it! Keep locked onto it for me!" Captain Wang came to his senses and roared, starting his motorcycle again.

However, this was only the beginning of the chaos.

In the next ten-plus minutes, all the officers participating in the pursuit experienced a supernatural event they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

The black car's movements were mysterious. Every time it approached an expressway surveillance gantry, it would perform a disappearing act right on cue, vanishing into thin air, only to reappear a few hundred meters away, causing the police's encirclement to fail time and time again.

What made the officers even more broken was its speed.

"Report to Command Center! We can't keep up! This little thing is too fast! My throttle is already floored!"

"Requesting backup! Requesting backup! The target's speed is estimated to be over two hundred kilometers! I repeat, it's faster than my police car!"

The police radio channel had turned into a complete mess. The initial orderly command had long since turned into various panicked shouts and incoherent reports.

"It's gone!"

"It's out again! It's on my left!"

"Can't catch it! Can't catch it at all!"

In the command center, Chen Jianjun listened to the chaotic sounds coming through his earpiece, feeling speechless.

He looked at the electronic map, where the blue light dots representing their own police force were being left far behind by that small red target, some even starting to turn around, looking utterly disheveled.

Watching this scene, he felt a bit of dread.